Roy Yao’s Summer 2025 Internship at NTHU, Hsinchu, Taiwan
Hello, I am Roy Yao, a junior planning to study Bioengineering and Electrical Engineering & Computer Science at UC Berkeley. I attended the 2025 Summer Research Program at National Tsing Hua University in Hsinchu, Taiwan (ROC), this summer. I worked under Prof. Chih-Chen Chen’s lab on an individual project with mentorship from the lab.
I learned about the 2025 Summer Research Program at National Tsing Hua University through the Bioengineering department’s announcements. There were several reasons I participated in this program: I enjoyed Taiwan’s local culture since my last visit and wanted to explore more of it, and with Taiwan’s strong emphasis on the semiconductor industry, I wanted to seize opportunities to study and do research in the “Silicon Valley of Taiwan.” Using the GLOBE Discovery Scholarship and the program scholarship from National Tsing Hua University (NTHU), I was able to cover the round-trip flight between the U.S. and Taiwan, as well as most of my living costs in Hsinchu. On-campus housing is also generously provided by NTHU throughout the summer program.
During the summer, I worked on the multimodal detection of gold nanoparticles in microfluidic channels at Prof Chih-Chen Chen’s Lab. At NTHU, I developed a framework to detect and count gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) flowing through microfluidic channels using Thermal Lens Microscopy (TLM) combined with a computer vision (CV) pipeline. Gold nanoparticles (AuNP) are nanoparticles widely used in biomolecule labeling and imaging. However, we have not understood and explored all of its behavior on a micro-scale under a microscope. Here, we are trying to utilize optical patterns of gold nanoparticles under TLM and train deep learning computer vision models to aid the microfluidic devices’ reading computationally.
I have used two approaches to detect the gold nanoparticles. I first used microscopic reading videos to create a deep learning computer vision model for nanoparticle detection. The pipeline counts the gold nanoparticles passing through the microfluidic channel using a pre-trained model and imaging processing. The other approach I used was to analyze the 2D and 3D data from dual-beam TLM readouts and microscopic reading videos using signal processing (band-limiting, amplitude thresholding, and lag compensation). I aligned video-derived intensity traces with the TLM lock-in output, enabling peak-matched particle counts and cross-modality correlation. Through these experiences, I enhanced my understanding of MATLAB and Python coding, as well as their scientific and machine learning libraries.
A major obstacle I faced during the summer research was the lack of linear correlation between extracted video features and TLM readout data for some samples. After reviewing literature and consulting with my mentor and professor, I attempted different video features and image/signal processing algorithms. These attempts successfully increase the correlation value of the data result. By the end of the summer, I was able to develop a deep learning computer vision model to detect gold nanoparticles with mostly accurate results. I was also able to draw a moderate correlation across different concentrations, velocity flow, and gold nanoparticle diameter samples, demonstrating the feasibility of counting nanoparticles without the TLM reading.
This work supports a workflow that reduces dependence on complex TLM instrumentation by showing that video-based detection can serve as a standalone readout, while maintaining compatibility with standard dual-beam TLM for benchmarking sensitivity. National Tsing Hua University is located in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Although the city is jokingly known among students for having McDonald’s as its “best local food,” Hsinchu is a vibrant city with both a strong technological sector and a rich history since the Qing Dynasty.
During my stay, I explored local cuisine beyond McDonald’s. At night markets, I tried traditional food like pork balls, bahwan, and oyster omelettes. I also constantly visited the Big City shopping mall for food and shopping, and enjoyed plenty of Taiwanese dishes and sushi around Hsinchu.
With direct buses running between Hsinchu and Taipei, weekend trips to the capital city were easy. I especially enjoyed the convenience of Taiwan’s public transit system with high-speed rails, local trains, and frequent shuttle buses across different regions of Taiwan. Furthermore, I had the experience of getting a ride on Taiwan’s most popular way of travel: motorcycling.
Beyond campus, I joined the 2025 Hsinchu Animation & Comics Festival, where I met local artists, cosplayers, and dancers. I also witnessed the 2025 Taiwanese electoral recall campaigns, which gave me a glimpse into Taiwan’s politics in action.
Through the Summer Research Program, I also connected with students from different parts of the world, such as Europe and Oceania. We shared cultural differences and experiences while exploring Taiwan together. In this program, we also had the opportunity to visit the TSMC Museum of Innovation and the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI). This deepened my understanding of Taiwan’s role in global technology and research.
During the 8-week research program, I also had the chance to travel to several places with other students, including Sun Moon Lake, Tainan, and Kaohsiung. One especially memorable trip was our weekend visit to Sun Moon Lake. We took the Taiwan High-Speed Rail and a local bus to reach Shuili, where we toured a tea-making factory, and later rented bikes to bike around the lake.
Summer was the typhoon and rainy season in Taiwan, and I worried the weather might spoil the visit. But when we finally reached the lake, the cloudy weather gave off a sense of holiness and spiritual calm. Sun Moon Lake had been on my travel list for a long time, and seeing it in person after so many years felt deeply fulfilling.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Ph.D. student Yun-Ping Chen and Professor Chih-Chen Chen for their invaluable guidance and mentorship throughout this summer research project. I am also deeply appreciative of the support and advice provided by all members of the laboratory, including Professor Takehiko Kitamori and Professor Kyojiro Morikawa, whose insights greatly enriched my work.
I would also like to thank Ms. Yu-Ju Hung, the program coordinator, and National Tsing Hua University for offering this research program and providing such an amazing academic and cultural experience. Last but not least, I want to thank the GLOBE Center for providing this scholarship that covers most of the cost of living abroad and the round-trip flight.
Over the course of two months in the Chen Lab, I gained hands-on experience in nanotechnology and fabrication techniques, while also receiving extensive lab training, such as SolidWorks, microfluidic systems, pumping systems, CNC, laser cutting, FEB bonding, and PDMS fabrication. These experiences not only deepened my interest in the field but also broadened my perspective on how research is conducted in Taiwan.
Innovation
I look forward to staying connected with the people I met and hopefully returning to Taiwan in the future.
Written By: Roy Yao
UC Berkeley Undergraduate Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences & Bioengineering