Speaker: Prof. Shenglin Chang — Associate Dean, D-School, National Taiwan University
Time: September
30, 2025 (Tuesday), 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Venue: The Management Building, 11F, AI Lecture Hall
Join Online: https://reurl.cc/3Mm7kM or scan QR code on poster
About the Speaker:
Shenglin Elijah Chang, Ph.D. in Landscape Architecture from UC Berkeley, is Associate Dean at NTU’s D-School and Professor in the Graduate Institute of Building and Planning, Climate Change, and Biodiversity programs. Her research bridges design thinking, community participation, and transcultural sustainability, with fieldwork in the U.S., Costa Rica, Japan, China, and Taiwan. She co-directed NTU’s Agricultural Humanity Program, engaging thousands in rural communities, and led the national Timebanking for Community Practices project (2018–2021), integrating AI and social innovation. She currently serves as the PI for NSTC ‘s “The Project of Promoting and Coordinating for Cross-field Integration and Innovation Research Program of Art”. She has received the 2004 CELA Award (U.S.), the 2017 National ROCTIRA Award for Social Service, and NTU’s 2020 Excellence in Service Award.
Abstract:
This lecture explores how Problem-Based Learning (PBL) serves as a powerful cognitive tool to address complex real-world challenges across architecture, community, and medicine.
In the “winding paths” section, the discussion begins with architecture, urban planning, landscape design, and community building. Urban and community challenges are rarely one-dimensional; they intertwine health, environment, and society. PBL provides a way to think and collaborate in authentic contexts—learning how spatial planning can heal the human spirit, how community design can strengthen public health, and how innovation emerges through collaboration in times of constraint.
In the “light revealed” section, the focus shifts to medicine, examining PBL’s future potential through case studies. From milli-spinner micro-robots redefining thrombosis treatment, to Da Vinci robotic surgery transforming clinical practice, to tele-interventions addressing medical inequality—these innovations are not only technological milestones but also educational opportunities. They challenge us to consider how medical students can be trained to make decisions amid uncertainty, integrate interdisciplinary knowledge, and balance technology with ethics.
This lecture demonstrates how PBL, as a way of
thinking that transcends disciplinary boundaries, can guide us through the
“winding paths” and lead us toward the “light of healing and care.”
Organizers: College of Intelligent Computing & Artificial
Intelligence Research Center
※ No registration needed.