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Chou Chang-hung

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Chou Chang-hung (Chinese: 周昌弘; born 5 September 1942) is a Taiwanese botanist and plant ecologist. He has been elected a fellow of The World Academy of Sciences and an academician of Academia Sinica.

Academic career

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Chou completed a bachelor's degree and master's degree at National Taiwan University in 1965 and 1968, respectively, in the field of botany. During his doctoral study at the University of California, Santa Barbara, he chose to specialize in plant ecology. Upon completing his Ph.D in 1971, Chou pursued postdoctoral research at the University of Toronto. He then returned to Taiwan as an associate research fellow affiliated with the Academia Sinica's Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology. Chou was successively promoted to full research fellow in 1976, and served as institute director from 1989 to 1996. Between 1999 and 2002, Chou served as vice president of the National Sun Yat-sen University. He left NSYSU and the IPMB in 2002 to become the president of the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, and served as NPUST head until 2006.[1] Chou has also headed Academia Sinica's division of life sciences.[2] Chou holds a chair professorship at China Medical University, National Chung Hsing University, and National Sun Yat-sen University, a distinguished chair professorship at National Taiwan University and National Cheng Kung University, and retained a life chair professorship at the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology upon stepping down as university president.[1][3]

Environmental views

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Chou is opposed to building an eighth naphtha cracker in Taiwan, as proposed by the Kuokuang Petrochemical Technology Company (KTPC).[2][4] Although he served as a member of the environmental impact assessment committee that approved the construction of the sixth naphtha cracker in Mailiao,[2] he later brought up the environmental effects of that project in his opposition to the KPTC proposal.[5] After Chou's National Chung Hsing University colleague Tsuang Ben-jei [zh] published research on the environmental effects of the sixth naphtha cracker, and the Formosa Plastics Group sued Tsuang in 2012, Chou supported Tsuang in the interest of academic freedom.[6] In other observations related to the environment, Chou has commented that global warming is leading to the migration of some plant species.[7][8]

Political views

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In January 2019, Chou co-signed a petition asking the Executive Yuan to revoke the Ministry of Education's decision approving Kuan Chung-ming's election as National Taiwan University president.[9] In 2023, he drew attention to the ways Chinese companies were permitted to access genetic data collected from Taiwanese people, drawing comparisons to Chinese acquisitions of Taiwanese pineapple seedlings and associated genomic data.[10] During the 2024 presidential election cycle, Chou expressed support for the Democratic Progressive Party ticket of William Lai and Hsiao Bi-khim.[11]

Honors and awards

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Chou was elected a fellow of The World Academy of Sciences in 1993,[12] and to academician status within Academia Sinica in 1994.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Chang-Hung Chou". Academia Sinica. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Academia Sinica opposes planned plant on wetland". Taipei Times. 15 July 2010. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Chang-Hung Chou, Professor (周昌弘 教授)". Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, National Taiwan University. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  4. ^ Tang, Chia-ling (24 April 2011). "DPP dismisses Ma's opposition to Kuokuang complex as electioneering". Taipei Times. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  5. ^ "Cracker may be built overseas". Taipei Times. 25 January 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  6. ^ Lee, I-chia (30 April 2012). "Academics rally to support defendant". Taipei Times. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  7. ^ Tang, Chia-ling (23 August 2011). "Global warming forcing birds to migrate: scientists". Taipei Times. Retrieved 20 December 2023. Chou Chang-hung (周昌弘), an Academia Sinica specialist in plant ecology and -phytochemical ecology, said plants are migrating as well because of global warming. Chou said the area of distribution of Bigseed Swertia, a herb used in traditional Chinese medicine, moved higher by 800m from 1909 to 1991, and the area of distribution of the herb Diversifolious Hemiphragma moved down 249m from 1970 to 1999. Plant seeds are scattered by the wind and are therefore more complex in their ecological makeup, Chou said, adding that the move to lower altitudes could not be definitely categorized as a result of global warming, though seeds are tending to go for higher altitudes because of global warming. More worryingly, plants at the highest altitudes have nowhere to go and could become extinct, Chou said.
  8. ^ "Native plant species soon face extinction due to global warming 暖化影響生態 六高山特有植物瀕絕". Taipei Times. 2 October 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2023. At an international conference on Sept. 26, Academia Sinica academician Chou Chang-hung said that with the onset of global warming, wild plant species at average to high altitudes have been showing a tendency to migrate to higher altitudes, adding that if these species continue to migrate they will eventually reach a point where there is nowhere to grow. Chou says that six plant species indigenous to Taiwan, including Yushan's Hypericum nagasawai, will soon face extinction, and says that the preservation of genetic resources brooks no delay.
  9. ^ Maxon, Ann (2 January 2019). "Academics ask ministry to annul Kuan appointment". Taipei Times. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  10. ^ Lee, I-chia (1 June 2023). "Legislator urges amendments to genetic data law". Taipei Times. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  11. ^ Teng, Pei-ju (19 December 2023). "ELECTION 2024/Academics mobilize in support of DPP presidential ticket". Central News Agency. Retrieved 20 December 2023. Dozens of Taiwanese scholars and researchers gathered together at the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) headquarters in Taipei on Tuesday in a show of support for the party's presidential candidate Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and his running mate Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴). ... Addressing the gathering, Academia Sinica Academician Chou Chang-hung (周昌弘) praised both Lai and Hsiao as having the most extensive experience in government compared to their opponents from the main opposition Kuomintang and the smaller Taiwan People's Party. In addition, the duo has never caved in to "strong power" but instead exhibited a determination to fight for Taiwan's "survival and prosperity," said Chou, who also teaches at National Taiwan University.
  12. ^ "CHOU Chang-Hung". The World Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
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