News & Stories

Scientists from HKUST and Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics discovered a method to observationally distinguish different theories of how the universe first began at its very early stage. The findings were accepted by the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics. The expansion of our current universe has been established for almost a century. However, concerning much earlier stages of our universe as how it began has always been a topic of contention among scientists. The most widely-accepted theory of the primordial universe is cosmic inflation, during which the universe was expanding at an extremely fast and mounting rate. On the other hand, there are also contending theories which believe that our infant stage universe was fast contracting, slowly contracting, static or slowly expanding.

The MBA Program of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s School of Business and Management (HKUST Business School) has been ranked 1st in Asia Pacific and 14th globally by the Financial Times. This is the seventh consecutive year that HKUST has been ranked in the Top 15 globally; during this period, no other MBA program in the Asian-Pacific region has been ranked in the top 15 in consecutive years. Additionally, this marks the sixth time in the last seven years that the HKUST MBA Program has been ranked as the best in Asia Pacific.

To address the meaningful connections among the disciplines, a new interdisciplinary Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology and Business (BIBU) program will be launched at HKUST in the 2016-17 academic year. The program, jointly developed by HKUST’s School of Science and School of Business and Management, is the first undergraduate program in Hong Kong which connects Biotechnology to Business. The interdisciplinary curriculum, which comprises about equal number of courses in science and business, equips students with a solid foundation of essential technical knowledge (life science, biotechnology) and business know-how (accounting, economics, operations management, and many others).

Theoretical physicists from the Department of Physics at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) gave an explanation to the phenomenon of superconductivity surviving under strong magnetic field, offering a theoretical answer to an unsolved experimental observation by a group of scientists in the Netherlands. The collective findings were published on November 12, 2015 in Science. [DOI:10.1126/science.aab2277].(http://m.sciencemag.org/content/early/2015/11/11/science.aab2277.abstract) Superconductivity is a quantum phenomenon in which electrons form pairs and flow with zero resistance. However, strong enough magnetic field can break electron pairs and destroy superconductivity.  When researchers from the Netherlands informed Prof Vic Law’s team that superconductivity in thin films of MoS2 could withstand an applied magnetic field as strong as 37 Tesla, Prof Law and his student Noah Yuan came up with an explanation.

Same as previous years, the Student Housing and Residential Life Office organized the recycling activity during student hall check out period. But their new Green Trekkers program has redesigned the "Give and Take Campaign" to minimize the amount of waste and facilitate the exchange of items.

Peer Counselor Training Program aims at equipping a group of dedicated and respectful students to reach out to their peers who are in need of support, encouragement, companionship and resource information on campus.

A team formed by HKUST biomaterial researchers develops the world’s first injectable hydrogel formulation that allows a long, sustainable release of protein therapeutics which can be used to treat eye diseases like macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Nowadays, patients with these diseases have to be treated by monthly injection for years, which is far from an ideal treatment regime. Team member Yu Yu, a postdoctoral fellow in Biomedical Engineering at HKUST, said: “Drugs formulated with our novel hydrogel material could be injectable as usual but release slowly from the depot, potentially providing effective long lasting treatment on patients.” The hydrogel formulation is set to be injected only once per year, sparing patients from having to endure monthly injections. This helps cut down medical expenses and lower the risk associated with repeated injections, Prof. Ying Chau, Associate Professor form Biomedical Engineering at HKUST added.

The undergraduate programs at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s School of Business and Management (HKUST Business School) have earned a reputation for winning top prizes in local business competitions. Several teams have been successful in major professional institute competitions organized by the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (HKICPA), the Hong Kong Society of Financial Analysts (HKSFA), and the Institute of Financial Planners of Hong Kong (IFPHK).