Some of the approximately 75 MIT and Harvard students who took part in the online presentation

MIT and Harvard Taiwanese Students Associations are continuing what has now become a tradition and recently held this year’s Fall 5*5 Academic Presentations. Five research students working in different fields were invited to give a presentation outlining their cutting-edge research in just 5 minutes, in a way easily understood by the audience. One presentation was on research into nuclear technology, another was related to political studies. Three of the presenters focused on different aspects of AI technology, so it was no surprise that this year, the MIT and Harvard Taiwanese Students Association used a Zoom function called “breakout room”. 

This allowed members of the student audience to choose the topic and the presenter they were most interested in and engage in a deeper conversation about that presenter’s research, following the five presentations. 

Having good presentation skills is important in most academic and work settings, although public speaking is many people’s greatest fear. As well as being fun and an opportunity for graduate students from Taiwan to socialize, these events are an excellent opportunity for some to develop their presentation skills. The Education Division at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Boston is very happy to see this tradition continue, and some of the outstanding Taiwanese students who are working so hard in their fields, sharing details of their outcomes with their enthusiastic audience.