科技部新聞稿
科技部冬季講堂登場-農家子弟的斯德哥爾摩之路
2016年諾貝爾化學獎得主Sir J. Fraser Stoddart經驗分享
日期：108年12月6日
聯絡人(1)：科教國合司鄭慧娟研究員
電話：(02)27377472
E-mail：hccheng1@nstc.gov.tw
聯絡人(2)：全球事務與科學發展中心GASE陳映竹
電話：02-33662007#16
E-mail：gasecyj@ntu.edu.tw
科技部全球事務與科學發展中心(MOST Center for Global Affairs and Science Engagement, GASE)今（6）日假臺灣大學校總區綜合教學館，舉辦「四季講堂-冬季場」，邀請2016年諾貝爾化學獎得主、美國西北大學Stoddart教授主講《我的斯德哥爾摩之路》，向青年朋友講述成長經歷、學術成就，與在場觀眾進行交流及成功經驗分享。
Stoddart教授的童年時期在英國蘇格蘭一處沒有現代設施的偏遠農莊渡過，食物、衣物和石油(瓦斯)都必須配給，沒有電力設備，直到18歲的時候才有了電。為了讓自己有事情可忙，他玩拼圖，因此訓練出了化學家所需要的技能：辨認形狀以及觀察它們如何被連接在一起。
此後，Stoddart教授陸續前往愛丁堡、加拿大求學，1970年起，先後在英國雪菲爾大學、伯明翰大学、美國加州大學洛杉磯分校、西北大學任教，從事科學研究，開發了世界上最小的機器，在分子識別和自我組裝方面具傑出開創性的成就，獲諾貝爾獎殊榮。
同樣出身農家的科技部長陳良基也親臨現場，對於主講人的奮鬥歷程特別有感。陳部長在15歲北上就讀建國中學前，都須下田幫忙農事，從過去農耕的經驗，他認為，科技產業就如同種田一樣，政府負責打造環境沃土，孵育人才的種子伸出幼芽，要順應生態系統、掌握時機。
陳部長指出，如果從諾貝爾獎得主分析，多數的發明與發現是在他們25到37歲之間完成；而基礎科學有突破才能有後續，因此深耕基礎科學和年輕學者養成是科技部的施政策重點。近年來，科技部陸續推動「愛因斯坦計畫」、「哥倫布計畫」，並爭取擴增基礎科研預算，即是為年輕科學家提供養份，建構完善科研環境，具備競逐國際舞台的實力。
四季講堂系列為促進國內學術界與產業界於科研領域上的國際視野，邀請諾貝爾獎、圖靈獎、Kluge Prize、Kyoto Prize、唐獎等獎項得主進行專題演講。本場講座出席狀況踴躍，超過700多位大學師生及高中生到場聽講，親炙大師風采。Stoddart教授鼓勵年輕學子，跳出既有的思考模式，不要畏懼錯誤，勇於嘗試新領域。
Press Release
December 06, 2019
Four Seasons Lecture Series - Winter
Professor Sir J. Fraser Stoddart: My Journey to Stockholm
Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) Center for Global Affairs and Science Engagement (GASE) and National Taiwan University (NTU) hosted Four Seasons Lecture Series – Winter: My Journey to Stockholm.
The event invited Professor Sir J. Fraser Stoddart to share his life and academic journey as an ordinary farm boy from Scotland to becoming the Board of Trustees Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern University and a Nobel laureate of Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2016. To welcome the distinguished speaker and everyone who attended the event, Minister of MOST, Dr. Liang-Gee Chen, gave an encouraging remark during the event opening.
Professor Stoddart was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and grew up in a remote farming community with no electric equipment before he turned 18 years old. As an only child growing up with limited access to conveniences, the lifestyle was rather simple. At young age, he found joy and eventually became fascinated in solving puzzles, which paved the way to his deep interests in stereochemistry and topology. The young Stoddart enjoyed much liberty and freedom, which greatly encouraged his creativity and imagination of the world.
Inspired by the experience of his upbringing and the great Scottish Enlightenment, Professor Stoddart went on and study at the University of Edinburgh where he received his PhD with just a little over two years in 1966. Since then, he was granted with various research fellowships and has been appointed to many faculty and administrative positions at eminent educational institutions. Professor Stoddart arrived at Northwestern University in the mid-2000s after a few years as a professor at the California Institute of Technology, and is now the Board of Trustees Professor of Chemistry and head of the Stoddart Mechanostereochemistry Group in the Department of Chemistry.
In 2016, Professor Stoddart shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with his fellow colleague researchers, Ben Feringa and Jean-Pierre Sauvage, for the invention and synthesis of molecular machine. The groundbreaking invention of molecular machine aims to advance the future development of biomedical nano-scale structures, biopsies, and energy storage systems.
Aside from his many achievements, Professor Stoddart is a passionate educator. With decades of dedication in education and research, hundreds of postdoctoral researchers and graduate students have been trained in his labs.
Sharing similar childhood experience, Minister Liang-Gee Chen grew up in countryside in Yunlin, Taiwan. Before he moved to Taipei to attend high school at age 15, he had to help with the farming duties out in the field. During his remarks, Minister Chen echoed with Professor Stoddart’s experience, and pointed out that there are no shortcuts to success, it is all about the process. In all aspects of development, from technology advancement to farming, the process of learning, unveiling and awakening are the most valuable experience of human intelligence. Minister Chen also emphasized on the importance to nurture our young talents and scholars by pointing out that the government needs to creative the right environment, and offer competitive benefits to attract those aspiring future leaders.
According to the statistics, many of the Nobel Prize winners had accomplished their scientific breakthroughs during the age of 25 to 37. To encourage aspiring scientists, MOST launched various programs, including the Einstein Program and the Columbus Program, by giving out grants and subsidies for young scholars under the age of 32 and 35 with their innovative researches.
More than 700 scholars, postgraduate and students attended this lecture. When it comes to pursuing the passion of life, Professor Stoddart encouraged the audience to be creative and not be afraid to make mistakes; they are merely a learning process to success.
Media Contact:
Program Director Hui-chuan Cheng
Department of International Cooperation and Science Education,
Ministry of Science and Technology
+886-2-2737-7472
Jasmine Chen
MOST Center for Global Affairs and Science Engagement (GASE)
+886-2-33662121 #16
