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Welcome to the 34th edition of CUHK in Focus.
The Alumni Homecoming Day has always been a highlight of the year for the CUHK community, and it was particularly so this year as we celebrate the University’s 60th anniversary. The grand occasion that took place last weekend brought together alumni from different generations and their families, filling the campus with an air of nostalgia and vibrancy. The record-breaking number of over 6,000 registrants made it the biggest CUHK homecoming event ever. I was delighted to see so many alumni revisit their fond memories at their alma mater and immerse in the joyous vibe to participate in a range of programmes thoughtfully coordinated by our Alumni Affairs Office, including a carnival, a movie marathon, guided tours, busking performances, and a lot more. My appreciation goes to everyone involved in making the event such a great success, allowing the CUHK community to gather and celebrate our sixty years of excellence, while inspiring our strong alumni network to continue to make a positive impact on the world.
Launch of another ground-breaking research programme
It gave me great pleasure to attend the launch ceremony of the research programme, “Development of CUHK Satellites and Integrated Remote Sensing Technologies for Near Real-time Landslide Monitoring”, representing the first satellite construction project for Earth observation funded by the Logistics and Supply Chain Multi-tech R&D Centre under the HKSAR government’s Innovation and Technology Commission. Led by CUHK’s Institute of Space and Earth Information Science (ISEIS), the programme aims to develop and launch CUHK’s first satellite, which is set to revolutionise the monitoring and analysis of traffic conditions by combining satellite remote sensing with smart traffic, making significant contributions to such areas as smart cities and carbon neutrality.
The launch ceremony also saw the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between ISEIS and China National Space Administration’s Earth Observation System and Data Centre to strengthen cooperation between Hong Kong and mainland China in the field of earth observation and promote the development of aerospace technology. We were honoured to have the presence of Mr Chris Sun, Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Ms Zhao Jing, Director-General of the China Ministry of Science and Technology’s National Remote Sensing Centre, Mr Zhao Jian, Director of the China National Space Administration’s Earth Observation System and Data Centre, Mr Ivan Lee Kwok-bun, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, and representatives from the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR, the Civil Engineering and Development Department, the Land Registry, and the Legislative Council at this momentous occasion.
With embracing social responsibility for sustainable development being a core pillar of CUHK’s Strategic Plan 2021-2025, not only does the new research programme represent a big step towards our strategic goal, but it also marks a major milestone in the development of space technology by the higher education sector in Hong Kong. I would like to thank Professor Kwan Mei-po, Director of ISEIS and Choh-Ming Li Professor of Geography and Resource Management, and Professor Ma Peifeng, Vice-Chancellor Assistant Professor of CUHK’s Department of Geography and Resource Management, for taking charge of the programme and wish them all the best in generating fruitful research impact.
A long-awaited line-up
Preparations are gathering momentum as we come close to an exciting weekend packed with important events to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the University, as well as to collaborate and forge strategic partnerships with international academic counterparts to advance the development of higher education. CUHK is proud to host the Diamond Jubilee University Presidents’ Forum, the 60th Anniversary Gala Dinner, and the Forum on Building World Class Universities cum Annual Meeting of Association of University Presidents of China next week. In addition, I am looking forward to the coming meeting of the Global Alumni Advisory Board, which gives me the opportunity to seek advice from a distinguished group of alumni from diverse sectors and locales on the University’s future development in the context of its innovation and entrepreneurship agendas.
Congratulations to distinguished faculty member
I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Professor Dennis Lo Yuk-ming, Director of the Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, Li Ka Shing Professor of Medicine, and Associate Dean (Research) and Chairman of the Department of Chemical Pathology of the Faculty of Medicine, on being the only academic from Hong Kong to be elected as a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) this year. Just last week, Professor Lo also received the inaugural Tengchong Science Award. These well-deserved honours recognises his success in life sciences and medical research. Professor Lo and his research team have been instrumental in developing and making non-invasive DNA-based prenatal testing a clinical reality, benefiting thousands of people around the world. The genome-wide genetic and epigenetic approaches that his team has developed also lay the critical foundation for early detection of multiple types of cancer. The new CAS membership and the Tengchong Science Award follow a long list of accolades that Professor Lo has received as a constant recognition of his remarkable contributions in the field of biomedicine and technology. May I take this opportunity to offer my sincere congratulations to Professor Lo and extend my best wishes for his continuous success in pursuing life-changing breakthroughs in the global scientific community.
I look forward to sharing more stories with you in the next edition.
Best wishes,
Professor Rocky S. Tuan
Vice-Chancellor and President
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
