Professor Ady Suwardi, Vice-Chancellor Assistant Professor from Department of Electronic Engineering received the award of Innovators Under 35 Asia Pacific 2024 by MIT Technology Review. "Innovators Under 35" is a prestigious platform and program that has been identifying young talent for over 20 years. This is an annual award to young scientists and innovators across Asia-Pacific region, limited to 35 awardees under age of 35 years old. This annual selection not only celebrates these individuals’ outstanding achievements but also underscores the growing influence of Asian talent in reshaping the global tech landscape.

Professor Suwardi turned waste into treasure by recycling discarded electronic devices such as solar panels, providing novel approaches to solve energy and environmental problems and maximize economic and environmental value. His research group primarily focuses on thermoelectric materials and devices, exploring how to convert waste electronic products into useful materials and enhance the thermoelectric performance of these materials through innovative technologies. Professor Suwardi and his team have conducted extensive research in the field of thermoelectric materials, including materials synthesis, processing technologies, the physics of electronic and thermal transport, and thermoelectric devices for ambient energy harvesting.

In a previous project, Professor Suwardi’s team developed an innovative method to upcycle non-purified silicon solar cells into valuable thermoelectric materials. By introducing phosphorus and germanium doping, they successfully converted non-purified silicon into thermoelectric materials with a figure of merit zT of 0.45. This approach offers both environmental and economic value and provides a new avenue for addressing environmental and energy challenges simultaneously.

Additionally, they developed new thermoelectric materials using advanced processes like 3D printing, especially focusing on the high-performance engineering of 3D-printed porous thermoelectric materials. These practices successfully achieved environmentally friendly and efficient energy conversion.

More information: https://www.mittrchina.com/news/detail/13756

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) held the MOU signing ceremony and press conference on 9 September, announcing collaboration of an Undergraduate Dual Degree (Finance + FinTech) Programme. Witnessed by Professor Rocky Tuan, Vice-Chancellor; Professor Alan Chan, Provost; Professor Chan Wai-yee, Vice-Chancellor (Strategic Development); and Professor Xu Jianbin, Associate Dean (Mainland Affairs), Faculty of Engineering from CUHK, Mr. Ding Kuiling, President of SJTU; Mr. Liu Weidong, Vice President of SJTU; and Mr. Jiang Wenning, Secretary of the CPC SJTU ACEM Committee of Antai College of Economics and Management, Professor Tsang Hon-ki, Dean of Engineering, CUHK and Professor Liu Shaoxuan, Associate Dean of Antai College of Economics and Management and Executive Dean of SJTU-BOC Institute of Technology & Finance signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate in launch a dual degree programme.

CUHK and SJTU will join hands to offer the first dual degree programme to nurture innovative fintech professionals with a sense of social responsibility and an international perspective for the financial and technology industry. SJTU’s and CUHK's extensive industrial cooperation and rich alumni resources will provide a strong guarantee for the practicum part of the programme. Through the establishment of a financial technology practice platform, the two universities will play a role in the joint training of practice bases, helping students enter financial technology enterprises, financial institutions, science and technology enterprises, third-party financial service institutions, financial regulatory departments and other diversified fields, and provide students with various career options (such as financial analysts, financial product managers, financing consultants for science and technology enterprises, data experts, cyber security specialist, etc.).

With a good business environment and advantages in financial resources, Shanghai actively promotes research and development as well as innovative application of fintech technologies, creating a good development ecology for fintech enterprises and talents. Meanwhile, Hong Kong has made remarkable achievements in the field of financial technology in recent years. The Hong Kong government keeps an open mind to virtual assets, Web3 technology, blockchain, etc., and actively promotes the development of related technologies and applications, showing the characteristics of diversification, internationalization and innovation-driven. In the above context, SJTU and CUHK have joined hands to collaborate for undergraduate talent training, continue to promote the sharing and collaborative innovation of educational resources providing students with diversified learning and innovation space in talent training, and jointly promote the development of global financial technology.

The National Nature Science Foundation of China (NSFC) recently announced 2024 funding results. Four professors from Faculty of Engineering have obtained funding support, among which two of them have been awarded the “Excellent Young Scientists Fund”, a prestigious talent development program; and two of them receive support from the “Young Scientists Fund”. The total funding for the 4 projects amounted to RMB4.6 million. The recognition and funding these young research talents received will elevate their scientific endeavors.

The two professors receiving “Excellent Young Scientists Fund” are Professor Duan Liting, Assistant Professor from the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Professor Zhou Renjie, Associate Professor from the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Professor Duan receives the funding for her project on Synthetic Biology while Prof. Zhou receives support for his project on Quantitative Phase Microscopy and Applications.

Each of the researchers funded by the “Excellent Young Scientists Fund” will receive RMB2 million to support their research in Hong Kong for a maximum of three years. Launched in 2019, this fund supports young scientists who have demonstrated achievements in fundamental research to further pursue their chosen area, fostering intellectual development in academics.

Professor Lai Jiewen, Research Assistant Professor from the Department of Electronic Engineering and Professor Huang Chaoran, Assistant Professor from the Department of Electronic Engineering receive support from the “Young Scientists Fund”. Professor Lai’s funded project is Research on Key Technology of Coupled Tendon-driven Continuum Robots for Robot-assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery while Professor Huang’s project is Development of High-performance Optical Neural Network and its Programming Algorithm.

Each of the professors funded by the “Young Scientists Fund” will receive funding of RMB300,000 to support their projects for three years. The fund started accepting applications from Hong Kong researchers in 2022. It supports young scholars in conducting fundamental research in their domains, enhancing their ability to undertake innovative projects independently and nurturing the growth of young scientists.

More details: https://www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk/en/press/25-cuhk-professors-receive-funding-support-from-national-natural-science-foundation-of-china-worth-over-rmb41-million-in-total/

The robotics team from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) representing Hong Kong won the championship at the recent Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union’s Asia-Pacific Robot Contest 2024 (ABU Robocon 2024). The CUHK team was crowned champion after beating 12 teams from 11 countries and regions, including mainland China, Japan, India, Malaysia and Vietnam. It was the third time the CUHK team has clinched the championship title, following its successes in 2019 and 2022. The team’s stellar performance is another testament to CUHK’s world-class excellence in robotics and innovative education on an international stage.

The ABU Robocon 2024 took place in Quang Ninh, Vietnam. The CUHK robotics team named “Wonder Seed”, comprised of 36 students from the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Medicine. The Team was selected to represent Hong Kong in the ABU Robocon after winning the Robocon 2024 Hong Kong Contest organised by the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP). Since the inception of ABU Robocon in 2002, CUHK robotics team has advanced to international finals seven times (2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024). In 2019, they made history as the first Hong Kong team to win the championship, following that up with another victory in 2022.

The theme of this year’s competition, “Harvest Day”, drew inspiration from the terraced fields of Vietnam. Participating teams were required to design and manufacture both manual and fully automated robots, as well as employ machine learning models, to complete the task of harvesting rice. Despite intense competition, the CUHK team defeated other excellent teams to claim the win.

Professor Tsang Hon-ki, CUHK’s Dean of Engineering, congratulated the team for their victory and said: “CUHK’s Faculty of Engineering consistently encourages students to apply their theoretical knowledge in practice settings. This year’s contest, with its focus on artificial intelligence, tested students’ abilities to coordinate robot applications. The CUHK team successfully stood out among the international academic elites, showcasing not only their commitment to academic excellence but also their capability to adapt to societal development. I take pride in their achievements and look forward to their continued pursuit of excellence and greater contributions to society.”

Professor Philip Chiu Wai-yan, CUHK’s Dean of Medicine, said: “CUHK’s Faculty of Medicine encourages multi-disciplinary collaboration in medical education and research. Medical-engineering collaboration is playing a vital role in shaping the future of medical innovation and development. We have been working closely with the Faculty of Engineering to conduct medical robotics research. My hearty congratulations to the CUHK medicine and engineering team for their impressive results in the contest. We encourage students to build up team spirit, seek innovation and breakthroughs in various academic and research fields, and leverage technological advancements for the betterment of humankind.” 

The CUHK team leveraged computer vision and artificial intelligence this year, significantly boosting the precision and reliability of their robots. Team members swiftly collected and annotated over 10,000 photos on the day before the contest. This data was promptly utilised to refine the AI model, providing on-the-fly improvements to the automation algorithm. Mr Billy Yip Chun-wa, the team leader and alumnus of CUHK’s Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, brought a wealth of experience to his seventh captaincy at ABU Robocon this year. He attributed the victory to their unity and efforts in overcoming various challenges. He said: “The theme of the contest presented exceptional challenges, with intense competition from other teams. Thanks to the CUHK team’s years of technical inheritance and experience sharing, coupled with our collective efforts, we strived to do our best in every detail. We consistently delivered our best and stable performance, earning us the Grand Prix this year.”

Mr Albert Wong, CEO of the Hong Kong Science Park Corporation, congratulated the champion team on their exceptional performance, which showcased the limitless possibilities of Hong Kong’s young generation in the I&T sector. “The CUHK robotics team brought honour to Hong Kong on the international stage with their outstanding robotics technology and strategy,” he said. “HKSTP is committed to promoting the city’s I&T development and nurturing talent. We will continue to provide more opportunities and support for the next generation through a series of talent initiatives, helping them unleash their potential and strengthening Hong Kong’s I&T ecosystem together.”

As a member of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union, RTHK extended its congratulations to the CUHK robotics team. Mr Ricky Lee, Controller (TV) of RTHK, said: “Once again, in this competition, Hong Kong’s youth demonstrated immense potential in advanced technologies. RTHK and HKSTP earlier successfully bid to host this international event in 2026, when teams from all over the Asia Pacific region will gather in Hong Kong to compete. It will help inspire the next generation of I&T talent, local and overseas, to fulfil their AI ambitions in Hong Kong, and boost the city’s standing as a hub for world-class AI and broader I&T development. In addition, RTHK’s production team recorded highlights of this year’s competition, which will be aired on RTHK TV31 in September.”

ABU Robocon is an international competition organised by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union. The purpose is to facilitate the exchange of engineering and computer technology experiences and skills among the youth in the Asia-Pacific region, and improve skills through competition. Robocon Hong Kong contest is organised by the HKSTP, with RTHK as the collaborative advisor. The winner of the Hong Kong contest will represent Hong Kong in ABU Robocon.

Chinese version:  Microsoft Word - 20240901 press release Robocon 2024_chi 2 (cuhk.edu.hk)