The 37th International Biology Olympiad (IBO), held in Vilnius, Lithuania, recently concluded. Entrusted by the Ministry of Education, National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU) organized the selection and training program for Taiwan's national team. Competing against 302 students from 78 countries, all four members of the Taiwanese team won gold medals, tying Taiwan for first place worldwide in gold-medal count. This outstanding achievement highlights the strong foundation in biology and international competitiveness of Taiwanese high school students.

The four gold medalists were selected from 2,885 students who took the examinations at 187 schools across Taiwan. They were Yi-Keng Yao (4th place), Wei-Chun Chan (5th place), both of Taipei Municipal Chien Kuo High School; Yu-Chen Chen (18th place) of Taipei First Girls High School; and Ting-Rui Xu (19th place) of Taichung Municipal Taichung First Senior High School. All four contestants performed exceptionally well in both the theoretical and practical examinations, achieving an outstanding result for Taiwan. Representative Constance H. Wang and Deputy Representative Chu-Chun Wu of the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania attended the award ceremony in person to congratulate the students and coaches. Wang also conveyed congratulations and encouragement from President Lai Ching-te and Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao, who commended the contestants for their outstanding performance on the international stage and encouraging them to continue advancing their expertise and excel in their future endeavors.

Taiwan's national team was coordinated by Distinguished Professor Yu-Chung Chiang of the Department of Biological Sciences at NSYSU, with a training and mentoring team comprising more than 20 professors from NSYSU and other institutions, each specializing in different fields. The expertise of the NSYSU training team spanned population genetics, plant evolution, bioinformatics, ecological evolution, entomology, plant ecology, genomics, systematics, molecular genetics, biotechnology, microbiology, immunology, proteomics, transcriptomics, parasitology, plant physiology, and biochemistry. Participating faculty members included Distinguished Professor Yu-Chung Chiang, Associate Professor Shen-Horn Yen, Assistant Professor Chia-Hao Chang-Yang, Associate Professor Shih-Hui Liu, Distinguished Professor and Department Chair Che-Hsin Lee, Assistant Professor Ming-Der Huang, Associate Professor Han-Yi Fu, retired Professors Jong-Kang Liu and David Chao, and Assistant Professor Yun-An Chen. The team also invited alumna Shu-Chun Chuang, the Postdoctoral Fellow with the Orthopedic Research Center at Kaohsiung Medical University, Professor Chung-Da Yang and Dr. Chun-Kuei Liao of the Graduate Institute of Animal Vaccine Technology at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology to contribute to practical training in invertebrate zoology, cytology, parasitology, and plant taxonomy.

The program also reflected the strong outcomes of cross-university and interdisciplinary collaboration. Special thanks go to Professor Hsu-Liang Hsieh, Associate Professor Kuei-Shu Tung, Professor Tzung-Su Ding, Professor Shih-Chung Chang, and Executive Director Yi-Te Lai of National Taiwan University; Adjunct Associate Professor Shu-Chuan Hsiao of National Chung Hsing University; Distinguished Professor Han-Jia Lin of National Taiwan Ocean University; Professor Yi-Ling Yang of National Chiayi University; Professors Chi-Chien Kuo, Kwok-Tung Lu, and retired Professor Ying Wang of National Taiwan Normal University; Professors Hao-Jen Huang and Jyh-Wei Shin of National Cheng Kung University; and retired Associate Professor Chung-Yi Lin of National Changhua University of Education for their assistance with the selection and training program.

The selection and training process for Taiwan's national team is rigorous and intensive, with contestants progressing through four stages of selection and training, including preliminary selection, second-round selection, training-and-selection finals, and final national-team selection. This year's outstanding results were made possible by the Ministry of Education's long-term financial support and the full commitment of the cross-disciplinary team. The Department of Biological Sciences at NSYSU provided comprehensive resources, including specialized laboratory facilities, precision instruments, and efficient administrative support, serving as a strong foundation for the program. The sustained efforts of experts responsible for question development, selection, and training, as well as former national team members and administrative staff, have together established a comprehensive ecosystem for nurturing scientific talent. Yu-Chung Chiang, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at NSYSU, said that Poland will host the 38th IBO next year. The team will continue to identify and train talented students in biology, broaden their international perspectives, and showcase Taiwan's achievements in science education on the global stage.