NSRRC Signed MOU with the National Museum of Natural Science to Collaborate on Research in Ecology, Archaeology, Geology, and Palaeontology
2021/01/19
Luo Gwo-Huei, Director of the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC) signed a MOU with Sun Wei-Hsin, General Director of the National Museum of Natural Science (NMNS) on January 19th to implement studies on ecology, archaeology, geology, and palaeontology. Under the instructions of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the foundation of effective resource application and mutual cooperation, as well as the integration of the research energy of technology and humanities, the NSRRC will participate in a series of diversified exchanges and collaborations. The NSRRC will provide the advanced light source and sophisticated research facilities to study artefacts cultivated and collected by the NMNS, including animal and plant specimens, geological minerals, antiques, and paleontological fossils.
The synchrotron radiation light source is a high-quality, advanced source of electromagnetic radiation that is a trillion times brighter than medical X-ray machines, which facilitates scientists in observing the basic structure of substances, materials, and organisms, assisting in our understanding in various research fields, including biology, medicine, environment, and materials.
There are numerous global cases where renowned museums work with synchrotron light sources. Archaeologists from the British Museum revealed the mystery behind manufacturing processes by using the Diamond Light Source to study an ancient Egyptian bronze statue, and the National Gallery of Victoria uncovered the female portrait hidden by French Impressionist, Edgar Degas underneath his painting “Portrait of a Woman” by working with the Australian Synchrotron.
The NSRRC had also collaborated with renowned domestic and overseas museums, including the Chimei Museum, where the two explored the mystery behind the materials and tone of an acclaimed Italian violin Stradivari using X-ray diffraction. The Yunnan Chuxiong Museum worked with the NSRRC to discover the preserved collagen within the lufengosaurus fossil using infrared spectroscopy, as well as the National Palace Museum analyzed Ru ware antiques during the Song dynasty using various advanced light source technologies. Together with the National Taiwan Museum, the NSRRC established 3-dimensional archives for microfossils like diatoms and foraminifera using X-ray computed tomography.
This alliance will help to implement a systematic exploration on the secret of ancient and modern scientific fields owing to the abundant collection of natural science and cultural relics from the NMNS , and the advanced light source and sophisticated research facilities of the NSRRC. Future collaborations between the two institutes will include animal and plant ecologies, humanistic archaeology, biomimetic materials, microorganisms, paleontological evolution, and geological minerals. Byclosely connecting the research resources and professional talents of both parties, new technology and research in the Humanities will be developed, promoting world-class, forward-looking research.
