News & Stories

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) today (24 June) conferred Honorary Fellowships on four distinguished leaders in recognition of their contributions. Dr the Honorable Sir Sze-Yuen Chung, Pro-Chancellor, Dr the Honorable Marvin Cheung, Council Chairman, and Prof Tony F Chan, President, of HKUST officiated at the conferment ceremony. The recipients of the 2011 Honorary Fellowships are: Dr Fong Yun-Wah, Prof Roger King, Ir James Kwan, and Prof Harry Shum. Their brief biographies are set out below:

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and Value Partners Group Limited (SEHK: 806) jointly announce today the launch of the Value Partners Center for Investing at the HKUST Business School - the first academic center of its kind in Hong Kong to support research and training on investment management. The Value Partners Center for Investing aims to contribute to Hong Kong's role as a pre-eminent regional asset management center through promoting and supporting a wide range of activities in relation to investment research and training. The realization of the Center has been made possible through a generous donation from Value Partners Group Limited of close to HK$10 million. The Center will become fully operational in September 2011.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)'s first PhD graduate Dr Jack Lau's founding company Perception Digital Holdings Limited transferred its listing from the GEM Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to the Main Board and started trading under the new stock code of 1822 last Friday (3 June). Perception Digital is a specialist in technological solutions for consumer electronics and technology commercialization.

In view of the 3-3-4 education reform in Hong Kong, HKUST's Center for Enhanced Learning and Teaching and the Hong Kong branch of the Higher Education Research and Development Society in Australasia (HERDSA) co-organized the first local symposium on "Engaging Undergraduates in Research and Inquiry: A Scholarly Dialogue" to promote the creation of knowledge in undergraduate education. Over 70 teaching staff from nine local post-secondary institutions gathered together at HKUST, where faculty members from local universities shared their experience in developing undergraduate research and inquiry-based learning approaches. Prof Mick Healey, a well-known higher education consultant and researcher from the UK, gave an introductory address on "The Nature and Development of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry: Mapping the Territory" to share his insights on advancing undergraduate research and inquiry to promote student learning.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) joins hands with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute to launch the first IEEE Technology Time Machine (TTM) Symposium for three days from 1 June. Themed "Technologies beyond 2020", the TTM Symposium covers a selected set of potentially high impact emerging technologies as well as their current state of maturity and scenarios for the future.

The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) holds a three-day "Conference on Cosmology since Einstein" starting from 30 May 2011 at which world top scientists including a Nobel Laureate explore the most up-to-date developments and challenges of cosmology. This conference has brought together 24 top cosmologists and relativists from China, Japan, France, Switzerland, the U.K. and U.S to share as speakers their insights and latest research findings on cosmological theories. Distinguished speakers like Prof David Gross, 2004 Nobel Laureate in Physics and Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, spoke on "Cosmological Challenges - The View of a String Theorist".

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is delighted that the highly reputable Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Asian University Rankings has rated HKUST the top university in Asia for the first time since the University was established 20 years ago. According to the QS Asian University Rankings released today (23 May 2011), HKUST's ranking in Asia has risen to first place in 2011 while the University ranked second last year. An announcement from QS released today states that "The dynamism of the (Asian) region is confirmed by the fact that 20% of the top 50 universities are less than 50 years old, including HKUST which has just celebrated its twentieth anniversary." Ben Sowter, Head of QS Intelligence Unit, says that HKUST is strong across most of the indicators, with its truly international character setting it apart. HKUST has the edge in research productivity, where the gap has widened in 2011.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) launches the first Air Quality Research Supersite to enhance air quality research and to tackle air pollution problems in Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta. With a HK$9 million Special Equipment Grant from the University Grants Committee and a HK$6 million grant from the Environmental Conservation Fund, the Supersite enables real-time characterization of ambient particulate matter (PM) in the air to strengthen understanding of the nature and sources of fine particles.