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Year: 2024

UTAR’s Lake 5 transformed into a hub for sustainable aquaculture

Posted on by Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR)

Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) is committed to sustainability, aligning its efforts with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They aim to help young people and local communities gain skills for sustainable food production and environmental conservation. A recent project at UTAR is transforming Lake 5, located at their Kampar campus, into a fish farm to address food security issues and environmental threats, such as water pollution and rising production costs in aquaculture. This project is a collaborative effort between UTAR’s Faculty of Science and PNT Gading Enterprise, with the goal of promoting sustainable fish farming.

The project uses natural water bodies, such as old ponds and lakes left over from Kampar’s tin-mining days. These ponds, now unused, can support sustainable fish farming. The researchers of UTAR Faculty of Science (FSc) Assoc Prof Dr Wong Wey Lim, Ts Dr Teoh Chaiw Yee, and Dr Ooi Ai Lin are currently in the progress of revitalising abandoned ponds and lakes around
Kampar.

Dr. Wong, the aquaculture project leader, explains that if left untended, these lakes would lose their natural ecosystems, dry up, and be useless for agriculture. Transforming Lake 5 helps prevent these environmental losses, providing high-quality proteins sustainably. Previously, UTAR converted another lake, Lake K11, into a model site for educational and community purposes, showing how abandoned water bodies can be revived for sustainable
use.

In this project, the team converted Lake 5 into a fish farm with industry partner PNT Gading Enterprise, marking UTAR’s first university-industry collaboration for aquaculture. PNT Gading Enterprise manages the pond’s upkeep and fish cultivation, while UTAR’s research team monitors lake conditions, providing guidance to ensure sustainable practices. The lake is used to raise freshwater fish like Milkfish, Patin, and Carps. They
use the lake’s natural resources—water, space, and nutrients—to support a balanced
ecosystem where fish can thrive without extra nutrients that harm water quality.

Dr. Wong’s team integrates the lake’s microorganisms, like plankton, as a natural food source for the fish, which also helps reduce excess nutrients in the water, keeping the ecosystem healthy. Beyond being a fish farm, Lake 5 serves as a research hub where UTAR students gain hands-on experience in sustainable aquaculture, water management, and ecosystem balance. Students monitor water quality and fish health, analyzing data for research on aquaculture and food security.

However, managing a natural fish farm has challenges, especially during Malaysia’s rainy seasons, which can disrupt feeding and lower water quality by introducing sediments and pollutants into the lake. Prolonged rain affects water’s dissolved oxygen, pH, and nutrient balance, adding stress
to the fish.

This project not only supports food sustainability but also enhances UTAR’s goal of using natural resources responsibly. Lake 5’s transformation was part of a Knowledge Transfer Programme (KTP), reflecting the Malaysian community’s commitment to sustainable practices. The Lake 5 project is a big step in UTAR’s mission to unite academic knowledge and industry expertise for a sustainable future, ensuring food security and protecting
natural resources for future generations.

NTU partners with Namibia and Harvard to combat tuberculosis with Acer Foundation’s support

Posted on by National Taiwan University

Professor Hsien-Ho Lin, Director of the Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine at National Taiwan University’s College of Public Health, is leading a collaborative tuberculosis prevention project with the University of Namibia, Namibia’s Ministry of Health, and Harvard Medical School. The project, aimed at reducing the spread and economic burden of tuberculosis (TB), has received generous support from the Acer Foundation, which donated 300 tablets to assist with economic burden surveys and enhance local public health strategies, aligning with the goals of University Social Responsibility (USR).

Tuberculosis remains one of the world’s most serious infectious diseases, particularly in developing countries. While effective drug treatment can cure nearly 100% of cases, failure to diagnose and treat the disease in time can lead to a 50% mortality rate within three years. Namibia, classified by the World Health Organization as a high TB burden country, ranks ninth globally in TB incidence, with approximately 460 cases per 100,000 people annually—a rate 16 times higher than that of Taiwan.

The international team is currently working on the project “Hotspots, Hospitals, and Households: Enhanced Case Finding of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Namibia” (H3TB). This initiative focuses on proactive TB screening among household contacts of drug-resistant TB patients, hospital visitors, and members of community hotspot areas, aiming to identify and treat cases early, break transmission chains, improve treatment outcomes, and reduce the economic burden on affected families.

To assess the economic impact of proactive TB screening, the team will conduct a household TB burden survey to determine whether the intervention reduces the incidence of catastrophic economic hardship. In Namibia, where transportation is often difficult, these tablets with communication capabilities will greatly improve the efficiency of the survey and are expected to enhance TB control efforts.

On August 23, 2024, Acer Foundation CEO Jensen Kuo and Acer\’s Director of Tablet Computing, Chiang-Tsun Chen, visited NTU, where they were hosted by Dean Shou-Hsia Cheng and Director Lin. The meeting deepened mutual understanding and provided an opportunity for the Acer Foundation to learn more about the importance of public health and global health initiatives, with discussions on future collaborative opportunities.

The Acer Foundation’s commitment to social responsibility and significant contributions to global health and sustainable development goals are deeply appreciated. This partnership has opened new avenues for dialogue, and both parties look forward to further interdisciplinary collaboration and research.

Leveraging machine learning to find promising compositions for sodium-ion batteries

Posted on by Tokyo University of Science

Sodium-containing transition-metal layered oxides are promising electrode materials for sodium-ion batteries, a potential alternative to lithium-ion batteries. However, the vast number of possible elemental compositions for their electrodes makes identifying optimal compositions challenging. In a recent study, researchers from Japan leveraged extensive experimental data and machine learning to predict the optimal composition of sodium-ion batteries. Their approach could help reduce time and resources needed during exploratory research, speeding up the transition to renewable energy.

Energy storage is an essential part of many rapidly growing sustainable technologies, including electric cars and renewable energy generation. Although lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) dominate the current market, lithium is a relatively scarce and expensive element, creating both economic and supply stability challenges. Accordingly, researchers all over the world are experimenting with new types of batteries made from more abundant
materials.

Sodium-ion (Na-ion) batteries which use sodium ions as energy carriers present a promising alternative to LIBs owing to the abundance of sodium, their higher safety, and potentially lower cost. In particular, sodium-containing transition-metal layered oxides (NaMeO2) are powerful materials for the positive electrode of Na-ion batteries, offering
exceptional energy density and capacity. However, for multi-element layered oxides composed of several transition metals, the sheer number of possible combinations makes finding the optimal composition both complex and time-consuming. Even minor changes in the selection and proportion of transition metals can bring about marked changes in crystal morphology and affect battery performance.

Now, in a recent study, a research team led by Professor Shinichi Komaba, along with Ms. Saaya Sekine and Dr. Tomooki Hosaka from Tokyo University of Science (TUS), Japan, and from Chalmers University of Technology, and Professor Masanobu Nakayama from Nagoya Institute of Technology, leveraged machine learning to streamline the search for promising compositions. The findings of their study were received on September 05, 2024, with uncorrected proofs and published online in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A on November 06, 2024, after
proofreading. This research study is supported by funding agencies JST-CREST, DX-GEM, and JST-GteX.

The team sought to automate the screening of elemental compositions in various NaMeO2 O3-type materials. To this end, they first assembled a database of 100 samples from O3-type sodium half-cells with 68 different compositions, gathered over the course of 11 years by Komaba’s group. “The database included the composition of NaMeO2 samples, with Me being a transition metal like Mn, Ti, Zn, Ni, Zn, Fe, and Sn, among others, as well as the upper and lower voltage limits of charge-discharge tests, initial discharge capacity, average discharge voltage, and capacity retention after 20 cycles,” explains Komaba.

The researchers then used this database to train a model incorporating several machine learning algorithms, as well as Bayesian optimization, to perform an efficient search. The goal of this model was to learn how properties like operating voltage, capacity retention (lifetime), and energy density are related to the composition of NaMeO2 layered
oxides, and to predict the optimal ratio of elements needed to achieve a desired balance between these properties.

After analyzing the results, the team found that the model predicted Na[Mn0.36Ni0.44Ti0.15Fe0.05]O2 to be the optimal composition to achieve the highest energy density, which is one of the most important characteristics in electrode materials. To verify the accuracy of the model’s prediction, they synthesized samples with this composition and assembled standard coin cells to run charge-discharge tests.

The measured values were, for the most part, consistent with the predicted ones, highlighting the accuracy of the model and its potential for exploring new battery materials. “The approach established in our study offers an efficient method to identify promising compositions from a wide range of potential candidates,” remarks Komaba, “Moreover, this methodology is extendable to more complex material systems, such as quinary transition metal oxides.”

Using machine learning to identify promising research avenues is a growing trend in materials science, as it can help scientists greatly reduce the number of experiments and time required for screening new materials. The strategy presented in this study could accelerate the development of next-generation batteries, which have the potential to
revolutionize energy storage technologies across the board. This includes not only renewable energy generation and electric or hybrid vehicles but also consumer electronics such as laptops and smartphones. Moreover, successful applications of machine learning in battery research can serve as a template for material development in other fields, potentially accelerating innovation across the broader materials science landscape.

“The number of experiments can be reduced by using machine learning, which brings us one step closer to speeding up and lowering the cost of materials development. Furthermore, as the performance of electrode materials for Na-ion batteries continues to improve, it is expected that high-capacity and long-life batteries will become available at lower cost in the future,” concludes Komaba.

 

49 EdUHK scholars named world’s top 2% scientists by Stanford University

Posted on by eduhk

The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) is excited to share that 49 of its scholars have been listed among the World’s Top 2% Most-cited Scientists in the 2024 rankings published by Stanford University. This marks an increase from 38 scholars last year, reflecting the global recognition of its academic excellence and impactful research.

Our scholars span a wide range of subject disciplines within and beyond Education, totaling 17 different fields. The latest rankings not only underscore the University’s established leadership in Education but also reflect our ongoing efforts to build capacity in emerging fields such as Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing, Environmental Sciences, and Languages & Linguistics.

Through our Education Futures interdisciplinary approach, EdUHK aims to maximise the impact and reach of its scholars’ research and innovations. Recent advancements in our research infrastructure include the launch of two new university-level research facilities, the University Research Facility of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (UDSAI) and the University Research Facility of Human Behavioural Neuroscience (UHBN), both established in 2023. These state-of-the-art technological platforms have been created to support our researchers in interdisciplinary research.

To further strengthen our specialised research programmes, nine multidisciplinary strategic research clusters have been formed since 2021/22. With support from the University, these clusters target tackling significant real world issues, extending their impact to diverse beneficiaries and contributing to the University’s overall research excellence.

In addition, EdUHK has made significant strides in knowledge transfer, achieving 32 prestigious international innovation awards in 2024. The University’s patent portfolio encompasses diverse fields such as EdTech, HealthTech, microelectronics, AI models, and neurosciences. These innovations offer practical, affordable and sustainable solutions that address societal needs.

At EdUHK, our researchers are dedicated to addressing real world challenges and making a positive impact on society. The University values diverse research outputs including journal papers, books and creative works, as well as knowledge transfer activities and contributions to policy formation, scholarship of teaching and learning and educational innovation. We are also deeply committed to quality education and teacher education, emphasising the importance of enhancing educational standards.

The Stanford research team compiles the ranking list based on career-long citation impact and single-year citation impact of top scientists in various fields with data updated to the end of 2023. The result reflects the global influence of EdUHK scholars across a wide range of research fields.

Thammasat University promotes adolescent well-being, easing the teenage burden

Posted on by Editorial Team

Universities have a responsibility beyond academics to support the overall well-being of their students. By creating supportive environments and mechanisms that foster well-being, institutions can help address the challenges and anxieties faced by young generations.

To address the growing mental health concerns among students, Thammasat University has launched the “Thammasat Well Being Center.” This initiative includes monitoring student well-being, with data revealing that one in three students experience stress and are at risk of depression during exams, particularly first-year students. The center offers proactive support through the ‘TU Future Wellness’ app, integrated into the university’s Super App, TU GREATS, providing convenient access to physical and mental health services. Additionally, a Health Profile database will be created to track the overall well-being of the Thammasat community.

Thammasat Well Being Center is the central hub for comprehensive health services, divided into the following areas:

1. Physical health care, which includes the presence of nursing staff at the center, as well as the support of physicians for specific cases. Additionally, a Virtual Clinic service is provided in collaboration with Thammasat University Hospital, enabling students and staff to consult with doctors online. This service is available to all students and personnel at Tha Prachan, Rangsit, Lampang, and Pattaya campuses.

2. Mental health care, with the assessment and screening through the TU Future Wellness application, as well as having a psychologist stationed at the center. Students can make appointments from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM. During off-hours, an outsourced team will be available to provide telephone support. All staff members will be part of a network of Thammasat University alumni, and in urgent cases, there will be a rapid response unit ready to provide immediate assistance.

As the working world demands skills that extend beyond classroom knowledge, the Thammasat University Cooperative Education and Employment Center, or TUCEEC, has been established to prepare and enhance students’ real-world work capabilities, as well as to develop new skills for alumni.

Thammasat University aims to support its graduates in securing employment at a rate of 100%. Consequently, the university has established the TUCEEC to connect Thammasat with the business and industrial sectors. This initiative will oversee job matching, up-skilling, and re-skilling, and importantly, it will create a “Data Center” through an application that will compile students’ information and competencies in a portfolio format for employers to review. Simultaneously, it will also include data from various companies that are hiring, offering internships, and outlining other requirements for students to consider.

The evolution of interdisciplinary learning

Posted on by Laura Lightfinch

Interdisciplinary learning has emerged as a vital approach to addressing both the complexity of modern world challenges and the need to equip students with versatile skills for the future.

Encouraging students to work across multidisciplinary teams and synthesize information from various fields of study enables complex problem-solving, teamwork, creativity and innovation – four skills that higher education and industry leaders say are vital for the future changemaker’s toolkit.

“There is not a single challenge today that is mono-disciplinary,” said Jason Blackstock, CEO and Founder of How to Change the World. “They are all highly intercultural, interdisciplinary and we cannot be the expert in everything.”

Speaking at the QS Higher Ed Summit: Europe 2024, he added: “The world is a lab right now and we have to prepare people to go into it with the mentality, resilience and motivation to keep experimenting.”

Industry demands: why interdisciplinary skills matter

Interdisciplinary learning was a key theme across the QS Higher Ed Summit: Europe 2024, as many higher education leaders spoke about the importance of interconnectedness in the face of complex multidisciplinary challenges and providing students with the internships and work experiences to understand how teamwork plays a key role in problem-solving.

Martín Serrano, QS Director of Employability and Co-Founder of QS 1Mentor, said: “Work experience and internship opportunities are often the first time that students realize the interdisciplinary nature of work. A student from a finance background suddenly sees they have to work closely with the marketing team or the HR team, and so providing experiences for students to practice interdisciplinary working takes down those barriers of learning.”

Across the global higher education sector, discussions are beginning to shape the prioritisation of interdisciplinary teaching and learning, and a strengthening of experiential learning by moving beyond disciplinary silos.

Student perspectives on collaboration

Today’s youth are more siloed than previous generations due to online echo chambers and algorithms, making them more likely to build communities based on shared interests and less likely to be exposed to diverse perspectives and experiences. However, they are keen to get involved in solving multidisciplinary problems, illustrating a growing gap to be addressed.

Mack Marshall, Wonkhe SU’s Community and Policy Officer, and Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe, looked to incoming student union leaders’ manifestos to better understand the challenges facing the wider student body.

Student union leaders’ manifestos highlight key areas of concern for students, by including intentions to make change within the areas students care about most. Manifestos from student leaders in the UK suggest that students want ‘more opportunities to come together outside of their immediate characteristics or course groups,’ with one manifesto including a motive to re-introduce a collaborative platform which allowed students from across the university to find others for interdisciplinary projects.

Read the full article on QS Insights Magazine.

Advanced particle therapy centre for cancer treatment: the future for the Baltics?

Posted on by KTU

The increasing number of cancer cases worldwide raises the need for more advanced treatment options. As an alternative to radiotherapy, particle therapy is used in over 30 European treatment centres; however, it is not yet available in the Baltics. Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, in collaboration with CERN, are working on an ambitious, though still distant, goal of establishing an Advanced Particle
Therapy Centre for the Baltic States, which would use a helium-4 synchrotron, currently being developed at CERN.

2018 marked Lithuania’s accession to the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) as an Associate Member and the beginning of the CERN Baltic Group (CBG). Bringing together 14 universities and research institutions from Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, CBG aims to
develop high-energy physics and accelerator technologies in the Baltic region. One of the goals of CBG is also to establish a leading particle therapy centre in the region.

“We created the CERN Baltic Group with a single idea to speak in one voice with CERN,” said Professor Toms Torims, opening a CBG stakeholder meeting at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) Santaka Valley on the 23rd of September. “In science, we usually compete –
between countries, between institutions, even between departments within the same university. But we, as countries, are too small at the international level to be heard separately; so, this group is about working together towards common goals, one of them being this particle therapy centre in our region,” emphasised the professor at Riga Technical University (RTU) and convener of CERN Baltic Group’s
Working Group regarding the initiative.

At the recent meeting with stakeholders in Kaunas, representatives of CERN Baltic Group from KTU and RTU presented the potential concept of the particle therapy centre. Scientific and medical community members, a representative of CERN, representatives of Vilnius University, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, National Cancer Institute, advisors from three ministries of Lithuania, and the Innovation
Agency of Lithuania agreed that this project is a chance for the region that cannot be missed. At the same time, it is also a challenge that needs to answer many questions about the region’s ability to make it happen.

Evolution in cancer treatment

Radiotherapy is a common cancer treatment method, but it does also, to a certain extent, affect healthy cells due to the characteristics of the used gamma and X-rays. Particle therapy, on the other hand, offers a more precise and localised delivery by using high-energy proton or ion beams – an effective alternative with fewer side effects in certain cancer types.

The key to particle therapy’s effectiveness is the “Bragg peak,” a term known in particle physics, which allows charged particles, such as protons or carbon ions, to release most of their energy at a specific depth inside the tissue; therefore, allowing more precise tumour targeting with the minimal radiation dose on surrounding organs.

More than 30 centres in Europe already use particle therapy, but the Baltics is one of the few regions in Europe without this technology.

“We indeed have some of the most state-of-the-art conventional radiotherapy facilities, but particle therapy is the next step in cancer treatment. It will not replace radiotherapy but will expand its possibilities. When the tumour is close to vital organs, such as in the head or neck, also in paediatrics or recurrent cancer treatment, it is probably the most optimal therapy,” explained Kristaps
Palskis, a researcher at Riga Technical University and a member of the working group of the Baltic Particle Therapy Centre.

Helium-ion synchrotron, the latest technology being developed at CERN, could be used in the Baltic Particle Therapy Centre. This technology, as Palskis said, would be the optimal choice for our region: helium ion therapy is more precise than proton therapy
but much cheaper than carbon. In addition, this synchrotron could be used not only for treatment but also for nuclear medicine and research, starting with unconventional radioisotope production and, in the longer term, for proton or helium-ion therapy.

“Helium ions are one of the future trends of particle therapy,” added Prof. Torims, “and we could be the first to implement it.”

The chance to become a “mini-CERN”

Although the proposed particle therapy centre would perform clinical functions, CBG members stressed that it would primarily serve as a research facility. According to Dr. Brigita Abakevičienė, Chairperson of the CERN Baltic Group and Associate Professor at KTU, having access to a non-commercial, top-class particle synchrotron developed using CERN technology would significantly contribute to developing
critical research areas in the region and enhance study competitiveness in these fields.

“One of our group’s main objectives is to develop an international, multidisciplinary master’s degree programme in high-energy physics and accelerator technology. As universities, we are nurturing the future generation of scientists, and we must agree not only on how we train them for future priority areas but also on how we create those future job positions in our region,” emphasised Dr Abakevičienė.

RTU professor Toms Torims added that utilising a particle synchrotron based on CERN technology would also open even more opportunities for direct collaborations with CERN. The centre’s research scope could range from clinical studies, necessary for developing treatment methods, to fields not directly related to cancer treatment, including radiation chemistry, particle physics, accelerator physics, and more. This, in turn, would not only help strengthen the region’s scientific edge but also contribute to economic growth.

“It is about the competitiveness of the region in the science market. It’s about the opportunity to offer the best to our scientists and not only to avoid the brain drain but also to attract talents from other regions,” said Prof. Torims.

If a centre was established in the Baltics, experts estimated it could achieve its full functionality in 15-20 years. However, Mr. Palskis noted that initial research work could begin in about eight years, starting with radioisotope research, then progressing to proton therapy and, ultimately, helium therapy. However, CBG stressed that, at least for now, the Baltic Particle Therapy Centre is only
an ambitious goal, and only a comprehensive feasibility study can ground its potential in our region.

Many open questions remain

Two years ago, initial discussions about establishing a particle therapy centre in the Baltics raised an important question: was the demand for such treatment big enough in the region? In 2020, about one-third of cancer patients in the Baltic States received radiotherapy, and preliminary estimates suggest that between 200 and 2,000 of these patients could potentially benefit from particle therapy
annually.

“These figures correlate with the experience in European particle therapy centres. On average, particle therapy centres in different countries provide treatment to 223 adults and 150 children per year. Therefore, it seems we can consider the potential of
such a centre in our region,” said Palskis.

However, the CBG working group emphasised that more precise data will only be available after a comprehensive feasibility study assessing the clinical, economic, and technological viability as well as the most suitable city to build the centre in. Currently, the main candidates are the two largest cities of Lithuania and Estonia: Vilnius, Kaunas, Tallin, and Tartu, as well as Latvia’s capital Riga. If
conditions are favourable, this study could begin as early as next year and take two years to complete.

“It may seem like a slow process, but with a project this large, we must think ahead and find answers to all the questions. These answers will not be the final decision on whether to build the centre or not. However, our findings will be crucial for decision-makers. They will help determine if we can afford the project, and if we cannot financially, what the alternatives could be. Perhaps giving up some of the functions of the centre but still bringing benefits to the Baltic region,” said Palskis.

The Proposal for Feasibility Study will be discussed on October 17–18 at the 14th CERN Baltic Group General Meeting in Tallinn, Estonia.

EdUHK holds launching ceremony of Artificial Intelligence Research and Education Alliance

Posted on by eduhk

The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) held an AI and Education Forum cum Launching Ceremony of Artificial Intelligence Research and Education Alliance (AIREA) on 16 September. In response to the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across various sectors, EdUHK has established AIREA by collaborating with experts and professionals from renowned universities, research centres, and industry entities worldwide. Its aim is to enhance global collaboration on research, drive innovation, and advance AI technologies in the education sector, fostering a more inclusive and responsible AI research and education ecosystem.

The launching ceremony of AIREA was officiated by EdUHK President Professor John Lee Chi-Kin, Vice President (Academic) Professor May Cheng May-hung, Professor Xu Guandong, Director of Centre for Learning, Teaching, and Technology (LTTC) and the Director of University Research Facility of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (UDSAI), senior management of EdUHK and distinguished guest speakers.

In his welcoming address, Professor Lee pointed out the importance of developing AI in the field of education, as its application has become widespread in society. The University aims to prepare future educators who can adapt to the evolving demands of industry, embracing cutting-edge tools while remaining mindful of the ethical implications and traditional virtues that ground the educators’ work. He also stated that the most important requirements for developing AI were facilities with computing power, high-quality data, and experts proficient in the field of AI. “Establishing AIREA is just the beginning, EdUHK is determined to continue integrating AI into educational applications, bringing greater impact to the development of the country and the Hong Kong SAR,” said Professor Lee.

Professor Cheng highlighted the University’s various initiatives to leverage innovative technologies, including establishing the Large Language Model Studio (LLM Studio) to create in-house AI tools, benefitting both students and teachers. “We will continue to explore more innovative measures to ensure EdUHK remains at the forefront of educational innovation while upholding the highest standards of academic quality and integrity.” she remarked.

Professor Xu extended his gratitude to all participants for supporting this initiative. He emphasised that the establishment of AIREA marked a significant milestone in the development of AI education. He believes that creating a collaborative platform is crucial for fostering innovative thinking and providing solutions to the challenges and opportunities faced in the education sector. Professor Xu sincerely invited all distinguished guests to join AIREA and become part of the effort to advance AI education and research.

On the same day, AIREA held a forum on AI and education, which included three talks hosted by distinguished scholars. The lectures were given by Professor Lionel Ni Ming-shuan, Founding President of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) and Chair Professor of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at HKUST, Professor Zhang Min, Professor of the Department of Computer Science and Technology at Tsinghua University, and Professor Gong Zhiguo, Head of the Department of Computer and Information Science at University of Macau. Additionally, a panel discussion entitled ‘Navigating AI in Education: Opportunities and Challenges’ was held to explore the role of AI in education.

With the rapid development of AI, its impact on issues such as professional ethics and morality, data privacy, and the well-being of students and teachers has become increasingly concerning. Through AIREA, EdUHK aims to establish a platform for collaboration and knowledge-sharing, bringing the best together from academia, industry and practitioners to further promote the application and development of AI in the field of education. AIREA will organise more forums, workshops, and seminars, featuring the most innovative minds in the educational landscape to explore the boundless potential of AI in education.

Singapore Management University jumps from #4 to #2 in Software Engineering for 2023 in CSRankings

Posted on by Singapore Management University

Singapore Management University (SMU) has risen to #2 in Software Engineering for 2023 –up two places from the previous year in the influential CSRankings. CSRankings is a metrics-based ranking of top Computer Science (CS) institutions around the world, which evaluates academics by their publications at top research conferences in a CS field. It is a key resource for graduate students globally to evaluate schools and find active researchers in Computer Science.

SMU is the only university from Singapore to be ranked among the top 10 in CSRankings 2023 list, and it is home to the country’s only research centre dedicated to Software Engineering: the Centre for Research in Intelligent Software Engineering (RISE). This
achievement reflects SMU’s world-class research capabilities in Software
Engineering.

Nanjing University holds the top spot in the CSRankings 2023 list, followed by other notable institutions, including Sun Yat-Sen University (#3), the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (#4), the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Huazhong University of Science and Technology (both tied at #5), Carnegie Mellon University (#7), Fudan University and Peking University (tied at #7), and Concordia University (#10).

This latest ranking reinforces many past rankings that put SMU on the world map for software engineering research. For example, the University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas) study, ‘A bibliometric assessment of software engineering themes, scholars and institutions (2013–2020)’ (Volume 180, Oct 2021), which considered publications in high-quality journals and conferences, puts SMU #5 worldwide in the league of the University of California (#1), Carnegie Mellon University (#2), Nanjing University (#3) and Microsoft Research (#4).

Significance of CSRankings

CSRankings stands out among popular rankings as it focuses on specialised fields within Computer Science. It is regularly updated and based on publications in top-tier conferences, with metrics weighted by the number of authors. This transparency ensures that the rankings reflect the real impact of research within each field. In Computer
Science, top-tier conferences are highly competitive, with low acceptancerates, and the full research papers presented are often of similar length to journal publications.

SMU Software Engineering faculty members published many highly innovative works at the 45th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE 2023) and 31st
ACM Joint European Software Engineering Conference and Symposium on the Foundations of Software Engineering (ESEC/FSE 2023) – which are the two key software Engineering conferences tracked by CSRankings. Their papers report novel automated solutions and deep insights realised from software engineering research at SMU. The research covers many topics ranging from software development, software testing, software security, software architecture, and developer collaboration. The solutions addressed different kinds of software systems ranging from conventional software to industrial control systems, video games, and deep learning systems.

Engaging in world-class research

Professor David Lo, the OUB Chair Professor of Computer Science and Director of the Centre of Research in Intelligent Software Engineering (RISE) said: “We are very happy to contribute to the advancement of software engineering research and practice, and excited to share our findings with the world via our research papers and presentations at key conferences. This excellent ranking outcome is only possible with the hard work of everyone at RISE, the strong support from SMU and its School of Computing and Information Systems, and the collaborations with our partners from universities and companies in Singapore, China, Japan, Australia, Luxembourg, the United States, and Canada.”

SMU’s Vice Provost (Research) Prof Archan Misra said that this improved ranking shows “the rigour, relevance and global reputation of our research across a wide range of software engineering topics.”

“My software engineering colleagues, as part of RISE,” he noted, “have engaged in world-class academic research with excellent publication records, resulting in several distinguished influential paper awards and recognised through many leadership roles in the software engineering academic community.”

“Equally importantly, via translational projects executed in partnership with public agencies, this research generates significant societal impact and contributes to the security of Singapore’s digital applications and services,” he added. “Their work is instrumental in establishing the university’s research strengths at the intersection of social sciences, management and computing.”

HKAPA and CAEG sign MoU on Strategic Collaboration in Nurturing Arts and Cultural Talents across the region

Posted on by Communications Office

The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) announced a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with the China Arts and Entertainment Group (CAEG) to collaborate in nurturing diverse arts and cultural talents in Hong Kong and the Mainland, and promoting the development of the arts and cultural industry as well as performing arts education in higher education sector.

The MoU signing ceremony took place on Wednesday, 16 October 2024, at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts following the visit by the CAEG delegation. The memorandum was signed by Mr Charles Yang Chuen-liang, Council Chairman of HKAPA, and Mr Li Jinsheng, Chairman of CAEG, with the attendance of representatives from both organisations.

Under the Government’s policy to develop Hong Kong as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange, HKAPA has always been focusing on nurturing a rich diversity of arts and cultural talents in Hong Kong and the region. This MoU with CAEG marks the Academy’s first industry-academic partnership with a Mainland industry leader, aimed at strengthening the Academy’s industry connections and enhancing students’ professional portfolios and career prospects in Hong Kong, the Mainland, and overseas. Building on this strategic partnership, the Academy and the Group will join hands to explore extensive artistic collaborations and bolster the education and training of top-notch performing arts talents as cultural ambassadors. The collaboration will commence with a series of potential initiatives, including students’ education and staff training, joint artistic creations and performances, student artistic practice and internships, and artistic research.

Mr Charles Yang Chuen-liang, Council Chairman of the Academy, expressed, “The signing of the MoU with the China Arts and Entertainment Group is an important milestone in the development of the Academy as it is the first Academy’s ‘school-enterprise collaboration’ with a leading cultural enterprise in the Mainland. I eagerly look forward to the extensive collaboration between the Academy and the China Arts and Entertainment Group in the future to strengthen talent cultivation, promote east-west cultural exchange, enhance the international influence of Chinese performing arts, and bring more development opportunities for talents from both sides.”

Mr Li Jinsheng, Chairman of CAEG, said, “We are delighted to have visited the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and to have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Academy. The China Arts and Entertainment Group is willing to collaborate with the Academy by leveraging our respective high-quality resources. We aim to engage in extensive and in-depth exchanges and cooperation in areas of talent cultivation, joint artistic creation and performance, student artistic practice and internships, and artistic research. Together, we shall promote the development of the cultural and art industry and performing arts education.”

Professor Gillian Choa, Director of the Academy, welcomed the collaboration, “The signing of the MoU symbolises a strengthened and beneficial relationship between HKAPA and CAEG that has been forged for a few years. The Academy is dedicated to advancing innovative performing arts education, pushing the boundaries of performing arts practices and fostering collaborations with leading academic and industry institutions. I am glad that our educational mission and vision align strongly with the goals of CAEG. We look forward to partnering and engaging CAEG in extensive and in-depth exchanges and cooperation to nurture performing arts talent and contribute to the cultural development of Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area. Together, we shall promote the development of the arts and cultural industry and performing arts education.”

In celebration of the 40th Anniversary, the Academy is presenting, throughout the academic year, a myriad of engaging events with the aim to showcase the exceptional talents of our students from the six Schools and its achievements over the past four decades. Highlights in October include HKAPA PerformTech Symposium 2024: Staging the Future of Performing Arts, Lincoln Center Chamber Music Series and 40 Years of Brilliance – Inheriting the Artistic Legacy: HKAPA 40th Anniversary Performance Showcase. Open Day 2025 presented next March and an original musical featuring all six Schools in May 2025 are also major events that should not be missed.