Our Lab was honored to host Prof. Karolien Poels from the University of Antwerp, Belgium, from March 30th to April 3rd. The week-long visit marked a pivotal milestone for our NSTC-FWO Joint Mobility Project, a cross-cultural exploration into the psychology of sustainability. The visit’s primary mission was to advance the collaborative project: "When Eyes See Food Waste: Cross-Cultural Insights into Communication Frames and Emotional Responses." Under the leadership of Prof. Yueh, our team conducted rigorous progress reviews to ensure the research remains on its ambitious track.

Beyond the research desk, Prof. Poels—a distinguished figure in media psychology—generously shared her expertise with the broader academic community. Invited by Prof. Yueh (in her capacity as the convenor of the Division of Applied Science Education at the NSTC), Dr. Poels delivered a keynote titled "Inside the journal: An associate editor's view" at the From Research Design to Publication workshop at the National Science and Technology Council. For many early-career researchers, the "black box" of academic publishing can be daunting. Prof. Poels acted as a master key, offering rare insights into what editors look for and how to navigate the peer-review process with precision and resilience.

The educational impact continued in our Science Communication classroom. Prof. Poels addressed one of the most pressing challenges of our time with her lecture: "Beyond the facts: communicating about health and science in an era of misinformation.” Karolien illustrated how facts alone often fail to change minds in a world saturated with misinformation and disinformation, emphasizing the need for empathetic, strategically framed communication to restore trust in scientific institutions.

The visit concluded with a celebration of Taiwanese heritage. The research team accompanied Prof. Poels to the National Palace Museum and the Taipei Tea Promotion Center for Tie Guanyin Tea and Baozhong Tea at Maokong, trading academic discourse for the serene art of tea tasting. These moments of "cultural diplomacy" reinforce the personal bonds that fuel long-term international partnerships.

This visit was a testament to the power of open science and the enduring friendship between NTU and the University of Antwerp. We look forward to the next chapter of our journey together!

3月30日研究室邀請比利時安特衛普大學 Prof. Karolien Poels 訪台交流。此行主要是我們NSTC-FWO 跨國研究計畫的合作會議。除了研究進度交流，Prof. Poels 亦受邀於國科會應用科學教育學門、科學教育實作學門、科技、社會與傳播學門共同舉辦的「從研究設計到學術發表」學術增能工作坊，以及岳老師與林老師共同開設之「科學傳播」課程進行專題演講。她以期刊副主編的角度解構投稿祕辛，並深度探討在誤導訊息充斥的時代，如何更有效傳遞科學與健康資訊，獲得參與觀眾熱烈回響。會後研究團隊更與其同遊故宮及貓空，一起體驗各項臺灣文化，為雙方長期合作奠定深厚基礎。