- 出訪教授：楊國鑫教授
- 職稱：土木工程學系教授
- 研究領域：防災與永續大地工程、地工能源、大地工程數值模擬
- 接待研究單位：伊利諾大學厄巴納-香檳校區 土木及環境工程學系
- 接待研究單位代表：Tugce Baser教授
- 共同研究主題：以城市規模地熱系統實現永續生活社區
臺大國際處第三篇國際合作專訪邀請土木工程學系楊國鑫教授分享前往伊利諾大學厄巴納-香檳校區（University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign，UIUC）的國際合作經驗。位於美國中西部的UIUC，其土木與環境工程學系在全美大學土木領域排名第一，土木的相關知識及訓練相當紮實且實務。本次楊國鑫教授與實驗室研究生黃津津同學透過國立臺灣大學與伊利諾大學創新種子計畫（NTU/U of I Joint Research and Innovation Seed Grants Program）前往UIUC與土木系大地工程組（Geotechnical Engineering）的Tugce Baser教授一起研究應用淺層地熱於冷氣空調的熱交換與節能省電措施。楊國鑫教授長期觀察到，氣候變遷導致夏天更加炎熱，炎熱的時間更加漫長，因此他便開始研究如何透過改變冷氣空調熱交換的方式以減少都市熱島效應。氣候變遷與永續發展為一全球性問題，與Baser教授的合作，便是透過國際學術交流，針對問題共同尋找解決方法。
Living in Taipei, where climate change causes longer and hotter summers with an increasing number of extreme heat days each year, Prof. Yang has been working on how to reduce the urban heat island (UHI) effect—when urbanized areas experience higher temperatures than surrounding areas—by changing the way of air conditioners transfer waste heat. Since the impacts of climate change and sustainable development are important global issues, international collaboration to find a solution is essential. Thus, Prof. Yang decided to partner with Prof. Tugce Baser from UIUC to collaboratively investigate the application of shallow geothermal energy in air conditioning for heat exchange and energy-saving.
黃津津同學提到，Baser教授的實驗室雖然成員不多，卻來自世界各地，多元文化背景的組成，帶來不同的研究觀點及方法，使她有機會學習從不同角度切入問題。雖然英語並非大家的母語，但語言絲毫不減弱大家參與討論的積極度，成員們也時常鼓勵津津在會議中提出自己的看法，並友善地給予回饋。這正是楊國鑫教授所期待的成果，他非常開心津津能享受跨文化的學術氛圍，並接受實驗室裡各位博士生、博後生的學術指導。
Chin-Chin told us that the first thing she noticed after arriving at Prof. Baser’s lab at UIUC was that, even though the team had only around ten members, most of them came from other countries. This fostered a diverse group of specialists with unique backgrounds and perspectives, many of whom did not have English as their mother tongue but still actively engaged in discussions and were eager to hear Chin-Chin’s thoughts on all sorts of topics. This is exactly the atmosphere Prof. Yang hoped she could immerse herself in, especially since most of the students in the lab are PhD and postdoctoral fellows who could guide her on all kinds of academic issues.
In terms of the laboratory facilities, both Prof. Yang and Chin-Chin observed that UIUC has quite a lot of large-scale equipment, which allows them to implement their research findings on the campus. For example, ground source heat pump systems are being installed around the campus. The system uses underground pipelines for heat exchange to achieve energy savings and reduce electricity consumption. In summer, the system exchanges waste heat from air conditioning with the cooler underground layers to achieve a cooling effect. In winter, it operates in reverse, the system utilizes the warmer underground layers for heat exchange to provide heating. Prof. Yang hopes that, through this collaboration, similar technology can be implemented at NTU.
For both Prof. Yang and his student, the learning process didn’t take place only in the laboratory. Chin-Chin shared that she had experienced a short period of “homesickness” shortly after arrival, but after a few weeks, she became more self-aware of her emotions, developed coping strategies, and grew more independent in the new environment. She joined bible study sessions where students from all over the world, regardless of their religion, could meet new friends and get involved in different activities like apple picking. There was even a community of Taiwanese students with whom they organized a Mid-Autumn Festival event. All these new experiences have broadened her horizons and made her consider returning to UIUC to pursue a PhD—something she hadn’t even considered before this trip.
這段旅行令楊國鑫教授開心的事還有探訪在UIUC攻讀碩博士的前台大土木系學生，看見過去的學生成為具備國際觀，擁有開放的思維及強烈的好奇心，這使他的赴美交流之旅更有意義。楊國鑫教授相信臺大學生在外發揮的潛力，能讓世界更認識臺灣、認識臺大，而此次的國際合作種子計畫，也串起臺大與世界的連結，一同在學術領域中切磋成長。
During his time at UIUC, Prof. Yang had another mini-mission: to meet his former civil engineering students from NTU who are now studying at UIUC. “I saw the internationally minded individuals they’ve become. By this, I mean their open-mindedness, empathy, and intense curiosity—they’ve become people who don’t assume their way of thinking is the only way and who want to engage with others to discover what else is out there.” Prof. Yang also believes that the potential of NTU students who are currently studying abroad can help the world better understand Taiwan and NTU. The NTU International Joint Seed Funding Program further connects NTU with the global community, fostering mutual growth and learning in the academic field.
