News & Stories

Prof Zhenguo Wu of the Division of Life Science at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and his research team have discovered a novel protein Pax3/7BP that plays an influential role in skeletal muscle stem cells. This groundbreaking discovery could lead to more effective stem cell treatments for various muscle diseases including muscular dystrophy. Skeletal muscle stem cells function differently at different developmental stages. They are responsible for normal skeletal muscle growth in young animals including humans and for injury-induced muscle regeneration in adult animals. In skeletal muscle tissues, Pax7 is a protein that is uniquely present in muscle stem cells and is indispensable for muscle stem cell functions in young animals. However, until recently how Pax7 regulates the functions of muscle stem cells had remained unclear.

https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/press-releases/2012/08/hkust-business-school-launch-pre-experience-master-international-management

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) hosted its second-ever Research in Industrial Projects for Students (RIPS-HK), with 16 undergraduates from the US and Hong Kong coming under the tutelage of university faculty and industry professionals to apply mathematical theories and computational skills to a wide palette of real-life problems proposed by the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO), Huawei, MetLife and BGI.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) co-hosted the Asian Network for Quality (ANQ) Congress 2012 under the theme of ‘Striving for Excellence through Product and Service Quality’. 400 leading experts on quality management converged on campus to shine light on the dynamic outlook of quality management in Asia and explore the opportunities in industry.

A research publication by Prof Zikang Tang and Prof George Wong both of the Department of Physics at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) titled ‘Room-temperature ultraviolet laser emission from self-assembled ZnO microcrystallite thin films’ was recognized to be amongst the top 50 most cited papers over the past 50 years in Applied Physics Letters, one of the world’s most esteemed scientific journals. This is also the only research developed in Greater China region that made it into the top 50. Prof Tang, Prof Wong and their research team discovered room-temperature ultraviolet (UV) lasing using high-quality nano-structured ZnO semiconductors in 1998, defying the norm that for decades, UV lasing of ZnO could only be observed at low temperatures. The groundbreaking discovery has opened up a wide range of potential applications for ZnO semiconductors in UV laser diodes as well as energy-saving semiconductor white light sources.

The Hong Kong Team of the 43rd International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) proudly brought home 2 Gold, 2 Silver and 1 Bronze medals from Estonia. Students of the award-winning team were trainees of the Physics Enhancement Program under the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s (HKUST) Department of Physics. HKUST is dedicated to nurturing elite talents who are passionate about science to advance the science and technology development of Hong Kong. Hong Kong contestants of the IPhO attended a focused training camp by HKUST for nearly one year having received Bachelor’s level training in theoretical knowledge and practical techniques of Physics includes topics on Optics and Mechanics. The Physics Enhancement Program was led by faculty members of the Department of Physics including Prof Jason Yang Zhi-yu, Prof Michael Wong Kwok-yee and Dr Sun Ke. The leader of the Hong Kong Team was Prof Wong who accompanied the team to compete at the IPhO.

Established by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and Xilinx Inc, Xilinx-HKUST Joint Lab officially opened on 25 June 2012. Xilinx Inc donated a kickoff fund of over HK$2 million to equip the Joint Lab. Xilinx announced that Xilinx-HKUST Joint Lab will be the first in the world to receive a generous donation of the next generation FPGA platform with embedded ARM processors in September 2012. HKUST will share a core undergraduate courseware through the Xilinx University Program with universities and institutes around the world.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) recorded the highest ever applications for undergraduate admissions from non-local applicants, with 8,986 applications. The current number is 54% higher than that in 2011. Applications from both Mainland China and overseas students are also at record high. Substantial increase in applications from mainland students