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Hong Kong's scientific talent has been well recognised, with local researchers winning six second-class awards at the 2010 State Science and Technology Awards (SSTAs) as announced by the National Office of Science and Technology Awards in Beijing today (January 14).
"The awards received by the Hong Kong researchers highlight our excellent capabilities in basic and applied research and serve as motivation to their fellow researchers as well as the Government," a Government spokesman said. "We congratulate the awardees on their achievements and hope they continue to scale new heights in their research."
The details of the award-winning projects are as follows:
The State Scientific and Technological Progress Award (SSTPA)
The Hong Kong research project "Buoyant jets in complex environments - theory, innovative technology and application", led by Professor Joseph Lee of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, received an SSTPA Second-Class Award. Other core team members are Professors Wang Wenping and Li Yuguo, and Dr Valiant Cheung of the University of Hong Kong, and Professor Tang Hongwu of the Hohai University, Nanjing.
The SSTPA is conferred on scientific workers in the fields of science and technology who have made outstanding contributions. More than 680 nominated entries competed for SSTPA awards in 2010.
This award winning project from Professor Joseph Lee's team is based on environmental hydraulics and engineering research funded by the Croucher Foundation, the Hong Kong Research Grants Council and the Innovation and Technology Fund.
The team has developed theoretical and experimental research to unravel the complicated mechanisms underlying the fate and transport of pollutants in complex ocean currents and environmental conditions. They also developed a three-dimensional virtual reality computer modelling system called VISJET to predict and visualise the pollutant concentration and trajectory of wastewater released in any distributed manner from a submarine ocean outlet under all weather conditions. This ground-breaking technology resulted in environmental software that has made an international mark, and has also been effectively applied to projects in Hong Kong with significant social benefits, for example:
- The environmental impact assessment of the Hong Kong Harbour Area Treatment Scheme;
- The Yuen Long Bypass Floodway project; and
- Understanding airborne transmission in the Amoy Gardens SARS outbreak in 2003, and the isolation room ventilation design in hospitals.
Two Mainland nominated projects also received second-class SSTPA awards. These were "Technology for the early diagnosis and prevention of secondary brain injury in the management of traumatic brain injury", involving Professors Poon Wai-sang, Ng Ho-keung, and George Wong, as well as Dr Stephanie Ng, Chinese University of Hong Kong; and the "Study on the molecular mechanisms modulating aging as well as the establishment and application of individual aging-evaluating systems", involving Professor Zhou Zhongjun, University of Hong Kong.
The State Natural Science Award (SNSA)
In 2010, more than 120 entries competed for the State Natural Science Award (SNSA), China's most prestigious award in the field of natural science, which aims to recognise academic excellence in basic and applied research in natural science.
A Hong Kong project entitled "Nonlinear output regulation problem and internal model principle", led by Professor Huang Jie, Chinese University of Hong Kong and his team, Dr Chen Zhiyong of the University of Newcastle, Australia; Professor Zhang Ji-feng of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; and Professor Ye Xu-dong of the Zhejiang University, received a second class award. The project was funded by the Hong Kong Research Grants Council.
The output regulation problem arises from the mathematical formulation of many practical control problems. Some of the examples include: vibration suppression of high speed train, landing of aircraft on carriers under severe weather conditions, attitude control of spacecraft, and co-ordination and manipulation of robots. As a result, the output regulation problem has attracted considerable research attention from the control community in the past two decades.
The work of Professor Huang's research team presented a systematic solution of the problem of robust output regulation for nonlinear systems and extended the celebrated internal model principle to the nonlinear setting. His work has been highly praised by the international control community.
Two Mainland nominated projects also received second-class SNSA awards. These were "The identification and significance of the novel mechanism of hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis", involving Professor Guan Xin-yuan, University of Hong Kong; and "Research for composite structure, injection moulding process and fracture behaviours of plastics" involving Professor Robert Li, City University of Hong Kong.
Organised by the State Council of the People's Republic of China, the SSTAs are highly prestigious awards in the Mainland's science and technology fields. They aim to reward citizens and organisations that have made outstanding contributions to scientific and technological progress. There are five categories of SSTAs. Apart from SSTPA and SNSA, there are also the State Technological Invention Award (STIA), State Pre-eminent Science and Technology Award and the International Scientific and Technological Co-operation Award of the People's Republic of China.
The HKSAR Government has been invited by the National Office for Science and Technology Awards to co-ordinate and submit nominations from Hong Kong for the categories of SSTPA, STIA, and SNSA. The Innovation and Technology Commission is responsible for the SSTPA and STIA nominations in Hong Kong, while the nomination of the SNSA in Hong Kong is co-ordinated by the Education Bureau, with the help of the Hong Kong Research Grants Council and the Beijing-Hong Kong Academic Exchange Centre.
Ends/Friday, January 14, 2011
Issued at HKT 20:27
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