In internships (实习期) and jobs that I, now a career woman, have ever had, I’ve watched professionals, experienced and brand-new alike, conduct interviews or present in meetings and many of them appear unprepared and lack confidence. I think they would all benefit from an acting class.

A central technique an acting class can equip you with is improvisation (即兴表演). Essentially, skills such as the improvisation principle of “Yes, and …” are beneficial for thinking on your feet. When someone suggests a new idea, you say “yes” and run with the suggestion. A professional familiar with this technique can entertain and value the contributions of others, promoting a free-flowing exchange of ideas, which inspires a positive, creative spirit that the corporate world longs for.

Both college students and professionals might benefit from the voice and movement training. I used to be afraid of the voice and movement part of acting class. My acting teacher would make us do push-ups and yoga. Then, we’d stand up and moan (呻吟) with varying degrees of voices. I hated this, and lots of other people do, too. But the product of this training is an individual who stands tall and speaks clearly and loudly. Plus, I still use the stretches and warm-ups from class to calm my nerves before presentations.

As an actor, you are a student of human behavior. With that, when you receive a text, you explore your character. For example, if you’re playing a villain (反派角色), you have to approach your character from where it stands. Such an outlook makes for a wonderful leader, one that understands coworkers’ situations and treats them with politeness and understanding.

I’ve borne countless “What are you going to do with a theater degree?” speeches from family and friends. But ultimately, these soft skills are incredibly valuable for young professionals. Acting training will set you apart from the pack.

Wind power is a powerful tool for reducing carbon emissions (排放) that cause climate change. The turbines (涡轮), however, can be a threat to birds, which is why experts are looking for ways to limit the danger.

A company in Boulder, Colorado has produced a camera-and-AI-based technology that can recognize eagles and other birds as they approach in enough time to pause turbines in their flight path. Their tool, called IdentiFlight, can detect 5.62 times more bird flights than human observers alone, and with an accuracy rate of 94 percent. Using high-precision visual sensors, the system calculates a bird’s speed and flight track, and if it is on a collision (碰撞) path with a turbine, a signal is sent to shut that turbine down.

Winning an award for its performance in Australia, the tracking system was built in 2018 at a Tasmanian equipment and was found to cut eagle deaths at the Cattle Hill Wind Farm by more than four-fifths. Each day, signals have shut-down their movement an average of 400 times — across the field of 48 turbines — for two to three minutes each time.

Bird lover and director of National Audubon Society's Clean Energy Initiative, Garry George, admits, “Our own science shows that climate change is by far the biggest threat to birds and the places wildlife need to survive. IdentiFlight will make it possible to fight the worst effects of climate change and at the same time protect the birds we love in the process.”