Taipei, April 1 (CNA) A Taiwan museum has been selected as part of the U.S. Department of State's Museums Connect program, which has linked the local museum with one in California to promote education on coral reefs, the organizers said Monday.
Under the project, 10 Taiwanese junior high school students from the southern county of Pingtung visited San Diego Jan. 22-Feb. 5, accompanied by school teachers and staff of the county's National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, to learn more about marine ecology.
The Taiwanese students also had the opportunity to interact with students from High Tech Middle Media Arts School in San Diego, which is also participating in the project.
Victoria Zhuang, a Taiwanese student at Pingtung’s Hengchun Junior High School, said the trip to the United States helped her learn more about the ecology in California and improved her English-language skills through interaction with American students.
Zhuang, 14, said her group also shared knowledge about coral reefs in Taiwan. She said that on weekends, she often goes snorkeling in the waters off Pingtung, where there are several types of coral reefs.
In addition to observing the development of an artificial coral reef ecology at a San Diego aquarium, the Taiwanese students gained hands-on experience in setting up aquarium tanks for certain marine creatures such as sea horses and jellyfish.
It is the first time that the Museums Connect program is sponsoring an aquarium project, said Ryan Roberts, director of the American Cultural Center under the American Institute in Taiwan.
The issue of protecting coral reefs around the world "is something that requires everyone's efforts to learn more, to understand" what needs to be done, Roberts said at a news conference to introduce the achievements of "Coral Reef Ambassadors."
The joint project between Pingtung's National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium and the Birch Aquarium in San Diego is aimed at promoting international cooperation on education on coral reef conservation, the organizers said.
The National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium is dedicated to coral reef conservation, coral husbandry and related research, while the Birch Aquarium provides ocean science education and promotes ocean conservation.
As part of the project, three students from High Tech Middle Media Arts School, along with a teacher and a Birch Museum staff member, are also visiting Taiwan from March 25-April 2.
The American students went on snorkeling and scuba diving trips to get a close look at Taiwan's coral reef ecology, which they said was the most impressive part of their experience in Taiwan.
“I learnt a lot about coral reefs, so I’d like to see them again,” Sierra Baruh, 13, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time. There are no wild coral reefs in San Diego, she added.
Katia Ceballos, 12, said snorkeling was her most impressive experience in Taiwan. Videos shot by her group in Taiwan may be posted on a website about coral reefs, which her class plans to set up, she said.
The waters around Taiwan are home to some 500 types of coral and more than 1,000 fish species, according to the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium.
(By Elaine Hou)