2024 Taiwan Science Exploration Fair Results Announced

The finale and awards ceremony of the “2024 Taiwan Science Exploration Fair - To Do, To Understand” took place at the National Taiwan Science Education Center today (June 29th). The winners were Taipei Municipal Changan Elementary School, Kaohsiung Municipal Minghua Junior High School, Malaysia Hin Hua High School, Kaohsiung Dah Yung Senior High School and Kaohsiung Municipal Sanmin Vocational High School of Home Economics & Commerce, Kaohsiung Municipal Longhua Primary School, and freelancer Chin Ying-Ssu.

To kindle people’s interest in science and promote science education, educational institutions such as National Kaohsiung Normal University, NARLabs’ National Center for High-performance Computing(NCHC), the National Museum of Natural Science, the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, the National Museum of Marine Science & Technology, the National Taiwan Science Education Center, and the National Science and Technology Museum co-organize the “ 2024 Taiwan Science Exploration Fair - To do, To Understand,” and it is now in its 11th year. Directed by the K-12 Education Administration of the Ministry of Education, the competition is divided into six groups: Elementary School, Junior High School, Senior High School, Vocational High School, Teachers, and College & General Public. This year, 1,069 teams (2,056 participants) from both domestic and foreign regions registered for the competition, with 917 teams submitting entries. The submission rate was 86%, and the competition has attracted more than a thousand teams for four years in a row. The Science Exploration Fair is an international competition, and this year, it accepted entries in English for the first time. Twenty-six teams from places such as China, Macau, Vietnam, and Malaysia participated, achieving a 100% submission rate.

The “2024 Taiwan Science Exploration Fair - To Do, To Understand” is centered on scientific exploration. Participants act as teachers, explaining common scientific myths in daily life through paintings, reports, videos, and more, after conducting their own investigations. This process aims to encourage more students to learn and help participants sharpen their scientific narrative skills. Entry requirements vary by group: cartoons and videos for Elementary School, research papers and videos for Junior High, Senior High, and Vocational High Schools, popular science articles for College & General Public, and teaching plans for Teachers. The top six entries in each group that made it to the finals covered a wide range of fields, and the videos were particularly captivating.

K-12 Education Administration Deputy Director-General Shu-Fen Tai stated that the spirit of "inquiry and practice" is integral to the natural sciences according to the Curriculum Guidelines of 12-year Basic Education. Every school is committed to organizing various science courses that encourage active exploration and experimentation. This year’s competition is student-centered. Through presentations such as flipped education and research projects, participants are encouraged to observe life issues and adopt a hands-on approach. The competition emphasizes the spirit of scientific exploration and aims to bring science closer to the public. It promotes diverse and engaging learning methods to stimulate participants' creativity and expressiveness. The percentage of female participants (52%) surpassed that of male participants (48%) this year, demonstrating the effectiveness of efforts to encourage female involvement in scientific inquiry.

NCHC Director-General Chau-Lyan Chang pointed out that in recent years, NCHC has been actively assisting the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) in promoting popular science education, with the goal of laying solid foundations for scientific literacy. Since 2014, the “Taiwan Science Exploration Fair - To Do, To Understand” has been held for eleven years in a row. Over these years, more than 11,000 works have been recorded and exhibited on the official website created and maintained by NCHC. This website serves as a learning platform and a channel for promoting science education, allowing students and the public to browse and learn from the available resources.

National Museum of Natural Science Director Chuan-Chin Chiao said that in the 38 years since the museum’s founding, they have collected over 1.6 million specimens, making it the largest natural history museum in Taiwan. Researchers from various fields professionally categorize the collections, regularly hold special exhibitions, and update permanent displays. The newly updated Nature’s Wonderland exhibit in 2024 offers the public an excellent space for exploration and learning. To encourage the use of museum resources and enhance scientific inquiry and practice skills, they have held the Science Koshien competition since 2022 with the support of the K-12 Education Administration. Starting in 2023, they established an award for the “Taiwan Science Exploration Fair - To Do, To Understand,” aiming to fulfill the museum's mission by making it a foundation for public scientific research and fostering more scientific exploration and study through exhibitions and competitions.

National Museum of Marine Biology & Aquarium Director-General Chii-Shiarng Chen said that they have been committed to marine research for many years, emphasizing the dissemination of new marine knowledge and the promotion of marine education. They aim to lead the public to understand the ocean and enhance the marine science literacy of the nation. Besides supporting relevant online and offline activities, the museum has established a special award to encourage participants to incorporate marine biology topics into scientific communication competitions. This initiative aims to instill elements of the marine environment into students' minds and ignite their passion for marine science.

National Taiwan Science Education Center Director-General Huoo-Chin Liu said that the “Taiwan Science Exploration Fair - To Do, To Understand” not only disseminates scientific knowledge but also fosters interdisciplinary thinking and stimulates students’ interest in various academic fields. By exploring everyday events and observing phenomena, students will think about how to solve real-life problems. They will seek solutions and ultimately present their findings through simple narratives or practical demonstrations. This approach aligns with the Curriculum Guidelines of 12-year Basic Education, emphasizing interdisciplinary integration and the cultivation of core competencies. During the competition, many interesting and imaginative research projects were discovered, aligning with the center's mission to promote fundamental science and scientific exploration. Liu stated that the National Taiwan Science Education Center will continue to support this competition, encouraging students to conduct novel, interesting, and enjoyable experiments while fully expressing their creativity.

National Science and Technology Museum Director Hsiu-Feng Lee said that the museum has long been dedicated to promoting popular science education, particularly under the new curriculum guidelines emphasizing spontaneity, interaction, and collaboration. Through the promotion of exploration and hands-on activities, students are encouraged to identify problems in their daily lives, design scientific inquiry processes to find answers, and develop their scientific narrative skills. She believes that by participating in this competition and interacting with other contestants, students will gain knowledge and experience that cannot be obtained in the classroom.

National Museum of Marine Science & Technology Director Su-Fen Chen mentioned that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the museum. Over the past decade, they have integrated science and technology learning into daily life, launching many creative activities and course designs. Through virtual reality and immersive design, learning has become more interesting and comprehensible. The ocean holds endless resources for exploration. According to the Curriculum Guidelines of 12-year Basic Education, the ability to investigate and explore is one of the key competencies. This process inspires endless curiosity and develops investigation and problem-solving skills in both daily life and learning. The exploration-based competition cultivates abilities and unlocks potential, allowing students and the general public across Taiwan to gain a deeper understanding of the ocean. Through scientific learning and exploration, participants will get closer to the ocean, gain more knowledge about it, treat it better, and focus on its sustainability, fostering diverse and interesting scientific creative learning.

For detailed competition information, please visit the official website at http://sciexplore.colife.org.tw/.