International Conference on Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences for Carbon Neutrality (ICE3SCN)

The “International Conference on Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences for Carbon Neutrality (ICE3SCN) 2023” has concluded with great success!

Hosted by the Faculty of Science between 1 - 5 December 2023 in celebration of its 60^th Anniversary and the establishment of the new Earth and Environmental Sciences Programme, ICE3SCN brought together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and students to engage in meaningful discussions on sustainable development and carbon neutrality. With an impressive line-up of plenary and keynote speakers, invited lectures, and engaging poster presentations from over 70 presenters from around the world, ICE3SCN provided a platform for the exchange of ideas and the exploration of innovative solutions for a sustainable future.

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Science Faculty 60^th Anniversary Distinguished Science Lecture –
Professor Arieh WARSHEL

The Faculty was delighted to have Professor Arieh WARSHEL, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry (2013), to deliver a lecture entitled “From Kibbutz Fish Ponds to The Nobel Prize” for the Science Faculty 60^th Anniversary Distinguished Science Lecture Series on 3 November 2023. Professor Warshel is Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at University of Southern California, Distinguished Professor and Director of Warshel Institute for Computational Biology at CUHK(SZ). This visit serves as a collaboration between CUHK 60^th anniversary celebration and CUHK(SZ) 10^th anniversary celebration, symbolizing the close partnership between the two institutions.

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Science Faculty 60^th Anniversary Distinguished Science Lecture –
Professor LEE Ka Yee Christina

The Faculty was honoured to host a Distinguished Science Lecture on 8 December 2023 delivered by Professor LEE Ka Yee Christina, Executive Vice President for Strategic Initiatives of the University of Chicago and the David Lee Shillinglaw Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Chemistry. The lecture, entitled “Lipid-Protein Interactions at Membrane Surfaces: From α-Synuclein to Immunological Response”, explored the crucial role of the cell membrane in interactions with the cell's environment.

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Dreamweavers – Alumni Scientist Public Lectures

The Faculty hosted “Dreamweavers – Alumni Scientist Public Lectures” on 18 November and 9 December 2023, and invite our outstanding alumni working in different fields to return to their alma mater, and share their rich and varied careers as well as achievements with the audience.

In the two public lectures, the audience not only learned about scientific knowledge about women's health, eye diseases, and nutritional science, but also gained a deeper understanding of biodegradable materials and materials chemistry. During the lectures, the speakers demonstrated different live experiments, enriching the audience's understanding and interest in science.

Through the public lecture series, CUHK Science has showcased to the public the achievements and rich and diverse careers of Science alumni, and hopes that everyone can pursue their dreams on the road of science and achieve outstanding achievements in their respective fields.

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Under the Stars – A Night at CUHK Science

On 21 October 2023, the Faculty held a special night time popular science activity as part of our Diamond Jubilee celebrations for astronomy enthusiasts entitled “Under the Stars – A Night at CUHK Science”. With the help of Professor CHU Ming Chung from the Department of Physics, the Faculty welcomed more than 250 members of audience at this event, and all enjoyed a guided screening of an astronomy video, followed by a very lively Q&A session. The Faculty wishes to express our gratitude to Professor Chu’s contributions, and for the staunch support from our audience. We look forward to sharing more scientific knowledge at upcoming popular science events.

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Besides the aforementioned activities held as part of the Faculty’s Diamond Jubilee, the Faculty was pleased to have hosted a number of different events throughout 2023 as part of the celebrations of this major milestone. For more about CUHK Science 60^th Anniversary, please visit HERE.

Four Science Faculty Spin-out TSSSU Companies Showcased at CUHK Innovation Day 2023

The Elevator Pitch Competition was held once again this year. TSSSU-funded companies delivered two-minute pitches introducing business ideas and innovative solutions in a bid to impress prospective investors. Congratulations to EvanSense Limited on winning 2^nd Runner-up in the competition!

Honours & Awards

PhD Student in Chemistry Receiving Third Prize in the 18^th “Challenge Cup” National Undergraduate Curricular Academic Science and Technology Works

Ms. CHONG Hio Lam, a PhD Year 1 student in Chemistry received the Third Prize in the 18^th “Challenge Cup” National Undergraduate Curricular Academic Science and Technology Works at Guizhou University in late October. As a biennial national competition, the Challenge Cup is known as the ‘Olympics’ in promoting innovation in social science, science and technology for university students in China. Ms. Chong's project, “From Packaging Materials to Meals: the potential of bacterial cellulose as sustainable food packaging” developed transparent, flexible, biodegradable plastics-like bacterial cellulose (BC) films via innovative modifications, as an alternative to polymer-based plastics, helping to contribute to a greener way of living.

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Alumni reaped two medals at the 19^th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China

It is a happy and proud moment for alumna Tiffany YUE (right, seen next to Professor SONG Chunshan, Dean of Science; BSc in Food and Nutritional Sciences, 2022) as she visited the Faculty of Science after winning the Women’s Long Jump bronze medal at the 19^th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, and bringing home the Hong Kong, China, team’s first-ever field event medal from the Asian Games. Tiffany has always been challenging herself to continuously improve her results, and in one particular year, she even managed to break the Hong Kong women’s long jump record eight times. Her performance at the Asian Games not only brought home a medal and great honour, but she once again bested her personal record, despite her injury.

Apart from Tiffany, our alumni HO Hoi Tung (Quantitative Finance and Risk Management Science, 2014) and MAK Kwok Fai (MSc in Mathematics, 2011) also won the Bridge (Men’s Team) gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games. The Faculty will continue to cheer them on in their future endeavours. Congratulations again!

CUHK Information Day for Undergraduate Admissions 2023

On 21 October 2023, tens of thousands of prospective undergraduate students, parents, teachers, and friends gathered at CUHK for the annual CUHK Information Day for Undergraduate Admissions. The Faculty of Science of course participated in this great event, and we were delighted to have met many promising prospective students at the various talks and activities offered by our programmes.

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Doctoral and Master's Degrees Graduation Ceremony 2022-2023

The Faculty is both immensely proud and happy that another cohort of Science students have graduated and become Science alumni! At the Doctoral and Master’s Degrees Graduation Ceremony 2022-2023 at the Faculty of Science on 10 November 2023, our Faculty was honoured to have Prof. POON Wai Yin Isabella serve as our Guest of Honour, sharing her four-decade experience at CUHK – first as a student, then as a faculty member who has served at the department-, faculty-, and university-level positions. We hope that our alumni will keep in mind Professor Poon’s sharing about “constrained optimization” and planning as you embark on new phases in your life, and may each step be taken with care and confidence towards success.

Congratulations again to all graduates!

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CUHK Alumni Homecoming 2023

The Faculty was delighted to welcome over thousands of alumni and visitors at CUHK Alumni Homecoming on 2 December 2023. The Science Faculty Office, Department of Mathematics, Department of Physics and their respective alumni associations, hosted carnival booths at University Mall to engage with alumni and their family. Though the family-friendly games and interactions with CUHK Science members, the crowd enjoyed the fun in Science and also created fond memories on campus. Both Departments and their alumni association also hosted tea receptions on the same day to greet alumni across generations and get acquainted with each other.

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Popular Science Special Lecture Series: How Nobel Prizes Are Won

The Popular Science Special Lecture Series “How Nobel Prizes Are Won” was held on 8 December 2023 to introduce scientific knowledge behind some of the world’s most prestigious prizes in science.

Dr. Alex KOON from the School of Life Sciences introduced the role of Pseudouridine (Ψ) in the human immune system crucial to the development of effective mRNA vaccines in the fight against SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. LAI Yu Hang from the Department of Physics provided an overview of the scientific principles and applications of attosecond pulses. Professor Steve TSE from the Department of Chemistry explored the discovery and science behind quantum dots, and illuminated its significance in modern science and everyday life. Through this special lecture, the Faculty hopes to give the general public a better understanding of the science principles behind this year’s Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine, Physics as well as Chemistry, and inspire more young people to become interested in the sciences.

The 1^st Greater Bay Earth & Environmental Sciences Young Scholars Symposium

The 1^st Greater Bay Earth & Environmental Sciences Young Scholars Symposium, organised by the Earth and Environmental Sciences Programme, was successfully launched on 30 November 2023. The one-day event attracted over fifty attendees from seven universities and institutes in the Greater Bay area, including Sun Yat-sen University, Southern University of Science and Technology, Institute of South China Sea of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hong Kong University, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, in addition to The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

The symposium featured 23 oral presentations and 13 posters covering a wide range of topics, including ocean, atmosphere & soil, structural geology, volcano, seismology, geodetic, laboratory rock friction experiments, and so on. The event provided a platform for multidisciplinary collaboration and mutual promotion of young scholars. Three best-oral presentations and two best-poster presentations were awarded to recognise the excellence of the presenters.