News & Stories

A team of undergraduate students from the School of Engineering of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has won the Design Elegance Award in their very first attempt at the 2011 International Student Remotely Operated Vehicle Competition (ROV). The three-day competition was held at NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in Houston, USA, in mid June. This year, 26 teams of higher education students from seven countries participated. Under the simulation of oil spill scenario in the Gulf of Mexico, teams were required to design underwater robots, known as remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), to execute various tasks at a depth of over ten meters under water, such as collecting water samples, capping a wellhead and rescuing animals. Teams also had to introduce their ROVs to a panel of judges through presentation of posters. Team members were tested on both their ability to communicate what they learned and how they put their knowledge to use.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is delighted that the highly reputable Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Asian University Rankings has rated HKUST the top university in Asia for the first time since the University was established 20 years ago. According to the QS Asian University Rankings released today (23 May 2011), HKUST's ranking in Asia has risen to first place in 2011 while the University ranked second last year. An announcement from QS released today states that "The dynamism of the (Asian) region is confirmed by the fact that 20% of the top 50 universities are less than 50 years old, including HKUST which has just celebrated its twentieth anniversary." Ben Sowter, Head of QS Intelligence Unit, says that HKUST is strong across most of the indicators, with its truly international character setting it apart. HKUST has the edge in research productivity, where the gap has widened in 2011.

Professor Anirban Mukhopadhyay of the Marketing Department of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology School of Business and Management (HKUST Business School) has been honored with the Early Career Award from the Society for Consumer Psychology (SCP) for his outstanding research in marketing and consumer behavior. The prestigious international award is given to honor a psychologist who is no more than eight years post-PhD and has made significant scientific contributions to consumer psychology. The SCP is an American-based organization that aims to further the advancement of the discipline of consumer psychology in a global context.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) today presents awards for five top student-initiated activities that enrich and give meaning to campus life. Called "President's 1-HKUST Student Life Award", it is bestowed on five winning student activities that best enrich the student experience. Each activity will receive an average of about $10,000 in funding support. Officiating at the presentation ceremony, HKUST President Tony Chan said that he had collected numerous novel suggestions from his monthly tea gatherings with students, and the Award aims to encourage students to exercise their creativity in designing and implementing activities that satisfy the four criteria of serving social needs, originality, feasibility, and having an impact on the student community. The students responded enthusiastically to the launch of this Award. Five projects were selected from 23 entries by a judging panel to receive the Award. They were:

Prof Fugee Tsung, Head of the Department of Industrial Engineering and Logistics Management at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), has been elected Academician to the International Academy for Quality (IAQ), the world's most prestigious global organization in the field of quality. The IAQ comprises peer nominated members and admit academics and professionals identified as global thought leaders in quality-related issues. IAQ has elected Academicians in 25 countries. Prof Tsung is the second IAQ Academician in Hong Kong, after President Way Kuo of City University of Hong Kong, and one of only six Academicians in Greater China.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) today announced the appointment of Prof Lionel Ni as Dean of HKUST Fok Ying Tung Graduate School (FYTGS), with effect from 1 March 2011. Prof Ni has been acting Dean of FYTGS since July 2010. Concurrently he also holds the academic position as Chair Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, and the administrative position of Special Assistant to the President. Professor Ni joined HKUST in 2002 as Professor and Head of the Department of Computer Science (now Department of Computer Science and Engineering). He was the Director of the Digital Life Research Center at FYTGS from 2006 to 2010, and was Senior Advisor to the Dean of FYTGS from 2008 to 2010 before becoming the School's Acting Dean.

The HKUST MBA program's global ranking hits its highest-ever placement as it is ranked 6th best in the world according to the Financial Times 2011 rankings of the top 100 full-time global MBA programs released today. The HKUST MBA program is ranked top 10 on a three-year average. The result reflects a significant advancement in the program's ranking over the past years, which moved up from 9th place in 2010 and 16th place in 2009. For the second year in a row, the HKUST Business School is the only Asian business school to crack the Financial Time's global MBA top 10. The School's research also ranks high at world's no. 14.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) today presented Long Service Awards to over 250 faculty and staff members who have served the University for 20 years or are serving the University for the 20th year. This is the first of a series of celebrations on HKUST's 20th Anniversary this year. The theme of HKUST's 20th Anniversary celebrations is "Our Miracle Continues". As HKUST's achievements in the past 20 years are regarded as a miracle, and the long serving staff are what made this miracle possible, HKUST decided to make the Long Service Award the first 20th Anniversary event.