On October 6, a 12-person delegation from Taiwan’s National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU) arrived at the ISSP UL to participate in the workshop organized by Taiwan and the Baltic States Research Center on Physics (TBRCP) founded at the ISSP UL in March 2020.
As the previous workshops had to be organized online due to the pandemic and travel restrictions, this was an excellent opportunity to finally meet in person. At the workshop, the Taiwanese delegation shared their most current research directions and found like-minded researchers here in Latvia. Among the Latvian participants of the workshop, there were researchers not only from the ISSP UL but also Director of the Institute of Atomic Physics and Spectroscopy of the University of Latvia Dr. Jānis Spīgulis, Leading Researcher of the Institute of Atomic Physics and Spectroscopy of the University of Latvia Dr. Jānis Alnis, Professor of Electronics and Telecommunications from Riga Technical University Dr. Jurģis Poriņš, Director and the Leading Researcher of the Institute of Chemical Physics, University of Latvia Dr. Donāts Erts, and Director and the Leading Researcher of the Institute of Electronics and Computer Science Dr. Modris Greitāns.
The workshop was opened by the Director of the ISSP UL, Dr. Andris Anspoks, Deputy Director for Science, Dr. Andris Šternbergs, and NSYSU Prof. Mitch Chou, emphasizing the benefits of international cooperation. Assoc. Prof. Yuan-Yao LIN introduced the participants to the research highlights in the Department of Photonics at NSYSU. The theme of his presentation was Photonics and Lasers, Communication and Information, Display, and Alternative Energy. Prof. Che-Hsin LIN introduced the participants to the research activities of the Department of Mechanical and Electro-Mechanical Engineering, while Prof. Shu-Chen HSIEH reported on repurposing biowaste materials for use in contaminated water remediation and CO2 removal. After the coffee break, the presentations were continued by Prof. Tzung-Lin LEE, who spoke about power electronics in smart grids, and Assistant Professor Chun-Wei TSAI, whose theme of the presentation was “Toward Intelligent Technologies for Smart City.” After each presentation, participants were encouraged to get involved in a discussion on a particular topic.
After the workshop, the NSYSU delegation was taken on a small excursion around the institute showing the Laboratory of Spectroscopy in all its glory. Scientific discussions were held with the researchers from the Laboratory of Micro and Nanodevices and the Head of the Laboratory of Microscopy, Dr. Krišjānis Šmits. Over coffee and snacks, informal conversations continued, during which NSYSU and ISSP UL researchers exchanged contacts. The NSYSU delegation stayed in Latvia for three days, during which excursions were organized with the help of TBRCP to get to know Latvian architecture, nature, and food. After the delegation of Taiwanese researchers left Latvia, it moved on to Lithuania, while the ISSP UL researchers have already started planning their return visit to the NSYSU.
The TBRCP was founded in 2020 as a result of long-term cooperation between Taiwan’s National Sun Yat-sen University and the University of Latvia. The center aims to promote educational exchange and research collaboration, specializing in solid-state physics, material sciences, and optical materials. The TBRCP organizes exchange visits for students and professors and organizes educational seminars on the latest methods and research results. When working on joint projects, researchers use the state-of-the-art equipment of the ISSP UL acquired thanks to the CAMART2 infrastructure upgrade project, which takes them a step closer to more international projects and discoveries.
