The 2025 Soil and Water Conservation Month—Soil and Water Conservation Festival was held at the Pingtung V.I.P Zone (Shenglixing Village) on May 17, 2025. The event was hosted by the Pingtung County Government, the Tainan Branch of the Agency of Rural Development and Soil and Water Conservation, and the Soil and Water Conservation Department. National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) also enthusiastically participated in the activities and set up booths for visitors to enjoy. In total, 21 promotional booths were carefully arranged to bring entertaining and educational experiences to the public, and provide both young and old with scientific knowledge on soil and water conservation and sustainable rural practices.

Watt Solid State Lighting CO., LTD. recently donated 14 smart LED street lights to National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) to help brighten up the campus at night. The street lights, which were installed around the Department of Plant Industry and the Department of Plant Medicine, received positive feedback from teachers and students who said that they made walking on campus at night safer and more convenient.

The Department of Soil and Water Conservation held a results presentation for its graduating students on May 8th, 2025. A total of 15 student teams participated in the event, carefully displaying the results of the research and practical projects they have been working hard on for the past two years. The content covered a variety of fields such as remote sensing, ecological restoration, water resources management, carbon sequestration and more. The rich subject matter was a clear reflection of the solid foundation the Department of Soil and Water Conservation is laying for its students through professional training and practical learning. In the afternoon, a poster presentation was held in the lobby of the Library and Exhibition Hall to share research motivations, methods, results, and applications. The team members actively communicated with the teachers, students and other visitors to the to the exhibit, explaining in detail the subject matter and research procedures. The event was an excellent opportunity to witness the professional qualities and excellent communication skills the graduating students have honed during their time at the university. The solid reports which were put together by the fifteen groups this year explored a variety of issues. One group covered terrain stability and disaster prevention strategies with consideration given to landslide risk and slope debris. At another presentation, visitors learned how the students used HEC RAS ​​to simulate dam breaches and the hydrological characteristics of various rivers. Several students presented on the ecological effects that soil adhesives or viscoplasticizers have on plant germination rates, while another team showed how they used AI (ChatGPT) to generate drainage ditch design software. With many other interesting topics on display, the exhibit was not only a summary of the students’ academic journey, but also a solid demonstration of the way in which the Department of Soil and Water Conservation is cultivating talent with practical research capabilities. Expectations are that graduates will continue to develop themselves in the future and apply what they have learned to make substantial contributions to society and the environment.

The Department of Wood Science and Design’s annual graduation exhibition was held from April 19th to 23rd (2025) in the Library and Exhibition Hall under the banner of “WE DO!”. The exhibition brought together three major professional fields of study, including furniture production, wood science, and spatial design—with 20 items on display. Combining innovative design, sustainable concepts, and local characteristics, highlights of the exhibition included the “Fiber Trace” bionic bicycle, “Birds Arrive Home” conservation project, the “RE:Act” modular architecture design for local revitalization on Penghu, and the “PIÉTON” bio-imitation leather. Among these, the “Fiber Trace” bionic bicycle frame was built using local agricultural waste products, with each frame allowing for the sequestration of 8.43 kg of carbon.

In order to promote the implementation of “under-forest economies”, the MOA Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency has established Under Forest Economic Development Centers in the Northern, Central, Southern and Eastern regions of Taiwan. The Southern District Under-Forest Economic Development Center, which is managed by the Department of Forestry at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST), is collaborating with local communities and tribes to study economic crops suitable for growing in forest understories in tropical monsoon climates. The research teams need to ensure that the crops can grow well in forest environments without using chemical fertilizers or pesticides. They must also be able to perform well under low-light and low-management conditions, so that a stable production model can be established. Based on these criteria evaluations were conducted on Bletilla formosana and Gynostemma pentaphyllum, and this year they were officially added to the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency’s list of under-forest economic products.

In order to provide Malaysian organizations with a deeper understanding of the educational environment and overseas communities policies in Taiwan, the Taiwan Overseas Community Affairs Council once again organized for a delegation of leaders and members of Malaysia’s Taiwan alumni associations to visit Taiwan this year (2025). On March 28, the President of the Malaysian Federation of Alumni Associations of Taiwan Universities, Mr. King Hoe Pang, led a delegation including the top executives of the Federation of Alumni, presidents and directors of regional alumni associations, and members of both the Overseas Chinese Culture & Education Foundation and Overseas Community Affairs Council on a visit to National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST). The delegation of sixty was personally received by NPUST President Chin-Lung Chang, Vice-President Shang-Min Ma, Chief Secretary Fang Ming Lin, Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Ming-Tang Chiou, and Dean of the Office of International Affairs Ru-Chu (Vincent) Shih for a time of meeting and exchange.