fulbright Taiwan online journal

fulbright Taiwan online journal

Month: December 2018

Colby Hyde: Gone Shrimpin’

In the second year of his 2016-2018 Fulbright grant, Colby Hyde wrote a Master’s thesis for a degree in agricultural economics. More specifically, his thesis explored co-management of a common-pool resource. In order to better understand co-management, Colby, his professor Yu-hui Chen (陳郁蕙), and two other graduate students from National Taiwan University went to Donggang, Taiwan to meet an organization of self-governing Sakura shrimp fishermen. He was able to meet with the current chairman of the co-management organization, Chun-chao Chen (陳春潮), to discuss its history and challenges. After meeting with Chairman Chen, Colby witnessed firsthand the daily auction of Sakura shrimp. Both buyers and sellers of Sakura shrimp participate in the co-management organization, ensuring all involved parties do their part to maintain a sustainable resource.

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Lillygol Sedaghat: The Glitter of Garbage: Taiwan’s Innovation in Waste Management

Lillygol Sedaghat documented Taiwan’s waste management system and innovations in plastics and electronics recycling through film and digital media. She hopes to inspire conscious consumerism – the realization that every choice we make affects the environment – and spark a global discussion on trash with the #MyWasteMyWay. Using music videos, info-graphics, and maps to promote environmental education, she aims to transform people’s perceptions of trash from something disposable to something valuable.  Although she began her research with limited vocabulary, she believed in the importance of using Chinese as the language of choice for her field work and worked hard to improve her Mandarin. While she is still working on finding her voice, she acknowledges that the journey is long, but definitely worth it. Lillygol Sedaghat is a multi-media environmental journalist and speaker focusing on the intersection among science, systems, and people. She is a 2017-18 Fulbright–National Geographic Digital Storyteller. She is an active contributor to National Geographic’s “Planet or Plastic?” global campaign. Lillygol has spoken at UN World Environment Day, Influence Nation Summit DC, and National Geographic on her research. She completed a B.A. in Political Economy from the University of California, Berkeley and was named 5 Under 25: Leaders

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Erich Hester: Effect of Floodplain Inundation on River Pollution in Taiwan

During his Fulbright year Dr. Erich Hester cooperated with his host, Angela Lin and discovered opening up the floodplain can be effective to help break down medical chemicals in the river. Integrating floodplain management into the existing infrastructures can potentially improve the efficiency of the water treatment system. Dr. Hester also encourages scholars and students in the environmental engineering field to explore exchange opportunities. Dr. Erich Hester, associate professor at Virginia Tech, specializes in environmental and water resources engineering. He and his group, “Hester Environmental Hydraulics Research Group”, focuses on how hydrology, hydraulics, and geomorphology interact to influence ecological health and water quality in stream, river, wetland, and groundwater systems.

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Research & Reflections

fulbright taiwan online journal