Chen Chiu-min (陳秋民) can make a lightsaber out of a broken light tube in 10 minutes using just NT$1 worth of material. He can blow giant smoke rings with an air cannon, and create spectacular flames out of an old water heater. And he’s always eager to show visitors more, as he scurries in and out of his workshop at Soochow University (東吳大學), where his physics lectures are dubbed “magic performances.” A few minutes later, he’s playing Auld Lang Syne on a musical saw and making thunder sounds with a modified Pringles can.
Two hours into the “show,” I forget that I originally came to speak to Chen regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, as he cobbled together a cheap and easy-to-make ultraviolet disinfection device for face masks from household goods. He also made a portable automatic hand sanitizer dispenser from spare parts. But watching him chuckle to himself after demonstrating each device, it’s not hard to see why his infectious energy and creativity has made him one of the more popular professors on campus.
Most people call Chen “Goose Dad” (鵝爸). About two decades ago, his colleague’s pet geese were killed by stray dogs. They left behind a few eggs, which Chen personally hatched using an incubator made from lights and a temperature regulator he procured from discarded electronics. The goslings imprinted on his family and followed them around their neighborhood — and the nickname stuck even after the birds died.
Photo: Han Cheung, Taipei Times
Chen started tinkering as a child, making his first lightbulb out of automatic pencil lead in the fifth grade. But he failed to get into college twice, which led him to put extra effort in inspiring students that are intimidated by science and discouraged by poor grades. Not only is it important to make the material fun and relatable, he says a good teacher should be entertaining.
Besides practical inventions, most of his devices are used to demonstrate physics principles during class. When asked about his automated hand sanitizer, he says “I couldn’t find one so I made it myself. But the main purpose was to show it to the students and inspire their creativity.”
‘MACGYVER PHYSICS’
Photo: Han Cheung, Taipei Times
It’s somewhat cliche to nickname every person who likes tinkering and building things out of common objects a “MacGyver,” after the popular 1980s television series, but Chen says he actually has a class next semester called “MacGyver Physics.”
“One reason why students generally don’t like physics class is that the teachers make it too hard to understand,” he says. “My goal is not to train scientists; I want all students to be able to see and apply physics to their lives.”
The hallway leading to Chen’s workshop is lined with junk that he retrieves regularly from the school’s recycling center. “Look at this,” he says, turning on a ringing alarm with flashing red lights. “It still works. I don’t know why they threw it out.”
Photo: Han Cheung, Taipei Times
And his workspace, which is behind the physics demonstration classroom, is piled to the ceiling with home-made contraptions and spare parts.
Even when things are considered broken, Chen will tirelessly lug them back to this workshop. He explains to me how LED lights work as he repairs one in about five minutes.
“I have hundreds of these broken lights,” he says. “They’re not that difficult to fix. You’ll know how to do it after I show you.”
Photo: Han Cheung, Taipei Times
“I’m very environmentally conscious,” he adds while pulling up a video of a simple trash compressor he built. “I only need to take out the garbage twice a week. If everyone does this, will the government start charging by weight instead of by bag?”
Those who haven’t taken his classes should be familiar with the torch system he designed for the school’s anniversary festivities. Originally, they used a kerosene torch, which could be dangerous if the torchbearer tripped and spilled the liquid; Chen says they were hard to put out, so he built a safe, button-activated version using a tin can, stainless steel scrubber and a tennis racket handle with an adjustable flame. He spins the torch around as if it were a bo staff to show its effectiveness.
The last thing Chen shows me is the Olympics-style flame “cauldron” he made out of a broken water heater which he ignites with a garage door remote.
“People think the torch bearer lights the cauldron, but actually I’m controlling the flame,” he laughs. “I bring this machine to the festivities every March, but normally this is used to teach a very important topic in my lectures: the physics of gases.”
Before I eventually leave, Chen casually says: “You almost didn’t get to interview me. I had a heart attack last week.”
He certainly shows no sign of it.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), and the country’s other political groups dare not offend religious groups, says Chen Lih-ming (陳立民), founder of the Taiwan Anti-Religion Alliance (台灣反宗教者聯盟). “It’s the same in other democracies, of course, but because political struggles in Taiwan are extraordinarily fierce, you’ll see candidates visiting several temples each day ahead of elections. That adds impetus to religion here,” says the retired college lecturer. In Japan’s most recent election, the Liberal Democratic Party lost many votes because of its ties to the Unification Church (“the Moonies”). Chen contrasts the progress made by anti-religion movements in
Last week the State Department made several small changes to its Web information on Taiwan. First, it removed a statement saying that the US “does not support Taiwan independence.” The current statement now reads: “We oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side. We expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means, free from coercion, in a manner acceptable to the people on both sides of the Strait.” In 2022 the administration of Joe Biden also removed that verbiage, but after a month of pressure from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), reinstated it. The American
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislative caucus convener Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁) and some in the deep blue camp seem determined to ensure many of the recall campaigns against their lawmakers succeed. Widely known as the “King of Hualien,” Fu also appears to have become the king of the KMT. In theory, Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) outranks him, but Han is supposed to be even-handed in negotiations between party caucuses — the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) says he is not — and Fu has been outright ignoring Han. Party Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) isn’t taking the lead on anything while Fu
Feb 24 to March 2 It’s said that the entire nation came to a standstill every time The Scholar Swordsman (雲州大儒俠) appeared on television. Children skipped school, farmers left the fields and workers went home to watch their hero Shih Yen-wen (史艷文) rid the world of evil in the 30-minute daily glove puppetry show. Even those who didn’t speak Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) were hooked. Running from March 2, 1970 until the government banned it in 1974, the show made Shih a household name and breathed new life into the faltering traditional puppetry industry. It wasn’t the first
RSS