News & Events - 2024

Congratulations to Hari Harilela Assistant Professor of Physics Hoi Chun Adrian Po, who was awarded a prestigious Asian Young Scientist Fellowship (AYSF). The AYSF scheme aims to encourage and support young scientists in Asia to carry out creative and transformative research in the fields of Life Science, Physical Science, and Mathematics and Computer Science. Prof. Po is a condensed matter theoretical physicist. His interests broadly lie in the collective phenomena that arise when a large number of quantum particles interact and the intriguing interplay between symmetry, topology, and locality that can arise in quantum materials.   Prof. Po joined HKUST as an Assistant Professor of Physics in 2021. After obtaining his bachelor’s degree from the Chinese University in 2013, Prof. Po received an M.A. from the University of California, Berkeley and graduated from Harvard University with a Ph.D. in 2018. He was a Pappalardo Postdoctoral Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology following his graduation until he joined HKUST. Read more: School of Science News Read more

PLANCKS“Physics League Across Numerous Countries for Kick-Ass Students” is an annual international theoretical physics competition for undergraduate and master’s students that is overseen by the International Association of Physics Students (IAPS). This competition brings together teams of three to four students during a three-day conference for intense competition and a programme of social, cultural, and educational events. Following their selection to represent Hong Kong by excelling in a preliminary round of competition organized by the Physical Society of Hong Kong, a team of students studying physics at HKUST participated in the international finals of the PLANCKS competition that was hosted by the Institute of Physics at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland on 23-27 May 2024. The members of the team, who chose to the moniker “Non-renormalizable Theorists”, were Kwan To CHAN (year 4), Ching FONG (year 3), Xuan Tan NGUYEN (year 4), and Dao Cong Minh TRANG (year 2). The Non-renormalizable Theorists proudly placed 10th among 48 seasoned teams from 28 countries and regions in Europe, Asia, North and South America that participated in PLANCKS this year. The accompanying photos show the (i) the PLANCKS organizers and participants, (ii) the HKUST team solving problems in the competition venue, and (iii) the HKUST physics students who comprised the team (left to right): Xuan Tan Nguyen, Kwan To Chan, Dong Cong Minh Trang, and Ching Fong. Additional links:
PLANCKS press release
X (formerly Twitter): @PLANCKS_UK_IRE
LinkedIn: @plancks-uk-ire
Instagram: @plancks24 
Facebook: @PLANCKS2024 Read more

Five talented secondary school students from Hong Kong had outstanding results at the 8th European Physics Olympiad (EuPhO 2024) held in Kutaisi, Georgia from 15-19 July 2024 and hosted by the Kutaisi International University. The Hong Kong EuPhO team members were Hayden Cheng (Baptist Lui Ming Choi Secondary School), Edison Fu (Queen's College), Hui Pok-shing (Queen Elizabeth School), Qiao Lok-hei (St. Paul's Co-educational College), and Yeung Yeung (St. Mark's School). Competing among 256 students from 54 countries and regions, the team members won four gold medals (Cheng, Fu, Qiao, Yeung) and one silver medal (Hui). With these outstanding individual performances, the team ranked 2nd among all the teams at the competition. The team was trained and mentored this year by Prof. Man Fung Cheung, Prof. Yilong Han, and Dr. Ting-Pong Choy of the HKUST Department of Physics, with the support of the Education Bureau and the Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education.   The HKUST Department of Physics has been providing training to about 90 secondary school students to prepare for various regional (Asian, European, Pan-Pearl River Delta) Physics Olympiad competitions and the global International Physics Olympiad dating back to 2003. The year-long training program offered to these gifted students covers a wide range of topics, from Newtonian mechanics to modern physics, both in theory and experiment. The students who are eventually chosen to represent Hong Kong at competitions earn their selection based on their performance in a series of selection tests and competitions during their training. Participation in Physics Olympiad training and at formal competitions develops students’ potential and serves as a springboard for pursuing interests in physics and many other subjects at top universities and beyond.  Accompanying photo (left to right): Dr. Ting Pong Choy (HKUST), Edison Fu (Queen's College), Yeung Yeung (St. Mark's School), Qiao Lok-hei (St. Paul's Co-educational College), Hui Pok-shing (Queen Elizabeth School), Hayden Cheng (Baptist Lui Ming Choi Secondary School), Prof. Yilong Han (HKUST), Mr. Cheung Shi (Sing Yin Secondary School). Press release:
The Government of the HKSAR press release (Chinese)
The Government of the HKSAR press release (English) Read more

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A research team at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), led by Prof Shengwang Du, Associate Professor of Department of Physics, succeeded in controlling photon’s shape, and reached a record photon loading efficiency of 87% into a cavity. The scientific breakthrough can be used to build nodes of a quantum network based on cavity quantum electrodynamics (CQED) and will help advance the development of quantum communication. The research findings were published recently in Physical Review Letters, one of the most prestigious journals in physics.   Half of the 2012 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded to Serge Haroche for his work on CQED. A CQED-based quantum network might consist of flying photonic quantum bits, captured by cavity nodes that perform computations and send information. However, it is not easy to catch and hold a single photon in a cavity. When a photon is injected into a cavity, it can be reflected or transmitted. In previous experiments, reflection and transmission limited the photon loading efficiency to below 20%.   Prof Du and his team exploit the wave-particle nature of a single photon in a cavity between two mirrors—a perfectly reflecting one and an input or output mirror. Using an electro-optical modulator, they shape a photon wave function that, after each round trip in the cavity, interferes destructively with the reflected wave packet. This eliminates most reflections from the cavity while the photon is injected into the cavity.   Prof Du explained that they apply a “heralded” scheme, where a laser-cooled rubidium-atom cloud emits entangled photon pairs, and the detection of one photon heralds the presence of the other one being sent into the cavity. With an optimal exponential-growth photon waveform prepared by the modulator, Prof Du’s team demonstrates a record loading efficiency of 87%, which could advance the development of transmission of quantum information.   Prof Shengwang Du joined HKUST in 2008 and received the School of Science Research Award of HKUST in 2011. He graduated from Nanjing University and obtained a master’s degree in Physics from Peking University. He also received a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering and a PhD in Physics from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He was a Postdoctoral Scholar at Stanford University before joining HKUST. Read more

Prof Tianshou Zhao, Chair Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of Center for Sustainable Energy Technology, and Prof Qian Zhang, Professor of Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) were recognized with the most prestigious awards in science and technology in China – State Natural Science Award (Second Class) bestowed by the State Council of the People’s Republic of China. Another research project “Discovery and investigation of novel magnetocaloric effect materials” by Prof Xixiang Zhang, a former professor and now an Adjunct Professor at HKUST’s Physics Department, and the research team from the Institute of Physics Chinese Academy of Sciences also won the State Natural Science Award (Second Class).   The State Science and Technology Awards (SSTAs) are China’s most prestigious honor in science and technology. They are conferred by the State Council of the People’s Republic of China on outstanding individuals and institutions for their significant contributions to the development of science and technology. The State Natural Science Award is one of the categories under SSTAs.   As a world-class research university, HKUST is committed to scientific and technological advancement in various disciplines. With major breakthroughs in a wide range of scientific pursuits, the award demonstrates HKUST faculty’s breadth of research talents and their outstanding performances.       “Investigations of multi-scale and multi-physics field coupled fluid flow and heat/mass transfer in complex systems” by Prof Tianshou Zhao   Through the Overseas Outstanding Scholars Project of National Natural Science Foundation of China and other collaborative projects, Prof Tianshou Zhao and researchers from the School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, have conducted collaborative research over the past decade. By the unique research methodology and strategy with integration of experimental observations, theoretical investigations, and computational modeling, the team made significant contributions in the field of heat/mass transfer in complex systems. The main breakthrough in this project is the construction of a framework that describes multi-scale and multi-physics field coupled fluid flow and heat/mass transfer processes by creating and using microscopic, mesoscopic and macroscopic theoretical and numerical approaches. Multi-scale and multi-physics field coupled fluid flow and heat/mass transfer problems are frequently encountered in many complex practical systems including energy, power, chemical, environmental, and biomedical processes and systems. The outcome resulting from the project is particularly important in improving the energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions of energy conversion systems.       “Models for Joint Wireless Multimedia Communication and Performance Optimization” by Prof Qian Zhang   Prof Zhang and her partners from the Tsinghua University conducted collaborative research from 1998 to 2008. Starting from the fundamental nature of the wireless multimedia communication, the team revealed the interaction between the structured nature of multimedia information and the dynamic characteristics of the error distribution in wireless networks, established the modeling methodology and performance evaluation theory for multimedia processing and joint optimization in wireless network, made significant contributions to the development of the basic theory for wireless multimedia communication. The project made a major breakthrough in efficient video communications under the discontinuous transmission conditions, and effectively increasing bandwidth efficiency. The outcome resulting from the project is particularly useful for the design of future wireless video, mobile multimedia systems, as well as next-generation wireless networks. Read more

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) joins hands with a total of 21 secondary schools to launch a Pilot Scheme for the first Secondary Schools-University Dual Program in Hong Kong to nurture gifted secondary students in science and mathematics. The participating students can taste university study mode and campus life, as well as earn university credits at their early age.   HKUST is committed to nurturing gifted students in concerted efforts. Sharing a common vision, HKUST forges partnerships with the seed schools to provide an innovative study pathway for gifted students in science and mathematics. The pilot program aims at creating a win-win-win situation: HKUST can identify and groom the gifted students at their early age to make the most of their abilities. Gifted students can taste the university study mode, share their learning experience and academic knowledge with their secondary schoolmates to promote a learning atmosphere which could raise the school’s overall performance in science and mathematics. Gifted students can get a head start to acquire frontier knowledge, identify areas of interest and personal aspiration.   The three-level program offers courses covering the areas of biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics. HKUST will select students nominated by secondary school principals to enter Level 1 at which gifted students will experience an accelerated study in courses at secondary school level. Students with excellent performance will be promoted to Level 2, the introductory university level courses. Outstanding students will then be admitted to Level 3 at which they will take the regular HKUST courses together with university students and have the opportunities to conduct research guided by HKUST renowned professors. If the student joins HKUST as an undergraduate student in the future, the university credits earned can be counted towards his or her studies as part of the University’s graduation requirement.   Prof Tai-kai Ng, Director of Center for the Development of the Gifted and Talented, said: “It is a common practice in overseas countries that gifted students are not limited to studying at secondary schools, but could also select some suitable courses of interests at university simultaneously. HKUST introduces the first systematic approach to encourage this study mode in Hong Kong, gifted students could receive a more holistic education and campus life in secondary schools, and only devote part of time at HKUST studying subjects of their interest, early taste the university study mode and campus life, deeper learning of frontier knowledge, which could bring their talent into full play.”   Rev. Bro. Steve Hogan, Principal of La Salle College, applauded this initiative. “It is our pleasure to join this pilot scheme and hope our students could perform exceptionally.” Mr Wai-chiu Chan, Vice Principal of Our Lady of the Rosary College, added: “We hope to help students to identify their interest in the fields of science and mathematics. Through the program, students could early taste the advanced level courses which could enhance their analytical skills and widen their thinking perspectives.”   The nomination for this Pilot Scheme for Secondary Schools-University Dual Program will start in early September. A briefing session will be held on 17 September to introduce more details about the program. Level 1 courses will be commenced in October while Level 2 courses will be offered in summer 2012. HKUST targets to invite all secondary schools in Hong Kong to join this program in the future.     Program led by: Prof Tai-kai Ng Director of Center for the Development of the Gifted and Talented Tel：2358 7477 Email: phtai@ust.hk     Center for the Development of the Gifted and Talented: Mr Jim Chan Tel: 3521 0862 Email: ssschan@ust.hk   Miss Shirley Kwok Tel: 2358 5086 Email: shirleyk@ust.hk Read more

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)’s first Summer Institute for Secondary School Students, which offered 25 credit-bearing courses in Science, Engineering, Business and Management, Humanities and Social Science, attracted more than 670 participants from over 200 local and overseas schools. Some of them joined the Institute especially from abroad, coming from schools in the UK, USA, Canada, Japan and the Mainland. The Institute helps students develop their potentials, identify areas of interest and acquire deeper understanding of university education.   HKUST’s Summer Institute was meant to give senior secondary school students (Secondary 4 and 5, or Grades 10 and 11) a head start in their pursuit of university education and the opportunities to learn about their interests and passions at an early age. Held between mid July and mid August this year, the Summer Institute offered courses which aimed to nurture participants’ passion of learning a multitude of disciplines. Interesting courses, conducted in English, covered a variety of areas ranging from physics, chemistry, life science, engineering, marketing and finance, decision making, to history and architecture. Students also conducted experiments in university laboratories.   In addition to engaging in meaningful courses in areas of their choice and being taught by HKUST faculty, participants also took part in enrichment activities which gave them a taste of dynamic university lives. Such included ice-breaking and sports sessions to enhance students’ social skills and physical strength to achieve holistic education. Workshops had been hosted to prepare students for university admission. Meetings with HKUST’s President Tony F Chan, Secretary General of the Hong Kong Examinations Assessment Authority Dr Chong-sze Tong and other leading academics and experts presented excellent opportunities for participants to learn about the academic leaders’ visions and insights on university education.   Participants, in advance of their high-school peers, enjoyed the summer and university life in HKUST’s scenic campus. Each student could take a maximum of four courses in a summer and earn up to four university credits which, if the student joins HKUST as an undergraduate student in the future, could be counted towards his or her studies at HKUST.   Provost Prof Wei Shyy said, “HKUST is most delighted to offer our first Summer Institute for Secondary School Students with credit-bearing elective courses which prepare participants for university education in the future. Given early exposure to a wide array of knowledge during their high-school years, participants will gain inspiration regarding their future studies and development.”   “This innovative Summer Institute, with a broad range of enriching programs, has attracted enthusiastic response from local and overseas students,” said Prof Kar-yan Tam, HKUST Associate Provost and Dean of Students. “With students from different cultural backgrounds and walks of life, the Institute facilitates interactions which help participants broaden their horizons.”   HKUST’s School of Science offered five courses, covering physics, chemistry, calculus, game theory and life science. The School of Engineering provided 10 courses, encompassing robot fundamentals, electronics, the multimedia world, great structures in history, computer-aided drawing, electric vehicles, wind power for lighting, and environmental engineering. The School of Business and Management offered eight courses which covered the language of accounting, marketing, management, finance, price theory, information systems and decision-making skills. The School of Humanities and Social Science offered two courses on appreciation of western architecture, as well as modern Chinese history.     PROJECT LED BY Prof Kar-yan Tam Associate Provost and Dean of Students Tel: 2358 8448 Email: kytam@ust.hk Read more