DEPS at 30: A Community Shaped by Earth, Bound by Curiosity

In 2025, the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences (DEPS) celebrated a milestone that was as meaningful as it was hard-earned: its 30^th anniversary. The occasion marked not only three decades of teaching and research, but 30 years of building a community shaped by curiosity, care, and a shared fascination with the planet we call home.

Every department begins with a founding date; far fewer begin with a sense of adventure. When the Department first opened its doors in 1995, it was a modest beginning powered by conviction. Led by founding Chair Professor John MALPAS and supported generously by the Hui family, the team set out to build something Hong Kong had long needed: a home for geoscience expertise, and a training ground to understand the city’s complex landscape.

In those early years, learning unfolded far beyond lecture rooms. Staff and students traced coastlines and hillsides, read stories written in stone and strata, and learned to see the Earth not as a static object but as a living archive of time. Field boots, folded maps and shared laughter became part of daily life, underpinned by a simple belief—that to understand the Earth is also to learn how to care for it.

From the outset, the Department embraced a clear dual mission: to master the fundamentals of geology while responding to the applied challenges of an increasingly urbanised world. “This balance between pure and practical science has shaped three decades of discovery, innovation and impact,” said Professor Zhonghui LIU, Interim Head of DEPS.

“We’ve gone from tracing Hong Kong’s bedrock to studying planetary formation and climate futures,” Professor Liu reflected. “That’s why our celebration theme, ‘Beyond the Earth,’ feels so fitting. It captures not just our new scientific direction in space research, but the way this community has always tried to reach a little further than anyone expected.”

The celebrations began on 28 November, like a long-awaited reunion. Alumni streamed back, some travelling hours, others crossing continents, to find their teachers, their friends, and, in many ways, a younger version of themselves.

There were embraces held a moment longer, and jokes that resurfaced effortlessly. Nearly 50 alumni shared stories of their first field trips, their toughest assignments, and the sense of discovery that shaped their careers. What filled the room was not simply nostalgia. It was a quiet acknowledgement that the Department had not only given them knowledge, but a place to belong.

The following day, 29 November, brought a a shift toward the future. At the anniversary symposium, 12 distinguished speakers reflected on the Earth beneath us and the worlds beyond, inviting more than 100 participants to imagine the possibilities of the coming decades. The keynote by Mr Tony Ying Kit HO, JP, added a thoughtful public dimension, grounding the scientific excitement in civic purpose.

As evening settled, Loke Yew Hall glowed under evening lights as over 150 guests gathered for the Celebration Ceremony. The presence of 17 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) made the room feel both intimate and momentous, a reminder of how far DEPS’s reputation has travelled. Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Peng GONG and Dean of Science Professor Qiang ZHOU offered warm reflections —not only marking achievements, but honouring the people who made them possible.

The Celebration Dinner that followed was alive with clinking glasses, renewed friendships, and the gentle hum of gratitude. More than 200 guests, including our staunch supporter Ms Sylvia HUI, came together with an ease that only a well-knit community can create.

 

The final morning, 30 November, captured the Department’s soul. In one room, Mok Sau-King Professor and Chair Professor Guochun ZHAO, joined by 18 CAS academicians, led deep discussions about the Department’s next strategic chapter: new research frontiers, collaborations, and responsibilities. It was the kind of quiet, serious work that shapes decades to come.

Out on the calm waters of the Tolo Channel, a boat glided under the guidance of retired academic Professor L S CHAN. Alumni pointed toward familiar rock formations as the coastline passed like an old friend. The tranquility offered a space for quiet reflection, a chance for all to remember what first drew them to the field.

As DEPS steps into its next decade, it carries a rare kind of warmth: a community built on curiosity, lifted by generosity, and sustained by the belief that understanding our world is a shared human calling.