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　　To promote the popularization of science and improve the public’s scientific literacy in conjunction with the Higher Education Enhancement Project of the Ministry of Education, and the Popular Science Project of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), National Chiayi University organized the science checkpoint games, as part of the Popular Science Month, with the Chiayi County Government on April 9th. Held at the Chiayi County Yijhu Junior High School, the opening ceremony was co-hosted by President Chyung Ay, Chiayi County Magistrate Weng Chang-Liang, Chen Ching-Ho, Chairman of the Chinese Science Communication Association, and other guests of honor. As part of Chiayi County’s Popular Science Month in 2021, the checkpoint games were joined by a total of 55 schools from 17 townships, more than half of which are located in rural areas.

　　In his address, Magistrate Weng Chang-Liang indicated that MOST Minister Tsung-Tsong Wu paid a special visit to southern Taiwan last week to discuss on issues regarding the establishment of the Chiayi Science Park. The Chiayi County Government and MOST plan to set up a joint promotion office by early next year. The park, scheduled to be completed after 3 years, is expected to facilitate the industrial development in the future.

　　As Chiayi is known for its vast expanses, covering Alishan Township and Aogu Wetlands in Dongshi District, many schools in the region are small in scale with limited human resources. To make the wealth of popular science resources accessible to schoolchildren in remote areas, the Popular Science Education Promotion Team of the Training and Research Institute of Food and Agriculture, NCYU, specially designed 30 checkpoints and teaching materials this year to enable every participant to learn about scientific theories in an interesting way. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic that has swept the world, three virus-related activities were designed for the Popular Science Month’s checkpoint games. The activities aimed to provide a peek into the size, shape and structure of the virus, using waterlines, polygons and other concrete images to visualize abstract concepts. It also enabled the participants to have a clearer idea about the size and shape of the virus in nanometer and micrometer scales.

　　According to NCYU Associate Prof. Lien Jing-Yi, the checkpoint games this year were not only supervised by students from Yijhu Junior High School, but the elderlies over 75 years old from the Touzhu Village, Yichu Township. Before the event, each of them carefully learned about the details and steps of the science checkpoint games and how they work. The elder participants were not second to the young in their enthusiasm for science education. Ms. Lee, who is 82 years old, said it was a meaningful and interesting experience to be able to join the science checkpoint games.

　　President Chyung Ay indicated that NCYU, a century-old university located in Chiayi, considers it a duty to help promote science education in schools at all levels in Chiayi. NCYU teachers are more than ready to share with them their professional knowledge and the education resources of the university, hoping to make NCYU the hub of knowledge and education in the Yunlin and Chiayi region. By fulfilling the social responsibility as a university, NCYU is devoted to becoming the backbone of science education for the schools. He expressed gratitude to the elderly participants from Yizhu Township, teachers and students of Yijhu Junior High School, volunteers of the Tzu Chi Foundation, and people from other nearby institutions for contributing their part to the Popular Science Month this year. The event not only helped implement the popularization of science education, but facilitated community exchanges and established a new model of community service for the elderlies.