A Short Introduction to Taiwan Texas Forum

Started from an informal meeting at Mozart's Cafe by Town Lake, Taiwan Texas Forum, a.k.a. TT Forum, was established by a group of Taiwanese graduate students from various academic backgrounds (initially including Comparative Literature, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Educational Psychology, Foreign Language Education, Instrumental Technology, Linguistics, Mechanical Engineering, Neuroscience, Physics, Philosophy, Sociology and Theater Criticism) at the University of Texas at Austin in spring 2004.

Out of their enthusiasm and passions towards knowledge and their beloved motherland, Taiwan, members of TT Forum share the ambition to meet the following objectives:

1. The Forum is to broaden the horizons of knowledge of all its members.
   
2. It is a way to cultivate a serious attitude towards academic research.
   
3. By discussing what is happening in Taiwan, the Forum is a means to keep a concerned and watchful eye on our motherland while we are away from it.
   
4. It is an opportunity to practice the skills for making an academic presentation as well as leading and participating such a discussion.
   
5. By thinking beyond and across the traditional boundaries among academic disciplines, it is a chance for the members to be inspired and creative.
   
6. The Forum is also a place to share life and experience; a place to go for emotional supports.

Since its first meeting on January 24th 2005,TT Forum meets regularly every two or three Saturday afternoon, where members take turns chairing the meeting, presenting their research, and receiving feedbacks from others. At each meeting, we discuss some aspects of the latest happenings in Taiwan or the U.S. in hope to make Taiwan a better place.

論壇成員

Current Members 現有成員
張凱滿 (Comparative Literature)
陳怡礽 (Education -Curriculum & Instruction)
李怡慧 (Education -Curriculum & Instruction)
王維瑄 (Education -Educational Psychology-Human Development and Education)
蕭靜慧 (Education -Foreign Language Education)
張一帆 (Education -Instructional Technology)
蒙志成 (Government)
黃聖程 (Information Studies)
陳承甫 (Linguistics -Syntax)
劉家誠 (Mechanical Engineering)
吳怡慧 (Music Performance)
馬德生 (Neuroscience)
陳湘韻 (Philosophy)
陳龍男 (Radio-Tv-Film)
邱紀尊 (Sociology)
王維菁 (Radio-TV-Film)
孫嘉梁 (Mathematics)
李珮琳 (Sociology)
齊湘 (Journalism)
葉宜欣 (Advertising)
辛菁娥 (Curriculum and Instruction)


Graduates 畢業成員
2005陳姵樺 (Educational Psychology-Applied Statistics)
2005王傳明 (Electrical and Computer Engineering)
2005張嘉倩 (Foreign Language Education -Translation)
2005李岢錚 (Chunghwa Pictures Tubes, LTD.)
2006,05鍾文宏 (Educational Psychology -Cognition and Learning)
2006,05楊宜芬 (Theater)
2006,12楊明倫 (Foreign Language Education-Language Learning and Computer-Mediated Communication)
2006,12陳瑜容 (Educational Psychology -Learning, Cognition, & Instruction)
2006,12徐翰 (Physics -Condensed Matter (Theory))
2006,12莊天明 (Physics -Condensed Matter Physics)
2007,05范綱華 (Sociology -Population)
2007,05陳力榕 (MBA)
2007,12何齊華 (Environmental engineering-Bioremediation)
2008 王維邦 (Sociology-Health)

基本運作型態

1. 於週六下午， 每二至三週舉行一次聚會； 每次聚會由論壇成員輪流擔任主持人與主講人。



2. 論壇聚會時間由兩點至四點半，分為兩階段進行。第一階段由主持人介紹、主講人主題報告、討論；第二階段由主持人主持「台灣聊天室」 ，議題以台灣社會發展、東西社會型態比較為主，但不限於此。



3. 主持人安排適宜場所為聚會地點，並於一週前統計聚會人數，聯絡相關時間地點。成員如有邀請來賓旁聽，請充分與主持人溝通聯絡。



4. 主持人與主講人相互聯繫報告所需媒體、器材及場地布置事宜。



5. 論壇成員每人繳交公基金五元。由主持人交接相互點清。 基金即將用盡時，由各成員再行繳納累積。



6. 主持人利用公基金準備與當次聚會人數相符合份量之點心飲料；論壇成員自備餐具杯子使用點心飲料。



7. 「特別講座」-由論壇五人(或以上)同意,即可設定時間場地及合作承辦對象，以論壇名義承辦講座，由論壇支付講員茶水和禮品費用，並對外開放聽眾參與。



8. 論壇成員遴選三人為「 部落格小組」； 該小組負責決定「論壇部落格」（Taiwan Texas Forum Blog)公布之內容及維護，並維持論壇電子郵件名單之正確性。



9. 新成員加入需由一名舊成員背書方可成立，並由該舊成員於適當時機透過現場或電子郵件介紹給「每一位」成員認識。舊成員得負責向新成員宣讀論壇理念及說明論壇詳細運作原則，同時向「部落格小組」確定新成員在論壇電子連絡名單內。



10. 當次主持人和下次主持人交接完畢後，由下次主持人擔任其間（ 涵蓋各假期）「論壇輪值主席」（簡稱壇主），負責或協助論壇一切對內、對外事務及議題之帶領和處理，並籌辦下次聚會。

Forum成立宗旨

TT Forum (Taiwan Texas Forum)

我們希望在台灣留學生之間，擁有這樣一個論壇，作為

1. 廣泛知識了解的交換平台﹔

2. 學術研究態度的養成平台﹔

3. 對台灣社會發展的關心平台﹔

4. 研究報告練習的實用性平台﹔

5. 跨傳統學科領域思考的激發平台﹔

6. 留學生活資訊和情感的交流平台。

以此認真看待我們對學術研究的熱情以及對家鄉發展的關心。