ABCT New Chair Professor named among World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds

Congratulations to Professor Raymond Wong, the new Chair Professor of Chemical Technology in ABCT, who was named in the list of Highly Cited Researchers 2015 published by Thomson Reuters. The award ceremony of The World's Most Influential Scientific Minds 2015 was held this morning at the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers. The "World's Most Influential Scientific Minds 2015" is a citation analysis identifying scientists who have made the most significant global impact in their respective fields of study determined by their fellow researchers in the form of citations. The identification of these awardees is rooted in the collective, objective opinions of the scientific community. The longer-range study, widely known as the Highly Cited Researchers, included an 11-year assessment of research paper citations to determine the leaders within 21 broad fields of science and social sciences. The fields included clinical medicine, biology & biochemistry, chemistry, engineering, geosciences, materials science, physics, immunology, computer science, mathematics, microbiology, space science, economics & business. The study recognised around 3,000 scientists who published the greatest number of articles ranking among the top one percent by citations received in their respective fields in each paper's year of publication. The analysis covered over 120,000 papers indexed between 2003 and 2013 for each specialty. Professor Wong's research focuses on the development of sustainable energy sources and improvement in light/electrical energy conversion technologies. He produced more than 500 research papers in leading international scientific journals. Professor Wong is featured among the world's top 1% in the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) list of most cited chemists and materials scientists. He was recognized as one of the world's top 130 researchers in materials science, and one of only two scholars in this field who come from universities in Hong Kong. Please join me in welcoming Professor Raymond Wong to the ABCT family and let us congratulate him again for this remarkable achievement. To download the full report of "World's Most Influential Scientific Minds 2015", please visit: http://stateofinnovation.thomsonreuters.com/worlds-most-influential-scientific-minds-report-2015 To read more about Professor Raymond Wong's background and research, please click here

Best Poster Award and Oral Presentation Award at the 23rd Symposium on Chemistry Postgraduate Research in Hong Kong

The 23rd Symposium on Chemistry Postgraduate Research in Hong Kong was completed smoothly on 23rd April 2016 in PolyU, involving 596 participants from the six local institutions. This 1-day Symposium is an important annual event for the Chemistry community in Hong Kong dedicated to offer postgraduate research students a platform to present their research findings and groom local research talents. The poster section showcased 295 posters in four areas including Analytical & Environmental Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry and Physical Chemistry. The organizing committee has the honor to have invited Prof. John Hartwig, Henry Rapoport Professor of Chemistry at the University of California at Berkeley, to be the Keynote Speaker to give a plenary lecture and share his insights on his new research direction in catalysis. ABCT has won 3 awards in the Symposium including the Best Poster Award in Analytical & Environmental Chemistry by Mr. Wong Ho Yi (PhD student of Dr. Zhong-ping Yao) with winning poster title "Rapid Analysis of Traditional Chinese Medicines by Direct Ionization Mass Spectrometry"; the Best Poster Award in Organic Chemistry by Mr. Fu Wai Chung (PhD student of Prof. Fuk-yee Kwong) with winning poster title "Palladium-Catalyzed Phosphorylation of Aryl Mesylates and Tosylates"; and Champion in Oral Presentation by Mr. Chan Chun Ming (PhD student of Dr. Michael Yu) with winning presentation title "Transition Metal-Catalyzed Carbenoid Cross Coupling Reactions for Cascade C-C and C–X Bond Formations".). Let us take this opportunity to congratulate Mr. Wong Ho Yi, Mr. Fu Wai Chung and Mr. Chan Chun Ming on receiving the honors!

ABCT winning the Champion and 2nd runner-up of the Most Favourite PolyU Research News of 2015

In 2015, CPA publicized in media more than 30 PolyU research findings which are of interest to the public. The innovative researches publicized have generated positive impact on many fronts, attracting attention and funding from government, industry collaborators, potential commercial partners and the public alike. A campaign to "Vote for the Most Favourite PolyU Research News of 2015" was launched in PolyU Facebook in early January 2016 for PolyU community and the public to vote for their most favourite PolyU research news. After counting the votes, our Department is honoured to announce that two of our research teams have won the Champion (Project: Hong Kong's First Breast Milk Nutrient Database led by Dr. Man-sau Wong) and 2nd runner-up (Project: Catalyst for Green Biodiesel Production from Unrefined Feedstock led by Prof. Wing-tak Wong and Dr. Joseph Yung), showing the impacts of our research on the community. The awardees were invited to a celebration luncheon hosted by the President and joined by Vice President (Research Development) on 2 February 2016, and were presented the certificates for recognizing their efforts during the luncheon. Congratulations to our awardees and thank you all for participating in media publicity which helped showcase PolyU's research excellence and quest for innovative solutions to problems!

ABCT Postgraduate received the Young Investigator Award in the International Conference on Food Factors 2015 (22-25 November 2015)

Mr. Kar-him LUK, PhD student of Dr. Ka-hing WONG, received the Young Investigator Award in the International Conference on Food Factors 2015 (ICoFF2015) held in the Seoul, South Korea, from 22 to 25 November 2015. Mr. Luk has gained recognitions from the judges with his interactive sharing and outstanding oral presentation entitled "Enhanced Bone Formation in MC3T3-E1 Preosteoblast Cell Induced by Selenium Nanoparticles Encapsulated by Mushroom Polysaccharide Protein Complex via upregulating BMP-2 expression", which studies how selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) can be successfully stabilized with the aid of mushroom polysaccharide-protein complex extracted from Lignosus rhinocerus sclerotia. Mr. Luk said, "The findings of this study could provide significant insights for the further development of PTR-SeNPs into the functional food on bone health". ICoFF started in 1995 and has been held every four years. The conference represents a gathering of world experts in food factors which reduce the risk of lifestyle related diseases. The main theme of ICoFF 2015 is 'Bioconvergence for Food Function', which includes food factors for health promotion and disease prevention, sources of food factors and processing aspects of food factors. Let us congratulate Mr. Luk on receiving the award!

Excellent Poster Presentation Award at the 15th International Symposium on Electroanalytical Chemistry

We are delighted to announce that Dr. Enna HA, Research Assistant of Prof. Kwok-yin WONG, has received an Excellent Poster Presentation Award in the Fifteenth International Symposium on Electroanalytical Chemistry (15th ISEAC) held in Changchun, China on 13 – 16 August 2015. The ISEAC is organized on behalf of the Chinese Chemical Society (CCS) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) mainly by the Open Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry (LEAC) in the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry (CIAC) of the CAS. It has been held in Changchun regularly every two years ever since the first ISEAC in 1987. The symposium aims to emphasize the recent important developments in electroanalytical chemistry including theories, methods and applications and to encourage us to proceed to new fields especially the multidiscipline. Many stimulating distributions including discussions and suggestions have been expected during the symposium. The symposium will include plenary and invited lectures as well as oral and poster presentations. The award to Dr. Ha recognized her research entitled "Morphology controlled synthesis of Au/Cu2FeSnS4 nanomaterials with enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen generation". Let us take this opportunity to congratulate Dr. Enna HA and her research team on receiving the honor.

ABCT Postgraduate awarded the Nature Poster Prize in the International Polymer Colloids Conference 2015

Mr. YAO Yuan, MPhil student of Prof. Pei LI, has been awarded the Nature Poster Prize in the International Polymer Colloids Group (IPCG) Conference 2015 held in the University of New Hampshire, USA, from 28 June to 3 July 2015. The Conference is a biennial event hold by the International Polymer Colloids Group (IPCG), aiming at discussing the most recent advancement in all main aspects of Polymer Colloids, exchanging research ideas and fostering collaborations and networking. Mr. Yao, being invited to the IPCG Graduate Research Symposium (GRS), has gained recognitions from the judges with his presented poster entitled "Novel Nonconjugated Photoluminescent Polymer Dots". In his work, Mr. Yao demonstrated a simple and versatile method of producing nonconjugated photoluminescent polymer dots (PPDs) which process excellent fluorescent properties in water. A novel fluorescent mechanism behind the nonconjugated PPDs has been proposed and opened up new understanding on autofluorescence of polymeric materials. This novel synthetic approach for PPDs is very amenable for large scale production and potential applications of these PPDs will give breakthrough in the fields of bioimaging, OLED and solar cells. With the outstanding performance of Mr. Yao and his interactive sharing with the judges, Mr. Yao has been selected as the awardee of the Best Poster Award by Nature Publishing Group this year. Congratulations to Mr. Yao!

PolyU celebrates the Second Inauguration of Endowed Professorships

The Second Inauguration of Endowed Professorships was held on 13 May 2015 at the Jockey Club Auditorium on PolyU campus to pay tribute to distinguished scholars for their outstanding academic achievements and significant contributions to the community. We are much honored to announce that Prof. Thomas Y. C. Leung was conferred the title Lo Ka Chung Charitable Foundation Endowed Professor in Pharmaceutical Sciences, endowed by Lo Ka Chung Charitable Foundation Limited. The Lo Ka Chung Charitable Foundation was set up by Mr. Lo Ka-Chung in 2002 to support educational and healthcare projects for the advancement of knowledge and the welfare of humanity. The Lo Ka Chung Centre for Natural Anti-Cancer Drug Development at PolyU is the very first major project which the Foundation has undertaken to support. Mr. Lo generously donated HK$20 million to PolyU for its research work on anti-cancer therapeutics. This donation has made feasible for the University to provide professional cancer-related education and consultancy services for the community. This has also enabled PolyU to achieve the recent breakthroughs in the development of cancer drugs through the use of advanced biotechnology. Prof. Thomas Y.C. Leung joined the Department of ABCT in 1996 and he currently serves as the Director of the Lo Ka Chung Centre for Natural Anti-Cancer Drug Development. His research areas include biotechnology and cancer drug discovery. Focusing on translational research, Prof. Leung developed pegylated recombinant human arginase (BCT-100) in collaboration with Dr Thomas Lo and Dr Paul Cheng. The research was based on his pioneering work indicating that human arginase can starve cancer cells to death whilst leaving normal cells unharmed. Phase 2 clinical trials in liver cancer patients are currently ongoing in Hong Kong. Recently, BCT-100 became Hong Kong's first ever homegrown drug to receive Investigational New Drug approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and thus clearing the way for clinical trials in the United States. This achievement is an important milestone in the development of the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry in Hong Kong. The Endowed Professorship will enable Prof. Leung to further understand the mechanisms of drug action, improve the drug efficacy and benefit cancer patients. Please visit the departmental webpage for the snapshots of the event: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/abct/en/news/gallery/index_id_39.html Let us congratulate Prof. Leung again on receiving the endowed professorship.

Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Output Awards from the Ministry of Education of China 2014

Established by the Ministry of Education of China, the Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Output Awards aims to recognize and honor outstanding research projects at all tertiary institutions in mainland China and Hong Kong. The 2014 award presentation ceremony was held at the Yasumoto International Academic Park of CUHK on 7 May 2015, and the awards are presented by Prof. Lu Li, Director General of the Education, Science & Technology Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in HKSAR. It is a great honor that Prof. Fuk-yee KWONG and Dr. Chau-ming SO from our Department were conferred a Second Class Award in Natural Science (自然科学二等奖) with the research project entitled 'Development of new series of highly tunable phosphine ligands and explanati of problematic and challenging cross-coupling reactions (新型膦配體的設計及其于偶聯反應上的應用)'. This research project focused on catalyst development utilizing new technology to develop multiple catalysts for various bond construction processes. Prof. Kwong explained that 'previously the synthesis or preparation of large molecules has been based on multiple steps for the synthesis of large molecules and other medicinally useful compounds, and that often took a long time'. By developing this new technology 'akin to Lego style building blocks' the research team were able to use their catalyst to assemble a molecule more efficiently, and much more rapidly. The output of such research is very broad, from materials science to pharmaceutical science. This new catalyst development can be applied to many different types of molecule preparation. The catalyst has recently been licensed to selected chemical companies for worldwide distribution. Please visit the departmental webpage or the snapshots of the event: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/abct/en/news/gallery/index_id_38.html Congratulations to the award recipients and their research teams on receiving this prestigious award.

Grand Prize and Gold Medal Awarded at 43rd International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva

PolyU has brought glory to Hong Kong by winning a total of 15 prizes at the 43rd International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, held from 15th to 19th of April 2015 at Geneva, Switzerland. There were 752 participants from 48 countries presenting around 1,000 inventions in the exhibition this year, which has attracted almost 60,000 visitors from throughout the world. Congratulations to the research team made up of Dr. Ka-fu YUNG, Prof. Wing-tak WONGand Mr. Tsz-lung KWONG from our Department who won a Grand Prize and a Gold Medal at this renowned event for the project "Catalyst for Green Biodiesel Production from Unrefined Feedstock". Biodiesel is a sustainable liquid fuel originated from biomass. However, traditional liquid biodiesel catalyst generates a huge amount of waste water in the final purification procedure. A new class of solid catalyst is developed by precise surface chemistry engineering to catalyze the biodiesel production. With excellent adaptability to low grade unrefined feedstock like waste cooking oil, the catalyst can provide complete solution to the waste water problem. In addition, it operates at a significant lower temperature and pressure as compared with the existing solid biodiesel catalyst due to its high catalytic activity, which can reduce the energy and cost required for biodiesel production. The Reception Ceremony hosted by the Hong Kong Government to commend Hong Kong winners was held on 28 April. Let us congratulate Dr. Ka-fu YUNG and his team again on receiving these awards.

ABCT Postgraduate awarded the 1st Prize of Oral Presentation in Symposium on Chemistry Postgraduate Research in Hong Kong

Mr. Fu Wai-chung, PhD student of Prof. Kwong Fuk-yee, has been awarded the First Prize of Oral Presentation in the 22nd Symposium on Chemistry Postgraduate Research in Hong Kong. The award was conferred by Prof. John Gladysz during the closing ceremony of the symposium held in Hong Kong Baptist University on 18 April 2015. The Symposium is an annual event jointly organized by six local universities in Hong Kong, aiming at bringing chemistry postgraduate students, academics, researchers and industrialists together with the objective of reflecting upon the current advancement in all main aspects of chemistry, exchanging research ideas and fostering collaboration and networking. Each year, a panel of judges, consisting of the keynote speaker and faculty representatives of the six universities, will select the best presenters in the oral presentation session and the best poster presenters in each of the four subject areas, namely (1) Analytical and Environmental Chemistry, (2) Inorganic Chemistry, (3) Organic Chemistry and (4) Physical Chemistry. With the outstanding presentation skills of Mr. Fu and his interactive sharing with the audience, Mr. Fu has been selected as the awardee of the 1st Prize of Oral Presentation this year. Congratulations to Mr. Fu!