News & Stories

The Council of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) today (Monday) approved unanimously the appointment of Prof Tony Chan as the next President with effect from 1 September 2009, succeeding Prof Paul Chu who is retiring from HKUST in August this year. Prof Chan is currently Assistant Director of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) in charge of the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate, which is the largest directorate at NSF. In this position, he guides and manages research funding of almost HK$10 billion a year in astronomy, physics, chemistry, mathematical science, material science, and multidisciplinary activities. Prof Chan has been in this position since October 2006 upon taking temporary leave from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), where he was the Dean of Physical Sciences from July 2001.

HKUST Biochemistry Department’s Head and Chair Professor Nancy Ip has been named Leader of the Year 2008 in the Research Category. Leader of the Year is an annual event organized by the Sing Tao News Corporation Limited since the award’s inception in 1994. The award seeks to honor individuals who have made outstanding contributions both within their fields and towards Hong Kong’s development and success.

A total of 133 students from primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong and the Mainland were presented gold awards in an Elite Competition organized by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). This Elite Competition, held on 14 February 2009, saw 523 bright youngsters competing against each other in solving problems that most people find impossible to tackle. These youngsters were actually the best-performing students among the 3,800 students who took the April 2008 and November 2008 World Class Tests in Mathematics and Problem Solving. From these 133 gold award winners, 6 will be selected and granted scholarships for either the summer program jointly organized by HKUST and the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth; or the summer program offered by Imperial College, London.

https://bm.hkust.edu.hk/press-releases/2009/03/hkust-mba-students-win-two-major-international-competitions

https://seng.hkust.edu.hk/news/20090318/hkust-engineering-school-kicks-first-community-services-project

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) today announced the results of the World Class Tests (Mathematics and Problem Solving) held in November 2008 at the HKUST campus and various school test sites in Hong Kong. Over 2,280 youngsters took part in over 4,000 tests. Among them, about 500 came from places outside Hong Kong, including Beijing, Foshan, Shenzhen, Macau and Taiwan. For the 8 to 11 age group, 1,736 students took the Mathematics paper, and 853 students took the Problem Solving paper. For the 12 to 14 age group, 312 students took the Mathematics paper, and 195 students took the Problem Solving paper. Prof Edmund Chiang, who had analyzed the results of the Tests, said, “We are still at a relatively early stage of data collection, but with more data accumulated over the coming years, we will be able to draw meaningful conclusions.”

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) today (Friday, 27 February 2009) announced the appointment of Prof Leonard Cheng as Dean of the School of Business and Management (Business School). The appointment, which takes effect on 1 March 2009, was made after an open and competitive international search. Announcing the appointment, HKUST Vice-President for Academic Affairs Prof Roland Chin said he is very pleased that the university has found an eminent economics scholar and an able administrator to lead the Business School during this challenging period in the development of HKUST. Prof Cheng has been Acting Dean of the Business School over the last 20 months during which the school has grown from strength and strength, with students, faculty and programs winning numerous accolades.

Professor Chak Chan of HKUST has become the first Asian to be appointed Editor-in-chief of a leading academic journal on air pollution in its 50-year history. In his new capacity as Editor-in-chief of Atmospheric Environment, Prof Chan will be in charge of the Journal’s China Office in HKUST and join hands with two other editors, Prof P Brimblecombe of UK’s University of East Anglia and Dr H B Singh of USA’s NASA Ames Research Centre in managing the manuscripts for the Journal. Prof Chan, who is Associate Head of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at HKUST, said, “It is an exciting challenge to be Editor-in-chief of a leading academic journal on such an important area as Atmospheric Environment and which commands a wide readership across the globe.