KE Spotlight
Filter
-
HKU astronomers promote stargazing manners and dark sky conservation
The HKU Physics Department has been conducting comprehensive research on the light pollution conditions all around Hong Kong for over a decade through the Hong Kong Night Sky Brightness Monitoring Network. Results from the Monitoring Network clearly indicate light pollution is serious in Hong Kong, and the actual number of meteors observable is closely related to the level of light pollution: the more serious the light pollution is, the smaller the numbers of stars and meteors observable. The measured night sky brightness data collected also allows for more realistic estimates of the number of meteors observable. To promote dark sky preservation, the Department is launching the “Be a responsible stargazer • Enjoy the meteor shower” Campaign to encourage the adoption of proper stargazing manners, and to promote reducing light pollution. The Department has also prepared a series of educational infographics for non-experts on meteor showers and dark sky preservation and it is available for free at the public website: http://nightsky.physics.hku.hk/KE/201718/.
Read More -
HKU Professor Kenneth Leung conferred fellowship by Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
Professor Kenneth Leung Mei-yee of the Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences of HKU was conferred as a Fellow of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) in recognition of his contributions to ecotoxicology, environmental chemistry, risk assessment and/or life cycle assessment. There are only 57 SETAC Fellows around the world.
Read More -
HKU Professor Kenneth Leung awarded Biwako Prize for Ecology by the Ecological Society of Japan
Professor Kenneth Leung Mei-yee of the HKU Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences was awarded the 19th Biwako Prize for Ecology jointly by the Government of Shiga Prefecture and the Ecological Society of Japan. The award is presented to outstanding ecologists under the age of 50 who have made academically and socially significant achievements in the field of aquatic ecology in Asia, and demonstrated great potential to become central figures in ecology. Professor Leung developed a novel approach called the field-based species sensitivity distribution (f-SSD), which has been adopted by other countries in their guidelines on sediment quality, water quality standards for metals, and freshwater quality criteria for nutrients and conductivity. He devotes his time and effort to various community services, especially in environmental protection and biodiversity conservation, and has also made contributions to the development of marine water quality objectives in Hong Kong.
Read More -
Knowledge Exchange Awards 2017
The annual Faculty Knowledge Exchange (KE) Awards recognise each Faculty’s outstanding KE accomplishment that has made demonstrable economic, social or cultural impacts to benefit the community, business/industry, or partner organisations. Results of the 2017 Faculty KE Awards are now available.
Read More -
HKU partners with Cyberport to set up digital tech entrepreneurship platform to support start-ups
HKU and Hong Kong Cyberport signed a memorandum of understanding to set up the HKU x Cyberport Digital Tech Entrepreneurship Platform to provide support to digital tech start-ups spanning the aspects of human capital, innovation and technologies, entrepreneurship, and legal and business expertise. At the launch of HKU's FinTech Nucleus at Cyberport, SHIELD, a cyber security technology developed by the HKU Center for Information Security and Cryptography was showcased. A portfolio optimisation software "PORTimizer®" and MPF mobile app "MPF Optimal Allocation" developed by the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science was also demonstrated.
Read More -
HKU and Kyoto U reveal a new strategy to enhance the efficiency of cereal straw for biofuel production
Researchers from HKU and Kyoto University (Kyoto U) revealed a new strategy to allow cellulose in rice straw to release its fermentable sugar more efficiently. Currently, expensive and complicated procedures are required to loosen lignin, a complex polymer which provides mechanical strength and structural integrity in plants, in order to utilise cellulose more efficiently during the production of bioethanol. According to the findings by HKU plant biochemists Dr Clive Lo Sze-chung and Dr Lydia Lam Pui-ying and Kyoto U lignin specialist Dr Yuki Tobimatsu, when flavone synthase II (FNSII), a key enzyme involved in tricin synthesis was knocked out, the lignin content in rice straw was reduced by approximately one-third, the yield of glucose from cellulose degradation was increased by 37% without any chemical treatment. In other words, the efficiency of ethanol production can be enhanced at a lower treatment cost for lignin.
Read More -
HKU Stephen Hui Geological Museum holds exhibition on private mineral collections in Hong Kong
The HKU Stephen Hui Geological Museum will hold in collaboration with the Mineralogy Society of Hong Kong a "Mineral Collections in Hong Kong" exhibition from March 3 to August 31, to showcase over 200 precious minerals from 18 private collectors in Hong Kong. The exhibits include one of the best gemmy single crystals of Tanzanite from Merelani Mine, a very rare large gem quality Aquamarine on Albite with large fluid inclusions from Balochi, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, and a 18 cm large gemmy Rhodochrosite on Quartz from the famous Sweet Home Mine in Colorado, U.S.A.. The mineral display cabinet of the late Dr Stephen Hui Sze-fun with a selection from his private collection is also included.
Read More