Samsung Electronics Taiwan employees volunteered to help repair the eco trails at Hehuan North Peak in the Taroko National Park

“Samsung Electronics Taiwan is committed to environmental conservation in Taiwan and giving back to society through community engagement,” said Randy Lee, Head of Innovation Group, Samsung Electronics Taiwan. “The adoption program went through nearly a year of internal planning and preparations before we began negotiations with the Taroko National Park Management Office. In mid-July, the first Samsung volunteers went to Hehuan North Peak to repair the eco trails by hand and thereby make a small contribution to environmental conservation in Taiwan.”

Samsung Taiwan Joins Forces with Taroko National Park to Help Maintain Its Wonderful Mountains and Forests

Hehuan North Peak is ranked as one of Taiwan’s most beautiful mountains and is considered a “friendly” entry-level peak. The breathtaking scenery can be seen from winding mountain paths which pass through groves of arrow bamboo. Due to high tourist numbers, the canopy has sustained severe damage, resulting in serious erosion to the hiking trails.

“On certain stretches of the Hehuan North Peak hiking trail the soil has become compacted and worn due to repeated trampling by hikers,” Mr. Teng-Wen Chang, Deputy Superintendent, Taroko National Park Management Office, commented on the issue. “The added impact of rainwater erosion has led to the formation of numerous gullies, which has created a dire need for repairs, education and management. Handmade eco trails represent an environmentally friendly solution. We are deeply grateful to Samsung Electronics for adopting the Hehuan North Peak in a pioneering move to promote environmental sustainability through concrete action.”

The number of employee volunteers repairing the hiking trail at Hehuan North Peak is expected to grow as Samsung Electronics Taiwan and Taroko National Park agreed to a two-year “Hehuan North Peak Trail Adoption Agreement”

Starting May 2018, Samsung Electronics Taiwan began to implement the two-year “Hehuan North Peak Trail Adoption Agreement” with the Taroko National Park Management Office. In addition to the joint promotion of environmental education activities, every two months Samsung Electronics Taiwan will send volunteers on a six-day visit to repair and maintain the hiking trails at Hehuan North Peak, clean the area around the “Little Valley” campsite, and inspect and report facility damage.

Volunteers Make Valuable Contributions to the Repair of Hehuan Hiking Trails

Each step of the trail takes roughly one hour to repair. Suitable stone and mud are collected locally and transported to the construction site on foot. The stone has to be chiseled and combined with mud to build edged paths that will help combat water damage and soil erosion, taking into account the direction of the slope to provide appropriate drainage for the repaired trail surface. As every aspect of the repair project is intricately connected, Samsung Electronics Taiwan’s employees underwent pre-trip training and complete altitude acclimatization, making sure they were effective in their volunteer activities.

The rocks and soil used to mend the Hehuan North Peak hiking trails were collected locally and manually transported to the repair sites

“The construction of a handmade eco trail requires great physical effort,” said Wei-Hsiung Chan, culture researcher and hiking enthusiast. “Though these trails will not last forever, it is through our interactions with the mountains that we develop a respect and love for nature. We find ourselves less self-centered and humbled before Mother Nature.”

The original story, in Chinese, is available at Samsung Newsroom Taiwan.

Additional Images

Employees underwent pre-trip training and altitude acclimatization prior to taking part in the volunteer activities at Hehuan Mountain

The eco trails at Hehuan North Peak were hand-repaired using local materials

The “#LetsGold” collaborative event leverages Samsung’s VR, AR and AI technologies in ways that stimulate the senses and take the dining experience to new heights. An exclusive six-course meal takes guests on a culinary journey that utilizes the smartphone’s innovative features to offer an exciting look at each delectable dish.

Eager guests are escorted to an exclusive room that’s awash in gold and includes a matching Galaxy S9+ at every seat. Once they’re seated, they’re introduced to an AR Emoji avatar of Executive Chef Tse Man, who kicks off the feast by revealing the evening’s appetizers, and offering a peek at his team’s meticulous cooking process through the mixed reality technology.

After the appetizers comes a rich and nutritious porcini, blazed mushrooms and abalone soup, which transforms before diners’ eyes when viewed through a camera lens on the Galaxy S9’s Infinity Display. Once diners snap a shot of the soup, they’ll be able to watch a delightful animation of each locally sourced ingredient leaping into their bowl.

Once they’ve finished, diners are treated to a fun and interactive introduction to their next course: Penghu lobster. Donning Galaxy S9-equipped Gear VRs, guests enjoy an immersive look at lobsters and various other forms of marine life roaming the sea. Once they take off the headset, they’re delighted to find that the fresh and savory lobsters have transformed into a classic Cantonese dish – baked golden brown and absolutely delicious.

Next up on the menu is one of Chef Tse Man’s signature dishes: a succulent U.S. Angus beef fillet served with wine. While they eat, diners are informed of the wine’s vineyard and vintage, courtesy of the smartphone’s ever-insightful Bixby Vision function.

Rounding off an exquisite evening of gastronomical delights are the restaurant’s signature fried rice – which guests are encouraged to capture, in all its tantalizing glory, through the device’s bright, F1.5-aperture lens – and finally, delicious charcoal buns with salted egg custard filling.

If you’re in the area, hurry over to Ya Ge to experience this Galaxy S9-inspired feast for yourself. Your taste buds will thank you later.

From STEM to STE-A-M: Incorporating Aesthetic Learning in Technology-Intensive STEM Curricula

Launched in 2017, the STAR UP program aims to inject new educational concepts throughout Taiwan with a focus on aesthetic(美感) education and ‘for-living’ philosophy. It promotes STE-A-M (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) education that integrates the aesthetic into the traditional STEM focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Since 2014, Samsung Electronics Taiwan has established 15 SMART Schools, and in 2017, further expanded the reach to 3 hospitals.

“Samsung is committed to meaningfully contributing to local education in Taiwan through our unique efforts in education-related citizenship which aim to provide more holistic, accessible, and ultimately impactful learning,” said Jungjoo Lee, President, Samsung Electronics Taiwan. “Through our on- and off-line SMART Schools, and the simultaneous infusion of innovative hardware and software resources, we aim to help educators expand beyond conventional approaches in broadening the horizons of Taiwan’s children.”

New STAR UP Online Courses Focus on Cultivation of Personal Skills

The new STAR UP online multimedia courses are centered around six core focuses to help children cultivate skills related to managing emotions and interpersonal skills; philosophy and critical thinking; and technology and autonomous learning. Other skills include aesthetics and perception; interdisciplinary and problem-solving skills; and life and character. The online courses, hosted by educational experts, will begin being offered from the second quarter of 2018.

“The utilization of new online technologies facilitates the realization of personalized learning and creates opportunities of multidimensional development for children with different backgrounds, abilities, interests, and characteristics,” said Amy Ho, CEO at CommonWealth Education. “We believe that cooperation with Samsung Electronics Taiwan will inject new vitality into Taiwanese education, ensuring that every child derives maximum benefits from education.”

In addition to the new online courses, Samsung Electronics Taiwan plans to continue its cooperation with various education-related partners in Taiwan, through activities including physical workshops and seminars, to inject more resources into enhancing Taiwanese education.

• From left to right: Wang Shufen (writer), Jungjoo Lee (Vice President, Samsung Electronics Taiwan), Amy Ho (CEO, CommonWealth Education), and Chen Chongwen (creative director, Good Design Institute)

• Jungjoo Lee (Vice President, Samsung Electronics Taiwan) and Amy Ho (CEO, CommonWealth Education) pose at an event to announce the two entities’ collaboration for 6 online courses

• Exhibition highlight at the Samsung SMART School, CommonWealth collaboration announcement

To help preserve indigenous peoples’ cultural legacy, on March 6, Samsung Electronics Taiwan partnered with the Council of Indigenous Peoples and National Chengchi University to launch a digital learning program that supports conservation through education.

The government organization selected 10 indigenous schools from 8 tribes to take part in the first stage of the project – the latest initiative of Samsung’s Smart School program – and the university contributed resources and expertise, designing a curriculum that leverages Samsung technology to create interactive lessons that immerse students in the rich cultures of their ancestors.

Indigenous languages and traditions are rarely jotted down in textbooks. Rather, they’re preserved by tribal elders, who share their culture’s unique tribal rituals, ceremonies and festivals not in formal classrooms but against the backdrop of nature. The digital learning program allows students to experience these aspects of their heritage virtually, utilizing Samsung mobile devices to foster first-hand educational experiences in similar ‘natural’ settings.

Such digitalization may ultimately allow indigenous knowledge to be better preserved, shared and passed down to future generations.

During the program’s kick-off ceremony, Jaeyub Lee, President of Samsung Electronics Taiwan, described participating in the program as an honor. “We are glad to collaborate with the Council of Indigenous Peoples through the digital learning program – our Samsung Smart School program focusing on indigenous education,” he said. “We look forward to seeing Samsung technology and devices applied in rural tribes and real-world scenarios, and creating fruitful results in indigenous education. It is our privilege to provide children with a friendly learning environment where tradition and technology blend into one, to accelerate indigenous education, digitalization and preservation.”

A Council of Indigenous Peoples representative replied by saying, “We are grateful for Samsung’s support and devotion toward government policy. With digitalization and innovative application, we look forward to seeing breakthroughs in the preservation of indigenous peoples’ cultural legacies and assets.”

A Wish is Heard, and Hope is Sparked

In July 2016, Samsung Electronics Taiwan (SET) received an invitation from the Make-A-Wish Foundation International to donate a Samsung Galaxy S7 to make a courageous child’s wish come true. This led to an introduction with A-Fu, a 15-year-old boy diagnosed with leukemia. Before undergoing challenging medical treatment, A-Fu enjoyed taking pictures of the beauty in everyday life, particularly in the Buddha statues found in temples around Taiwan. Despite hospitalization, A-Fu’s passion for photography has endured. A-Fu yearned to record the bright side of his life in the hospital, but needed a smartphone in order to do so, leading him to make his wish. SET heard of A-Fu’s wish through its partnership with Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital. On August 10, much to his surprise and delight, SET gifted A-Fu a Samsung Galaxy S7 to help him capture the beauty he sees in everyday life.

Helping More Children in Hospitals

After fulfilling A-Fu’s wish, SET discovered that an average of 500 children are diagnosed with cancer in Taiwan every year. Like A-Fu, they’re in hospitals undergoing challenging treatment, which see many hospitalized for an average of three months. Unfortunately, such medical difficulties make the concept of going to school to learn with their peers more dream than reality. With these children’s pressing educational needs in mind, and in an effort to introduce more fun to help alleviate their pain, SET proposed to build a Samsung Smart School within a hospital, and invited Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital to partner in the effort.

Opening Up the First Hospital-Based Smart School

Thus, on January 4, 2017, the first hospital-based Samsung Smart School officially opened at Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital. Featuring two spacious classrooms equipped with tablets and TVs, the facility’s design reflects those of other Smart Schools established in Taiwan. Both classrooms have been enhanced to create a motivating and entertaining digital learning environment, and feature tablets pre-installed with educational apps that enable children to learn in convenient and engaging ways.

More Partnerships Bring More Fun to Learning

Having successfully implemented the first-of-its-kind Smart School, SET is now inviting more hospitals, social workers, volunteers, art therapists and other relevant parties to partner in efforts that will provide more children access to diverse and enriching educational resources. Hospitals may utilize tablets as a new means to carry out routine health education initiatives with parents and children. Hospital volunteers may also adopt digital content as an innovative way to promote more learning. Through hospital-based Smart Schools and promising partnerships, Samsung believes more enriching, child-oriented resources may be adopted and more educational content may be delivered. Most importantly, initiatives such as this will help SET achieve its goal of providing hospitalized children equal access to digital learning opportunities in smart and fun ways.