TAS NEwS

••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••• •• ••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••• 4 TAS inaugural wellness Convention At TAS, we define wellness as “a state of optimal well-being that is oriented toward maximizing an individual’s potential.” We understand that in order to flourish, we must practice habits that foster healthy minds and bodies in addition to working toward the achievement of our other goals. As part of Strategic Area 3: Student Experience in the TAS 2016-2021 Strategic Plan, the inaugural TAS Wellness Convention promoted overall wellness in the student body and the broader TAS community with the theme “Be Well, Do Well.” At the Wellness Convention, parents, faculty and staff, and upper and middle school students took advantage of the opportunity mawi Asgedom returns to TAS As an Ethiopian refugee, Mawi Asgedom arrived in the U.S. facing poverty, language barriers, and cultural differences. Instead of giving up, he found strength in his struggles and successfully graduated from Harvard University with a scholarship, delivering the commencement speech to 30,000 Harvard graduates. In 2001, he chronicled his family’s story in Of Beetles and Angels, his best-selling autobiography. Mawi first visited TAS in October of 2011 and returned this September to speak with middle and upper school students, parents, and faculty. His visit is an important part of our character education program and the overall wellness initiative at TAS. In anticipation of his visit, TAS upper school teachers

and students in Grades 8-12 read Of Beetles and Angels. Middle school teachers and students read The Code: The 5 Secrets of Teen Success in which Mawi shares his experiences, insights, and five proven secrets to help teens succeed in high school and beyond. Mawi encouraged TAS students to focus internal energies on things they can control and tune out external focuses that leave them in a poor state of mind to harness their full potential. He also discussed Growth Mindset and told students to practice things they are not good at, not just those that come easily to them, so they can stretch beyond their comfort zone. Mawi has seen an organized, committed, and energetic focus on character and wellness at TAS since his

TAS NEwS to learn from international and local experts in a series of presentations and workshops designed to make attendees reflect, learn, laugh, and recognize the coexistence of academic excellence and wellness. The Wellness Convention featured the following keynote speakers: Dr. Laurence Steinberg, an internationally renowned expert on psychological development during adolescence; Dr. Kristen Lee Costa, an award-winning behavioral sciences professor and clinician; Dr. Yu-Che Tsai, a sleep and positive psychology expert who serves as Assistant Professor of Psychology and Supervisor of Curriculum Design for the Positive Psychology Center at Kaohsiung Medical University; Mr. Vince Papale, best known for joining the Philadelphia Eagles at age 30 without college football experience and serving as the inspiration for the 2006 Disney hit movie Invincible; and Dr. Craig Hassed, a mindfulness program expert and Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer at the Department of General Practice at Monash University in Australia. last visit six years ago and believes the school is using “powerful leverage to provide a world-class holistic education consistent with unlocking student potential.”

The Wellness Roundtable featuring Ms. Tara Conrad, a Certified Clinical Nutritionist, and keynote speakers Dr. Costa, Dr. Hassed, and Dr. Steinberg was a highlight of the event. All four participants answered a series of questions about incorporating wellness into the lives of children. A compelling question concerned the way to balance the expectation of high academic achievement with overall wellness to which Ms. Conrad commented, “There is pressure to be perfect, but what matters is that children grow up to be healthy, kind, helpful human beings.” Dr. Steinberg also made a powerful statement, “Academic excellence and psychological wellbeing are complementary, not competing. Strengthening one amplifies the other.” Overall, Wellness Convention attendees felt the event was enlightening and emphasized the myriad ways TAS embraces the coexistence of academic excellence and wellness.

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••••••••••• ••••••••••• ••••••••••••• •••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••• TAS Joanna Nichols Visiting Scholar Dr. Jacob Soll • Dr. Jacob Soll, this year’s Joanna Nichols Visiting Scholar, left a lasting impact on the TAS community. During his time on campus, Dr. Soll taught more than 30 classes, spoke at upper school assembles, and gave two parent presentations. Dr. Soll, Professor of History and Accounting at the University of Southern California, received a B.A. from the University of Iowa, a Ph.D. from Magdalene College, Cambridge University, and a D.E.A. from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris, France. He has authored three books: Publishing “The Prince” (2005), The Information Master (2009), and The Reckoning (2014), which remains on the Taiwan bestseller list. He has also received numerous awards, including the 2005 Jacques Barzun Prize in Cultural History, a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2009, and, in 2011, the prestigious MacArthur “Genius” Grant. In addition to writing two new books, Dr. Soll works on public financial reform in Greece, Portugal, and the Eurozone where he has personally advised the prime minister of Greece and members of the finance ministry, as well as executives of the European Commission. While at TAS, Dr. Soll taught European History, World History, Principles of Business, Economics, U.S. History, Philosophy, International Relations, and a new Historical Archival Research course at the Imperial Archives at Academia Sinica. Fifteen students in Grades 9-11 traveled with Dr. Soll to Academia Sinica to view historical documents; this special excursion provided a rare opportunity that opened the door for TAS students to conduct further research among over 300,000 written treasures from China. Dr. Soll described TAS students as “fantastic” and the culture at school as “incredibly dynamic.” He encouraged all students to pursue their passions and told them, “The thing you love to do will probably be what you are best at. Your time on earth is very, very short, and you need to enjoy what you’re doing.” He shared additional words of wisdom, “When in doubt, read a great book that challenges you.” Dr. Soll’s stay at TAS represents the seventh installment of the Joanna Nichols Visiting Scholar program, which is the result of the continuing, extraordinary generosity and vision of former TAS parent Mr. Kenny Cheng. The program brings relevant, distinguished, and stimulating figures such as Dr. Soll to TAS each year to share singular insights and experiences with students.

TAS Team wins High School Grand prize at iGEm Championship

This year’s TAS iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) team won the High School Grand Prize at the 2017 iGEM Championship in Boston! Their project, NANOTRAP, focuses on developing an effective mechanism for removing nanoparticles from wastewater before they enter rivers and oceans. 12 TAS students traveled to this impressive event where 265 college teams and 44 high school teams from all over the world presented cuttingedge scientific research projects; 4500 people were in attendance! In addition to the Grand Prize, the TAS iGEM team also won Best Wiki and a Gold Medal for the completeness of their project. They also received nominations for the following awards: Best Integrated Human Practices, Best Poster, Best Presentation, and Best DNA Parts Collection.

The TAS iGEM team successfully created a mechanism to trap nanoparticles in simulated wastewater treatment plant conditions. Students built a prototype and used computer modeling to simulate water cycling and timing. They synthesized new DNA and put it into bacteria; the bacteria then made either a membrane protein or a biofilm to trap nanoparticles. All of the research and work was completed in the Sandy R. Puckett Memorial Research Lab on campus. The iGEM team worked with students in the Nanotechnology Research class and used the Scanning Electron Microscopy to observe nanoparticles. They also collaborated with the Computer Science and Robotics Department to print 3D biocarriers to use for the application of biofilm in wastewater treatment plants. Read more about their project here: http://2017.igem.org/Team:TAS_Taipei. At the Championship event last year, the TAS iGEM team won a gold medal for the completeness of their project (aimed at treating cataracts) as well as awards in the following categories: Best Education and Public Engagement, Best Mathematical Model, and Best DNA Parts Collection. In 2015, the TAS iGEM team won the High School Grand Prize for their project on preventing tissue damage from chronic inflammation.

••••••••••••••••• • interscholastic Association of Southeast Asia Schools (iASAS) music at TAS

•••••••••••••••• •TAS hosted IASAS Music in early March. Our talented upper school musicians, as well as 130 other student musicians from ••••••••••••••••the visiting schools, performed solo and ensemble pieces for adjudication by accomplished teacher musicians from the Taipei •••••••••••••••community and abroad. The finest soloists and ensembles performed in a special Showcase Recital Concert. Additionally, all •••••••••••••• participants rehearsed and performed together in culminating Festival Band, Choir, and Orchestra concerts. Mr. Richard Gill, former Artistic Director of the Victorian Opera and Musical Director of the Sydney Chamber Choir, returned to TAS for the fifth time and conducted the Festival Choir. TAS also welcomed Dr. Andrew Boysen Jr., Professor of Music at • the University of New Hampshire, and Dr. Tiffany Chang, TAS alumna and Interim Director of Orchestral Studies and Assistant Professor of Music at Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music. Dr. Boysen conducted the Festival Band and Dr. Chang conducted the Festival Orchestra.