To meet the Pingtung Science Park’s growing demand for talent in the space technology and green materials industries, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST)—represented by Professor Hudson Uzu-Kuei Hsu—convened a roundtable consensus meeting to establish the Pingtung County Aerospace Science Promotion and Talent Cultivation Alliance. The meeting brought together scholars and experts from the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU), National University of Kaohsiung (NUK), National Pingtung University (NPTU), I-Shou University (ISU), and the Pingtung County Department of Education. Professor Jason Yi-Bing Lin, the former Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology, was also invited to serve as an advisory consultant. Through the cross-organizational collaboration, the alliance aims to jointly advance aerospace talent cultivation and deeply root science education across Pingtung County.
Professor Hudson Hsu of NPUST, who also serves as the Chair of the Aerospace Science Promotion and Education Committee of the Aeronautical and Astronautical Society of the Republic of China (AASRC), noted that Pingtung has traditionally been a major agricultural county, but has progressively transitioned toward smart agriculture in response to technological advancements. With the establishment of the Pingtung Science Park and the completion of the Xuhai National Sounding Rocket Launch Site, an industrial supply chain for aerospace technology and green materials is steadily taking shape, making talent cultivation and technical capacity-building matters of utmost urgency. Within Pingtung County’s national education system, a primary school science education resource center and four junior high school technology and manufacturing centers have already been established. Furthermore, plans are underway to set up the South Pingtung Science Promotion Base at the senior high school level. The county’s primary focus for science education is centered on aerospace and marine sciences, alongside the continuous development of AI and robotics technology.
In recent years, Professor Hsu has been heading up the Ministry of Education “Southern Taiwan Dreams of Flying” project, and his collaborations with the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA), the NSTC Department of International Cooperation and Science Education, and the Pingtung County Department of Education resulted in the plan to establish a dedicated project office at NPUST and create an Aerospace Science Promotion and Talent Cultivation Alliance made up of relevant universities, scholars, and experts. The alliance will help primary and secondary schools across Pingtung County expand aerospace technology education. Their work will include organizing learning camps, training seed teachers, and hosting county-wide competitions. Through these activities, as well as through local cultural guided tours, they aim to foster a local culture centered on aerospace science, while integrating regional revitalization to achieve foundational science education and community co-prosperity.
