HKUST Annual Report 2019-2020

Analyzing Disasters Prof. Jenny Leigh SMITH (Humanities) co-edited a special “Focus” section on disasters in the history of science journal, Isis (March 2020). The section examined five natural and human- created disasters and ways that science and technology have been used to describe and quantify the scope and scale of these events over the past two centuries. The interpretive analysis by the co-editors focused on the long legacy of contesting science and technology as ways of understanding crises, and the enduring problems of poverty and racial prejudice in the history of disaster mitigation. (CONT. ) Supply Chain Networks and Sustainability Prof. KIM Yong Hyun (Management) investigated how firms can make their value chain more sustainable and accountable. The study followed on from his prior research on lack of supply chain visibility, particularly companies’ inability to completely trace their production process which is the main culprit behind firms’ inability to promote sustainability practices along their supply chains. In this subsequent study, he looked at when firms disengaged from controversial suppliers and how a high level of supply chain visibility could help firms design a robust and resilient global value chain. Recommendation Systems in Retail Channels Prof. LEE Dongwon (Information Systems, Business Statistics and Operations Management) explored how online retailers have chosen to extend the use of recommendation systems fromPC-based sites to themobile channel and whether they provide the same functionality and efficacy. Through randomized field experiments, Prof. Lee showed recommendation systems are more effective in mobile settings, suggesting the higher search cost imposed by the mobile device’s physical constraints could be offset by the recommendation system, which allows users to explore related products in an interactive manner. The study was published in Information Systems Research . RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS Social Movement and Identity Change The year brought the completion of the Community and Population Aging in Hong Kong: An Extension of the Hong Kong Panel Study of Social Dynamics (HKPSSD) collaborative study, led by Prof. WU Xiaogang (Social Science, Public Policy). This fourth wave of the HKPSSD survey encompassed 2,000 households, 3,407 adults and 412 children, together with a refresher sample survey of 850 households and 1,140 adults. The team analyzed the panel data to explore the social and political consequences of housing ownership, impact of Occupy Central on subjective well-being, and the impact of changing identities and the social movement in Hong Kong over the past decade. Prof. Wu presented findings related to the analysis at Columbia University, New York University, Princeton University, and Haverford College in Fall 2019. Turbulence Model for Weather Simulation between sulfate and, nitrogen oxides and revealed three formation mechanism regimes corresponding to the three distinct roles that nitrogen oxides play in sulfate production depending on the chemical surroundings. The work, published in Nature Geoscience , offers policymakers new insights into ways to tackle sulfate pollution that lead to improved air quality. Green Finance Center Turbulence parameterization plays a critical role in the simulation of many weather regimes. Prof. SHI Xiaoming (Environment and Sustainability, Civil and Environmental Engineering), together with collaborators from the University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research in the US, developed an advanced implicit algebraic model of turbulence to improve the simulation of clouds and atmospheric boundary layer in numerical weather forecast. The research was published in the Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences . Nitrogen Oxides and Haze Prof. YU Jianzhen (Environment and Sustainability, Chemistry) led research into the role of nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the rise and fall of airborne sulfates in hazy air pollution, providing the first study examining the multiple roles of nitrogen oxides in affecting oxidants that enable this set of chemical reactions. The team developed a conceptual framework to delineate the relationship Prof. QI Ye (Public Policy) has set out to compare Hong Kong with other green finance centers and identify unique pathways to quality green financial services in the city. Deliverables include policy briefs and recommendation reports, a green finance policy framework, and a road map to guide Hong Kong’s transformation into a green finance center. It also seeks to support green development in the Greater Bay Area. The project is being carried out in collaboration with multiple institutions in Hong Kong and Mainland China and is funded by the Hong Kong government’s Policy and Innovation Coordination Office. HKUST ANNUAL REPORT 2019-2020 25 24 Lab to Market