Taiwan is one of the most tectonically active and biologically diverse places on Earth. National Taiwan University, our host institution, is also one of the premier educational institutions in Asia, and provides ideal base for exploring the geologic and natural history of the island. Sitting on the Tropic of Cancer in the western Pacific and having over a hundred peaks above 3000 m, natural environs range from the warm and dry rolling hills and broad beaches of southern Taiwan to the tropical rain forests that cover much of the lower elevations in northern Taiwan. A high erosion rate, related in part to the dozen or so typhoons that cross the island each year, also exposes a wide range of rock types with a diverse history, providing one of the world’s most spectacular natural laboratories.