In her visit to CUHK’s Institute of Mathematical Sciences on August 9, Secretary for Education Dr Christine Choi Yuk-lin met the institute’s director Professor Yau Shing-tung and CUHK Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Education) Professor Isabella Poon Wai-yin to exchange ideas on university education and STEAM teaching.

Dr Choi went on to attend a maths lecture held by Tsinghua University’s Qiuzhen College, of which Prof Yau is dean, on the CUHK campus. In her speech, the secretary said mathematics, a common language shared by humankind, was the foundation of technological innovation. The government hoped to build a strong talent base in mathematics to support Hong Kong’s development as an international science and innovation centre and its incorporation into the national development blueprint, she said.

The Qiuzhen Youmou Lecture series was set up by Prof Yau to popularise mathematics among students across the country and explain advanced topics in layman’s terms. They are delivered by top students from the college to offer a snapshot into the history of the subject and introduce celebrated mathematicians from different countries in different periods. The lecture at CUHK presented German scholar Amalie Emmy Noether’s contributions to algebra.