In 2002, National Chung Hsing University integrated the Department of Botany (founded in 1956) and the Department of Zoology (founded in 1994) into a new "Department of Life Sciences" and successfully brought the two-department faculty and staff members together. Our department aims to provide advantageous resources and facility for fostering a new generation of professional elites in life sciences and to create the best programs in undergraduate and graduate education.
Our department have broken through the old disciplines on compartmenting plant science, zoology and microbiology separately to reform the three key research themes on the fields of biodiversity, biological functions and biomedical sciences & technology. Our faculty members not only encourage our students to examine ecosystems from a wider perspective (macro-scale), but also to look at individual elements of physiology and cell biology and molecular biology at the micro-level and even nano-scale. Thus, all aspects of living beings can be considered in a flexible and open curriculum that fosters creativity and innovation from all, without the burden of a traditional top-down teaching methodology. In addition, the department receives additional support and resources from the other research institutes that make up the Sciences of Life Academy, including the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the College of Veterinary Medicine. This combination of talent and resources allows the department to excel in all aspects of its learning, teaching and research, and work toward the aim of becoming a renowned center of excellence in the field of life sciences.
These high standards of teaching and research performance at Chung Hsing University have been highly praised, particularly with respect to domestic biological sciences. Such recognition of the department provides the perfect platform for the cultivation of the next generation of elite scientists in the fields of biodiversity as well as biomedical technology in Taiwan. Our department has been approved by the Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan (HEEACT).