Christmas Celebration with the IOB Family

Our department wrapped up the year the best way we know how: with food, laughter, and a healthy dose of festive chaos at the Christmas celebration hosted by our PI and department director, Prof. Liu, along with Prof. Lin.

The evening had everything. We sang songs (some confidently, some… experimentally), listened to the pastor share stories about Christ and messages of hope, and collectively slowed down for a moment—something scientists are famously bad at doing. We were especially grateful for the bilingual format of the session, making sure everyone felt included. It was warm, grounding, and honestly a really nice reminder that life exists beyond deadlines, reviewers, and centrifuges.

Then came the IOB bingo gift exchange, which quickly turned into a strategic, mildly competitive event. Probability theory was silently tested. Peak lab behavior. And a big thank you to Yi-Hua and Wei-Sung for organising and hosting this event.

The absolute highlight (for me), though? 楊佳芸 , our Master's student went above and beyond by designing custom bingo cards featuring cartoon versions of Dr. Liu and Dr. Lin, which looked exactly like them. The resemblance was uncanny! 很可爱!

And of course, the food! Amazing! As usual! No notes.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped organize this lovely evening, and special thanks to Prof. Liu and Prof. Lin for hosting and bringing everyone together. Moments like these make the department feel less like a workplace and more like a community.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone! 🎉

Here’s to more science, more laughter, and fewer failed experiments in the year ahead.

Also, brace yourselves for THE PHOTO!

By Roy