News & Stories

Prof Qian Zhang of the Computer Science and Engineering Department of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and her research team have achieved breakthroughs in the development of “cognitive radio” and dynamic radio spectrum access. With the rapid growth in the radio communication business, the demand for radio spectrums by 3G, WiFi and Internet of Things is increasing by the day. The shortage of spectrum resource has become an acute problem facing the world today. Currently, most countries in the world are using a control and demand system to manage the usage of radio spectrum. However, the vast majority of licensed users do not use their spectrum all the time, and this leads to wastage. Hence the hot global issue at present is how to enhance the utilization of radio spectrums so that some users can have access to idle spectrums in different localities and during different periods.

Prof Li Qiu, Professor of Electronic and Computer Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), has recently been elected Fellow of the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC), a prestigious international recognition in the area of automatic control and systems engineering. Only 17 people in the world were elected IFAC Fellows this year and Prof Qiu is the only one from Hong Kong. There are also only two other IFAC Fellows in Hong Kong, one of whom is Prof Xiren CAO, Chair Professor of Electronic and Computer Engineering at HKUST. IFAC started its Fellowship program in 2004, bestowing this honor annually to a restricted number of individuals in their different roles such as engineer, scientist, technical leader, or educator. Prof Qiu was made a Fellow for his “outstanding and seminal contributions to robust control theory and to fundamental performance limitations in feedback control systems.”

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) President Tony F Chan has recently been selected as Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), one of the world’s leading institutions in the field of mathematics. President Chan was made a SIAM Fellow for his “contributions to numerical analysis and image processing, and for service to the mathematical community.” He joins some 30 top mathematicians in the Class of 2010, and is one of only two ethnic Chinese to be thus honored this year. President Chan is also the only SIAM Fellow representing a tertiary institution in Hong Kong. SIAM was incorporated in 1952 and now has over 13,000 individual members worldwide and about 500 institutional members in the fields of education, research and development, manufacturing, service, consulting, military endeavor, and government.

The quality and quantity of research output by the Management faculty at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology's School of Business and Management (HKUST Business School) is among the very best in the world, according to rankings produced by the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD). HKUST placed third among 100 world-ranked management schools based on publication in the five top management journals (Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Administrative Science Quarterly, Organization Science and Strategic Management Journal) in 2009-10. HKUST's Management faculty also published in other leading journals including the Journal of Applied Psychology and Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

About 280 talented youngsters aged from 10 to 19 have gained new insight into their interests and potentials in two 3-week summer programs held at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). These youngsters come from some 20 nationalities across four continents. While their national origins differ, they have one thing in common – their superior intelligence. All of them have been tested in their intellectual abilities and found to be among the top three percent. Both of the programs are co-organized by HKUST and the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth (CTY) – one of the world’s top institutions set up to identify talented children and help them reach their full potentials. The program for the younger children – for pupils from Grades 5 to 9 or equivalent – is the CTY Hong Kong Program. This is the first year the program is held in Hong Kong. A total of 187 students from 12 countries or territories took part.

香 港 科 技 大 學 （ 科 大 ） 今 天 獲 得 方 樹 福 堂 基 金 150 萬 元 的 捐 款 ， 成 立 「 樹 華 內 地 實 習 計 劃 」 ， 在 未 來 三 年 資 助 約 150 位 科 大 全 日 制 學 生 在 暑 期 往 內 地 進 行 實 習 工 作 。 第 一 批 約 50 位 學 生 將 於 2011 年 6 月 到 8 月 期 間 ， 到 國 內 主 要 城 市 的 國 營 及 民 營 企 業 、 政 府 機 關 及 非 牟 利 組 織 實 習 。 方 樹 福 堂 基 金 主 席 方 潤 華 博 士 在 捐 贈 儀 式 上 說 ： 「 這 實 習 計 劃 旨 在 為 有 志 到 國 內 工 作 的 科 大 學 生 提 供 實 習 機 會 ， 讓 他 們 能 及 早 體 驗 國 內 的 工 作 及 生 活 文 化 ， 進 一 步 認 識 祖 國 在 社 會 、 經 濟 、 政 治 、 民 生 等 不 同 方 面 的 發 展 狀 況 ， 並 擴 闊 他 們 在 國 內 的 網 絡 ， 有 助 他 們 日 後 在 國 內 發 展 。 」 科 大 校 長 陳 繁 昌 教 授 說 ： 「 科 大 對 方 樹 福 堂 基 金 的 慷 慨 捐 助 非 常 感 激 。 方 樹 福 堂 基 金 一 向 對 科 大 積 極 支 持 ， 特 別 著 重 培 養 科 大 學 生 的 愛 國 情 懷 。 例 如 ， 他 們 兩 年 前 捐 贈 了 一 座 渾 天 儀 仿 造 品 ， 裝 設 於 科 大 學 生 宿 舍 外 ， 使 學 生 時 刻 欣 賞 到 中 國 古 代 的 偉 大 科 學 發 明 。 」 他 又 說 ： 「 中 國 近 年 經 濟 迅 速 發 展 ， 現 在 已 具 有 鞏 固 的 根 基 和 日 趨 健 全 的 制 度 。 在 這 些 有 利 因 素 下 ， 北 上 發 展 逐 漸 成 為 大 學 生 的 一 條 主 要 就 業 出 路 。 樹 華 內 地 實 習 計 劃 將 為 科 大 同 學 帶 來 寶 貴 的 實 習 體 驗 。 」

Five Hong Kong secondary students trained by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) achieved brilliant results at the 41st International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) in Croatia, amassing one gold, one silver and three bronze medals. Among the students is a secondary four student, the youngest contestant ever representing Hong Kong in the IPhO. The Hong Kong Team, led by HKUST Physics faculty Prof Chen Tian-wen and Prof Du Sheng-wang, returned to Hong Kong today with great honor. The five team members were selected from among the best achievers in the Hong Kong Physics Olympiad 2009, to receive a series of enhancement training courses offered by the HKUST. Members of the Hong Kong Team and their medals are as follows:

Prof Nancy Ip, Chair Professor of the Division of Life Science and Director of the State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), has been concurrently elected Councilor for two of the world’s leading international organizations for neuroscience and psychopharmacology. She was elected Councilor of the Collegium Internationale Neuro-Psychopharmacologicum (CINP), the world’s leading professional organization for psychopharmacology, and of the Society of Neuroscience (SfN), the world’s largest organization of scientists and physicians devoted to advancing understanding of the brain and nervous system. Prof Ip is the first international member being elected SfN Councilor in the history of this US-based Society.