As a leading institution of higher education, the University of Science and Technology has dedicated itself to nurturing young talents in research in a wide range of disciplines. To arouse Physics students’ research interest during their undergraduate studies, Prof Paul Chu, President of HKUST and his wife Mrs May Chu have made a donation of HK$ 1 million to honor Physics students with outstanding research potential.

 

The Presentation Ceremony of “Paul & May Chu Research Awards for Physics Students” was held today (June 5) on HKUST campus. President Paul Chu presented cheques of HK$50,000 each to two winning students, Mr Hong Xiaoping (Year 1) and Miss Ho Cheuk Ting, Cherry (Year 3). Also present at the ceremony were Prof Roland Chin, Acting Vice-President for Academic Affairs, Prof S Y Cheng, Dean of Science, Prof Ping Sheng, Head of Department of Physics and members of the Awards Committee.

 

Speaking at the ceremony, President Paul Chu congratulated the two winning students and also gave them some advice for their future career path. “Life is about opening yourself to new experiences. Don’t be afraid to take risks. As one physicist to another, I hope that this little award will give you the extra push for a great career in Physics. I hope to see your names among great scientists one day,” President Chu said.

 

The research projects of the two winning students earned unanimous commendation from members of the Research Awards Committee made up of professors of the university’s Physics Department. Mr Hong’s research studies the optical properties of “InGaN/GaN Multiple-Quantum-Well Light Emitting Diode”. This device is highly efficient compared with other LEDs and the result can be helpful to the study of energy-saving and optical applications.

 

The other winner, Miss Cherry Ho, carries out research in the study of “Photonic Force on One Dimensional Photonic Crystal”. In her study, she believed that photonic crystal could control the flow of light while at the same time carrying energy as a force on the interface between materials with different refractive indices. Miss Ho focused on the study of how the flow of light would change the structures of the materials.

 

Prof Michael Wong, Chairman of the Research Awards Committee, said that the standard of candidates was very high, with some of the research papers even reaching postgraduate level. “I hope that the award can arouse undergraduate’s interest in conducting scientific research and help nurture talents at a younger stage,” Prof Wong said.