News & Stories

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is organizing an Environment Week to raise public awareness of environmental and sustainability issues. As a highlight of the event, Mr Dick Lee Ming-kwai, former Commissioner of Police, and HKUST President Tony F Chan demonstrated low-carbon cooking on campus today. The HKUST Environment Week (18 to 22 April) is organized by the Institute for the Environment and the Health, Safety and Environment Office of HKUST, as well as students. The demonstration on low-carbon cooking aims to raise awareness of the importance of reducing carbon footprint through the consideration of related factors like food production, processing, packaging and transportation. This usually means using local and seasonal food and simple cooking methods to prepare nutritious and environmentally friendly food.

The Council of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) announced today the unanimous approval of the appointment of Prof Wei Shyy as Provost starting from the Fall Semester of 2010. Prof Shyy is currently Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson Collegiate Professor and Chairman of the Department of Aerospace Engineering at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. HKUST Council Chairman Dr Marvin KT Cheung said, "With Prof Wei Shyy's appointment as Provost, HKUST's world-class senior management team has become even stronger. We are most fortunate in acquiring an outstanding, well-rounded academic leader of this caliber. With Prof Shyy on board, HKUST can gear itself up for world leadership in innovative excellence in teaching and research."

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) will spearhead a Hong Kong team to take part in the largest ever International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) to carry forward the war on cancer. The Consortium will decode genomes from 25,000 cancer samples related to 50 types and subtypes of cancer. Comprising 200 members from 12 countries and territories, the Consortium has published an article in Nature today about the international network of cancer genome projects. The data released can be used immediately by researchers who are working on better ways of preventing, detecting, diagnosing and treating cancer. The two members from Hong Kong who take part in the Consortium are both from HKUST. They are Prof Hannah Hong Xue, Director of Applied Genomics Center at HKUST, and Prof Matthew Yuen, Acting Vice-President for Research and Development at HKUST who serves on the Consortium’s Executive Committee.

Over 30 students at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have so far been admitted to PhD programs at some of the world’s top universities with full scholarship support, thanks in part to their participation in the University’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). The UROP is a special program within HKUST that aims to develop a research culture at the undergraduate level by giving undergraduate students the opportunity to work closely with faculty members and to take part in research, scholarly and creative activities. Under UROP, an undergraduate student partners with a faculty member to work on a specific subject area, and is required to submit a report at the end of the project period, which is usually several months. In 2009, over 250 undergraduates completed the UROP, supervised by about 90 professors. When the program was introduced in 2005, 70 students took part.

A Professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has become one of only five fellows of the Institute of Industrial Engineers in the Greater China Region. Prof Fugee Tsung, Head of Industrial Engineering and Logistics Management (IELM) at HKUST, has received the IIE Fellow 2010 Award from the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE) – the highest honor bestowed by the organization in recognition of his significant contributions in the field of industrial engineering. Prof. Tsung said, “Before 2000, only five universities in China have established Industrial Engineering (IE) programs. But now, in 2010, over 180 universities in China have IE departments. I am delighted to see that IE is gaining increasing recognition in this region in recent years.”

At the Board Meeting of the Nansha Information Technology Park on 31 March 2010, a resolution was made to formally appoint the main contractor for the construction of the HKUST Fok Ying Tung Graduate School building. All the relevant procedures have been completed and actual construction will start shortly, with the finishing date scheduled for next year. This sets a new milestone for the development of the Graduate School. The new building will have a total floor area of 25,000 square meters, complete with laboratories for research and education in environmental and energy technology, new materials, biotechnology and information technology. The building will also house teaching facilities, a lecture theater, a library, and other student amenities.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology is pleased to announce that the University is the first choice among top graduates worldwide pursuing PhD studies in Hong Kong. The results of the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme 2010 / 11, announced by the Research Grants Council (RGC) of Hong Kong, show that close to 30% of the awardees worldwide chose HKUST as the destination for doctorate studies. 115 international elite candidates have accepted offers of the first round of the Scheme established by RGC, and among which 34 candidates (29.6%) are going to HKUST - the highest among the seven UGC-funded institutions in Hong Kong participating in the scheme.

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