[Provided by the Department of Marine Biotechnology and Resources] One year ago, the Department of Marine Biotechnology and Resources at NSYSU renovated the Specimen Exhibition Gallery, established 25 years ago. Eleven teachers of the College of Marine Sciences created a completely new Marine Biotechnology and Biodiversity Exhibition Gallery, divided into three rooms and displaying over 700 exhibits. It provides thematic, in-depth and extensive marine education; organized groups and educational institutions can file an application to visit the Gallery.

The Department of Marine Biotechnology and Resources (DMBR) at NSYSU established the first Specimen Exhibition Gallery in July 1994 and the second in November 1998. All the exhibited samples of marine organisms were collected and produced over the years by the South Coast Ecological Research Team, which consisted of teachers and undergraduate students of DMBR. Over 700 specimens of marine organisms were exhibited, including crustaceans, such as crabs, shrimps and hermit crabs; echinoderms, such as sea urchins, starfish and brittle stars; and mollusk, fish, coral, algae and minerals etc. The gallery is open to outside visitors, providing education for primary and secondary schools, educational institutions and organized groups. It has been operating for over 25 years so far. Over 313 schools, primary and secondary (a total number of 18,613 visitors), have visited the Gallery.

Operating for so many years, the Specimen Exhibition Gallery could not resist the effects of time: erosion, fading of colors and even damage. With great support of the University President Ying-Yao Cheng and the Dean of the College of Marine Sciences Hsien-Hua Lee, Chairman Chih-Chuang Liaw prepared a renovation plan together with 11 teachers conducting research in the fields of marine biology, ecosystems and biotechnology. The newest version of the Specimen Exhibition Gallery – Marine Biotechnology and Biodiversity Exhibition Gallery, is located on the first floor of the Department of Marine Biotechnology and Resources and is open to visitors again! It gathers biotic and abiotic, ecological and biotechnological specimens, models and posters, combining exhibits with knowledge, visualizations and aesthetic space arrangement. Biodiversity is presented in topics; for example, marine resources research and application of marine resources was presented to visitors in a popular science style to give an idea of the development and application of modern biotechnology and biomedical pharmacology.

Chairman of the Department of Marine Biotechnology and Resources at NSYSU Chih-Chuang Liaw said that events open to public organized by the Department in the past years, such as Marine Resources Week and Journey to the Sea, played an important role, letting students’ imagination fly when planning events and learning to teach in an innovative way. 25 years ago, with Internet resources still insufficient and research in the marine field still underdeveloped, the Gallery displayed exhibits with professional description of the teachers and students, conveyed knowledge in an interesting way. In the future, we want to welcome more schools to visit the exhibition. Below, on the Department of Marine Biotechnology and Resources webpage, is the application form to download (in Chinese): http://rpb95.nsysu.edu.tw/p/404-1260-121177.php?Lang=zh-tw