JIA, Bowen
PhD in Statistics

The Global Young Scientists Summit (GYSS) 2023 was an enriching experience that brought together the brightest minds from around the world, and I was honoured to attend it this year. The summits contained astonishing plenary lectures, panel discussions, engagement sessions, young scientists’ presentations and a video competition, encompassing disciplines from biology to computer science. Many distinguished scientists, including Nobel laureates, Fields medallists, Turing awardees and Millennium Technology Prize recipients, graced the event with their profound insights.

One lecture that profoundly resonated with me was “Optimal Transport, Math and Beyond” delivered by Professor Alessio Figalli, a distinguished mathematician and Fields Medal recipient. The lecture offered a deep dive into the realm of optimal transport and its far-reaching implications in urban planning, meteorology, biology, finance and machine learning. Professor Figalli started his lecture by introducing the concept of optimal transport, a branch of mathematics that deals with determining the most cost-effective way of moving and transforming materials from one state to another. This theory, originally formulated by Gaspard Monge in the 18th century, has wide-ranging applications across economics, logistics and computer graphics, among other fields. Expanding on this, Professor Figalli discussed mathematical aspects of optimal transport, including major advances made by Soviet mathematician and economist Leonid Kantorovich. Following the theoretical exposition, Professor Figalli addressed current questions about the optimal transport problem, such as numerical complexity, neural networks and gradient flows and the loss function of optimal transport.

The lecture was a fascinating journey through the landscape of optimal transport. What struck me most was the versatility of this mathematical concept and its ability to transcend the boundaries of disciplines. As someone deeply interested in the intersection of mathematics and other fields, I found the lecture highly inspiring. GYSS 2023 was an exceptional academic gathering, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to participate. I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to the CUHK Department of Statistics for their nomination and support. The insights gleaned from the summit, particularly from Professor Figalli’s lecture, will undoubtedly enrich my research and academic journey. I look forward to carrying these learnings forward and exploring the exciting crossroads of statistics and other disciplines.



WANG, Chuchu
PhD in Statistics

I had the privilege of attending the Global Young Scientists Summit (GYSS) 2023 as an online viewer during 17–21 January 2023, which was the first in-person GYSS since the COVID-19 pandemic. The summit encompassed a wide range of activities, including four panel discussions, 20 plenary talks and lectures by eminent scientists, engagement sessions run by research institutions, young scientist presentations, small group discussions and a video competition. The summit gathered a number of talented young scientists from diverse fields, such as biology, chemistry, physics, medicine, mathematics and computer science, and it featured the participation of 21 Nobel laureates, who spoke across several plenaries and panel sessions. The summit provided a great opportunity to meet and engage with like-minded fellows over four days of learning, networking and collaboration.

One plenary entitled “An overview of high performance computing, the importance of AI/ML and future requirements” and delivered by Prof. Jack Dongarra, the recipient of the Turing Award in 2021, particularly impressed me. Prof. Dongarra thoroughly introduced the past, present and future of high-performance computing and shared insightful information, revealing that advancements in supercomputing hardware will undeniably continue, albeit at a gradual pace. He mentioned that it is estimated that it will take approximately 8 years to achieve the next significant milestone in computing power, known as zetaflop computing. Professor Dongarra encouraged the audience to delve deeper into the various aspects of high-performance computing in the meantime. He emphasised that there are abundant opportunities for software development in high-performance computing that aligns with the ongoing advancements in hardware.

In addition to holding lectures in various academic research fields, GYSS dabbled in many social and humanities topics, such as a panel discussion on the second day entitled “Should scientists comment on diplomacy and society?” and a special feature on the first day entitled “How science can support the development of the Sustainable Development Goals”.

All in all, this summit expanded my horizons in multiple respects, shifting my focus beyond scientific research to encompass a wide range of other issues. I am immensely grateful for the valuable opportunity to be part of GYSS 2023.