News & Stories

World Class Tests in Mathematics and Problem Solving administered by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have found that the highest achievers are those who do well in reasoning and problem solving. This observation was made based on the results of 3,028 students who took part in the November 2010 World Class Tests for the 8-11 age group and the 12-14 age group. These include students from 176 primary schools and 91 secondary schools. Prof Wong Man-Yu of the HKUST Mathematics Department said, "Judging from the performance of Hong Kong students over the years, we have observed that they are in general well trained in finding the right answers, but on the other hand they are relatively weak in explaining their reasoning process. We found that the candidates who do well in explaining the reasoning process also do well in both the Mathematics and Problem Solving."

As a world-class university dedicated to research and education, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is always proud of its top-notch faculty’s contribution. To recognize the faculty’s devotion and outstanding achievements, the School of Engineering has established new research excellence awards in 2011, for the first time. They are Distinguished Research Excellence Award, Research Excellence Award and The Young Investigator Research Award. They will be given on an annual basis.

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Students from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have taken part in the annual Asia Pacific Next Generation (APNG) Camp, now in its 13th year but first time in Hong Kong, sharing with youngsters from 16 Asian countries their experiences in helping grassroots and underprivileged people enjoy the benefits of the Internet. The HKUST students were participants in the NetMission Ambassadors Program, aimed to gather the strength of Internet-literate youngsters to bring the benefits of the Internet to the less fortunate people in Hong Kong. Matthew Hui, an HKUST Business School student who is also the Secretariat Director of APNG, said, "It is both an exciting and fruitful experience to meet with, and learn from, likeminded young people from all over Asia who have a common passion for making the Internet accessible to the underprivileged."

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) today announced the appointment of Prof Lionel Ni as Dean of HKUST Fok Ying Tung Graduate School (FYTGS), with effect from 1 March 2011. Prof Ni has been acting Dean of FYTGS since July 2010. Concurrently he also holds the academic position as Chair Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, and the administrative position of Special Assistant to the President. Professor Ni joined HKUST in 2002 as Professor and Head of the Department of Computer Science (now Department of Computer Science and Engineering). He was the Director of the Digital Life Research Center at FYTGS from 2006 to 2010, and was Senior Advisor to the Dean of FYTGS from 2008 to 2010 before becoming the School's Acting Dean.

Over 350 students, staff and alumni of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) today took part in "Run for Vision", a meaningful and colorful activity to celebrate the University's 20th Anniversary and to raise funds for Orbis to provide care and treatment for the blind and visually impaired. The event title - "Run for Vision" - has a double meaning - running for HKUST's vision as a world-class research university, and running to restore vision for visually-impaired people. Participants in the Run each made a donation to Orbis to support their charitable cause. As President Chan has been invited to take part in the Leaders Cup in the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon 2011 to be held on 20 February, he will, on behalf of HKUST, donate the amount raised to Orbis, which is the event's beneficiary.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) Chair Professor Mingjie Zhang and his team of researchers in the Division of Life Science have achieved significant breakthrough in explaining how genetic mutations of Motor Protein Myosin VIIa leads to hereditary deaf-and-blindness. This is excellent news for the medical profession in developing preventive and remedial measures against hereditary deaf-and-blindness. According to medical statistics, hearing deficit is a common occurrence among new born babies - for every 1,000 there are several born with this problem. Among those who are deaf or hearing-impaired, 3% to 6% suffer from the Usher syndrome - a genetic disorder which can cause different levels of hearing and vision loss or impairment at various stages of the patient's life. The research paper on this breakthrough was published in top scientific journal Science today.

The Civil and Environmental Engineering Students' Society of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) held today the final round of the Secondary Schools Bridge Demonstration Competition 2011, in which Maryknoll Convent School won the championship. Meanwhile, Carmel Pak U Secondary School won the Best Presentation Award. The aim of the Competition is to promote the interest among secondary school students in the design and construction of civil engineering structures. Each team is required to build a small scale model of a suspension bridge that can withstand a weighted trolley running across it from a height. The team with the strongest bridge will gain the highest score. Judging is also based on each team's presentation about their experience in building the bridge. The two other schools that made it to the final round were Tsuen Wan Public Ho Chuen Yiu Memorial College and St Stephen's College.