https://www.scmp.com/rss/321887/feed Professor Sun Kwok is a chair professor of space science and former dean of science (2006-2016) at the University of Hong Kong. He is the current president of the Astrobiology Commission of the International Astronomical Union. Prof Kwok is a world-leading authority in stellar evolution and astrochemistry. In addition to over 300 journal papers, he has also published a number of books, including the latest, Our Place in the Universe. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com In May, Emory University in Atlanta dismissed two Chinese-American neuroscientists, Li Xiaojiang and Li Shihua, for failing to disclose their research funding from China. In April, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre moved to dismiss three ethnic Chinese scientists for conflicts of interest (two chose to resign first). In January, ethnic Chinese cancer researcher Xifeng Wu resigned as director of MD Anderson’s Centre for Public Health and Translational Genomics. These departures... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3015141/creating-climate-fear-chinese-scientists-us-benefits-neither?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3015141/creating-climate-fear-chinese-scientists-us-benefits-neither?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Jun 2019 19:00:10 +0000 We live in an era of drastic social change driven by technology. The internet and social media have greatly altered the ways we interact, retrieve and distribute information. When I was a student, if I needed factual information, I had to go to the library to access resources such as books and journals. If I needed to perform mathematical calculations, I worked laboriously by hand on a piece of paper. Now I can obtain chemical formulas, properties of materials, historical facts, geographical... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2168217/ai-must-spark-revolution-teaching-universities-so?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2168217/ai-must-spark-revolution-teaching-universities-so?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Oct 2018 06:00:00 +0000 On a hot August day in 2012, about 2,500 delegates of the International Astronomical Union from around the world gathered in a conference hall in Beijing, eagerly waiting to hear an address by Xi Jinping (習近平), then the vice-president of China. Most of us did not know what to expect; some probably thought that it would be a dull, slogan-laden speech typical of leaders of communist countries. But after he was introduced by the union’s president, Robert Williams, Xi delivered an eloquent speech... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2089158/chinas-space-ambitions-open-world-wonder-and-opportunity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2089158/chinas-space-ambitions-open-world-wonder-and-opportunity?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Apr 2017 09:26:22 +0000 During the recent Chinese New Year celebrations, the media – including the Post – frequently used the term “Lunar New Year”. This description is not strictly correct. The Chinese calendar is not a lunar calendar like the Islamic calendar, but a mixed solar/lunar calendar. The date of the Chinese New Year is linked to both the sun and the moon. Of course, every month of the Chinese calendar begins at new moon, and the dates of the Chinese month track the phase of the moon. A lunar month is based... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2067127/why-china-doesnt-really-celebrate-lunar-new-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2067127/why-china-doesnt-really-celebrate-lunar-new-year?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Feb 2017 06:00:00 +0000 To most people, extraterrestrial life is science fiction. However, research over the past 25 years has turned this topic into a real area of scientific inquiry. For the first time, scientists are optimistic that extraterrestrial life will be detected in the near future, probably within the next 20 to 30 years. No, I am not talking about the possibility that we will be visited by humanoid aliens like those in the movies ET or Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Instead, I am talking about lower... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2052928/search-alien-life-real-science-and-were-getting-close?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2052928/search-alien-life-real-science-and-were-getting-close?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Dec 2016 03:30:30 +0000 After the publication of my article last month in the Post about the flaws in Hong Kong’s elementary and secondary education, I received several comments along these lines: “I agree that our education system has problems, but what can we do about it?” I work in the higher education sector, and I believe that universities can take steps to improve the current situation. Here are some possible solutions. First, admit more students to university but allow some to fail First, admit more students to... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1942610/how-hong-kong-universities-can-give-students-best-start-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1942610/how-hong-kong-universities-can-give-students-best-start-life?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 May 2016 08:45:30 +0000 University should be the best time of a young person’s life. You are at the peak of your physical and mental abilities. You are part of a community filled with scholars of the highest calibre. You are among peers who are your intellectual equals and have been through a highly selective process to enter this institution. You are exposed to the excitement of arts, literature, science and technology that challenge your mind to the fullest. Students entering university should be filled with... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1933735/long-study-hours-hong-kong-students-will-only-kill-their?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1933735/long-study-hours-hong-kong-students-will-only-kill-their?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Apr 2016 08:29:35 +0000 At many universities, it is now common to give students an evaluation sheet at the end of a course so that they can numerically rate their professors. This practice is intended to improve teaching quality and show that universities value student opinions. Some administrators use the ratings to determine teacher contract renewals, salary adjustments, promotions and whether tenure (an indefinite contract) is awarded. Collecting information is valuable, but does it achieve its desired goal of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1905368/why-teachers-shouldnt-strive-be-their-students-best-friends?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1905368/why-teachers-shouldnt-strive-be-their-students-best-friends?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Jan 2016 06:06:28 +0000 When I ask my students at HKU why they attend university, the most common answer is “To get a diploma so that I can get a good job.” Given the pragmatic nature of Hong Kong society, their response hardly comes as a surprise. But, while these goals might be adequate for a trade or vocational school, I wish that students at the top university in the region had higher aspirations. In the past, we emphasised computational techniques and demanded that our students calculate answers quickly and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1889686/what-purpose-university-education?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1889686/what-purpose-university-education?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Dec 2015 09:00:30 +0000 When people hear that I am a professional astronomer, they often ask "Do you believe in UFOs?" Sometimes they say, "I have seen a UFO…" and then proceed to describe their incredible encounter. Quite often they say they saw a bright light in the sky; some describe it moving at high speed and following them. These types of stories are quite common among UFO believers. In 1967, police officers in 11 counties in the US state of Georgia chased after a reported UFO for several days - until someone... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1866847/not-even-close-encounters-if-ufos-really-exist-why-would?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1866847/not-even-close-encounters-if-ufos-really-exist-why-would?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Oct 2015 04:00:30 +0000 The notion of academic freedom has been receiving a lot of attention lately. In modern scholarly circles and universities, academic freedom is the most sacred of all principles. It protects scholars and scientists from persecution when they ask questions or pursue studies on subjects that are not politically correct, contrary to popular belief, or against community standards. This Western concept developed after hundreds of years of political and religious oppression in Europe, from which we... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1848942/hong-kong-universities-must-uphold-absolute-principle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1848942/hong-kong-universities-must-uphold-absolute-principle?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Aug 2015 09:30:00 +0000 In recent weeks, there has been quite a lot of discussion about university autonomy in Hong Kong. People have raised concerns about political interference in university affairs and questioned whether the chief executive should automatically be the chancellor of local universities. Critics have accused some professors of being too comfortable and neglecting their jobs. Some have argued that universities here would be better off as private rather than public institutions in order to free... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1823846/more-competition-funding-will-drive-excellence-universities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1823846/more-competition-funding-will-drive-excellence-universities?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Jun 2015 01:00:14 +0000 It is widely reported in the media that Hong Kong students excel in standard science and mathematics tests. For example, the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) tests 15-year-olds in many places, and Hong Kong students - along with those in Singapore, mainland China, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea - always rank near the top. When I arrived in Hong Kong to become dean of science at the University of Hong Kong in 2006, I had high hopes, as HKU takes the top students in the city. I... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1811208/hong-kong-students-need-inspiration-not-more-tests-excel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1811208/hong-kong-students-need-inspiration-not-more-tests-excel?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2015 09:44:52 +0000 Since the Research Grants Council was established in 1991, scientific research in Hong Kong has made tremendous progress. Researchers are now publishing many more findings in international journals than they were 25 years ago. However, we must overcome some major hurdles for research to reach the next level and compete with North America, Europe, Australia and Japan. The greatest handicap we face is access to medium-sized and large research facilities. Tackling problems at the frontiers of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1789459/hong-kong-has-part-play-chinas-major-scientific-quests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1789459/hong-kong-has-part-play-chinas-major-scientific-quests?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 May 2015 22:00:00 +0000