TAIPEI (TVBS News) — In a significant moment for Taiwan's environmental education efforts, the National Museum of Marine Science and Technology (NMMST, 國立海洋科技博物館), the island nation's premier institution dedicated to marine research and conservation, unveiled its ambitious new exhibition titled "The Ocean Will" (海洋未來式) on Friday (June 6). The opening ceremony gained international prominence with the participation of legendary primatologist and environmental advocate Dr. Jane Goodall, whose presence underscored the global importance of the exhibition's themes. Designed as a multisensory experience rather than a conventional museum display, the exhibition addresses the urgent challenges of climate change and marine ecosystem preservation through state-of-the-art immersive environments and interactive installations that transform complex scientific concepts into accessible narratives encouraging public engagement and action.
According to the museum's press materials, the exhibition employs powerful visual metaphors to communicate its environmental message, including dramatic large-format photography documenting polar bear migration patterns affected by shrinking Arctic ice sheets. A prominent installation featuring an oversized antique compass serves as the exhibition's conceptual centerpiece, representing humanity's responsibility to navigate through mounting environmental crises with wisdom and foresight. The ambitious project reflects an unprecedented collaboration between Taiwan's scientific community and maritime industry, bringing together the expertise of the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA, 國家太空中心), which contributed satellite imagery of oceanic changes; Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation (陽明海運公司), one of Asia's largest shipping companies; and researchers from Taiwan's leading academic institutions — National Taiwan Ocean University (NTOU, 國立台灣海洋大學), National Central University (NCU, 國立中央大學), and National Taiwan University (NTU, 國立台灣大學) — who supplied sophisticated oceanographic research equipment and rare preserved specimens of endangered hawksbill turtles.
The exhibition opening culminated in a formal ceremony where museum officials, with Dr. Goodall as witness and signatory, established what they described as a "permanent collaboration memorandum" with the Jane Goodall Institute Taiwan, the local chapter of the renowned conservationist's global network of environmental organizations. This institutional partnership extends beyond the current exhibition to encompass a comprehensive portfolio of marine conservation education programs designed for audiences ranging from elementary school children to university researchers. Museum administrators emphasized that the collaboration will specifically advance Dr. Goodall's "Oceans Are Us" initiative — a program that highlights the interconnectedness of terrestrial and marine ecosystems — while simultaneously elevating Taiwan's environmental education practices to align with international standards and methodologies developed through the Goodall Institute's decades of conservation work across six continents. ◼