Alumni Association of Taiwan (TSSCA) Reports Successful Workshop

The Sakura Science Club Secretariat recently received a report from Mr. I-Hsiang Wang, one of the coordinators of Taiwan Sakura Science Club Alumni Association (TSSCA), regarding their workshop held on March 1, 2026. The event took place in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere and served as a valuable platform for informative presentations and productive discussions.

Taiwan Sakura Science Club Alumni Association Workshop

When Advanced Technologies Enter Everyday Life:
Practical Applications of AI × MOF (Nobel-Prize-Level Science)

Date: March 1, 2026
Venue: National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) & Zoom Online
Organizer: Taiwan Sakura Science Club Alumni Association (TSSCA)
Supporter: Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)

Introduction: Academic Resonance Across Borders

On Sunday, March 1, 2026, an international exchange workshop organized by the Taiwan Sakura Science Club Alumni Association (TSSCA) and supported by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) was held at National Taiwan Normal University. Many students from across Taiwan took part in the event, which featured lively exchanges with researchers active at the forefront of their respective fields.

The opening remarks were delivered by Professor Hui-Ling Sung, President of TSSCA, and Dr. Gu Shan, Senior Manager at JST. Both speakers emphasized the importance of academic exchange and stated that the workshop aimed to help build, in this rapidly changing digital era, a technological framework through long-term Japan–Taiwan strategic cooperation that could contribute to addressing challenges facing humanity.

Chapter 1: Sensibility and Reason in the Digital Era — Reframing Thought Through AI Utilization

Speaker: Associate Professor Ming-Lun Chung, Department of Civic Education and Leadership, National Taiwan Normal University

Professor Ming-Lun Chung discussed both the possibilities and the challenges of generative AI by relating it to sociological perspectives and his own research experience. Reflecting on his experiences during the Sendai earthquake and his years of research in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong, he noted that the essential value of technology lies in “sharing” and “growth.”

The lecture introduced a smart education project carried out in Hong Kong in 2016–2017. At that time, Professor Chung was working on a study that used elementary school students’ physiological data to estimate their level of concentration during class. Because generative AI had not yet become widely available, the project involved considerable technical and institutional burdens, including data analysis and ethics review procedures.

In contrast, he explained that tools such as Google AI Studio have now made it much easier even for researchers in the humanities and social sciences to engage in app development and model building. During the workshop, he demonstrated the generation of a BMI calculator app and showed how AI support can reduce the burden of development, allowing researchers to focus more on the substance of their research.

He also pointed out that effective AI use requires understanding performance parameters and prompt design, as well as the ability to frame appropriate questions. In particular, he explained how settings such as temperature can be used to balance accuracy and creativity, and how it is effective to ask AI to improve the prompt itself when refining instructions.

At the same time, he addressed the risks of excessive reliance on AI, including the possibility that students may develop only a superficial grasp of knowledge, as well as the broader risks posed by a society that becomes overly dependent on AI systems. He stressed that while AI can enhance professional capabilities, its social impact must also be carefully examined.

Chapter 2: Architecture in the Microscopic World — The Breath, Order, and Spatial Beauty of MOFs

Speaker: Associate Professor Chun-Ting Li, Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan Normal University

Professor Chun-Ting Li delivered a lecture on the structural characteristics and potential applications of porous materials, focusing on metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). MOFs are materials composed of metal ions as nodes and organic molecules as linkers, and the lecture highlighted how they can be designed with precision at the molecular level.

Drawing an analogy to the wooden architecture of Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto, where structural components are assembled without nails, Professor Li explained that MOFs likewise form stable and highly ordered microscopic structures by combining organic scaffolds with metal-centered nodes. These structures contain internal voids and are therefore suitable for applications such as the storage and separation of small molecules.

Professor Li also introduced researchers who have contributed to the development of MOF studies and indicated that their work is significant from the perspectives of knowledge transmission, the creation of dynamically functional materials, and the opening up of new types of space.

Toward the end of the lecture, she referred to Professor Susumu Kitagawa’s concept of the “usefulness of the seemingly useless,” emphasizing that spaces and basic research that may initially appear impractical, can in fact, generate new value. She also noted that developments in conductive framework structures can improve the photoelectric conversion efficiency of solar cells, demonstrating the potential of MOF research to contribute to the realization of a net-zero society.

Chapter 3: Breathing Life into Polymers — The Magic of Dynamic Cross-Linking and a Sustainable 3R Vision

Speaker: Professor Yoshinori Takashima, Department of Macromolecular Science, Graduate School of Science, The University of Osaka

The final lecture of the workshop was delivered by Professor Yoshinori Takashima of The University of Osaka and focused on supramolecular materials. The lecture broadened conventional views of plastics and gels by showing how materials can be endowed with dynamic functions and self-repair capabilities.

Professor Takashima first introduced host–guest systems using cyclodextrin. By including and binding specific molecules, this approach forms reversible and movable cross-links within a material, enabling flexible structural control that differs from conventional irreversible covalent bonding. He explained that such dynamic cross-linking can provide materials with a high degree of adaptability.

The lecture also presented materials with selective adhesion. Even when a material is broken, re-adhesion becomes possible if the fractured surfaces have compatible molecular structures, and self-repair occurs only when the chemical characteristics match. This was presented as a notable new design concept that gives materials a form of molecular self-recognition.

Professor Takashima further explained light-control technology using azobenzene bonds. By exploiting the property that molecular structure changes under specific ultraviolet light, it becomes possible to control intermolecular distances and the position and density of cross-linking points, thereby remotely adjusting a material’s hardness and extensibility. The lecture highlighted the promise of this technology for fields such as precision medicine and soft robotics.

Toward the end of the lecture, he emphasized the importance of the 3Rs in polymer development—Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Because dynamic cross-linking makes it possible to repair materials for long-term use and reconfigure them when necessary, he stressed that this approach has major significance as a direction for materials development toward a sustainable society.

Conclusion: A Long-Term Vision for Japan–Taiwan Cooperation and Interdisciplinary Inspiration

Once again, JST introduced the Sakura Science Program (SSP) as a short-term exchange program for young people under the age of 40 who have graduated from high school. The program enables participants to join programs at Japanese universities and research institutions for periods ranging from seven days to three weeks through three categories: Science Experience (A), Collaborative Research (B), and Technology Training (C). It was explained that applications are submitted not by individuals, but through projects jointly organized by a Taiwanese school and a Japanese host institution, with the Japanese side responsible for submitting the application. JST also provides support for travel expenses, in-country expenses in Japan, and insurance fees. The importance of cooperation in science and technology and of private-sector exchange between Japan and Taiwan was also emphasized.

Near the end of the event, Professor Sung shared the interim results of the 2025 SSP. She stressed that the significance of the project lies not merely in expressing friendship between Japan and Taiwan, but in building a substantive and long-term academic strategic alliance. She further explained that, with SSP as a catalyst, formal inter-university cooperation agreements had been concluded between National Taiwan Normal University and Japanese universities including The University of Osaka, and that a comprehensive framework is being developed, ranging from student exchange to advanced research collaboration.

Through this workshop, it became clear once again that interdisciplinary knowledge and technologies are organically connected. Professor Chung highlighted the importance of maintaining human sensitivity and judgment in the AI era. Professor Li presented new prospects for green energy based on microstructural design from the perspective of linking chemistry and architecture. Professor Takashima, in turn, connected materials and sustainability by demonstrating the potential of self-healing polymers as a direction for sustainable materials development.

In addition, Professor Kitagawa’s perspective of transforming the “useless” into the “useful” offered important insight not only for scientific research but also for broader ways of understanding the world. Whether in AI prompt design or in the structural design of MOFs and supramolecular systems, this workshop strongly reinforced the idea that finding an appropriate framework of connection can lead to the creation of new value and new possibilities.

This workshop provided a concrete demonstration of the future potential of Japan–Taiwan academic cooperation while also leaving participants with a strong impression of the importance of interdisciplinary perspectives and the possibilities that arise from fresh ways of thinking.

Text by: I-Hsiang Wang, Taiwan Sakura Science Club Alumni Association (TSSCA)