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HKUST 2015-2016
Annual Report
43
DIVERSE LEARNING
Preparations for a BSc in Biotechnology and Business
moved ahead. The program will be jointly offered with
the School of Business and Management (SBM) and
launched in 2016-17. Another collaboration with SBM
is the revamped BSc in Mathematics and Economics
program. A Minor Program in Biological Physics was
launched in Spring 2016. In addition, a new “Quantum
Field Theory” course, offered from the perspective of
high-energy physics, was developed and delivered.
The course benefits both postgraduate and
undergraduates. Students from Chinese University
of Hong Kong can also join the course through inter-
institutional course sharing.
To leverage pedagogical developments and enhance
student learning, the School developed several
blended learning courses in 2015-16, including
Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics, Nuclear and
Particle Physics and Nature of Life Sciences. Massive
Open Online Courses (MOOCs) were prepared for
2016-17, covering “Fibonacci Numbers and the
Golden Ratio”, “Quantum Mechanics” and “The
Elements of Chemistry (I & II)”. Several experiential
learning courses were being planned, including
“Teaching Science with Innovative Tools”, jointly
developed by the Departments of Physics, Chemistry
and Mathematics.
Students in the first cohort of the International
Research Enrichment Track, reached their third year
and participated in overseas internships, expanding
their research horizons. The internships took place at
renowned institutions during the spring and summer,
including the University of Chicago and Stanford
University in the US and École Polytechnique Fédérale
de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland.
ENRICHING PERSONAL GROWTH
A Personal Development Plan was introduced into
the School’s Induction Course to encourage students
to reflect on their values and consolidate short-term
The School developed new programs spanning different fields, diversified its
postgraduate student intake, and engaged in dialogue with leading global
academics on key areas of research
SCHOOL OF
SCIENCE
goals and career plans. The plan provides a value-
added supplement to individual consultations, helping
to enrich whole-person development throughout
students’ academic journey at HKUST.
The nine-week summer program, Research in
Industrial Projects for Students – Hong Kong 2015,
was successfully co-organized with the Institute
of Pure and Applied Mathematics at the University of
California, Los Angeles. During the program, senior
undergraduates work in teams on real-world research
projects proposed by an industry sponsor and
under the guidance of an academic mentor. In 2015,
projects were provided by China International Capital
Corp, Hong Kong Observatory, Huawei and Lenovo,
enabling participants to develop their analytical
and computational skills, report writing and public
speaking competence.
ATTRACTING BRIGHT MINDS
Efforts continued to recruit outstanding students. To
boost interest and awareness among local students,
the School organized the first HKUST Science
Summer Camp in 2016. The two-day camp attracted
140 local high school students, who engaged in
a series of activities, including laboratory tours,
workshops and hands-on experiments, to learn more
about science education at the University.
Outreach to non-local students was also stepped
up. The International Mathematical Olympiad 2016
and 17th Asian Physics Olympiad brought hundreds
of student contestants, field leaders, observers
and visitors from around the world to HKUST,
strengthening the linkage between the School and
top overseas students and contributing to non-local
recruitment. It was the first time the major regional
physics event had taken place in Hong Kong.
POSTGRADUATE DEVELOPMENT
The School established a partnership with
Shenzhen University and Shenzhen Institutes of
of the Chinese National Engineering Research Center
for Tissue Restoration & Reconstruction at HKUST.
The Center, which is led by Prof Benzhong Tang,
Department of Chemistry, focuses on new luminescent
materials and their hi-tech applications in biomedical
sensors and chemical probes.
The HKUST Jockey Club Institute for Advanced Study
Focused Programon “Frontiers in StemCell Research”,
a three-day workshop on stem cell biology, was held
at HKUST in January 2016. Stem cell research is one
of the School’s research strengths and a key area for
future development. Eleven overseas speakers from
Asia, North America and Europe and 12 local speakers
from HKUST, University of Hong Kong and Chinese
University of Hong Kong took part in the workshop.
The workshop received overwhelmingly positive
feedback, bringing together recognized leaders
in the field to share their experiences and discuss
the latest discoveries.
In December 2015, members of the School participated
in a two-day HKUST-EPFL Joint Symposium on “Data
Science and Neuroscience”. The symposium served
as a valuable platform for intensive discussions, which
could potentially lead to research collaborations and
joint development projects with EPFL, one of the
University’s strategic partners.
Advanced Technology (SIAT) to develop dual-
degree research postgraduate programs to nurture
PhD students in marine science, neuroscience and
computational science.
The MSc program in Analytical Chemistry was
launched in 2015-16, with high-caliber students from
Hong Kong and Mainland China enrolled in the first
cohort. Two more programs will commence in 2016-17:
the MSc in Mathematics for Educators; and the MSc
in Big Data Technology, which is jointly offered by the
Departments of Computer Science and Mathematics.
Over the past year, the School continued to recruit top
postgraduate students through summer programs,
research internships and outreach trips to overseas
institutions. International research postgraduate
numbers rose by 33% in 2016-17 compares to the last
academic year, with students joining the School from
a wide range of countries including the US, Pakistan,
Philippines, Indonesia, India, Vietnam and Mongolia.
Proactive recruitment during 2015-16 also increased
the overall local research postgraduate intake for the
new academic year.
RESEARCH ENGAGEMENT
The Ministry of Science and Technology approved
the establishment of the first Hong Kong Branch
International Research
Postgraduate
33%
