A ground-breaking ceremony for the new HK Tech International Centre in November demonstrated CityU’s vision to develop as a modern campus where students from around the world can meet in a convenient and comfortable environment. CityU’s Council Chairman Mr Lester Garson Huang and President Way Kuo witnessed the ceremony together with management, staff and students. Non-local students staged lion dance performances, enjoying their first taste of this Chinese tradition.

Honorary doctorates were awarded to Professor Gérard Mourou, Nobel Laureate in Physics in 2018, Professor and member of the Haut-Collège and Director of the International Center for Zetta-Exawatt Science and Technology at the École Polytechnique; and Dr Rimsky Yuen Kwok-keung, GBM, SC, JP, former Secretary for Justice of the HKSAR Government and currently Senior Counsel, in November in recognition of their significant contributions to education and the well-being of society.

Professor Gérard Mourou

Dr Rimsky Yuen Kwok-keung

 

In September, the title of Honorary Fellow was awarded to the following in recognition of their distinctive contributions to the development of, and service to, the University and the community: Professor Albert Ip Yuk-keung, Chairman of the World Green Organisation; Dr Allen Shi Lop-tak, BBS, MH, JP, Chairman and Founder of Brilliant International Group Limited; Mr Wong Ming-yam, SBS, BBS, JP, Founding Director of InnoLink Investments Limited; and Mr Johnny Yeung Chi-hung, MH, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fujikon Industrial Holdings Limited.

A Memorandum of Understanding signed in November between CityU and Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) signalled the launch of collaborative programmes for promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area. HKSTP will provide seed funds and other support for start-up teams selected by both parties through the IDEATION programme and the incubation programme. Investment funding support from both parties will be provided to HK Tech 300 start-up projects.

The first large-scale fundraising gala “One Night in Tang Paradise” in support of the Indra and Harry Banga Gallery in November raised  HK$4 million for the Gallery’s long-term development and research, driving CityU’s continued efforts to engage the community and promote learning through exhibitions. Gala attendees included art lovers, CityU supporters and guests representing various sectors. They dressed in magnificent Tang Dynasty and traditional Chinese attire to bring the “One Night in Tang Paradise” theme to life, while the impressive East-meets-West stage performances created an electrifying evening’s entertainment.

Five faculty members have received the Outstanding Research Award this year for their eminent performances in materials science, media and communication, biomedical sciences and data science. The winner for the 2021 Outstanding Research Award is Professor Alex Jen Kwan-yue, Lee Shau Kee Chair Professor of Materials Science in the College of Engineering. The Outstanding Research Awards for Junior Faculty were awarded to Dr Kim Ki-joon, Associate Professor in the Department of Media and Communication, Dr Lei Dangyuan, Associate Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Dr Yan Jian, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, and Dr Zhang Qingpeng, Associate Professor in the School of Data Science.

CityU scientists have discovered that the spreading direction of different liquids deposited on the same surface can be steered. This breakthrough enriches our understanding of conventional solid-liquid interactions and has profound implications for a range of scientific and industrial contexts such as fluidics design and heat transfer enhancement. Led by Professor Wang Zuankai, Chair Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the team found that the unexpected liquid transport behaviour of the araucaria leaf provides an exciting prototype for liquid directional steering.

About 200 HK Tech Tiger students were welcomed at a ceremony held both on campus and online in September. HK Tech Tiger enables high-flying students to pursue excellence, develop their potential, and take courses taught by world-class STEM professors. Only the very top students are eligible for the specially designed courses and research opportunities under the mentorship of world-class scholars.

President Way Kuo led a team of around 240 athletes in the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon in October. He has run the Hong Kong marathon with a CityU delegation for 12 consecutive years, except in 2020 because of Covid-19, exemplifying CityU’s spirit of excellence in both academics and sports. This year in a scaled back event 62 CityU runners ran the full marathon, and 73 and 108 completed the half marathon and 10-kilometre run, respectively. Dozens of staff, alumni, and students in the support teams boosted the team’s spirits throughout the day.

Deep learning has resulted in breakthroughs in dealing with big data, speech recognition, computer vision, natural language processing, and many other domains, according to Professor Zhou Dingxuan, Chair Professor and Associate Dean of the School of Data Science; Chair Professor of the Department of Mathematics; and Director of the Liu Bie Ju Centre for Mathematical Sciences, in the President’s Lecture Series: Excellence in Academia in November. The talk was titled “Mathematical theory of deep learning”.

Distinguished cellist Mr Ray Wang and a group of exciting young musicians performed famed classical masterpieces at “Fly with Rhythms”, the opening concert for the CityU Arts Festival 2021/22 at CityU in October. More than 200 arts lovers from CityU and the public enjoyed a melodious evening that signalled the start of the festival, which took place from 8 October to 3 November. Organised by the Cultural and Sports Committee since 2015, the festival fosters an artistic and cultural ambience on campus, bringing together students and professional artists to create a hub for the arts.

Dr Sean Yuan Hsiang-yu, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, has developed the first mathematical model that takes variation in confirmation delay into account, making quantifying the impacts of non-pharmaceutical interventions such as gathering bans more accurate. The new approach may help guide public health policies on outbreak control, especially after the border reopens. The paper “The impact of multiple non-pharmaceutical interventions on controlling COVID-19 outbreak without lockdown in Hong Kong: a modelling study” has been accepted by The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific and supported by the Hong Kong Institute for Advanced Study and Health and Medical Research Fund.

A new ventilation system developed by Dr Steven Wang, Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and his research team can thoroughly filter viral particles and quickly stop the spread of Covid-19 in the air and at low cost. The fast-track ventilation system is easy to install and can be used in high-risk places such as hospitals and washrooms, effectively reducing the risk of virus transmission.

Super-strong, highly ductile and ultra-light alloys are now possible thanks to the innovative use of additive manufacturing (AM), or 3D printing, according to a materials research team at CityU. The project opens a new area in AM for the design of unprecedented titanium (Ti) alloys that are unachievable by conventional manufacturing methods and that hold great promise for a rich variety of structural applications, according to Professor Liu Chain-tsuan, University Distinguished Professor in the College of Engineering.

Joint disorders due to prolonged sedentary postures at work can now be effectively prevented and rehabilitated thanks to a new sensor developed by the research led by Dr Yang Zhengbao, Assistant Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. The kirigami-structured sensor can fully monitor joint movements when attached to the neck and shoulder, and offers more flexibility and precision than most wearable joint monitoring systems.

Precious photos and other exhibits presented a full picture of housing, education and industries in Hong Kong in the 1950s and 1960s at an exhibition titled “Post-War Hong Kong and the Story of Tat Chee Avenue” in October. The event paid tribute to local businessman Mr U Tat-chee for his contributions to the advancement of the economy, people’s livelihoods and education after World War II. The items at the exhibition were based mainly on the book U Tat Chee: The Ginger King in Post-War Hong Kong published by CityU Press.

Seven CityU projects run by faculty, students and alumni were featured at InnoCarnival 2021 in October. They covered an intelligent and thermo-responsive window; harvesting energy and freshwater from high-humidity air; an electronic thermal cane for assisting visually impaired people; a pinball game with role-play elements; a 3D printed robot skeleton controlled by VR application; an AI platform for JUPAS programme selection; and an exclusive online learning platform for international exams. The event was organised by the Innovation and Technology Commission, and the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan Mo-po, visited the CityU booths during the event.

In Driving toward Modernity, the author ethnographically explores the entanglement between the rise of the automotive regime and emergence of the middle class in South China. Focusing on the Pearl River Delta, one of the nation’s wealthiest regions, the author shows how private cars have shaped everyday middle-class sociality, solidarity, and subjectivity, and how the automotive regime has helped make the new middle classes. By carefully analysing how physical and social mobility intertwines, Driving toward Modernity paints a nuanced picture of modern Chinese life, comprising the continuity and rupture as well as the structure and agency of China’s transformation.

This book describes the origin, development and current state of volunteerism in Asia and Hong Kong. It also presents a field-tested model about empowering through volunteerism (namely, the City-Youth Empowerment Project (CYEP) at CityU), which involves youth, governmental and non-governmental agencies and their clients in a rapidly changing society. This book presents case examples from Asia with the voices of the people involved in CYEP (volunteers, officers, service recipients) who explain how volunteering has changed their lives, values, attitudes toward social and civic participation, as well as their ethics and sense of individual responsibility. These stories offer the chance for understanding the emergence of volunteering in Asia overall, and its future direction.