Scientific progress relies on the maxim that scientific inquiry knows no bounds: new results and insights are not dependent on the location of the scientists who conducted the work. However, there is no similar guarantee that researchers in disparate locations will have equitable opportunities to participate in science. During a visit to the chemistry department at the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP) in Cambodia, I noticed that the faculty had beneficial equipment that was not in use. Upon inquiry, I discovered that funds from international organizations were allocated for equipment, but there was a shortage of experts to instruct both students and local faculty. How could I help? I realized that I could provide the opportunity for firsthand experience, enabling students to conduct experiments, analyze data, and gain understanding of both scientific research and in the use of this basic equipment. This prompted me to seek travel support from the South Korean government and other institutions, bringing colleagues together to conduct experimental courses during summer and winter breaks. Consequently, students were invited to Korea to partake in master’s and doctoral programs at Sogang University. The first student, Dr. Veasna Soum, has since become a pivotal faculty member at RUPP, entrusted with support from the World Bank to establish a graduate program at their institution. These initiatives gradually expanded to other Southeast Asian regions, eliciting requests from Cambodia to Vietnam, Thailand to Indonesia. Rather than seek out multiple external sponsorships for the myriad needs of those local universities, we stayed focused on one goal: to train dedicated local teachers. As such, we hoped to help establish science education departments in numerous Southeast Asian universities. In 2015, fundraising began for a chemistry education department at Universitas Sanata Dharma (SDU) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Today, the department excels in producing chemistry teachers, annually training around 50 educators. These graduates contribute to the education sector by working as science high school teachers on hundreds of small, isolated islands in Indonesia. Due to my continued dedication to science and technology initiatives in Southeast Asia, I have recently assumed the role of President at Scientists and Engineers Without Borders (SEWB, www.sewb.org), a South Korean nongovernmental organization specializing in international cooperation in science and technology. As a central initiative of SEWB, I collaborate with fellow scientists to enhance the capabilities of science education departments in universities throughout Southeast Asia. However, the pivotal year of 2020, marked by the pandemic, disrupted the deployment of scientists for local teaching. Since 2015, Sogang University has actively participated in various levels of exchanges with Harvard University as part of its international cooperation efforts. Amidst the challenges posed by the 2020 pandemic, which particularly impeded existing support to Southeast Asia, Professor Kevin Kit Parker from Harvard University and I initiated the planning of a new program. The objective was to involve scientists from Southeast Asia in our bilateral international cooperation, promoting resource sharing and facilitating human exchanges. As a result, we established the Sogang-Harvard-SDU Biohybrid Center, serving as a platform for activities supporting research and teaching in advanced biotechnology fields. In collaboration with the Institute of Biological Interfaces and the Biocore Facility Center at Sogang University, we began considering various remote biotechnology education programs to replicate some of the in-person experiences that were no longer available. One result of these efforts was Chembot, a remote chemistry experimentation system. Through the online control system of the robotic arm, chemistry students at SDU in Indonesia engaged in remote practice of cell cultures for the first time. In August 2022, students manipulated commands during a live video session, guiding the robotic arm in tasks such as holding pipettes, transporting culture media, seeding cells, nurturing their growth, and successfully performing gene transduction. The illustration serves as a symbol of overcoming geographic barriers and health challenges like COVID-19 through the application of science and technology. In 2023, after international travel resumed, Prof. Parker and I visited SDU in Indonesia, meeting students who had experienced the robotic arm experiment. These activities have now led to a joint research paper between SDU, Sogang University, and Harvard University. To commemorate this impactful collaboration, Mr. Michael Rosnach created a painting titled “Pipetting Hand”, where the 0’s and 1’s visually represent how digital science and technology empower participation in experiments beyond geographical, temporal, and human constraints, disseminating knowledge to diverse locations. This article has not yet been cited by other publications.

中文翻译：

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一起移液手

科学进步依赖于科学探究无国界的格言：新的结果和见解不依赖于进行这项工作的科学家的所在地。然而，并没有类似的保证不同地点的研究人员将有公平的机会参与科学研究。在参观柬埔寨金边皇家大学（RUPP）化学系时，我注意到教职员工拥有闲置的有用设备。经过询问，我发现国际组织的资金用于购买设备，但缺乏指导学生和当地教师的专家。我能提供什么帮助吗？我意识到我可以提供亲身体验的机会，使学生能够进行实验、分析数据并了解科学研究和基本设备的使用。这促使我向韩国政府和其他机构寻求旅行支持，在暑假和寒假期间将同事聚集在一起进行实验课程。因此，学生们被邀请到韩国参加西江大学的硕士和博士课程。第一位学生 Veasna Soum 博士后来成为 RUPP 的关键教员，受世界银行的支持在该机构建立研究生项目。这些举措逐渐扩展到其他东南亚地区，引起了从柬埔寨到越南、泰国到印度尼西亚的需求。我们没有为当地大学的无数需求寻求多种外部赞助，而是专注于一个目标：培养敬业的当地教师。因此，我们希望帮助东南亚众多大学建立科学教育系。2015 年，印度尼西亚日惹达玛大学 (SDU) 的化学教育系开始筹款。如今，该系在培养化学教师方面表现出色，每年培训约 50 名教育工作者。这些毕业生在印度尼西亚数百个孤立的小岛上担任科学高中教师，为教育部门做出了贡献。由于我对东南亚科学技术倡议的持续奉献，我最近担任了无国界科学家和工程师组织 (SEWB, www.sewb.org) 的主席，该组织是一家韩国非政府组织，专门从事科学和技术方面的国际合作。技术。作为 SEWB 的一项核心举措，我与科学家同行合作，提高整个东南亚大学科学教育部门的能力。然而，以疫情为标志的关键一年2020年打乱了科学家在当地教学的部署。2015年以来，西江大学积极参与与哈佛大学的各层次交流，作为国际合作的一部分。面对 2020 年大流行带来的挑战，尤其阻碍了对东南亚的现有支持，我和哈佛大学教授凯文·基特·帕克 (Kevin Kit Parker) 发起了一项新计划的规划。目的是让东南亚科学家参与我们的双边国际合作，促进资源共享，促进人类交流。结果，我们建立了西江-哈佛大学-SDU 生物混合中心，作为支持先进生物技术领域研究和教学活动的平台。我们与西江大学生物界面研究所和生物核心设施中心合作，开始考虑各种远程生物技术教育项目，以复制一些不再可用的亲身体验。这些努力的成果之一就是Chembot，一种远程化学实验系统。通过机械臂在线控制系统，印度尼西亚山东大学化学专业的学生首次进行细胞培养的远程实践。2022 年 8 月，学生们在现场视频会议中操纵命令，引导机械臂执行诸如握住移液器、运输培养基、播种细胞、培育细胞生长以及成功进行基因转导等任务。该插图象征着通过科学技术的应用克服地理障碍和健康挑战（如 COVID-19）。2023年，国际旅行恢复后，我和帕克教授访问了印度尼西亚的山东大学，见到了体验过机械臂实验的学生。这些活动现已促成山东大学、西江大学和哈佛大学之间的联合研究论文。为了纪念这一具有影响力的合作，Michael Rosnach 先生创作了一幅名为“移液手”的画作，其中的 0 和 1 直观地代表了数字科学和技术如何超越地理、时间和人类限制参与实验，将知识传播到不同的地点。这篇文章尚未被其他出版物引用。