News & Stories

The Hong Kong team of the 42nd International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) proudly brought home 3 Gold and 2 Silver medals from Thailand. Students of the award-winning team were trainees of the Physics Enhancement Program under the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology's (HKUST) Department of Physics. HKUST is dedicated to discovering and nurturing elite talents to advance the science and technology development of Hong Kong. Hong Kong contestants of the IPhO have attended a focused training camp by HKUST for one year. Apart from receiving training in Physics equivalent to Bachelor's level, they also fully mastered different practical techniques. The students were selected for possessing sound fundamental science knowledge and positive mentality to become qualified to enter the IPhO.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology's engineering professors Matthew McKay and Bing Zeng from the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering were recently awarded the 2011 Stephen O Rice Prize in the Field of Communications Theory and the 2011 Circuits and Systems Society CSVT Transactions Best Paper Award by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) respectively. This is the first time such distinguished international awards have been presented to researchers from Hong Kong.

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.

As a world-class university dedicated to research and education, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is always proud of its top-notch faculty’s contribution. To recognize the faculty’s devotion and outstanding achievements, the School of Engineering has established new research excellence awards in 2011, for the first time. They are Distinguished Research Excellence Award, Research Excellence Award and The Young Investigator Research Award. They will be given on an annual basis.