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SEEKING TO RECRUIT THE
BRIGHTEST GLOBALLY
The School stepped up its efforts to recruit high-caliber
students. Locally, the School continued to provide inspiring
science lectures and admission talks for secondary school
students. Connections with alumni teachers were reinforced
by strengthening alumni ties with the School and University.
Non-local student recruitment continued to be fruitful.
Recruitment trips and admission interviews in various
regions, coupled with active participation in school fairs and
visits, have resulted in a more diverse undergraduate body
within the School.
The School continued to recruit top students to its
postgraduate programs. Recruitment efforts were enhanced
through research internships and summer research programs,
together with active outreach to potential students outside
of Hong Kong
.
LEADING RESEARCH RECOGNITION
The School of Science achieved remarkable results in the
University Grants Council’s Research Assessment Exercise 2014.
Over 75% of research activities were rated “world-leading”
(four-star) or “internationally excellent” (three-star). For four-
star plus three-star achievements, Biological Sciences, Physics,
and Chemistry achieved the highest percentage among
all UGC institutions, with Mathematics the second highest
among counterparts. The year also saw a significant increase
in the overall success rate of faculty members in the Research
Grants Council’s Collaborative Research Fund applications.
Five research projects led by Science faculty members received
funding totaling over $28 million.
REINFORCING ACADEMIC EXCHANGE
As part of HKUST’s strategic partnership initiative, the first
HKUST-École Normale Superieure (ENS) Workshop was
held in October 2014 at ENS in Paris. Life Science and
Physics faculty members presented talks and exchanged
ideas at the workshop. The first HKUST-California Institute
of Technology (Caltech) Joint Symposium was hosted by
HKUST in December 2014. Fifteen HKUST Life Science
faculty members and seven faculty members from Caltech’s
Biology Division gave presentations at the symposium.
75%
research projects in the
School of Science were rated
“WORLD LEADING” or
“INTERNATIONALLY
EXCELLENT”