香港理工大学高等研究院杰出学人讲座系列

Renowned Chinese medicine scholar discourses on acupuncture development at PAIR Distinguished Lecture

Prof. LAO Lixing, Professor and President of the Virginia University of Integrative Medicine (VUIM), USA, delivered the 11th PAIR Distinguished Lecture titled “Acupuncture in the United States: From Exploration to Accessibility” on 8 December 2023. The hybrid lecture attracted over 140 participants joining in person and online from more than 18 countries and regions across Australia, Asia, Europe and North America. It was also broadcast live on multiple social media platforms, captivating a viewing online audience of over 12,500. The lecture commenced with a warm welcome address and brief speaker introduction by Prof. CHEN Qingyan, Director of PAIR. Prof. Lao’s sharing then followed. He outlined the differences in acupuncture between the past and present, and the East and West. He then expounded on the rapid development of acupuncture in the United States, highlighting how acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention gained acceptance by the public and mainstream healthcare system. Additionally, he underscored the significance of research endeavors in acupuncture, encompassing  clinical studies, collaboration, and dissemination in driving evidence-based acupuncture. In concluding his presentation, Prof. Lao shared his insights on the future direction for acupuncture research by citing a number of research priority areas set forth by a national complementary and integrative health centre in the United States. A question-and-answer session moderated by Prof. Daniel MOK Kam-wah, Associate Director of the Research Centre for Chinese Medicine Innovation (RCMI), was followed. The panel discussion was joined by Dr ZHANG Shi Ping, Associate Professor, Teaching and Research Division of the Hong Kong Baptist University and Dr LIN Wai Ling, Professional Consultant, School of Chinese Medicine of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Prof. Lao and the panelists engaged in a productive discussion with the audience on various crucial topics in acupuncture practice, including quality assurance, research challenges and funding opportunities.   Please click here for an online review.  

图灵奖得主 Jack DONGARRA 教授主讲 PAIR 杰出讲座　与160多名观众分享高效能运算

2023年12月6日，由2021年A. M. 图灵奖得主、美国田纳西大学计算器科学杰出教授 Jack DONGARRA 主讲的第十场香港理工大学（理大）高等研究院杰出讲座「高效能运算概述及未来需求」，圆满成功！ 是次讲座吸引了来自澳洲、亚洲、欧洲、北美等 50 多个国家和地区共 160 多名现场和网上参加者， 以及超过 12,000 人次透过多个社交媒体平台观看直播 。 讲座中，理大高等研究院院长陈清焰教授致欢迎辞，以及研究生院院长曹建农教授介绍讲者，为活动揭开序幕。 随后为 Dongarra 教授发表演讲，他指出计算机运算已经渗透到社会生活的各个层面。此外，他提到云端商致力在计算机处理器、加速器、互连和操作系统等系统架构寻求突破，从而实现高效能运算。同时，他也谈到当今国际间竞相建造百亿亿次级运算的「超级计算机」。Dongarra 教授亦指出，人工智能和机器学习的兴起需要软件和硬件方面的进步配合。他在总结时强调，高效能运算的硬件不断发展，与此同时，要软件在广域动态、分散、并行式运算环境下有效且可靠地操作软件，需要新一代的软件库及算法。 接着的问答环节由曹教授主持。一众参加者与Dongarra 教授就计算机运算发展进行了交流及讨论，获益良多，成果丰硕。 按此重温

南韩浦项科大金哲洪教授主讲「疫后医疗创新」

香港理工大学高等研究院于2023年10月27日成功举办第九场杰出讲座。讲座由南韩浦项科技大学（POSTECH）金哲洪教授主讲，讲题为「疫后医疗创新：医学工程教育和技术商品化」，吸引来自澳洲、亚洲、欧洲及北美洲等30多个国家和地区近150名现场及网上参加者。讲座亦于哔哩哔哩和微博等社交媒体平台进行直播，累计观看人数超过12,000人。 金教授于讲座中介绍了浦项科技大学开创全新的医学工程学院。该学院致力透过应用创新技术，应对医疗挑战，积极推动医疗技术商品化。金教授亦回顾科研之路，分享其成立初创公司「Opticho」，再转化科研成果为商品的过程和挑战。 随后的问答环节由光子技术研究院副院长刘树平教授及管理委员会成员赖溥祥博士主持，一众参加者与金教授深入交流，讨论成果丰硕。 按此重温

Prof. Michael BATTY from University College London delivers distinguished lecture on science of cities (English only)

The PAIR Distinguished Lecture delivered by Prof. Michael BATTY, Bartlett Professor of Planning at University College London, was successfully held on 1 September 2023. The lecture was moved completely online given special arrangements under Super Tyhoon Saola. The webinar attracted over 300 participants from more than 30 countries and regions. It was also broadcasted live on multiple social media platforms, including Bilibili and Weibo, and viewed by over 11,000 online audience in total. In the lecture, Prof. Batty began by giving an overview of the development of science of cities in the last 50 years. Drawing on the system approach and complex theory, he shared how urban science involves top-down and bottom-up thinking, and is a systematic, complex and evolving discipline built on knowledge in social physics, economics, transportation and many scientific methods that yield theories. He illustrated this with city morphology examples from the UK and the Greater Bay Areas (GBA) generated by large-scale computer models. He concluded the lecture by speculating on some of the challenges with fractal geometry, size and scaling, networks, and building models in the field and suggesting the way forward for the discipline. A question-and-answer session moderated by Prof. CHEN Qingyan, Director of PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research and Prof. John SHI Wenzhong, Director of Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Smart Cities Research Institute, followed. The audience was inspired to have a fruitful exchange with Prof. Batty. Please click here for an online review. Please click here for the powerpoint slide.

香港理工大学高等研究院（PAIR）成功举办第七场杰出讲座

香港理工大学高等研究院于2023年4月12日成功举办以「为高校现代科研缔造有利环境」为题的杰出讲座。讲座由Kathryn Ann Moler教授主讲，吸引了来自40多个国家和地区， 包括澳洲、亚洲、欧洲及北美洲等近330名线上及线下参加者，以及超过11,000人次透过哔哩哔哩和微博等社交媒体平台观看直播。 讲座由理大高等研究院院长陈清焰教授主持， 并由香港理工大学常务及学务副校长黄永德教授致欢迎辞。Moler教授于讲座中分享了史坦福大学缔造有利科研环境的经验，并从「促进撰写协作项目提案」、「规划共享实验设施、数据、计算机资源」、「大学治理变革」三方面举例阐述。随后的问答环节由陈清焰教授主持，一众参加者与Moler教授进行了富有成果的交流。 按此重温

图灵奖得主 Joseph Sifakis 教授就人工智能和自主系统发表演讲

香港理工大学高等研究院于2023年3月3日成功举办以「人工智能与自主系统」为题的杰出讲座。讲座由图灵奖得主、法国国家科学研究中心名誉高级研究员 Joseph Sifakis 教授主讲，吸引了来自50多个国家和地区， 包括澳洲、比利时、中国、芬兰、法国、德国、希腊、香港、印度、意大利、马来西亚、荷兰、巴基斯坦、菲律宾、新加坡、西班牙、台湾、英国和美国等近800名线上参加者，以及超过12,000人次透过哔哩哔哩和微博等社交媒体平台观看直播。 讲座由理大高等研究院院长兼建筑环境及能源工程系建筑热科学讲座教授陈清焰教授主持， 并由理大副校长（研究及创新）兼热能及环境工程讲座教授赵汝恆教授致欢迎辞，及由理大高等研究院管理委员会委员兼视觉计算讲座教授陈长汶教授介绍讲者。 Sifakis 教授分享了他在系统设计形式化方面的重点工作，从而实现可按需求进行可靠、优化、能按构建逐步校正的系统。 他首先对人类和机器智能进行比较，然后回顾了可靠自主系统开发中从自动化到自主性的进程，最后通过讨论人工智能系统的影响来总结讲座。 随后的问答环节由陈清焰教授和陈长汶教授主持，一众参加者与Sifakis教授进行了富有成果的交流。 按此重溫

Nobel Laureate Prof. Reinhard GENZEL delivers PAIR Distinguished Lecture (只有英文版本)

The PAIR Distinguished Lecture delivered by Nobel Laureate Prof. Reinhard GENZEL, Director and Scientific Member of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Garching, Germany, was successfully held on 8 February 2023. The webinar attracted over 500 participants from more than 60 countries and regions, including Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Macau, the Netherlands, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. It was also broadcasted live on multiple social media platforms, including Bilibili and Weibo, and viewed by over 18,000 online audience in total. The webinar was kick-started by Prof. CHEN Qingyan, Director of PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR), Chair Professor of Building Thermal Science in the Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering at PolyU, followed by a welcome speech by Prof. TENG Jin-Guang, President of PolyU, and a speaker introduction by Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation) and Chair Professor of Thermal and Environmental Engineering at PolyU. Prof. Genzel shared his 40-year journey in testing the massive black hole paradigm in the galactic centre. He discussed the development of the relevant research by different scientists, from Albert Einstein to Stephen Hawking, as well as how he and his colleagues conducted precise, long-term studies using the motions of gas and stars as test particles of the space time, showing the existence of a four million solar mass object. A question-and-answer session moderated by Prof. Chao and Prof. Chen followed. The audience was inspired to have a fruitful exchange with Prof. Genzel. Please click here for an online review.

President of Westlake University, Prof. SHI Yigong delivers the PAIR Distinguished Lecture (只有英文版本)

The PAIR Distinguished Lecture delivered by Prof. SHI Yigong, President of Westlake University, China, was successfully held on 6 December 2022. The webinar attracted over 420 participants from over 40 countries and regions, including Australia, Belgium, China, Canada, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Russian Federation, Singapore, Sweden, the United States, the United Kingdom, etc. The lecture was also broadcasted live on multiple social media platforms, including Bilibili, Baidu, Weibo and Weixin, and viewed by over 131,000 online audience in total.  The webinar was attended by senior administrators from local and overseas universities, who had a short exchange with President Shi before the lecture. They include: (in alphabetical order by last name) Prof. Kevin ASHFORD-ROWE, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Digital Learning) of Queensland University of Technology, Australia Prof. Patrick CHAU, Vice Provost for Research & Knowledge Exchange of the University of Nottingham Ningbo China, China Prof. Geoff CRISP, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic) of the University of Canberra, Australia Prof. Simon EVANS, Interim Vice-Chancellor and CEO of the University of New England, Australia Prof. GAO Song, President of Sun Yat-Sen University, China Prof. Paul LAM, President of Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong Prof. LIU Bin, Senior Vice Provost (Faculty and Institutional Development) of National University of Singapore Prof. LUO Xishen, Vice President of the University of Science and Technology of China, China Mr Eric NG, Vice-President (Administration) and University Secretary of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Prof. Catherine SUN, Senior Vice President of Hong Kong Shue Yan University, Hong Kong The webinar was hosted by Prof. CHEN Qingyan, Director of PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR), Chair Professor of Building Thermal Science in the Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering at PolyU. He briefed the audience about PAIR’s commitment to addressing societal challenges and responding to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.   In the welcome speech, Prof. TENG Jin-Guang, President of PolyU, thanked President Shi for giving a lecture for PolyU, which sheds light to the future of higher education. He stated that the role of universities is not confined to teaching and learning per se. “Universities are responsible for generating solutions through research and technology transfer to great societal problems we are facing … Westlake University aims to become a global leader in frontier scientific research and a reformer in higher education. Their objectives are to take on the greatest challenges facing humanity in the 21st century and vow to find scientific and technological solutions”, Prof. Teng added.   Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation) and Chair Professor of Thermal and Environmental Engineering at PolyU, then introduced President Shi, giving the audience a brief background about Westlake University and President Shi’s academic and career accomplishments in the higher education sector.   President Shi began the lecture by providing a brief historical background about China’s education reform in the 1970s—millions of Chinese students enjoyed the new opportunities for overseas education brought by China’s reform and opening up, and students returned home with the knowledge that significantly impacted China’s development in education, science, and technology. President Shi also stressed that China always has a role in human civilisation—as indicated by the four inventions in ancient times. Thus, the Nation should contribute a large share of scientific and technological breakthroughs to the humanities and the world through exchange and collaboration.   President Shi further explained the distinctiveness of the Westlake University. The university pioneered a new model of a world-class university strongly supported by the government, philanthropies, and the private sector. The central government, the provincial government of Zhejiang, the municipal government of Hangzhou, as well as the local government of the West Lake district provided enormous support for the development of the university. The university also established the Westlake Education Foundation to raise funds from all sectors of society, integrating societal resources for promoting the establishment and development of the university.   After that, President Shi talked about the interdisciplinary culture of the Westlake University and gave illustrative examples in terms of the composition of its Board of Trustees and international advisors, global faculty recruitment, as well as student education.   To conclude the lecture, President Shi presented some recent cutting-edge scientific and technological achievements at Westlake University which benefit the world and humankind. These include the analysis of the structure of the receptor of the SARS-CoV-2; the development of an anti-COVID-19 oral drug WPV01; the deciphering of the structure of CatSper, the mammalian sperm cation channel complex; the discovery of the crucial role of bacteria in breast cancer metastasis for the first time; the revelation of the chemical catalytic process before oxygen formation in photosynthesis; as well as the design of a new strategy to improve the stability of perovskite solar cells.   A question-and-answer session moderated by Prof. Chen followed. The audiences were inspired to have a fruitful exchange with President Shi on the challenges of higher education reform, the positioning of Westlake University, the criteria for higher education success, global faculty recruitment, the importance of governmental support, and student recruitment.   Please click here for an online review.

香港理工大學高等研究院（PAIR）於2022年9月2日成功舉辦第三場傑出講座

香港理工大学高等研究院（PAIR）于2022年9月2日成功举办第三场杰出讲座。是次以「论产业数字化与智能化」为题的讲座由知名摄影测量与遥感专家丶中国科学院院士丶中国工程院院士丶国际欧亚科学院院士丶国际宇航科学院院士李德仁教授主讲，并由理大副校长（研究及创新）赵汝恆教授主持。 在专题演讲中，李教授简要介绍了武汉大学测绘遥感信息工程国家重点实验室的历史、研究重点、发展概况，以及获颁奖项及殊荣等。李教授随后总结了地理信息科学在物联网时代的新兴趋势。当中的五项特点包括：(一) 卫星定位技术将从全球定位卫星系统（GNSS）转为定位、导航和实时（PNT）系统，进而发展到定位、导航、实时、遥感和通信（PNTRC）系统。(二) 遥感技术将对地观测卫星（EOS）提升到对地观测脑（EOB）。(三) 未来的GIS地图数据库开发，将实现准确的 3D 影像和「数码对映」。(四) 移动测绘将结合GIS、RS和GNSS，以发展智能机械人服务。(五) 侧重于观测地球动态和环境变化的 GIS，日后将会强调对人类及相关活动的观测，如车流、热图、人流等。李教授亦阐述当中三项科学挑战，包括：(一) 需要开发同时切合人类和机械人需求的地图产品、(二) 提升遥感图像智能解译在图像分类描述和语义描述之间取捨的技术，以及 (三) 利用地理大数据支持人类与大自然和谐共生，实现可持续发展。 在紧接其后的问答环节中，讨论小组成员包括理大高等研究院院长陈清焰教授和土地及空间研究院副院长翁齐浩教授，带领一众网上参与者与讲者作进一步互动及探讨，成果丰硕。是次讲座共吸引了超过300名来自全球24个国家和地区的线上参加者，以及有超过18,000人次透过即时网络直播观看。 按此重溫

PAIR Successfully Hosts Its Second Distinguished Lecture Series by Professor David Cardwell of University of Cambridge (只有英文版本)

The PAIR Distinguished Lecture Series was successfully held on 17 May 2022. We were honoured to have renowned scholar, Prof. David Cardwell, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Strategy and Planning), University of Cambridge, UK, as the invited speaker.  The webinar was hosted by Prof. Christopher Chao, Vice President (Research and Innovation) and Chair Professor of Thermal and Environmental Engineering of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU).  It attracted over 430 participants from 30 countries and regions.  Honourable participants include: (In alphabetical order of their last names) Prof. Mohamed Ibrahim Abdul Mutalib, Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Malaysia Prof. Kent Anderson, Deputy Vice Chancellor Global of The University of Newcastle, Australia Prof. Sean Brawley, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Strategy & Planning) of University of Wollongong, Australia Prof. Chetwyn Chan, Vice President (Research and Development) of The Education University of Hong Kong Prof. Caroline Chan, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Global Partnerships of The University of Newcastle, Australia Prof. Haydn Chen, Chief Strategy Officer of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taiwan Prof. Tim Cheng, Vice-President for Research and Development of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Prof. Archie Clements, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Health Sciences of Curtin University, Australia Prof. Lianzhen He, Vice President of Zhejiang University, China Prof. Peter Høj AC, Vice-Chancellor and President of The University of Adelaide, Australia Prof. Ian Holliday, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning) of The University of Hong Kong Prof. Elizabeth Johnson, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic of Deakin University, Australia Dr Chao-Hsin Lin, International Advisory Committee Member of the PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research Prof. Yu-hon Lui, Vice President (Resources and Development) of Hong Kong Metropolitan University Prof. Charlie Xue, Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International) of RMIT University STEM College, Australia Prof. Man-Sung Yim, Associate Vice President, International Office of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, South Korea Prof. Qingyan Chen, Director of PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR), Chair Professor of Building Thermal Science of Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering of PolyU, briefed the audiences about the establishment of PAIR aiming to address societal challenges as outlined in the 2030 agenda for 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations. In the introduction, Prof. Jin-Guang Teng, President of PolyU, expressed appreciation for Prof. Cardwell to be speaker of PAIR’s distinguished lecture, he said, “As the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Strategy and Planning at the University of Cambridge with a wealth of valuable experience, the vision of Prof. Cardwell is not only important for Cambridge and the United Kingdom, but also for the entire world.” Prof. Cardwell began with an overview of the challenges posed to modern day universities by the breadth and diversity of international further education curricular of pre-university students in which results in evolving of the university curriculum of moving towards problem-based learning. Subsequently, Prof. Cardwell presented his views in the implications for higher education within the context of both teaching and research.  He pointed out that the key to the future of global universities would be their response to education post Covid-19, the move towards on-line and hybrid teaching and reformation of established examination and assessment processes. Universities need to place increased focus on widening participation, transferable skills in teaching and learning, partnerships with industry, and on subject-based innovation as move to an environment-led economy.  Prof. Cardwell further explained that metrics such as gender balance, ethnicity, employability, and diversity of academic content would become increasingly indicative of good university performance, the reason is universities become more selective in the range of courses that they offer.  All of these would lead to wider collaborations between universities and industries to deliver sector specific training for graduate students. To conclude, Prof. Cardwell advised that the future of global universities would be on the basis of their ability of engagement, especially in the increasingly large, collaborative international projects and talent recruitment. Besides, the reduced need for physical travel underpinned by artificial intelligence, mental health and well-being pivotal of students and staff, the ability to demonstrate diversity and quality, as well as the imminence of addressing global warming are also the major factors. The lecture was followed by a 30 minutes fruitful discussion, which was moderated by Prof. Wong Kwok-yin, Vice President (Education) and Chair Professor of Chemical Technology of PolyU, and Prof. Andrew Cohen, Director of HKUST Jockey Club Institute of Advanced Study, Lam Woo Foundation Professor and Acting Dean of Science of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.  Please click here for online review.