Distance and epidemic will not stop us from learning, especially when science is everywhere, ranging from the environment and rocks around us, the antiseptics that we use these days, to the universe far way.

To encourage ongoing learning at home during the pandemic, the University had organised eight public talks targeting both local and overseas high school and college students. Dr. Tong Shiu Sing of Department of Physics delivered one of them, titled “What Do Gravitational Waves Tell Us?” on 31 March, 2020 and had attracted over 350 participants to join online.

The Science eCareer Fair 2020, which comprised of the Science Career Square, the Resume Q&A Session, and a series of Recruitment Talks and Alumni Sharing Sessions, was held online from 1 to 5 June, 2020. This year, time, venue size, and number of exhibition booths were no longer the constraints; students who were busy with school work and in different places were also able to join the Fair using their mobile and desktop devices.

Dr. Philip Lee of Department of Statistics offered “Writing a Successful Resume Workshop” on 10 March, 2020 to share useful tips on preparing CVs.

Every year, the Faculty organises a Research Day where faculty members are gathered together to share ideas and experiences in promoting research and collaboration in the Faculty and the University. This year was no exception; the Faculty launched the premiere online Research Day on 5 August, 2020 with the theme of “Collaborative Research in the Faculty of Science and Beyond” and attracted more than 200 participants to join online.

Professor Kwan Kin Ming of School of Life Sciences has been investigating the genetic regulation of neuronal cell development in cerebellum for over a decade and his team’s recent findings that unveil novel mechanism of neural progenitor competence regulation have marked a significant milestone. 

Free-air ozone garden has been built at many locations in the US and Europe to measure the effect of ground-level ozone on plant life. Professor Amos Tai of Earth System Science Programme and his team have built “Gene Garden”, the first plant-based measurement of ozone in South China Region, inside CUHK campus since 2019, growing ozone-sensitive and ozone-resistant genotypes of bush bean.

Professor Wang Jianfang of Department of Physics has been working extensively on plasmonic metal nanoparticles, in particular the colloidal plasmonic metal nanocrystals. The valuable contributions that he and his team have made to the growth, properties, and applications of the materials also advance the research of nanoplasmonics.

Green chemistry focusing on adopting innovative technologies to reduce the use or generation of hazardous substances has emerged over the last few decades. Organocatalysts which are robust, non-toxic, and inexpensive are the new favourite in the field. Professor Yeung Ying Yeung of Department of Chemistry whose research interest lies on synthetic chemistry shared with us more about the design and applications of organocatalysts.

Some say that COVID-19 has transformed the world. On one hand, it has reduced human activities due to global lockdown and brought better air quality in cities. On the other, the global pandemic has ushered in the sharpest fall in global economic activity and the shock is even faster and more severe than the global financial crisis in 2008.

Professor Chan Ting Fung and Professor Lam Hon Ming of School of Life Sciences performed comprehensive genomic and transcriptomic analyses on Senzu, an American Shorthair in breed, and have constructed a high-resolution chromosome-scale full genome sequence to greatly improve and advance the current cat genome reference.

Professor Jerome Hui of School of Life Sciences and his team have decoded for the first time the high-quality genomes of Rhopilema esculentum (also known as flame jellyfish) and Sanderia malayensis (also known as Amuska jellyfish), which are commonly found in Asian seawaters.

Professor Michael Chan of School of Life Sciences and his team members have recently devised a novel method for extracting enzymes from bacteria which lowers the production cost yet improves the enzyme’s stability.

Dr. Tong Shiu Sing’s enduring enthusiasm for Physics can be traced back to his high school life when he started participate in astronomy quiz competition. It has then been developed into an abiding passion and led him to the current teaching position.

Dr. Nick So, Cell and Molecular Biology (CMBI) graduate, has been awarded by the Max Planck Society (MPS) the Otto Hahn Medal and Otto Hahn Award as one of the leading young researchers at the Max Planck Institute (MPI) recently in recognition of his outstanding achievements during his Ph.D. research.