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HKU Science Faculty website won Award of Distinction in an international website contest

  In light of HKU Science Oak Anniversary, a website was launched in January 2019. This new face has recently been awarded the Award of Distinction in the Communicators Awards 2019. The new Faculty website aims to present a fresh look with global and international image, simultaneously serves as a user-friendly gateway for prospective students, researchers, alumni and the public to better understand our commitment in teaching and research. We hope this magazine-like style of reading could bring comfortable experience of users visiting our website, and to make it accessible for all. The Communicator Awards is the leading international awards program founded over two decades ago. The 25th Annual Communicator Awards received over 6,000 entries from a wide range of agencies and firms of creativity and production, making it one of the largest awards of its kind in the world. The Communicator Awards are judged and overseen by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts (AIVA), based on creative work, quality of craft, excellence in marketing and communications.

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HKU biologists discover cell division requires a balanced level of non-coding RNA for chromosome stability

Our genetic code is stored in chromosomes that are composed of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). To make sure the genetic code is maintained accurately in all the cells, our cells must replicate precisely and distribute its chromosomes equally to its two daughter cells during every cell cycle. Errors in chromosome separation result in cells with an abnormal number of chromosomes, which may cause spontaneous abortion, genetic diseases or cancers. One chromosomal element that is important for proper chromosome segregation is the centromere, a unique region of DNA on the chromosome that directs chromosome movement during cell division.   Dr Karen Wing Yee Yuen and Dr Yick Hin Ling, Assistant Professor and and Postdoctoral Fellow respectively from the School of Biological Sciences, discovered that centromeric DNA is used as a template to produce a non-protein coding, centromeric RNA (ribonucleic acid), that is essential for chromosome stability. If there is too much or too little centromeric RNA (cenRNA), the centromere will be defective and chromosomes will be lost. The findings were recently published in one of the top multidisciplinary journals, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) (link). This research article is recommended by F1000Prime, whose members selected approximately the top 2% of all published articles in the biology and medical sciences each year, and the recommended Faculty commented that this PNAS article is of special significance and an emerging frontier in the centromere biology field.   The DNA of our chromosomes codes for about 20,000 proteins. When the cell needs to produce a particular protein, such as insulin, the segment of DNA molecule coding for insulin, known as a gene, is first used as a template to copy into a RNA molecule. That RNA then serves as a recipe for directing the cells to make the specific protein. However, only 2% of our DNA is protein-coding. Yet, another 70% of our DNA is still copied into RNAs, which are not recipes to make proteins. Those are called non-coding RNA. These non-coding RNAs are once considered as “junk”. In recent years, however, researches have revealed vital roles of non-coding RNA, such as in gene regulation and maintaining chromosome structure.   Dr Karen Yuen, who leads HKU’s Chromosome Biology Laboratory in the School of Biological Sciences, said, “Our current study is performed in single-cell organism, the baker’s yeast, but non-coding RNA copied from the DNA of the centromere is also found in multicellular organisms such as humans, mice and flies, suggesting that centromeric RNA (cenRNA) is a fundamentally important molecule that is commonly used by nature to control cell division.”   Dr Yuen added, “Our lab often uses simple model organisms, including the soil-living microscopic roundworm and single-cell baker’s yeast, which we also use for baking bread and making beer, to understand basic, important cellular processes. The mechanism of cell division is strikingly similar in many forms of life. These little organisms allow us to do experiments that are difficult to perform in humans or mammalian cells. Many applied, clinical researches began by studying the cellular processes in these model organisms. Important cell biology researches using yeast have been awarded Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine recently in 2013 and 2016.”   The first author of the work, a former PhD student and current Postdoctoral Fellow Dr Yick Hin Ling from Dr Yuen’s lab, said, “Recent research shows abnormally high expression of centromeric RNA in some cancers like ovarian cancers. Mis-regulation of cenRNA in the cell might contribute to cancer progression. Further study is required to test this.” For disease diagnosis and therapies, Dr Ling said, “We will try to see if cenRNA could be used as a cancer biomarker. If the cancer cells release a high level of cenRNA to the blood, it could be used for early detection or for monitoring the malignancy of the tumor.”   Dr Karen Wing Yee YUEN (right) and Dr Yick Hin LING (left) studying the function of centromeric RNA in maintaining chromosome stability using baker’s yeast.   Centromere, a specialized region of DNA on the chromosome, directs chromosome movement during cell division. Courtesy of Jasmine Lau, an undergraduate student helper in Yuen’s Lab.   Two types of RNA in our cell: Coding RNA directs cells to make proteins; Non-coding RNA performs a wide range of activities including gene regulation and maintaining chromosome structure. Courtesy of Jasmine Lau.  

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Monte Carlo study led by HKU physicist reveals the parent state of quantum phases

Teaser Numerical simulations provide the first concrete evidence of 2D (U1) deconfined matter, an exotic phase whose existence has been hotly pursued by both condensed-matter and high-energy physicists.   About the research  An international research team, led by Dr Zi Yang Meng, Associate Professor from the Department of Physics and the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, comprised of Dr Xiao Yan Xu from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Dr Yang Qi from Fudan University, Dr Long Zhang from Kavil Institute of Theoretical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor Cenke Xu from University of California, Santa Barbara and Professor Fakher Assaad from University of Wuerzburg, have made a substantial discovery in novel state of quantum matter via large-scale Monte Carlo simulations and field theoretical analysis. The research work is published in the latest issue of Physical Review X – the leading journal of American Physical Society – (link). Below is a brief description of their story:   An exotic two dimensional state of matter known as a U(1) Dirac spin liquid could help condensed-matter physicists explain perplexing observations of many high-temperature superconductors and frustrated magnets. High-energy physicists are also interested in these spin liquids as they might be a key to understand predictions from quantum electrodynamics of a “deconfined” state of matter, one where elementary particles split from a conventional description of particles or fields. And yet neither community knows whether this phase even exists. Here, the aforementioned team use computer simulations, performed on the two of world largest supercomputers Tianhe-1A and Tianhe-II in the National Supercomputer Centers in Tianjin and Guangzhou, China, to provide for the first time concrete evidence of its existence.   The emergence of a U(1) Dirac spin liquid (or “deconfined matter”, in the parlance of high-energy physics) depends on two ingredients: a (U1) gauge field and a spinon. A spinon is a “fractional” spin of a fermion, whereas the (U1) gauge field mediates interactions between spinons. It is thought that a spin liquid arises when spinons and their gauge field are put on a 2D square lattice. To explore this possibility, they designed a model by discretizing U(1) gauge fields into a space-time lattice that interacts with fermions, see Fig.1 for schematic description of the model and the U1 Dirac spin liquid state.   Fig.1. Schematic plot of the lattice model of fermion fields coupled with U1 gauge fields and the deconfined state in which the fermions (spinons) form the so-call Dirac cones (the blue cones with their linear dispersion) and coupled with the flucutations U1 gauge fields (the yellow waves). [Image by Leran Liu]   Using state-of-the-art quantum Monte Carlo simulations, performed on two of the world largest supercomputers (Tianhe-1A and Tianhe-2 in the National Supercomputer Centers in Tianjin and Guangzhou, respectively), they simulated the model with various fermion species and found, in all cases, a smoking gun signature of 2D U(1) deconfined matter. By tuning coupling constants in the model, they also observed continuous transitions between deconfined and confined states. One particular fermion species (4) also exhibits a novel type of quantum critical point – the deconfined quantum critical point – which is also under intensive investigations from other areas in condensed matter and high-energy physics. It is believed that the richness of the phase diagram and firm existence of the U(1) deconfined state of matter will trigger a number of future investigations on the numerical and analytical fronts in the condensed-matter and high-energy communities.   Acknowledgement The large-scale simulations are performed on the Tianhe-1A platform at the National Supercomputer Center in Tianjin and Tianhe-2 platform at the National Supercomputer Center in Guangzhou, the authors acknowledge the technical support and generous allocation of CPU time from these centers. The authors also thank the funding support from the HKRGC through HKUST3/CRF/13G and C6026-16W, the Ministry of Science and Technology of China through the National Key Research and Development Program (2016YFA0300502, 2018YFA0305802), the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB28000000, XDPB08-4, XDB28040200), the National Science Foundation of China (11574359, 11674370) and the DFG research unit FOR1807.   Journal Reference Monte Carlo Study of Lattice Compact Quantum Electrodynamics with Fermionic Matter: The Parent State of Quantum Phases, Xiao Yan Xu, Yang Qi, Long Zhang, Fakher F. Assaad, Cenke Xu, and Zi Yang Meng, Phys. Rev. X 9, 021022 (2019) (link of the paper)

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HKU and Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinse Academy of Sciences (CAS SIMM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to foster research collaborations

HKU Dean of Science Professor Matthew Evans and Director General of CAS SIMM Professor Jia Li signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Shanghai on April 18, 2019. Professor Chi-ming Che, Head of Chemistry and Zhou Guangzhao Professorship in Natural Sciences, representatives from the Department including Professor Hongzhe Sun, Norman and Cecilia Yip Professorship in Bioinorganic Chemistry, Professor Pauline Chiu, Dr Xiaoyu Li, Dr Ying Li and Dr Edmund Tse and two Academicians from CAS SIMM Professor Kaixian Chen and Professor Jianmin Yue also attended the Signing Ceremony.   The agreement does not only foster research collaborations and joint laboratory establishment, but also enhances students’ learning experience by offering student exchange opportunities and joint training at graduate levels.

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Are brown dwarfs failed stars or super-planets?

Brown dwarfs are celestial bodies that are less massive than stars and more massive than planets. It remains unclear whether they all form like stars in interstellar gas clouds or they can also form like planets in disks of gas and dust around young stars. A team of astronomers that includes Dr Man Hoi Lee from the Department of Physics and Department of Earth Sciences and former postdoctoral fellow Dr Trifon Trifonov in his team discovered that the star v Ophiuchi is orbited by two brown dwarfs in a 6:1 orbital resonance configuration. The orbital periods of the two brown dwarfs are 530 and 3185 days, which means that the brown dwarf closer to v Ophiuchi orbits its star six times while the more distant brown dwarf completes one orbit. This system is the first to have two brown dwarfs in orbital resonance, and the period ratio of the resonance is also the largest discovered so far for a pair of brown dwarfs or planets orbiting a star. This 6:1 resonant configuration strongly indicates that these brown dwarfs formed like planets in a disk around the star and underwent migration due to interactions with the disk. The finding has just been published as a highlighted paper in the 2019 April issue of the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.    Link to the paper   棕矮星是失敗的恆星還是超級行星？ 棕矮星是一類質量在較重的恆星和較輕的行星之間的天體，目前尚不清楚它們是否都像恆星一樣在星際氣體雲中形成，或者它們也可能像行星一樣在圍繞原恆星的氣體和塵埃盤中形成。一個包括來自香港大學的李文愷博士和前任博士後研究員 Trifon Trifonov的天文學家團隊發現了圍繞蛇夫座v恆星的兩顆棕矮星是在一個6：1共振軌道結構。這兩顆棕矮星的公轉周期分別為530和3185天，意味著當靠近蛇夫座v星的棕矮星繞其恆星運行六次，較遠的棕矮星便完成一個軌道運行。這個系統是第一個有一對棕矮星在軌道共振中，並且共振的周期比率也是在已知的圍繞恆星的棕矮星或行星中最大的一對。這種6：1的共振軌道結構強烈地表明這兩顆棕矮星像行星一樣在圍繞原恆星的氣體和塵埃盤中形成，並且由於與原行星盤的相互作用而進行遷移。這一結果剛剛在2019年4月的《天文和天體物理》期刊上作為重點論文發表。   論文連結  

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Thirteen new ant species discovered in Hong Kong

"If you believe that all life surrounding you in Hong Kong has been discovered, then you'll realise that you just need to look a bit closer… not for big things, but for ants and other insects walking at your feet, to find a plethora of new creatures," said Dr Benoit Guénard from the School of Biological Sciences.   In two separate articles recently published in Zookeys and Asian Myrmecology, Dr Guénard and his team expanded the knowledge on Hong Kong ants by adding 13 species to the 174 species officially recorded.   Among those are three new species of the genus "Strumigenys", also known as miniature trap-jaw ants, new to Science and thus far known only from Hong Kong. As their name indicates, these species are tiny, measuring only 2 to 4mm long but are astounding predators of the small arthropods living in the forest leaf-litter. They can open their mandibles widely and snap their prey with the fast-closing movement of their mandibles.   The new species described by a recent HKU graduate student Wilfred Kit Lam Tang, and the researchers Mr Mac Pierce and Dr Benoit Guénard, are named Strumigenys hirsuta, in reference to its hairy appearance; Strumigenys lantaui, as this extremely rare species is known only from a single locality on Lantau Island; and Strumigenys nathistorisoc, in honour of the Hong Kong Natural History Society who funded this research through the Name an Ant Program (https://benoitguenard.wordpress.com/name-an-ant/) which invites donors to support scientific research on biodiversity in exchange for having a species named after them.   Profile (top), dorsal (bottom left) and head (bottom right) views of Strumigenys hirsuta, one of the three new ant species described from Hong Kong for the first time.     Profile (top left), antennal (top right), dorsal (bottom left) and head (bottom right) views of Strumigenys lantaui, one of the three new ant species described from Hong Kong for the first time.   Profile (top left), mandibular (top right), dorsal (bottom left) and head (bottom right) views of Strumigenys nathistorisoc, one of the three new ant species described from Hong Kong for the first time.   Ken Bradley, Chairman of the Hong Kong Natural History Society (www.hknhs.org) said that the Society readily supports Dr Guénard's research which is line with the Society's objective of "encouraging the study of Natural History in general and in particular in Hong Kong". "There are still many species in Hong Kong to be discovered and the support and involvement from the community in this endeavour is absolutely fundamental," said Dr. Guénard.   Dr Benoit Guénard and Ken Bradley, Chairman of the Hong Kong Natural History Society. New ant species Strumigenys nathistorisoc is named in honour of the Society which funded this research   Another five species of Strumigenys are newly recorded from Hong Kong but had already been described from other Asian regions. One of them, Strumigenys formosa, was known only from Taiwan where only two queens had been collected since its discovery in 1988. For the first time, the worker caste is thus described from a single specimen collected in Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve; enhancing our knowledge on this species' distribution and its importance for conservation. Other species recorded were previously known from South East Asia, Japan, Taiwan or other provinces of China. Finding these new, and for some of them rare species, is a good thing for Hong Kong and its biodiversity, but other discoveries are more worrisome.   Head (left), profile (middle) and dorsal (right) views of four new exotic ant species detected in Hong Kong; (A-C) Strumigenys hexamera, (D-F) S. membranifera, (G-I) S. nepalensis, and (J-L) S. rogeri.   Indeed, five of the species newly recorded are non-native to Hong Kong, four belonging to the Strumigenys genus, and one, Brachymyrmex patagonicus, here recorded for the first time from mainland Asia. This latter is an urban pest well-known for its ability to enter and establish nests within a wide range of buildings, like hospitals, hotels, schools, and houses, and colonise various rooms such as kitchens, offices, and laundry rooms, but also more sensitive areas such as infirmary and neonatal units. In some American states, where it is also introduced, it has become the species causing the most frequent intervention from pest control companies. If the population in Hong Kong, currently known only from Hung Hom, was to proliferate, it would most likely induce an increase in pest management costs; and more harmful for the environment and populations, a more frequent use of pesticides.   The discovery of five more exotic species in Hong Kong, like the fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) in the early 2000's, highlights the regional importance of Hong Kong in importing species, some with important consequences for human populations and local biodiversity. It also indicates the need to deploy efficient survey and monitoring programmes to quickly detect these species after their arrival so targeted actions to suppress them or limit their spread through Hong Kong and beyond can be activated.   Monitoring Hong Kong insects can thus reveal both beautiful and alarming discoveries. With probably several hundreds, if not thousands of species waiting to be found, it shows the fantastic diversity that the city still has to offer if protected sufficiently. In parallel, it also represents an important step for uncovering more alarming species, in particular exotic ones for which early detection represents a key requirement to ensure success in the limitation of their spread and negative impacts. Links of journals: Tang K.L., M.P. Pierce, & B. Guénard (2019). Review of the genus Strumigenys (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Myrmicinae) in Hong Kong with the description of three new species and the addition of five native and four introduced species records. Zookeys 831, 1-48. https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/31515/ Guénard B. (2019) First record of the emerging global pest Brachymyrmex patagonicus Mayr 1868 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from continental Asia. Asian Myrmecology 10: e010011. (link)  

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Science Teachers Received the HKU Excellence Awards 2018

Congratulations to our teachers for their being honored at the HKU Excellence Awards Presentation Ceremony 2018. The Faculty is very proud of their achievements and would like to join the university to pay tribute to the outstanding work of our exceptional teachers and researchers.   Outstanding Teaching Award 2017-18 Professor Alice S T WONG, School of Biological Sciences more   Outstanding Researcher Award 2017-18 Professor Xuechen LI, Department of Chemistry more   Outstanding Young Researcher Award 2017-18 Dr Benjamin R KANE, Department of Mathematics more

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Ancient birds out of the egg running

The ~125 million-year-old Early Cretaceous fossil beds of Los Hoyas, Spain have long been known for producing thousands of petrified fish and reptiles (Fig 1.). However, one special fossil stands unique and is one of the rarest of fossils — a nearly complete skeleton of a hatchling bird. Using their own laser imaging technology, Dr Michael Pittman from the Department of Earth Sciences and Thomas G Kaye from the Foundation for Scientific Advancement in the USA determined the lifestyle of this ~3cm long hatchling bird by revealing the previously unknown feathering preserved in the fossil specimen (Fig. 2).   Chickens and ducks are up and about within hours of hatching, they are “precocial” (Fig. 3). Pigeons and eagles are “altricial”, they stay in the nest and are looked after by their parents. How do you tell if a hatchling came “out of the egg running” or was “naked and helpless in the nest”? Feathers. When precocial birds hatch they have developed down feathers and partly developed large feathers and can keep warm and get around without mum’s help. “Previous studies searched for but failed to find any hints of feathers on the Los Hoyas hatchling. This meant that its original lifestyle was a mystery,” says Dr Pittman.   Michael Pittman and Thomas Kaye brought new technology to the study of Los Hoyas fossils in the form of a high power laser. This made very small chemical differences in the fossils become visible by fluorescing them different colours, revealing previously unseen anatomical details. They recently had tremendous success with the first discovered fossil feather which they disassociated from the famous early bird Archaeopteryx by recovering the chemical signature of its fossil quill, a key part of the feather’s identification that had been previously unverified for ~150 years. The new results on the hatchling bird finally answered the question about its lifestyle as it did indeed have feathers at birth (Figs. 2, 4) and was thus precocial and out of the egg running. The feathers were made of carbon which has low fluorescence using Laser-Stimulated Fluorescence (LSF), but the background matrix did glow making the feathers stand out in dramatic dark silhouette (Fig. 2). “Previous attempts using UV lights and synchrotron beams failed to detect the feathers, underscoring that the laser technology stands alone as a new tool in palaeontology” added Tom Kaye, the study’s lead author.   This discovery via new technology demonstrates that some early birds adopted a precocial breeding strategy just like modern birds. Thus, in the time of the dinosaurs, some enantiornithine bird babies had the means to avoid the dangers of Mesozoic life perhaps by following their parents or moving around themselves. “One of the feathers discovered was of a substantial size and preserves features seen in other hatchlings. It indicates that our hatchling had reasonably well-developed flight feathers at the time of birth”, says Jesús Marugán-Lobón, a co-author from the Universidad Autónoma of Madrid, Spain (Figs. 2B, 4). This and other “illuminating” discoveries are adding to our knowledge of ancient life with details surviving in the fossil record that were never thought possible even a couple decades ago.   The paper: ‘Fully fledged enantiornithine hatchling revealed by Laser-Stimulated Fluorescence supports precocial nesting behavior’ by T. Kaye, M. Pittman, J. Marugán-Lobón , H. Martín Abad , J. Sanz & A. Buscalioni in Scientific Reports.    Link to journal article   Figure 1. Las Hoyas, Spain is known for spectacular fossils preserved in 126+ million-year-old rocks deposited in a lake environment. Image Credit: HKU MOOC / HKU Vertebrate Palaeontology Laboratory.   Figure 2. Feathers revealed in a ~125 million-year-old fossil of a bird hatchling shows it came “out of the egg running”. Specimen MPCM-LH-26189 from Los Hoyas, Spain is preserved between two slabs of rock: (a) ‘counter’ slab under normal light (b) Laser-Stimulated Fluorescence (LSF) image combining the results from both rock slabs. This reveals brown patches around the specimen that include clumps of elongate feathers associated with the neck and wings and a single long vaned feather associated with the left wing. (c) Normal light image of the main slab. Scale is 5mm. Image Credit: Kaye et al. 2019   Figure 3. Chickens are up and about within hours of hatching, they are “precocial’ birds that were already known in the age of dinosaurs. Image licensed from Shutterstock.com   Figure 4. A bird hatchling leaving its nest shortly after birth ~125 million years ago. This baby bird lived in a lake environment and may have been born on the ground like some other extinct enantiornithine birds. Image Credit: Julius T Csotonyi / HKU Vertebrate Palaeontology Laboratory.

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HKU Faculty of Science Laboratory for Space Research gains access to mainland national observatory facilities for the entire Hong Kong astronomer community

The Laboratory for Space Research (LSR) of HKU Faculty of Science strives to play an important role in strategically positioning astrophysics, space and planetary research of both HKU and Hong Kong SAR to a higher level. A senior LSR delegation led by Prof. Quentin Parker recently opened the avenue for collaboration with the Mainland National Astronomical Observatories and embarked on several other key initiatives during its visit to elite Chinese institutes and Universities in Beijing and Shanghai in early March. This succeeded well beyond the team’s expectations with agreements and opportunities galore!   The LSR believes there will probably never be a better time for HKU to push forward on Space and Planetary Sciences than now. This is given the massive Mainland expansion and expenditure in this area and shift in focus to major science missions in space. The science and engineering opportunities available and possibilities for HK SAR and HKU are significant. “Timing is important. This all comes at a period when there is also very strong upstream pressure for Mainland engagement with HK, Macau and the Greater Bay Area. We do not underestimate the importance of this. Our trip solidified existing initiatives and secured other excellent opportunities,” said Professor Quentin Parker, Director of LSR.   At its visit to Beijing Institute of Space Mechanics and Electricity (BISME), the team finalised an important MoU with them – BISME are responsible for manufacturing the NJU-HKU No.1 satellite due for launch as early as October 2019. At the visit to the National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC), the LSR finalised an MoU both parties have been working on together for nearly a year. This MoU has far-reaching and strategically important consequences. The most important is that the MoU includes access rights for the first time for all HK astronomers to all ground based Mainland facilities and those available via international agreements. So now HK SAR based astronomers can apply for time in open competition with their Chinese peers on any telescope that China has access to, just like for Mainland universities. HKU LSR negotiated this on-behalf of the entire HK SAR astronomical community in all tertiary education establishments (there are currently around 60 active astronomy researchers in HK SAR across HKU, HKUST, CUHK that could benefit including postdoctoral fellows and research postgraduate students, including around 25 at HKU). This is a highly significant, positive development for HK scientists and astronomers and demonstrates our open-handed, collaborative approach.   HKU was also invited to become a member of the NAOC-led Chinese participation in the International Thirty Metre Telescope project (TMT: see www.tmt.org). Chinese membership of this consortium is a flagship science project of national significance. We are hoping for HK SAR government and HKU can support us to participate and lead HK astronomers in this wonderful opportunity.   Another highlight was our visit to Shanghai to talk with Shanghai government officials and senior directors and representatives from the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technologies (SAST). An MoU was signed and HKU (under the auspices of the LSR) was invited to become a full member of the SAST led Joint Innovation Centre for Space Science (JICSS) that was established in May 2018. We will be joining 17 top Mainland universities in an endeavor that is expected to lead all major Chinese-led space science satellite missions in the future. HKU has an opportunity to lead such a future mission via the JICSS. Finally, Shanghai and Hong Kong have a joint innovation commission between our two great cities and it was suggested by the government officials that Space Science could form a key part of this initiative for high-tech endeavours both at HKU-ZIRI (www.ziri.hku.hk) and in the GBA.   About LSR The LSR is well situated in a dynamic region of Asia to foster links with the space science community in China and globally as is already occurring. The LSR’s interdisciplinary research launches various bids to exploit and access the emerging Mainland funding and research environment. We plan to develop multilateral and strategic partnerships with world-leading space science institutes, and participate in large, international, high-impact space missions. We see this as an effective means to better position the LSR, the Departments of Physics and Earth Sciences, the newly established Research Divisions of the Faculty of Science and so HKU, as a serious node of knowledge, expertise and capacity in space science and related disciplines. Website: www.lsr.hku.hk   LSR-BISME group photo MoU Signing with NAOC Beijing March 7th with deputy NAOC director Prof. Xue Suijian and NAOC director of International relations plus Prof. Quentin Parker, Dr Meng Su and Dr Pablo Saz Parkinson   SAST-LSR MoU signing, Shanghai March 8th with senior representatives from Shanghai Government and directors from SAST

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New Endowed Professorships established in Faculty of Science

Two Endowed Professorships of Faculty of Science were inaugurated on March 20, 2019. May we congratulate Professor Hongzhe SUN on being conferred “Norman and Cecilia Yip Professorship in Bioinorganic Chemistry”, and Professor Guosheng YIN on succeeding “Patrick S C Poon Professor in Statistics and Actuarial Science”. In celebration of Faculty’s 80th Oak Anniversary, “Norman and Cecilia Yip Professorship in Bioinorganic Chemistry” was established for catalysing the study of bioinorganic chemistry, with the hope to bring impacts on human lives. The professorship was conferred to Professor Hongzhe SUN, Chair of Chemistry at HKU. Professor Sun’s research interests lie in the frontier of inorganic chemistry and biology, and medicine. He and his team recently made a medical breakthrough in developing a drug that can be used to paralyse multi-resistant superbugs. He was the recipient of a Croucher Senior Research Fellowship (2010-11) and numerous renowned awards, as well as the editor of international journals. Professor Guosheng YIN is the Head and Professor of the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science at HKU. Professor Yin’s main research areas cover clinical trial methodology, adaptive design, deep learning, big data, data mining and machine learning, Bayesian methods, change-point, and survival analysis. He was among the world’s top 1% of scientists ranked in one of the 22 subject fields of Thomson Reuters according to Essential Science Indicators in 2015. He has published over 140 peer-reviewed papers in top-tier statistical journals and received numerous international awards. Congratulations again to Professor SUN and Professor YIN for being conferred the above Endowed Professorships.   For more information about the professorships, please click the links below: About Patrick S C Poon Professorship in Analytics and Innovation About Norman and Cecilia Yip Professorship in Bioinorganic Chemistry      

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Ecology students won Sustainable Development Promotion Award

A team of Science undergraduate students majoring in Ecology & Biodiversity won the top prize "The Outstanding Project Award" at the second Sustainable Development Promotion Award (SDPA) for Students of Higher Education Institutions, with their project entitled "Criss Cross Country Parks".   The competition, organised by the Council for Sustainable Development (CSR) of the Hong Kong SAR Government, was to encourage participants to organize projects for applying sustainable practices in daily lives and spreading the messages to their peers, families and the community. At the prize presentation ceremony, the Chairman of CSR said that he was impressed with the high standard of the entries, which proved that the SDPA could inspire wisdom, passion, creativity and commitment among university students.   Congratulations to our students for their distinguished performance in the competition.   For more information, please visit: https://bit.ly/2W41VF2

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Laughter Filled the Air at the Launch of Oak Anniversary Celebrations

The Faculty of Science is celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2019, and its official launch at the Opening Ceremony cum Homecoming Day on March 9, 2019 marks the commencement of a host of year-long celebration activities. The event was attended by more than 200 alumni, friends and members of HKU Science family. Professor Xiang ZHANG, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKU, appreciated the continuous efforts of the Faculty in creating new frontiers in scientific research. ‘HKU Science has long been a forerunner in education and research, striving to inspire the next generation and benefit the mankind through pioneering research. This unfailing quest for knowledge of HKU Science community echoes with the anniversary motto “Science Founds Sapientia; Oak Sprouts Virtus”, derived from the symbolic meaning of oak, the chosen gift for 80th anniversary. I hope this Faculty oak grow lush, vibrant and strong and reaches far to the community.”   Professor Matthew EVANS, Dean of Science, was delighted to see the solidarity and opportunities for meeting old friends that will be brought by the 80th anniversary. ‘This auspicious occasion allows the Faculty to highlight its notable contributions, to reconnect with our generations of alumni and feature their achievements. We hope this reunion brings memories of joy and laughter for all, and through fun-filled games, exhibits, campus tours and the chance to mingle with faculty members and students, our alumni can reminisce about their fond memories of university life and get to know about the latest developments of the Faculty. To add meaning to the oak anniversary, we also invite our guests to witness the planting of our anniversary oak today and its growth over the coming years.’   While reiterating the Faculty’s vision ‘being pre-eminent in Hong Kong, leading in Asia and highly competitive globally across research, teaching and knowledge exchange’ at its launch of anniversary celebration, Professor EVANS hoped that the establishment of the Faculty Oak Anniversary Fund could provide eye-opening learning experiences for students, facilitate the development of new innovative research, and furnish the central research facilities in the new science building and the expansion of Swire Institute of Marine Science.   On its 80th birthday, the Faculty would also like to take the opportunity to promote science literacy. “We would like to further enhance the linkage of science to the community and reconnect our alumni and friends,” Professor EVANS said. “The Faculty endeavours to engage the public in a wide range of knowledge exchange activities, making scientific knowledge accessible to enhance human and environmental well-being,” he added.   Oak Anniversary emphasises the “connect” message among generations of HKU Science family.  In light of this, we are collecting 80 Science stories. We hold the belief that via sharing, Science family could reconnect and exchange. Our alumni may step into different industries after graduation and live diversely, but undoubtedly they share the same starting point — HKU Science; our teachers, students and staff may come from various backgrounds and have their own past, but undeniably their present and future attach to HKU Science. We wish these stories could arouse resonance among HKU Science community and together we grow the Oak tree. Video: https://youtu.be/gMEmsQHQ9nY Photo gallery: https://www.scifac.hku.hk/photo-gallery/openingcere Guests toasting at the happy occasion The HKU Science family President Xiang ZHANG and Dean of Science Matthew EVANS planting the oak tree for the Faculty of Science 80th Anniversary Distinguished alumni and guests witnessing the planting of the oak tree Current students celebrating the 80th birthday party of the Faculty Students demonstrating “HKU Cheers” to generations of alumni, recalling their fond memories of the good old days  

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HKU Science continues ranking high in QS World University Rankings by Subject 2019

  The Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subject 2019 is just out. HKU Science continues ranking high among the world’s top universities. Our achievements are summarized as follows:   By disciplines Natural Science Ranking #31   By subjects Biological Sciences Ranking #48 Chemistry Ranking #34 Earth and Marine Sciences Ranking #41 Environmental Sciences Ranking #51-100 Materials Science Ranking #51-100 Mathematics Ranking #45 Physics and Astronomy Ranking #51-100   Statistics and Operational Research Ranking #34  

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Professor Xiaoming Yuan was awarded the 2018 Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Output Award from the Ministry of Education, China

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Professor Xuechen Li was awarded the Rao Makineni Lectureship (2019) by American Peptide Society

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港大化學學者成功研發新一類穩健金（III）配合物 展示其蒸鍍型有機發光二極管具有長壽命和可調發光顏色特性

香港大學化學系任詠華教授領導的研究團隊成功克服了設計穩健金（III）配合物的關鍵合成難題，並首次展示高效、長壽的金（III）有機發光二極管，其器件壽命半衰期可達83,000小時。任教授團隊的研究成果剛於1月在國際頂尖科學期刊《自然—光子學》(Nature Photonics) 中發表 (連結)）。   黃金是一種貴族金屬，自古以來就被廣泛應用於貨幣和裝飾珠寶，最近更在工業中被廣泛使用，以其惰性、低毒性、環保和良性特性而聞名。隨著中國擁有世界第二大黃金儲備，我們擁有強大的動力和優勢去開發金的有機金屬化學和含金新材料（如有機發光二極管的磷光發光材料）。通過不斷的研究努力和理性的鉗子和輔助配體結構設計，任教授團隊已經找到了配體配位環境的最佳平衡，克服了熱穩定性難題，創造出新一類含三齒C^C^N配體的金（III）配合物。這系列的金（III）配合物展示出可跨越整個可見光譜的全色色域，從天藍色到紅色，其固態光致發光量子產率更高達80%。這系列金（III）配合物亦能夠用作有機發光器件的磷光摻雜劑，器件的電流效率和外部量子效率高達72 cd/A 和 21.6%，壽命半衰期更長達83,000小時。這是首次展示長壽的金（III）有機發光二極管。這研究成果將為開發新型金屬磷光發光材料開闢一條新的途徑，不需依賴現時市面上使用的稀有的銥（III）體系，將為有機發光二極管市場打造革命性的改變。

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HKU chemists develop a new class of robust gold(III) complexes with promising device lifetimes and tunable emission colours for vacuum-deposited OLEDs

A team of researchers led by Professor Vivian Wing-Wah Yam, Philip Wong Wilson Wong Professor in Chemistry and Energy and Chair Professor of the Department of Chemistry, has overcome the key synthetic challenges for the design of robust gold(III) complexes and demonstrated for the first time highly efficient gold(III)-based organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) with long operational lifetimes, reaching half-lifetimes of up to 83,000 hours. The findings have been published in January in the leading scientific journal, Nature Photonics (link).   Gold, a noble metal that has been widely used as currency and ornamental jewellery since ancient times and more recently in industry, has been a metal well-known for its inertness, low toxicity, and environmentally friendly and benign nature. With China having the second largest gold reserve in the world, there is a strong motivation and advantage of developing the organometallic chemistry and novel materials of gold, such as phosphorescent emitters for OLEDs. Through dedicated efforts and rational design of pincer and ancillary ligands, the team has found the right balance for the ligand coordination environment to overcome the thermal stability challenge, generating a new class of robust gold(III) complexes with tridentate C^C^N ligands. This class of gold(III) complexes demonstrates full-colour gamut spanning across the visible region from sky-blue to red with high solid-state photoluminescence quantum yields of up to 80%. These complexes are also capable of serving as phosphorescent dopants for OLEDs; notably, extraordinarily high current efficiencies of up to 72 cd A-1 and external quantum efficiencies of up to 21.6% have been achieved. More importantly, long device half-lifetimes of up to 83,000 hours have been realised in these gold(III)-based OLEDs. This is the first practical gold(III)-based OLEDs with long device lifetime. The present work holds great promise and would open up a new avenue for the development of new classes of practical phosphorescent emitters based on metal centres other than the commercially used but rare iridium(III) system, paving the way towards the possible revolutionisation of the OLED market.    More information about Professor Vivian Yam. 

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HKU Vice-President and Chemistry scholar Professor Andy Hor elected Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences

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HKU Vice-President and Chemistry scholar Professor Andy Hor elected Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences

Professor Andy Hor, Vice President (Research) and Chair Professor of Metallic Chemistry & Materials at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), has been elected a fellow of the European Academy of Sciences (EurASc). EurASc is a non-profit, non-governmental and independent organisation established in 2003 in Brussels, aiming to promote excellence in science and technology. It awards prestigious prizes including the Leonardo da Vinci Award and the Blaise Pascal Medal. It currently has about 600 fellows, over 10% of whom are Nobel Laureate and Fields Medalists from over 40 countries. Professor Hor is honoured for his achievements and contributions to academia in the area of structural metallic chemistry. He specialises in the design, synthesis and structural analysis of novel molecules. His research lies at the fundamental of molecular science – to analyse the molecular composition and structure as a means to understand the properties and activities of a molecule or molecular materials, and from such knowledge, design new molecules, as well as develop new functions and applications. “This is how new science can be developed, translated and eventually be applied as new technologies,” said Professor Hor, who is honoured and delighted to receive the award. Professor Hor refers to the simple doctrine which has guided his research – technology is most disruptive when its science is at its (creative) root and said: “This is also how international fellowship like that from the European Academy of Science and prestigious prizes like Nobel Prize and Fields medal are conferred.” Over the years, his team has investigated a range of systems in coordination and organometallic complexes, hetero- and polynuclear aggregates and clusters, as well as metal-organic frameworks and molecular materials. These are molecular substances that form the basis of industrial chemicals, pharmaceutical catalysis as well as a range of energy and environmental applications. Recently, he has teamed up with scientists at the Agency of Science, Technology & Research (A*Star) of Singapore to study metal-air and metal-sulfide batteries as the next-generation of green batteries. Professor Hor has published over 435 international papers with an average of 1,200 annual citations in 2017-8, filed several patents in battery materials and supervised over 100 PhD, MSc and other research students. Biography of Professor Andy Hor Professor Andy Hor is the Vice President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Chair Professor of Metallic Chemistry & Materials of the University of Hong Kong (HKU). He started his academic career at the National University of Singapore (NUS) in which he also served as Head of Chemistry and Vice Dean (Academic) of Science. He later served as the Executive Director of the Institute of Materials Research & Engineering of the Agency of Science, Technology & Research (A*Star) of Singapore for 5 years before joining HKU in September 2015. He is Fellow of the Singapore National of Chemistry, Singapore National Academy of Science, and Royal Society of Chemistry in the UK, and former President of the Singapore National Institute of Chemistry and Federation of Asian Chemical Societies. He has contributed significantly over four decades to the development of chemistry in Singapore, Asia and the world through his research programs and various community services and leadership in international conferences and academic journals, and won numerous teaching and research awards while in NUS and A*Star. For Professor Hor’s detailed biography, please visit: https://presidentoffice.hku.hk/smt/pvc-R.html. EurASc website: http://www.eurasc.org/  

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The Secretary for Innovation and Technology Mr Nicholas Yang visited Department of Chemistry

The Secretary for Innovation and Technology Mr Nicholas Yang visited Department of Chemistry on Dec 21, 2018. Head of Department and Zhou Guangzhao Professorship in Natural Sciences, Professor Chi-ming Che, firstly introduced the distinguished achievements of the department including ongoing frontier research projects, advanced collaborative projects with industry and international recognitions of their researchers. Professor Che then delineated the future development plans with creating strong impacts to the society as the focus to Mr Yang.   Followed by Professor Che’s introduction, researchers at the department introduced Area of Excellence Programmes, State Key Laboratory and frontier research projects in diverse areas to Mr Yang. Professor Che concluded the meeting by emphasising that the department would continuously strive for excellence in scientific research. He hoped that Innovation and Technology Bureau would continuously devote resources in facilitating scientific research.   Group photos of researchers of Department of Chemistry and Mr Nicholas Yang (fifth from the left).   Professor Vivian Wing-Wah YAM, Chair Professor and Philip Wong Wilson Wong Professor in Chemistry and Energy, introducing her frontier research.    

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Connection of children to nature brings less distress, hyperactivity and behavioural problems – now measurable with a novel scale developed by HKU scientist

City lifestyle has been criticised for being an important reason for children being disconnected from nature. This has led to an unhealthy lifestyle in regards to active play and eating habits. Even worse, many young children do not feel well psychologically – they are often stressed and depressed. 16 per cent of pre-schoolers in Hong Kong and up to 22% in China show signs of mental health problems (Kwok SY, Gu M, Cheung AP, 2017; Zhu J, et al. 2017).   Recent research shows that spending time in nature may bring many health benefits, and many environmental programmes around the world are trying to decrease ‘nature-deficit’ and ‘child-nature disconnectedness’ in order to improve children’s health. For example, the WHO, in order to monitor implementation of the Parma Declaration commitment to providing every child with access to “green spaces to play and undertake physical activity”, has set a 300-meter target. Interestingly, 90 per cent of the Hong Kong population lives within 400 metres of such areas. However, despite the extensive, adjacent greenness, families are not using these areas.   “We noticed a tendency where parents are avoiding nature. They perceive it as dirty and dangerous, and their children unfortunately pick up these attitudes. In addition, the green areas are often unwelcoming with signs like “Keep off the grass”, said Dr Tanja Sobko from the School of Biological Sciences. Until now, it has not been possible to measure connectedness to nature in preschool children, mostly due to the fact that they are too young to answer for themselves.   A new 16-item parent questionnaire (CNI-PPC) to measure “connectedness to nature’ in very young children has been developed by Dr Sobko and her collaborator Professor Gavin Brown, Director of the Quantitative Data Analysis and Research Unit at the University of Auckland. The questionnaire identified four areas that reflect the child-nature relationship: enjoyment of nature, empathy for nature, responsibility towards nature, and awareness of nature.   The study consisted of two parts: the initial interviews with the families and the subsequent development of the questionnaire. Altogether, 493 families with children aged between 2 and 5 have participated in the study. Finally the new questionnaire was tested against the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, a well-established measurement of psychological well-being and children’s behaviour problems. The results revealed that parents who saw their child had a closer connection with nature had less distress, less hyperactivity, & fewer behavioural and emotional difficulties, and improved pro-social behaviour. Interestingly, children who took greater responsibility towards the nature had fewer peer difficulties. The results give a new possibility for investigating the link between the outdoor environment and well-being in pre-school children.   The study is part of Dr Sobko’s research-based programme Play&Grow, which is the first in Hong Kong to promote healthy eating and active playtime with preschool children by connecting them to nature. Launched 2016, it has so far included almost 1000 families from all over Hong Kong. (https://foodnaturelab.org/page).   The findings have been published in multidisciplinary Open Access journal, PLOS ONE. The new scale has already attracted international attention and is being adopted by universities worldwide including Western Australia and Deakin Universities. In addition, the HKU-developed ‘Play&Grow’ programme is also on track to be conducted in Australia.   The next step is to further fine-tune future health promotion/disease prevention interventions, which Dr Sobko and the team are committed to. “We are grateful for the recognition of the Government, which has recently granted significant financial support to this important project”, said Dr Sobko. The new exciting extension of this work is to test the effect of the exposing children to nature and changes in their gut microbiota.   To view the journal paper "Connectedness to Nature Index - Parents of Preschool Children PlosOne", please click here.           

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