This study explores the implementation of an interdisciplinary curriculum in product and media design education and its impact on knowledge innovation and competency development. The curriculum is based on scaffolding theory, incorporating design proposals, workshops, digital design, marketing tests, and marketing activities guided by teachers and mentors from a branded ceramic workshop. The research findings demonstrate that the interdisciplinary curriculum facilitates knowledge innovation and fosters the development of students’ professional skills, creativity, and problem-solving skills. The study also highlights the importance of stable scaffolding, including artefact-, peer-, and teacher support, which significantly contributes to cultivating transformational competencies, as outlined in the 2030 OECD Learning Compass. Additionally, the collaboration with Shanshing Four Seasons Celadon Studio on a patented ceramic product, “Funny Monkey”, is a tangible example of the journey towards a triple-helix knowledge economy. This research underscores the importance of interdisciplinary curricula in promoting knowledge innovation and integrating transformational competencies in education. Scaffolding theory provides practical guidance for student learning and teaching strategies, presenting a sustainable roadmap for developing interdisciplinary curricula and offering a concrete and transferable pedagogical prototype for educational innovation.

This study presents an innovative, dynamic model for predicting typhoon track deflections over complex terrain. Based on potential vorticity conservation, the model incorporates a topographic adjusting parameter (α) and a meridional adjusting velocity (MAV) to capture the vortex’s response to terrain variations. Simulations using an idealized bell-shaped mountain and Taiwan’s realistic topography reveal that steeper terrain gradients consistently deflect typhoon tracks southward. This steering effect intensifies with increasing vortex strength due to a larger α, leading to enhanced MAV. Shallower approach angles also amplify deflections due to prolonged terrain interaction. Results highlight the significant role of Taiwan’s Central Mountain Range in shaping typhoon trajectories. This model offers a refined approach for predicting typhoon behavior near complex terrain, advancing forecasting capabilities, and enhancing disaster preparedness strategies.

In this research, we proposed a highly tunable hybrid plasmonic biosensor for identifying molecule fingerprints of proteins in the infrared range. The device is composed of a photonic band-gap structure and a cavity. The plasmonic energy is confined inside the cavity to enhance the light-analyte interactions. A layer of graphene is placed on the bottom surface of the cavity that is filled with analytes for detection. Our device has a high value of effective sensitivity that is defined as the ratio of the resonant frequency shift to the change of effective refractive index when the cavity is loaded with an analyte. The effective refractive index takes into account the effects of both the cavity structure and the optical property of the analyte. Another feature of our device is that a wide-ranging electrical tunability can be realized by applying various values of bias voltage to the graphene. The resonant frequency can be tuned for sensing different analytes without redesigning and refabricating the device. In addition, the graphene tunability can improve the sensitivity in detecting the non-targeted analytes. A prototype was designed based on photonic theory and fabricated via bottom-up lithography techniques. The research results are expected to be beneficial for nanometer-range bio-identifications and infrared optical sensors.