News & Stories

What is your first thought when you hear “quantum”? Inexplicable laws of nature? A technology for pioneering superfast computers? While quantum technology probably sounds very remote for non-scientists, many experts believe the field will eventually revolutionize our lives by enabling us to make smarter decisions in many different areas.

Did you know that the hydrogels found in the contact lenses and cosmetics that many of us use every day are also crucial for the successful regeneration of our bodies’ vital internal organs? For many years, scientists have been meticulously studying the regrowing and repairing of damaged cells, organs, and tissues. A key breakthrough came when researchers established that the high water content of hydrogel polymer network structures’ make them useful for regenerative medicine. 

The article is authored by CHEN Jay Chung, Professor emeritus of Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Recently, I had an opportunity to visit JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) and listened to a talk by the scientists and engineers. They designed the cute little robotic helicopter, Ingenuity, which was brought to the Mars surface by the Perseverance rover spacecraft. Ingenuity successfully completed the first powered controlled extraterrestrial flight by a rotary-wing aircraft. My visit was a delightful reminiscence during the ever-glooming pandemic.

The platform will greatly facilitate marine research work and offer valuable data to policy makers

https://30a.hkust.edu.hk/our-impact/super-vision-not-science-fiction

https://30a.hkust.edu.hk/our-impact/turning-garbage-strongest-material

https://30a.hkust.edu.hk/our-impact/healthy-aging-brain

A joint research team from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and the University of Tokyo discovered an unusual topological aspect of sodium chloride, commonly known as table salt, which will not only facilitate the understanding of the mechanism behind salt’s dissolution and formation, but may also pave the way for the future design of nanoscale conducting quantum wires.  There is a whole variety of advanced materials in our daily life, many gadgets and technology are created through the assembly of different materials. Cellphone, for example, adopted a combination of many different substances — glass for the monitor, aluminum alloy for the frame, and metals like gold, silver and copper for its internal wirings. But nature has its own genius way of ‘cooking’ different properties into one wonder material, or what is known as ‘topological material’.