Activity Review | The 2018 Distinguished Chinese Scientists Lecture Series
After the Shaw Prize Public Forum held at the end of this September, Shaw College once again set off for Hong Kong. On the morning of November 2nd, Prof. Janny Leung, Master of Shaw College, led more than twenty staff and students from different colleges and schools heading to the Hong Kong Science Museum to attend the 2018 Distinguished Chinese Scientists Lecture Series.
The double-decker bus flew down the freeway, and the towering skyscrapers came into our view. Students who had never been to Hong Kong before excitedly stared at this strange land.
At noon, the Shaw squad arrived at Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. Shaw College had prepared delicious refreshments for attendees at a Chaozhou restaurant. Prof. Leung enthusiastically greeted everyone and personally picked up food for the students.
The participating Students completely enjoyed the delicious Cantonese-style Dim Sum while chatting with Prof. Leung. Apart from the curiosity and excitement of the first arrival in Hong Kong, they were also surrounded by the warmth of the great Shaw family.
Shortly after lunch, the organiser of the lecture specially invited Shaw squad to visit their recent exhibitions for free. The exhibition topics comprise Magnetics and Electricity, Mathematics, Life Science, Biodiversity, Environmental Protection, etc. As soon as the students entered the colorful and technological world, they were dazzled and attracted by a variety of exhibits. Some of them cannot wait to do the experiment in front of exhibition booths.
With all sorts of high-tech products around, many students felt amazed; exclamations such as “How could this happen?” were everywhere.
All Sorts of High-Tech Products
At 14:30, the long-expected lecture officially began. The first speaker was Prof. Rocky S Tuan, the president of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Prof. Tuan used a number of vivid and lucid metaphors to explain the prospect of regenerative medicine technology as well as the confronting challenges.
Prof. Tuan’s powerful and humorous speech kept the audience laughing. He said: “Previously, the University of Pittsburgh possessed high research level on regenerative medicine, and it because I was there. Now the technology of the Chinese University of Hong Kong will definitely be prior to them, because I am here now.”
The second speaker was Zhong Nanshan, a reputable academician who was the leader fighting against virus such as SARS and H7N9. He presented his viewpoints about the approach of improving young people’s innovative quality as an experienced senior, which was exactly one of the major focus of our university while cultivating students.
Mr. Zhong is over 80 years old now; yet after decades of exercises, his voice is still as sound as a bell, and his speech showed clear thinking as well as great humor. During the speech, he reviewed the experiences when they kept fighting against SARS in 2003 day and night and finally conquered it. Hearing his speech, the audiences developed huge admiration and reverence for their contribution.
The third speaker was Tan Tieniu, an AI expert scientist and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He focused on the topic of “Is Artificial Intelligence an Angel or a Devil?” and presented many new techniques such as dancing robots and face recognition systems to the audiences. His demonstration broadened the audience’s horizon.
During the lecture, all three outstanding scientists mentioned the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (‘GBA’). They firmly believed that the Greater Bay Area had a promising future, and appealed to the young attendees that we should work hard and play to our strengths on construction of the Greater Bay Area.
A group photo of our students and staff, as well as Prof. Tuan from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
At 18:30, the 2018 Distinguished Chinese Scientists Lecture Series came to an end. All the students safely returned to the Shenzhen campus with the guidance of Shaw staff.
