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Introduction to the 3M Forum
Bei-Chang Yang
Chairperson of Department of Microbiology & Immunology
 The name "3M Forum" is the brainchild of some members of the STM Center, which is a threefold concept: marginality, medicine, and modernity. Each of these words has rich implications and, when combined, they catalyze fascinating ideas. "Marginality" is a geographical fact, but also a psychological symbolization. Being marginal means preserving some untamed, unadorned wildness, with sighs of being sort of undervalued. Being situated marginal entails not merely loneliness, but also holding on to principles and maintaining alertness, keeping a distance, being sober. Once being attentive to the marginal, you can see the minority, the less fortunate, and the budding ideas. "Medicine" refers to the knowledge domain, which directly reflects humans' imagination of health, with strong utilitarian expectations. Along with social transformation and change of medical practice, the interaction between medical technology and the society has evolved to be more complicated, making it impossible for technology alone to meet challenges from all layers of the society. With insufficient understanding of the knowledge, one is very likely to be cheated and deprived. Without inclusion of the humanism, the medical science is but materialized knowledge. "Modernity" can mean modernization, modern style, trendy, developed and prosperous. Although this term relates to time, when attached to other terms, the effect is some arrogant flare; sometimes even resembles the pompous hallucination of dominant doctrines. To mix and match the 3Ms: medicine plus modernity can be a tribute to the miracle of life; medicine plus marginality disclose the unequal allocation of resources; modernity plus marginality will be the most effective in preventing being overwhelmed by fanciful illusions. Nevertheless, in 3M, we are not obliged to solemnly tell the stories of the medical science applied to marginal people in modern times. 3M is a self-adhesive memo pad: the light-hearted commentaries can serve as a reminding on the door that in the modern weather it'd better carry an umbrella with you to prevent from getting wet by the looming rain! The 3M also sells glues; hence here we glue various opinions in the name of 3M Forum. The shape of "3" seems like a standing and gazing "M", while "M" seems like a prostrating and recharging "3" – the 3M Forum's character is to exam the true and false, the hollow and real, the salient and concealed, and the light and dark. While the observations can be either superficial or insightful, the position of the arguments may vary, the 3M Forum will serve as a platform for sharing views and discussions: not only can you introduce the development and applications of new medical technology by plain examples, you can also critically explore and investigate the medical technology's impacts on the society and the human conditions.
Introduction to Dr. Bei-Chang Yang
Professor Bei-Chang Yang majored in Plantpathology in undergraduate days and worked on Human Genetics in Ph.D. study. He studies tumor immunology with molecular biology techniques. Prof. Yang currently serves as the chairperson of Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University. He has been doing researches in the lab for decades and writing scientific papers with SCI/IF values. He has been teaching microbiology and immunology, which are his professional disciplinary knowledge, for more than a decade, and after such an odyssey he becomes concerned with the history and philosophy of science. In addition, he initiates the TGIF Friday Study Group in the College of Medicine, and also facilitated the founding of the STM (Science, Technology and Medicine) Center with others. They pioneered to implement professional education reform project and humanity action project in medical colleges.
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