Report on the Taiwan Sakura Science Club Alumni Association 2026 Summer Workshop

The Sakura Science Club Secretariat recently received a report from Mr. YUE-ER HSU, a committee member of the Taiwan Sakura Science Club Alumni Association (TSSCA), on the Summer Workshop held on September 5, 2026. The workshop was conducted in a friendly atmosphere and provided a valuable opportunity for informative presentations and active discussion.

Taiwan Sakura Science Club Alumni Association 2026 Summer Workshop

Hosted by: Taiwan Sakura Science Club Alumni Association (TSSCA)
Topic: Co-Creating Sustainability: From Local Action to a Global Future
Date: Saturday, September 5, 2026
Venue: National Taiwan University Main Campus
Workshop Chair: Prof. Hui-Ling Sung, Chairperson of TSSCA

Before the first session, Professor Jr-Chuan Huang from National Taiwan University, a TSSCA committee member, and Professor Hui-Ling Sung from National Taiwan Normal University, Chairperson of TSSCA, delivered the opening address. The inception of this workshop stems from the Taiwanese government's promotion of Foundation for Orchestrating Resilient Motivated Organizations & Sustainable Action in recent years, highlighting that ESG has become a highly valued issue. We hope to invite experts and scholars in environmental and sustainability fields to share their research findings and experiences with us.

Assistant Professor Shinya Ochiai from Kanazawa University kicked off by introducing his institution, showcasing that Kanazawa University is a prestigious school full of research potential. Asst. Prof. Ochiai started with a highly accessible topic, explaining that radiation is ubiquitous. He even demonstrated the relevant detection equipment and its operation. The detector he built himself was incredibly engaging and sparked great interest among all of us.

Next, Asst. Prof. Ochiai explained that because minute radioactive materials seep into the soil, we can extract underground soil samples and observe the radiation changes in each layer to understand what the land looked like in the past. Furthermore, by observing the orientation of tiny magnetic particles in the soil, we can determine the direction of a river's source.

During the discussion session after the meeting, TSSCA members asked what these river studies reveal regarding soil erosion on hillsides. The members also discussed various methods for extracting soil components to identify historical geographical changes. Professor Jr-Chuan Huang from National Taiwan University then shared his experience on how river research is conducted in Taiwan.

Following this, right before the lunch break, we held a prize-winning quiz. Attendees used their smartphones to compete in answering questions. In addition to being closely related to the morning's lecture topics, the quiz questions incorporated many SDGs concepts, allowing us to share knowledge on environmental and sustainability issues with one another.

For our second presentation, we have invited Pei-Yun Lu, Operations Director of Fish Forest, to share how the brand Fish Forest engages in regional revitalization in Pingtung.

The brand is driven by a local youth team based in Qifeng Village, Linbian Township, Pingtung County. Calling themselves “curators of local life and culture” they have transformed an old grocery store in the fishing village into a youth entrepreneurship hub. They promote “seafood education” and “fishing village culture”, guiding travelers to experience the uniquely slow-paced lifestyle of southern Taiwan. As their primary offerings, they have designed a wide variety of rich, immersive local travel experiences.

Beyond Linbian Township, the brand has also expanded its regional revitalization efforts to surrounding areas, including Fangliao Township, Liuqiu Township, and Donggang Township. They observed that these regions boast abundant seafood and a rich culinary tradition. However, due to an aging population and the massive out-migration of young people, the remaining elders, despite their exceptional cooking skills, struggle to present traditional seafood dishes in a format that appeals to modern travelers.

Because younger generations are relatively unfamiliar with Taiwan's traditional roadside banquet culture, and traditional seafood cuisine is typically served in this format, the brand designed and launched a specialized tour package to bridge this gap. This itinerary allows visitors to tour fishing boats and ports, actively participate in the process, and conclude their trip with a traditional roadside banquet style seafood feast. The great strength of this tour is how it shines a light on the fascinating, educational, yet largely unseen process of catching the seafood long before it reaches the dining table.

While working in the rural areas, they discovered that there used to be large-scale oyster farming around Dapeng Bay. The environmental impact of leftover oyster shells prompted them to find ways to upcycle them. Leveraging their experience in designing travel itineraries, they developed a creative method to repurpose the shells. By pouring hot wax and adding wicks into sun-dried oyster shells, they transformed them into artisanal candles. During this upcycling process, they standardized and simplified the handcrafting procedure, minimizing both the instructional manpower and the extra consumables required. This made the oyster shell upcycling solution highly feasible. Furthermore, this hands-on activity was brought to the workshop for attendees to experience firsthand.

For the final session of the agenda, we invited Yu-Wen Chen to discuss their approach to food waste upcycling. They are a team based at National Taiwan University. Since National Taiwan University happens to be the host venue for this TSSCA workshop, we invited them to share how they transform food waste into compost right here on campus.

This team adopted the framework of Dr. Jane Goodall's "Roots & Shoots" global youth action program. The core issues they identified were the excess of food waste and infertile soil in need of organic fertilizers. To address this, they integrated the composting process and the subsequent use of the composted soil for planting within the exact same physical space. By doing so, they were able to kill two birds with one stone and solve both problems simultaneously.

In their practical testing facility, they built compost bins themselves using discarded wood and carefully controlled the temperature and humidity to find the optimal speed for producing organic fertilizer. At the very end of the meeting's agenda, we visited their composting site on the National Taiwan University campus. There, we practically engaged in burying the food waste left over from student meals. We also participated hands-on in agitating the compost to aerate the pile, which is a crucial step designed to accelerate the formation of the fertilizer.

Although it was drizzling that day, all the attendees remained highly enthusiastic about being able to participate outdoors in a hands-on activity centered around sustainability and environmental issues.

Text by: YUE-ER, HSU, Taiwan Sakura Science Club Alumni Association (TSSCA)