Welcome to the 58th edition of CUHK in Focus.
Our city has been filled with the festive spirit of Chinese New Year over the past few weeks. As I begin this very first message in the Year of the Snake, let me wish all of you a prosperous year buzzing with energy. May you be blessed with good health, happiness and success!
Engagement with the scientific community
Recent weeks have been marked by a series of meaningful activities which allow me to engage with local, mainland and international partners, as well as members of the University. I was pleased to deliver a keynote lecture on circulating DNA in cancer diagnosis at the 21st Scientific Workshop of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) and the 8th Meeting of Accelerating Research in Genomic Oncology (ARGO). Over the past two decades, the landscape of oncology has evolved tremendously, with substantial advancements in genomic technologies and a vast amount of data generated. With cancer still being a major contributor to global mortality, we now stand at a pivotal moment of cancer research. This three-day event provided an ideal platform for world-leading researchers to update each other on the latest developments of our collective fight against cancers of global concern, to participate in thought-provoking discussions, and to forge new collaborations that will drive us towards our noble mission of bringing hope to patients battling cancer around the world.
Earlier this week, I had the honour to take part as a keynote speaker at the inaugural Tech Applied Summit organised by the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI). This thought-leadership platform, carrying the theme of “Leading Tech Forward”, brought together government officials, technology experts and technopreneurs to share knowledge and insights on cutting-edge technology developments so as to spark new strategies to propel Hong Kong’s innovation and technology (I&T) ecosystem into the future. I was delighted to share my experience of translating academic research into patents and commercialising innovations, which are essential processes to ensure research outcomes can generate bigger societal impact. This extraordinary gathering of minds enabled us to inspire each other on the transformative power of technology and the limitless potential of Hong Kong as a global I&T hub.
Expanding mainland partnerships
It gave me great pleasure to welcome a delegation led by Nanjing University’s Party Secretary, Professor Tan Tieniu, before Chinese New Year to strengthen collaborations on talent cultivation and innovation between Jiangsu and Hong Kong. Since 1994, CUHK and Nanjing University have been working closely to advance academic exchange and joint research. During his visit, Professor Tan attended an interdisciplinary seminar on embodied intelligence hosted by CUHK and initiated by the Department of Interdisciplinary Sciences of the National Natural Science Foundation of China. I was privileged to serve as the co-chairman of the seminar alongside Professor Tan, who delivered a keynote speech at the successful event gathering more than 100 distinguished scholars and experts to exchange views on the latest development of embodied intelligence and interdisciplinary integration.
I was also delighted to welcome a delegation of the Zhejiang University’s School of Medicine and International School of Medicine headed by the Dean, Professor Huang Hefeng, in late January. Our fruitful conversations paved the way for deepened partnership on such areas as curriculum development, student exchange, faculty training, research and the integration of artificial intelligence in education. CUHK has formed a long-term partnership with Zhejiang University since 1991. We take pride on the shared vision of the two universities to contribute to the growth of the education and research ecosystem of the country. The meeting not only enabled us to build connections, but also facilitated the exploration of new opportunities for cooperation. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Professor Huang and members of the Zhejiang University’s delegation for their trust and support for CUHK.
Connecting with various stakeholder groups
Thanks to the thoughtful arrangements of various units and Colleges, I have been granted with plentiful opportunities to meet with various stakeholder groups to enhance mutual communication in order to advance the University’s missions. CUHK is glad to take our partnership with Tsinghua University to the next level by jointly establishing the Zhizhen School of Interdisciplinary Mathematical Sciences, which serves to cultivate leaders who can make important original contributions in mathematical sciences and lead the breakthrough of interdisciplinary mathematical-science applications. The collaboration was made possible by Professor Yau Shing-tung, Dean of Qiuzhen College of Tsinghua University, who is also a Distinguished Visiting Professor-at-Large and an alumnus of CUHK. We were honoured to have the presence of Professor Yau, as well as Dr Choi Yuk-lin, Secretary for Education of the Hong Kong government, Professor John Chai Yat-chiu, Chairman of the University Council, and Council members to officiate at the launch ceremony of Zhizhen School. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our honourable guests, in particular Professor Yau, who has shown his staunch dedication to fostering institutional partnership between CUHK and Tsinghua to open a new chapter in nurturing future talent in mathematics and science by serving as the Founding Director of Zhizhen School.
It was also my privilege to meet with more than 60 local media representatives who had come to celebrate the launch of Zhizhen School. I took the opportunity to provide them with updates about the University’s new strategic plan. Over the years, our media partners have been showing a keen interest in how CUHK puts its goals into action. I was glad to be able to thank them for their long-term support in person and hope that our successful partnership will continue to prosper.
We also showcased the new pavilion of the CUHK Art Museum, the Lo Kwee Seong Pavilion, to our media partners. This new iconic landmark on campus, the construction of which was completed recently, will officially open at a grand ceremony in March, coinciding with a series of cultural and sports events in Hong Kong. I believe the entire CUHK community is looking forward to the unveiling of this architectural marvel and immersing ourselves in the brand new artistic experience that the Art Museum can bring us.
It gave me great pleasure to be invited as a guest speaker at United College’s assembly last week, sharing my thoughts on “Creating Paradigm Shifts in Medical Diagnostics” with members of the College. I also had the chance to interact with students in the question-and-answer session. I was fascinated by their critical thinking mindset, as seen in the interesting and thought-provoking feedback they had on my sharing. I shall continue to engage with members of the CUHK community so that we can build a strong support network on campus and encourage each other to bring positive impact on society.
Recognising outstanding scholar
I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to Professor Edward Ng Yan-yung, Yao Ling Sun Professor of Architecture, on becoming the first Hong Kong scholar to receive the prestigious Luke Howard Award for his contributions to the field of urban climatology in terms of teaching, research and service to the international community. An architect-designer specialising in Green Building, Environmental and Sustainable Design, and Urban Climatology for City Planning, not only has Professor Ng been serving as an environmental consultant to the Hong Kong government, but he has also initiated a number of impactful community projects in Hong Kong and mainland China, demonstrating exceptional leadership in bridging urban climate science, urban design and planning practice. My heartiest congratulations to Professor Ng on his remarkable achievement!
I look forward to sharing more stories with you in our next edition.
Best wishes,
Professor Dennis Lo Yuk-ming
Vice-Chancellor and President
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
