List of Science Talks (2023-24)

ST0002
Can Fantasy Become Reality?

By School of Biomedical Sciences
Level: F.4 – F.6
HKDSE Related Subject(s): Biology

In this talk, four stories in biomedical research will be used to illustrate how fantasy can become a reality. The first two stories will be centred on Nobel Prize-winning discoveries: the isolation of GFP as a tracer of proteins and the invention of PCR as a powerful diagnostic tool. The third and fourth stories will focus more on the near future. The speaker will discuss how studies of bacterial enzymes found in termites and cow rumen may revolutionise the development of biofuels, and how reprogramming of somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells may advance regenerative medicine.

ST0183 ^New
Understanding COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2

By School of Biomedical Sciences
Level: F.4 – F.6
HKDSE Related Subject(s): Biology

The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is still ongoing. In this talk, Prof. Jin will give a brief introduction to the science of COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2. The talk will cover all important areas including the origin of SARS-CoV-2, the life cycle of the virus, the COVID-19 disease, diagnosis, treatment and vaccine development. Particularly, he will explain how HKU scientists made a difference in the fight against COVID-19. He will also provide an answer to many key questions, such as whether SARS-CoV-2 is man-made, how vaccines are made, as well as how safe and effective existing vaccines are.

ST0184 ^New
Stem Cell Therapies – Reality vs. Hype

By School of Biomedical Sciences
Level: F.4 – F.6
HKDSE Related Subject(s): Biology

What are stem cells? Why the doctors and scientists are so excited about stem cells? Recently, biomedical scientists reported the creation of the first human synthetic model embryos. Such breakthroughs could help research genetic disorders but raise serious ethical and legal concerns. In the first part of this talk, the speaker will discuss the unique features of stem cells, the different types of stem cells and some of their potential applications (i.e., hopes). The second part of the talk will focus on ethical issues in stem cell research and therapy.

ST0160
How May Artificial Intelligence Change Our Society? 

By Faculty of Science
Level: F.4 – F.6

Artificial Intelligence is no longer a postulate about the future, but is already bringing noticeable impacts to our current society. Will the AI revolution lead to a reform in our economy? Is it simply another Industrial Revolution? We will address these questions in the talk. 

ST0172
“I Have No Mouth and Must Scream”: How Do Cells Talk, and Can We Join the Conversation? 

By School of Biological Sciences
Level: F.5 – F.6
HKDSE Related Subject(s): Biology

Just like us, cells must communicate with each other their needs and process the information into actions. However, cells lack ears or a mouth, so the way they communicate is very different, using molecules to convey messages rather than sound. When this communication breaks down, it results in numerous diseases from cancers to birth defects. What if we could understand what cells were saying or even tell them what to do? Perhaps we could cure or even prevent these diseases before they arise. Synthetic biology offers us exciting new avenues to 'listen' and 'speak' to cells, thus the possibility to control cells, organs, and even life itself.

ST0173
Go with the Electron Flow 

By Department of Chemistry
Level: F.4 – F.6
HKDSE Related Subject(s): Biology and Chemistry

Flow is all around us, ranging from intangible information flow to tangible water flow. Through careful inspection, one will be intrigued to find that electron flow serves as the backbone to support life processes and enable a sustainable society. In this talk, we will share with the audience some thoughts on and experience in dealing with electron flows found in biological contexts and artificial settings, including but not limited to biofilms, DNA, proteins, sensors, energy catalysis systems, and electrochemical devices. Join us and enjoy an electrifying Science Talk!

ST0176
Molecular Gastronomy: The Science of Cooking

By Department of Chemistry
Level: F.4 – F.6
HKDSE Related Subject(s): Biology and Chemistry

Chemistry lies at the heart of the very finest food available and the science of cooking has recently moved from the playground of a few chiefs into the realm of serious scientific endeavour. The application of chemistry and other sciences to restaurant and domestic cooking revolutionised the dining experience and also led to new enjoyment and appreciation of food. In this talk, we will cover some applications of chemical and physical techniques in restaurant kitchens to produce novel textures and flavor combinations.

ST0177
Bending the Laws of Nature: From Microscopy to Nanoscopy 

By Department of Chemistry
Level: F.4 – F.6
HKDSE Related Subject(s): Chemistry and Physics

The optical microscope has enabled us to peer into the microscopic world and shed light on biological processes at the cellular level in a non-destructive manner. Breakthroughs in chemical and biological techniques over the years have further allowed cellular and sub-cellular components to be identified with high degrees of specificity. However, a fundamental set of physical laws places a limit to the spatial resolution in optical microscopy. This restricts the ability of optical instruments to distinguish distances at the nanoscale and thus limits their utility in resolving fine details of important sub-cellular structures. In this talk, we will journey through the technological advance and illustrate how interdisciplinary innovations have bypassed the physical barrier and eventually led to the Nobel-winning technology of super-resolution nanoscopy.

ST0185 ^New
Generative AI: Applications and Implications  

By Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science
Level: F.4 – F.6
HKDSE Related Subject(s): Mathematics

Generative AI has rapidly advanced in recent years, with examples such as Midjourney, DALLE-2, and Imagen, creating new opportunities and challenges in a variety of fields. This talk will introduce techniques for generating high-quality content (e.g., 2D images and 3D assets) and discuss the applications and implications of generative AI. Through this workshop, attendees will gain a general understanding of the possibilities and limitations of this emerging technology and its potential impact on society and the future of work.

ST0186 ^New
A Story of Light: From a Prism to a Smartphone 

By Faculty of Science
Level: F.4 – F.6
HKDSE Related Subject(s): Physics

Once upon a time, after Newton studied the properties of light via a prism, light was an object that confused physicists for a long time; they asked, 'Does light behave as a particle (like a football) or a wave (like a water wave)?'  In this talk, we will explore how physicists found the answer throughout the years by doing experiments and examining theoretical formulations. We will also explore the endeavor of answering the question: new knowledge emerged, which led to modern electronics and therefore the era of smartphones.

ST0187 ^New
Nutrition and (Epi)Genome 

By School of Biological Sciences
Level: F.5 – F.6
HKDSE Related Subject(s): Biology and Chemistry

Nutritional genomic study has become popular aiming at optimizing human health and quality of life. It encompasses the association between dietary exposure and our genome. The interaction could be either the influence of specific nutrients on gene expression or the effects of fixed genetic variation on response to diet.

Epigenetics is defined as alterations in gene function without a change in DNA sequence. Epigenome refers to the physical pattern of DNA, including DNA methylations and histone modifications. Many of these carrying patterns of gene expression are stably inherited to progeny cells following mitosis. Evidence shows that what parents eat will affect their unborn child and subsequently affect their grandchildren. We are not only what we eat. We are also what our parents and grandparents ate! 

ST0171
Moving to the Sea: Tales from the Ecology and Evolution of Seagrasses

By School of Biological Sciences
Level: F.5 – F.6
HKDSE Related Subject(s): Biology

Seagrasses are marine underwater plants that evolved from fully terrestrial plants. This evolutionary process took thousands of years in which these organisms acquired unique adaptations that allow them to live in extreme conditions marked by strong fluctuations in water availability, salinity, temperature and UV. In this talk, our biologists will walk across evolutionary times exploring the origin of seagrasses, their biological adaptations and the ecological functions they provide for human well-being.

ST0188 ^New
Why Is Food Just So Tasty?

By School of Biological Sciences
Level: F.5 – F.6
HKDSE Related Subject(s): Biology and Chemistry

Food is an essential component in our daily life. It is full of flavour where we decide if we enjoy or not enjoy the taste of a particular food. Our tongue is one of the decision-makers for the taste of food to determine if it is sweet or salty, fresh or non-fresh, bitter and many other sensory perceptions. The tongue responds to certain chemicals to give us the flavour of food. Here, I will explain how we determine the taste of food and why a certain food is tastier.

ST0153
What the Man Who Knew Infinity Knew

By Department of Mathematics
Level: F.4 – F.6
HKDSE Related Subject(s): Mathematics

You may have seen the recent movie "The man who knew infinity" about the Indian mathematician Ramanujan (and his interactions with GH Hardy and Littlewood, among others). In this talk, we will introduce some of what Ramanujan studied and discuss his impact on the mathematical world since that time.

ST0181
Counting to Infinity

By Department of Mathematics
Level: F.4 – F.6
HKDSE Related Subject(s): Mathematics

Learning to count is an important developmental milestone in early childhood. But what exactly are we doing when we count? Can the process be generalised in a way that can allow us to compare sets of infinite size? Are all infinite sets essentially having the same size?

In this talk, we will try to explore the mysteries of infinite sets and briefly discuss different sizes of infinities.

ST0182
Prime Numbers: A Simple and Difficult Topic in Number Theory 

By Department of Mathematics
Level: F.4
HKDSE Related Subject(s): Mathematics

An integer larger than 1 which does not have any divisors other than 1 and itself is called a prime number. It is a simple concept that we have learned since primary school. However, it is at the same time a difficult topic in number theory. There are many unsolved problems related to prime numbers. We will discuss some of these interesting problems in the talk.

ST0189 ^New
Modelling Extreme Events: Predicting Maximum Temperature in Hong Kong

By Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science
Level: F.5 – F.6
HKDSE Related Subject(s): Mathematics

Extreme events (temperature, precipitation, stock price movements, etc.) are important aspects of our daily lives. In this talk, we look into the mathematical aspects (data, statistics, probability) behind modelling extreme events. We provide answers to different questions related to the problem of predicting Hong Kong's future maximum temperature based on data from the Hong Kong Observatory.

ST0190 ^New
Bayes' Theorem and the Mathematics of Belief 

By Faculty of Science
Level: F.4 – F.6 
HKDSE Related Subject(s): Mathematics

We frequently use probability in two different ways: referring to how frequently an outcome may occur, or our subjective level of confidence that an outcome will occur. This workshop will explore how Bayes' Theorem allows us to switch between these interpretations and will explore some daily life applications.

ST0168
A Brief History of Astronomy

By Faculty of Science
Level: F.5 – F.6
HKDSE Related Subject(s): Physics

We are going to explore how ancient scientists studied the world and obtained knowledge about the cosmos and how that knowledge influenced our modern lives.

ST0147
Electron Transfer in the Microbial World

By Faculty of Science
Level: F.4 – F.6
HKDSE Related Subject(s): Biology, Chemistry and Physics

Microorganisms such as bacteria depend on processes involving electron flow in the cells to sustain key cellular functions. To gain energy and survive, bacteria obtain electrons by oxidizing organic/inorganic compounds and discard the respiratory electrons to a terminal electron acceptor such as oxygen. Some bacteria have remarkable abilities to transfer electrons, outside of the cells, to solid-state electron acceptors such as oxide minerals and synthetic electrodes. We will explore the science behind this amazing ability known as extracellular electron transfer (EET) of some bacteria and discuss the associated practical applications, such as electricity generation, wastewater treatment, and bioremediation, potentially for developing a sustainable and renewable world.