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With the support of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Taiwan-Vietnam Environmental Protection Overseas Science and Technology Innovation Center (TVEPOC) was inaugurated in December 2020 at the National Yunlin University of Science and Technology (YunTech) with the theme of environmental protection technology, improve the application of environmental protection technique and knowledge in Taiwan and Vietnam.

 

The main partner is Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City - University of Science (VNUHCM-US). VNUHCM-US, a member of Vietnam National University system, has an important academic position in the field of applied science.

 

Cross-school connections between Taiwan and Vietnam under the epidemic blockade
 

VNUHCM-US has signed an MOU with YunTech since 2019. Based on this, two universities developed TVEPOC. Although it started during the COVID-19 epidemic, the research teams from both universities regularly hold video conferences, continuously share research results and create new research projects. While the epidemic in Ho Chi Minh city was heating up, we also sent face masks designed and produced by YunTech to Vietnam, hoping people of Taiwan and Vietnam could tide over the difficult times during the epidemic.

 

Figure 1: March 25th, 2021, online conference of Taiwan-Vietnam research teams

 

Over the past year, the center has held a number of course exchange activities, and strived to create opportunities for Taiwan and Vietnam teachers and students to interact, the topics shared include "Toward insect based biorefinery", "Ultrasound and its applications in Environmental Technologies", "Microplastic pollution" and "Photochemical Efficiency of Sunlight Photocatalyst", to encourage diversity studies. In July 2021, an online workshop "Renewable Energy and Environment Workshop" was also held, inviting scholars and renewable energy industry experts from Taiwan and Vietnam to share their research techniques and practical applications. This workshop was organized by the Science and Technology Division at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Vietnam. Prof. Hsu Hui Huang, the head of TECO, personally introduced Taiwan's achievements in promoting scientific research cooperation in Vietnam, and discussed future cooperation opportunities.

 

 

Figure 2: On July 9th, 2021 "Renewable Energy and Environment Workshop"

 

Diverse perspectives of interdisciplinary research teams

 

TVEPOC invites research teams to participate in the proposal of transnational cooperation in the YunTech. In the first year, there are ten research topic proposals, spanning research in different fields, focusing on environmental protection issues, and committing to environmental sustainability developing. There is professor from the Department of Electronics starts from the themes of intelligent identification and deep learning, and develops towards "smart environmental protection"; other professor from the Department of Chemical Materials is also committed to the promotion and application of insect refining in industrial and educational development to promote the sustainable development of the environment; In the field of renewable energy, a professor from the Department of Mechanical Engineering promotes the cultivation of talents in solar energy and wind power generation.
 

Professor Cheng Yu-shen from the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering is committed to the development and promotion of insect bio-refining technology, recycling organic wastes such as agricultural products and food processing by-products, producing biological products, and expanding industrial business opportunities of circular economy. The research theme of insect refining, an emerging industry, also caught the eyes of Vietnamese professors. They received a lot of responses and attention in the research exchange conference. Vietnamese professors have great interest in in-depth understanding and cooperation, course promotion planning, keeping in touch and discussing.

 

 

Figure 3: On May 6th, 2021 Prof. Cheng Yu-Shen andDr. Nguyen Thanh Tam had course exchange from YunTech and Vietnamese students participated synchronously.

 

In the field of green energy, Prof. Tseng Shi-Chang from the Department of Mechanical Engineering of YunTech is dedicated to the research of renewable energy such as solar energy, wind power and water power. Recent research focuses on the "recycling" and reuse of waste "energy" in factories, utilize the air fan to generate wind power and convert the kinetic energy of the gas flowing in the pipeline into mechanical energy. The technology R&D and talent cultivation of the research team invite Vietnamese professors and students to participate in international cooperation to jointly promote the R&D of green energy.

 

Figure 4: On July 9th, 2021, Prof. Tseng Shi-Chang shared research topics in the "Renewable Energy and Environment Workshop" online workshop

 

Scientific research exchange and cross-cultural experience in the laboratory of YunTech

 

Although we started at the time of the impact of the epidemic, we are still fortunate to invite lecturers from the Faculty of Environment of VNUHCM-US to build a substantial communication bridge for Taiwan and Vietnam. Therefore, we specially interviewed Ms. Nguyen Thanh Tam, who stayed in YunTech for research and exchange, and asked her to introduce her research in the most simple and easy-to-understand sentences. She started: “People think waste is waste, we think waste is a resource.”
 

Since May 2021, Dr. Nguyen Thanh Tam came to YunTech for four-month research exchange. After she arrived half a month, she encountered Taiwan's level 3 epidemic alert. Therefore, at the beginning of her life at YunTech, she only stayed at dormitories, laboratories and Dreamhub. Although she was disappointed that it was difficult to travel and explore all over Taiwan, when she talked about research projects and laboratory memories, she became enthusiastic and introduced her research field.

Dr. Nguyen Thanh Tam's research expertise is in "Ultrasound" and "Wastewater and Waste Treatment". Her collaborative research in Taiwan is the "Research on Biochar in Wastewater Purification" with National Chi Nan University in the early stage, and currently is with professor Horng Jao-Jia's laboratory cooperation, the main research theme is "Sustainable recovery of valuable nanoporous materials from MSWI fly ash", which is an important and practical environmental research topic in Taiwan and Vietnam.

Postdoctoral researcher Cheng-Kuo Tsai, who carried out the collaborative research, said that relying on the ultrasonic technology which is familiar to Thanh Tam, this research hopes to remove the chloride ions in the fly ash, and then produce high-value nanomaterials. The next application of research is to use this high-value material to treat the fluorine wastewater generated by the semiconductor industry, hoping to form high-purity calcium fluoride, also known as fluorite, and then fluorite is often used as steelmaking plant flux, which in turn forms a regeneration cycle.

 

 

Figure 5: On July 16th, 2021, Nguyen Thanh Tam and Cheng-Kuo Tsai was in research laboratory

 

In addition to the research in the laboratory, Ms.Thanh Tam, professors, and students in the laboratory also had many interesting cross-cultural experiences and interactions. Talking about the most impressive thing in the laboratory, she pointed to a bag of classic green Kuai Kuai (乖乖) placed on the experimental equipment and felt very magical. Although there is worship in Vietnam, this was the first time she had seen it. When visiting the laboratory for the first time, she heard the mythical explanation of Kuai Kuai. At a certain experiment, the equipment always appeared abnormal, a student picked up a bag of Kuai Kuai and wrote the name of the equipment on it, the next few experiments turned out to be normal, this is the magic power of Taiwan's "Kuai Kuai" culture!

 

 

Figure 6: On July 16th, 2021, Ms. Thanh Tam and Kuai Kuai in research laboratory

 

The similarities and differences between Taiwan and Vietnam's academia-industry-research environment culture

 

Talking about the observation of differences in life between Taiwan and Vietnam, Ms. Thanh Tam said that she is a lecturer at the Faculty of Environment, VNUHCM-US, there are about 100 students in each class, the curriculum of the department includes theoretical courses and experimental courses. Therefore, the lecturer has a high proportion of the time for teaching. However, due to the lack of equipment and analytical instrumentsin schools, research often requires sending samples to larger testing centers for analysis, and when teaching, due to a large number of students, they have less time for practical operation.
 

Therefore, she suggested that the cooperation program can provide more opportunities for students to practice or exchange, and can conduct a complete experimental program in Taiwan, which will be a great help to Vietnamese students. Accumulation of experience is important for educators and students. With a lot of experience in transnational research, she feels that she is fortunate to be able to go to different countriesto study and work, spend more time and energy in research, and learn more about multiculturalism outside the laboratory.
 

Most of the research life in Taiwan is in the laboratory, when talking about the impression of the research atmosphere of YunTech, Dr. Thanh Tam first mentioned the importance of abundant instruments and equipment for research. The first floor in the College of Engineering at YunTech has the Center for Advanced Processing and Analysis. It is very convenient for the experimental analysis required in the process of joint research. Another part that makes her feel warm is the atmosphere of cooperation between the professors of YunTech. When there is a lack of experimental equipment, they will ask and discuss with professors from different departments, and other professors are also very willing to lend out and communicate.
 

The atmosphere of the rainy season in early June in Taiwan, the hot and humid sunny and rainy days are very similar to the largest city in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City. Dr. Thanh Tam talked about her city, the scene of the city that never sleeps, and the two places she lived in Taiwan: Puli and Douliu, big difference. But about Taiwan, she always has a sense of familiarity like coming home. She said "Pingan (平安)", this word is also a Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary in Vietnamese. The pronunciation is similar to Chinese and this is her biggest feeling about Taiwan.

 

Connecting Taiwan-Vietnam Industry-Academiacooperation to Prospect Smart Environmental Protection

 

The establishment of TVEPOC aims to increase the international industrial connection by combining the industry-academia cooperation energy of YunTech. In the exchange with VNUHCM-US, we will strengthen academic cooperation and international talent cultivation. We also hope to connect Taiwanese companies in Vietnam in the future, practically internship programs and industry-academia programs on environmental protection area.

 

 

Figure 7: As the coordinating partner of the center in Vietnam, Dean Hien of the Faculty of Environment of VNUHCM-US always greets warmly online, discusses, and plans Taiwan-Vietnam talent cultivation and research cooperation together.

 

In the future, we hope to combine academic research and industry-academia cooperations, combine the research and teaching of YunTech and the environmental protection technique of VNUHCM-US, jointly look forward to the trend of "smart environmental protection" in Taiwan and Vietnam. In the shadow of the epidemic, we also hope that through the exchange of environmental protection techniques, we can see the light of more renewable resources and renewable energy together.