加拿大國家研究委員會(National Research Council,Canada)與我國國科會合作計劃項下，首次推出高中生暑期研修獎學金，供本校四位同學，分別在NRC、渥太華大學研習六週。本校戴校長應邀前往訪視，四位同學在科學家與寄宿家庭的悉心指導照顧下，學習成果豐碩，NRC與國科會正評估成效，以供辦理第二年參考。

Thanks to the joint effort of the National Research Council, Canada, and, the National Science Council of ROC, four scholarships were recently awarded to NEHS high school students as part of a new program that allowed them to study last summer for six weeks at the NRC and the University of Ottawa. In addition, NEHS Principal Tai was invited to visit these institutions and the four scholarship winners. With the guidance of scientist mentors and the care of their host families, these fortunate students have learned a great deal, scientifically and culturally, from this wonderful Canadian experience. The NRC and National Science Council of ROC are currently evaluating this program for future improvements next year.
 

我的加拿大之行

◎高三四班林佑俊

我這次被分派到的工作地點是加拿大國家研究委員會下的航太研究所(Institute for Aerospace Research, IAR)其中的空氣動力實驗室(Aerodynamics Lab)。研究主題是「尖拱型圓柱體模型於水洞中進行高攻角姿態擺設時的前體不對稱渦流研究」。主要的工作目的是在於了解—已知的尖拱型圓柱體模型(類似一枚飛彈的外型)以高攻角姿勢置於水洞(water tunnel)當中時周圍的流場狀況....
由於自己在高一書報討論負責的主題是「飛機與火箭」，高二的專題研究主題是「模型火箭的性能研究」，因此在航太這方面稍有一點了解。然而在真正踏入實驗室之後，就立刻知道自己要學習的東西還有太多！剛到當地的那個禮拜，我手上就有兩本書，七篇報告要讀(當然，全部都是英文...)，也得知自己要完成一篇研究報告。
六個日期的工作時間，前兩、三個禮拜都是在「閱讀」；其他的時間除了實驗操作之外，還包括了和指導人的問題討論以及報告的製作。我主要是負責去記錄下詳細的工作歷程，找出問題並討論，編輯圖片及照片，撰寫原稿......等等。最後完成了一篇二十五頁文字、二十五頁彩圖的報告。
除了忙碌的研究工作之外，加拿大的生活點滴也值得一提。我們在到達當地之後，被分別安置在三個寄宿家庭中；而我每天早上則是要騎單車去「上班」。我說這是上班，是因為NRC在每個工作天(別忘了！加拿大人是週休二日的！)會發給每人四十元加幣作為「薪水」。這薪水是讓我們買午餐或作其它花用；早餐及晚餐是由寄宿家庭提供的。
既然說這六個星期的日子像是上班一樣，當然就不同一般的遊學團一般，我得自己安排自己的生活作息。對我而言，我是進到一個全新的環境，遇到完全不同文化背景的人，當然會需要一些時間去適應；現在想起來，我大概花了一半的時間在適應吧！我所謂的適應，包括了語言問題、研究工作的進行，以及一些日常生活的基本能力，像是搭公車、看地圖找博物館啦、購物啦......等等。換句話說，過了三個禮拜之後，我才開始有一點當地人的「雛形」。
也許每個人都會視語言問題為最大的障礙。沒錯，語言的確是一個問題，但是並不是那麼難克服的。如果你有跟外國人交談的經驗，或是你可以想像跟外國人交談時的情境；就學生而言，並不是每個人的英文都厲害到可以聽懂外國人「一字一句」的程度。有的時候，你得花一些心思去「猜」他在說什麼；這並不是表示胡猜一通，而是根據已經了解的部份去推測；要是自己仍然發現有疑問，就該自己提出問題去求證。基本上，在交談的過程中，外國人有時候也在「猜」你在說什麼！同樣的，他們也會提出問題來向你求證。因此，只要你具備基本的英文會話基礎，文法不至於錯得太離譜，肯說出口，溝通並不是很大的問題。而當然了，這是指在生活的會話方面而言；在工作時用英文互相討論一些比較深入的問題時，就需要多花一些工夫了，因為這時候牽涉的問題包括了專業領域的用字及陳述方法。
好了，如果英文的問題解決了，接下來就看你要怎麼去安排生活了。由於這回遇到的寄宿家庭比較少出門，因此大多數的時間都是自己跟其他學生一起去「探險」了。在問清了搭公車的方法之後，我們幾乎把所有在渥太華(加拿大首都NRC總部所在地)著名的博物館和購物中心都走遍了！當然啦！我們也對促進加拿大的經濟發展有不少貢獻......
除了自己去逛街、看電影、逛博物館之外，NRC的總裁Dr. Carty也兩次邀請我們出外野餐；當地的台北駐加拿大經濟及文化代表處的人員也給予我們不少協助。說真的，能夠有這個機會，確實是承蒙了不少人的協助！
總而言之，這回的加拿大之行，實在是承蒙許多人的協助，在此我想先向他們致上謝意！當然，我想我也真的學到了我想學的東西；對我而言，這真的是一次非常珍貴的經驗—自己從人生地不熟的情況開始漸漸融入當地人的生活。雖然說暑假的課沒上到，到目前都還在努力追進度，但是，我永遠不會後悔我曾經參加了這個計畫。
 

DNA, Parliament Hill,

and Sarah McLachlan

by Chuan-Mei Lee

I spent my summer in the land of moose, beavers, and maple syrup-Canada. I sipped coffee in outdoor cafes, rocked at the Lilith Fair, and I extracted DNA. Yes, I extracted DNA. The summer program which allowed me to do this was the first of its kind, initiated this year by Taiwan’s National Science Council and Canada’s National Research Council. With the help of Principal Tai and other NEHS teachers, it was arranged that two bilingual and two experimental high school students go to Ottawa for six weeks to learn about research in the science field of our choice. I chose biochemistry and molecular biology.
I worked in a lab at the Biochemistry Department of the University of Ottawa. My mentors there let me transform bacteria with designer plasmids, lyse bacteria to collect DNA, run electrophoresis gels, use ethium bromide (a carcinogen but essential for detection of DNA bands), perform dot blots, salt-out proteins, extract RNA from tobacco leaves, and more. Basically I got hands-on experience in the lab doing all the biotechnology experiments I had previously only read about in Advanced Placement Biology. For those of you who did not happen to take the class, I essentially did what Agent Scully was doing in the last season premiere of The X-Files (you know, the one where she compares her own DNA to alien cells from the ice core sample).
However, I was mostly working with plants (tobacco) and bacteria (E. Coli), trying to determine if these test organisms had successfully accepted foreign genes. In one project, researchers inserted a human gene that coded for insulinlike protein into tobacco plants. In another project, scientists transformed rice plants to express insect resistance proteins. I was allowed to help with both projects and perform routine experiments.
With all the biotechnology around me, I did not build a Frankenstein or make biological weapons in my spare time. I spent many free hours roaming downtown Ottawa (as it was only a short walk away from the University), exploring the city’s many museums, dining in quaint, little bistros, and enjoying (and photographing) the scenic view of the Ottawa River and the Rideau Canal. To name a few more things I did-I visited Niagara Falls, picked peaches in Niagara-on-the-Lake, toured the Canadian parliament buildings, bargained at a flea market, swam with fish in a lake, and sang along with Sarah McLachlan at the Lilith Fair concert.
Of course, I also spent many nights with my host family, bonding in front of the television while watching an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I stayed with a Canadian host family throughout my stay in Ottawa. They were exceptionally kind, not only welcoming me into their home but also going out of their way to show me the finer points of Canadian culture.
I was lucky to stay in Canada just long enough to experience both the good and the not so good. I loved the change of scenery and climate. I loved the innovative research at the university lab. Most of all, I loved the kindness, generosity, and enthusiasm shown to me by my Canadian hosts. To be fair, there were also some things that I did not like, including the intimidating street people and the high tax on goods. Aside, I can truthfully say that I enjoyed my summer in Ottawa.
 The most helpful tips I got as a biochemist were: RNAse is your worst enemy, always carry a good permanent marker, and keep pipet tips, latex gloves, and microfuge tubes in handy places. The most helpful tips I can give you, my fellow classmates who just might be convinced to go to Ottawa next year: bring boldness and a craving for freedom because you will be on your own, bring an independent personality because you may end up doing things alone, and bring a credit card because if you are anything like me, you will be tempted to buy everything. One last tip-while in Ottawa, you must try the beaver tails topped with cinnamon, sugar, and apple. For those of you who find meat with fruit unappetizing, you will be pleased to find that I am actually describing a delicious, flat pastry. Bon appetite, or rather bon voyage!

遊 學 經 驗

加拿大之行

◎高三四班周聖浦
 

暑假期間曾遠赴加拿大進行一系列的研究與學習，細細回想起其中的點點滴滴，還頗為懷念那段時光。在行前的準備工作中，是很難體會出離家萬里的心情，只會認為這趟行程頗為新鮮有趣，心裡算是挺期待的。
直到我踏上前往加拿大的班機時，我才開始感受到即將處在一個新世界、新文化的恐懼與不安。固然我所寄宿的家庭是個中國家庭，但在未瞭解新環境前，內心其實是忐忑不安、憂慮不定的。
到了當地，最快被我察覺到的，是樸實的民風與一望無際的廣闊天地。人們熱心地互道問候，殷勤地招待我們四位臺灣學生，很快地把我一開始的疑慮給拋到九霄雲外了。當地的生活算是很悠閒自在的，人們不慌不忙地做他們的工作，富有人情味。我覺得這種生活挺浪漫的。每當我趁著實驗進行到一個階段時，望著窗外，看著一片綠草如茵的草原；燦爛的陽光灑在不遠的杉木與樺樹，熠熠發亮，兩三成群的松鼠加拿大鷗間或穿梭於林間，讓週遭的環境在寧靜中又增添不少生趣。我想，在這種學習環境下，是否心胸曠達不少？嘿嘿，我也不知道。
在六個星期的學習歷程中，除了學業上的收穫外，更讓我見識了不少。常常見到許多學生在旅遊地點擔任臨時導遊，為遊客介紹及解說當地的名勝風景；也見到不少年輕人，在美術館前，甚至大廣場中央，毫不膽怯地當眾演奏樂器娛樂大眾，旁觀的路人圍坐在四周，以熱情的掌聲歡呼作為回饋。從他們的一舉一動中，我可以體驗出一股充滿活力、熱情且滿富朝氣的氣息。
在那進行的研究雖不長，但卻很新奇有趣，我所做的是有關腦中風的腦部發展研究。利用組織化學染色法及反轉錄聚合黴聯鎖反應探測在大腦記憶區及皮層的缺血變化，以預期找出反應關鍵點來治療中風。一趟下來，不僅學到許多新技術的操作原理與方法，也可看出一位科學家如何設計實驗來找出問題的癥結。一位好的研究者應當以團體合作為重，一起解決問題、完成實驗，而不是閉門造車、埋首苦拼。六星期來，我學到了感激及關心他人，人與人間不再形同陌路，而是一個緊密相依的共同體。所以最後當我離開渥太華時，最令我不捨的，就是我的指導教授及工作伙伴們。畢竟能再與他們相見的機會甚為渺茫，這份回憶真的值得我去珍惜。