Ma Kuo-feng: Earthquake Data Comes from Victims' Sacrifices; Research Should Integrate Public Welfare

(Central News Agency, Reporter Wu Hsin-yun, Taipei, July 9) The Academia Sinica announced its newly elected academicians today, including earthquake expert Ma Kuo-feng. She stated today that every piece of data from the 921 earthquake represents the sacrifice of victims. Research should not just be data-driven articles but should truly translate into engineering, regulations, and disaster prevention policies to protect public safety.

The newly elected academicians of the Academia Sinica were announced today, with a total of 19 scholars and experts elected. Among them, five scholars were elected in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences group this year: Wen-Ching Lee, Tung-Hai Lee, Kuo-Feng Ma, Yu-Ju Chen, and Lien-Ju Chao.

Ma Kuo-feng is a distinguished research fellow and director at the Institute of Earth Sciences, Academia Sinica, deeply involved in earthquake science and related issues. Her research expertise includes seismic signal analysis and monitoring, earthquake source physics, fault dynamics simulation, and seismic hazard analysis.

Ma Kuo-feng stated that receiving the title of academician in her research field is a very significant recognition and acknowledgment for her. Her research specialty is earthquake science, a field that, compared to general scientific disciplines, is somewhat theoretical but has a major impact on public welfare.

The 921 earthquake had a profound impact on Ma Kuo-feng. She said that when conducting scientific research, researchers are often excited by data, but behind that data lie numerous victims. She deeply recognizes that research is not just a personal endeavor but rather about how to use data to inform the public about the achievements of Taiwan's earthquake science research, so that earthquakes are not only sources of disaster, and that research also makes important contributions to the world.

Therefore, Ma Kuo-feng said that after serving as the director or chief scientist of the Earthquake Science Center, she began conducting nationwide lectures to introduce Taiwan's earthquake history, allowing scientific research to be more than just data articles, but rather to communicate with the general public, help them understand that earthquakes are natural phenomena, and how to reduce the impact of disasters.

Ma Kuo-feng also mentioned that when she published and released the nationwide seismic hazard potential map in 2015, it caused public concern about its impact on housing prices. Some people even told her, "Ma Kuo-feng is so brave." However, she believes that scientific work is about revealing facts. "When you buy a house with very high potential, and the house cannot meet seismic resistance standards, it shouldn't be sold for so much money in the first place."

Ma Kuo-feng admitted that her greatest setback in research was the day of the 921 earthquake. As a scholar researching earthquake science, she felt as helpless as ordinary people. Therefore, she began to consider how scientific research should truly be translated into engineering, regulations, and disaster prevention policies, so that research results can truly protect people's safety.

Ma Kuo-feng stated that her American advisor once said, "No matter how much earthquake science you do, if it doesn't dialogue with engineering and isn't translated into regulations, it's useless." This statement is also an important belief in her research. In addition to publishing research papers, she hopes to practically improve people's lives while continuing to promote breakthroughs in earthquake science and demonstrate Taiwan's scientific research capabilities.

In addition to Ma Kuo-feng, newly elected academicians also include Yu-Ju Chen, a distinguished research fellow at the Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica. Chen is a pioneer in developing proteomics research in Asia, crossing over from a physical chemistry background to biomedical research. She has long been dedicated to innovative research in mass spectrometry technology and proteomics, establishing a world-class analytical platform for Taiwan. Her achievements encompass pioneering cutting-edge analytical technologies, elucidating disease mechanisms, translating precision medicine, and international academic leadership, making outstanding contributions to human proteome decoding and the development of precision medicine for cancer.

Additionally, the newly elected academicians include Wen-Ching Lee, a distinguished professor at Penn State University, specializing in the study of model theory, number theory, and spectral graph theory; Tung-Hai Lee, a professor in the Department of Physics at the University of California, Berkeley, specializing in theoretical condensed matter physics; and Lien-Ju Chao, an honorary professor at the College of Science, Tsing Hua University, specializing in ecological statistics, biodiversity data analysis, and statistical inference. (Editor: Chen Ching-fang) 1150709

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