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NCKU Host 2026 UR Undergraduate Research Event Series to Encourage Freshmen to Explore Research Fields and Find Future Direction
National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) possesses abundant academic research resources. To guide students in encountering scientific research early, NCKU hosted the "2026 UR Undergraduate Research Event Series" from September 2 to 4. The event invited senior students to share hands-on experience in international competitions, interdisciplinary R&D, and innovation/entrepreneurship. It also features laboratories and research centers for visits, allowing freshmen to experience the charm of research firsthand, immerse themselves in a high-quality academic atmosphere and top-tier research resources, expand their learning horizons, and unlock their imagination for the future.
During the opening ceremony on the afternoon of September 2, Vice President Yung-Chun Lee stated in his opening remarks that university is a vital period for learning and exploration. He encouraged students to seize this time to boldly try and actively explore areas they are interested in and willing to commit to. NCKU offers rich research resources and a top-notch research environment. While lab equipment and resources are usually reserved for graduate students, the university hopes that through the UR event, students will be encouraged to join the "Undergraduate Student Research Projects" and enter laboratories as early as their second or third year to explore their interests and future paths.
Associate Dean of R&D Yi-Hsun Wu pointed out that NCKU's UR event has been held for consecutive years, demonstrating the university's emphasis on undergraduate research, learning, and practical experience. Over time, many student teams faced setbacks during the process, but they gained experience and achieved results, which are invaluable parts of their growth. "University is where dreams take flight and come true." Students can dream boldly in college, and more importantly, work step-by-step to realize those dreams. Many successful people started exploring, trying, and even making mistakes during their university years to gradually find their life's direction.
The joint lecture series kicked off right after the opening ceremony. In "2025 Dream Project — TrAIn," the team shared their journey of developing, designing, and building the "AI Table Tennis Training Assistant System App," as well as how team members came together. They also advised attendees based on their experience: "Professors aren't intimidating; they will do their best to help the team improve. Make sure to try to be friends with them." The team also encouraged students interested in innovation and entrepreneurship to move forward boldly and "use expertise to solve real problems you care about."
Chen, a member of the "Space Propulsion Research Society," shared that despite having no aerospace background, joining the team meant starting from scratch. At first, opening the computer felt agonizing due to endless reviews and stalled progress. However, the biggest takeaway was learning to ask teammates when in doubt; even starting from zero, the goals were reachable. The Space Propulsion Research Society focuses on rocket technology, researching, designing, building, and launching various rockets. In 2023, they traveled to the US to compete in the "Friends of Amateur Rocketry" competition and won second place.
Other participating teams included the NCKU Formula Racing Team, which built vehicles and traveled to Japan to compete in Formula SAE, the world's largest engineering competition. The "Taiwan Biotech & Drug R&D Team" uses AI to bridge Western and Chinese medicine, constructing a joint drug development system and founding the BT&D² medical platform to optimize precision medicine formulas. The iGEM team consists of passionate partners in synthetic biology aiming to propose ideas and solutions for medical innovation and synthetic biology issues.
Chuang, a freshman attending the lecture, said he was curious about "what NCKU students are doing." Invited by a high school classmate, they registered together to explore the campus's diverse learning and research opportunities. Tseng, a freshman in Earth Sciences, mentioned being inspired by the seniors' advice to "be friends with professors." More importantly, seeing non-majors in the sharing teams strengthened his belief in the value of interdisciplinary learning beyond his major. Ye, another freshman, expressed strong interest in rocket research and practical work, hoping to join related teams to collaborate, learn hands-on, and fulfill the dream of building and launching rockets.
After the sharing session, all participants moved to the Historical Relics Museum to view the Undergraduate Poster Competition & Exhibition. Undergraduate research project posters were displayed, with students explaining their work on-site to trigger and enhance learning motivation.
Laboratory visits took place on September 3 and 4. Participating labs included the Medical Device Innovation Center, Smart Biomedical Sensing Lab, Taiwan Biotech & Drug R&D Team, Taiwan Semiconductor Research Center, Architectural Acoustics Lab, Digital Fabrication Lab, Cyber-Robotics Systems Lab, Advanced Intelligent Robots and Systems Lab, Robotics Field on 3F of Macromix Hall, Combustion and Propulsion Lab, Smart Embedded Control Lab, and Smart Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems Lab.
Hsiao, a Civil Engineering student visiting the Semiconductor Research Center, shared that with the semiconductor industry thriving, he hoped the visit would give him a better understanding of the field. If his coursework permits later, he might consider taking related courses.
Wan, a Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology student visiting the Smart Biomedical Sensing Lab, noted that listening to doctors and master's students introduce equipment combined with big data and AI for better and safer patient care was impressive, inspiring a wish to follow in their footsteps.
As a research-oriented top university dedicated to cultivating high-level talent and scientific research, NCKU has promoted the "UR (Undergraduate Research)" initiative since 2019. The objective is to let young scholars experience NCKU's abundant research capacity, spark their enthusiasm for exploring science and interdisciplinary studies, and unlock their potential to showcase greater impact on international academic and innovation stages in the future.
During the opening ceremony on the afternoon of September 2, Vice President Yung-Chun Lee stated in his opening remarks that university is a vital period for learning and exploration. He encouraged students to seize this time to boldly try and actively explore areas they are interested in and willing to commit to. NCKU offers rich research resources and a top-notch research environment. While lab equipment and resources are usually reserved for graduate students, the university hopes that through the UR event, students will be encouraged to join the "Undergraduate Student Research Projects" and enter laboratories as early as their second or third year to explore their interests and future paths.
Associate Dean of R&D Yi-Hsun Wu pointed out that NCKU's UR event has been held for consecutive years, demonstrating the university's emphasis on undergraduate research, learning, and practical experience. Over time, many student teams faced setbacks during the process, but they gained experience and achieved results, which are invaluable parts of their growth. "University is where dreams take flight and come true." Students can dream boldly in college, and more importantly, work step-by-step to realize those dreams. Many successful people started exploring, trying, and even making mistakes during their university years to gradually find their life's direction.
The joint lecture series kicked off right after the opening ceremony. In "2025 Dream Project — TrAIn," the team shared their journey of developing, designing, and building the "AI Table Tennis Training Assistant System App," as well as how team members came together. They also advised attendees based on their experience: "Professors aren't intimidating; they will do their best to help the team improve. Make sure to try to be friends with them." The team also encouraged students interested in innovation and entrepreneurship to move forward boldly and "use expertise to solve real problems you care about."
Chen, a member of the "Space Propulsion Research Society," shared that despite having no aerospace background, joining the team meant starting from scratch. At first, opening the computer felt agonizing due to endless reviews and stalled progress. However, the biggest takeaway was learning to ask teammates when in doubt; even starting from zero, the goals were reachable. The Space Propulsion Research Society focuses on rocket technology, researching, designing, building, and launching various rockets. In 2023, they traveled to the US to compete in the "Friends of Amateur Rocketry" competition and won second place.
Other participating teams included the NCKU Formula Racing Team, which built vehicles and traveled to Japan to compete in Formula SAE, the world's largest engineering competition. The "Taiwan Biotech & Drug R&D Team" uses AI to bridge Western and Chinese medicine, constructing a joint drug development system and founding the BT&D² medical platform to optimize precision medicine formulas. The iGEM team consists of passionate partners in synthetic biology aiming to propose ideas and solutions for medical innovation and synthetic biology issues.
Chuang, a freshman attending the lecture, said he was curious about "what NCKU students are doing." Invited by a high school classmate, they registered together to explore the campus's diverse learning and research opportunities. Tseng, a freshman in Earth Sciences, mentioned being inspired by the seniors' advice to "be friends with professors." More importantly, seeing non-majors in the sharing teams strengthened his belief in the value of interdisciplinary learning beyond his major. Ye, another freshman, expressed strong interest in rocket research and practical work, hoping to join related teams to collaborate, learn hands-on, and fulfill the dream of building and launching rockets.
After the sharing session, all participants moved to the Historical Relics Museum to view the Undergraduate Poster Competition & Exhibition. Undergraduate research project posters were displayed, with students explaining their work on-site to trigger and enhance learning motivation.
Laboratory visits took place on September 3 and 4. Participating labs included the Medical Device Innovation Center, Smart Biomedical Sensing Lab, Taiwan Biotech & Drug R&D Team, Taiwan Semiconductor Research Center, Architectural Acoustics Lab, Digital Fabrication Lab, Cyber-Robotics Systems Lab, Advanced Intelligent Robots and Systems Lab, Robotics Field on 3F of Macromix Hall, Combustion and Propulsion Lab, Smart Embedded Control Lab, and Smart Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems Lab.
Hsiao, a Civil Engineering student visiting the Semiconductor Research Center, shared that with the semiconductor industry thriving, he hoped the visit would give him a better understanding of the field. If his coursework permits later, he might consider taking related courses.
Wan, a Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology student visiting the Smart Biomedical Sensing Lab, noted that listening to doctors and master's students introduce equipment combined with big data and AI for better and safer patient care was impressive, inspiring a wish to follow in their footsteps.
As a research-oriented top university dedicated to cultivating high-level talent and scientific research, NCKU has promoted the "UR (Undergraduate Research)" initiative since 2019. The objective is to let young scholars experience NCKU's abundant research capacity, spark their enthusiasm for exploring science and interdisciplinary studies, and unlock their potential to showcase greater impact on international academic and innovation stages in the future.
Students visiting the Taiwan Semiconductor Research Center
Students visiting the Smart Biomedical Sensing Lab and trying out sensing equipment
Fruit-picking robot at the Cyber-Robotics Systems Lab
NCKU Formula Racing Team sharing hands-on experiences and international competition journeys at the joint lecture
Vice President Yung-Chun Lee (3rd from left) presents certificates of appreciation to team representatives participating in the joint lecture series
Group photo at the opening ceremony of the 2026 UR Undergraduate Research Event Series
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