Gathering under the esteemed flag of the Hong Kong Laureate Forum (HKLF), several aspiring scientists congregated at the Hong Kong Science Park to showcase their scholarly innovations through a multitude of inspiring poster presentations. 30 exceptional scientists made the cut, pouring their intellect into this remarkable event on the 14th of November.
The illustrious HKLF has taken commendable strides in driving connectivity among academicians through this ‘Young Scientist’ initiative. The idea was to offer a vibrant platform, not just for scientists to interact, but also to learn from each other’s unique research perspectives, according to the insightful Hong Kong Laureate Forum Council Secretary-General, Ms Do Pang Wai Yee.
Fun fact: the exalted former Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Carrie Lam, effortlessly impressed by the inspiring interactions at the Heidelburg Laureate Forum and Lindau Nobel Laureate meetings, kick-started the Young Scientist program. The initiative’s primary intention was to foster engaging dialogue between young scientists and distinguished Shaw Prize recipients.
Despite the minor snag of postponement due to Covid-19, the program manifested in its full glory in 2021, as an elegant display of young intellect benchmarking scientific excellence. It was a powerful testament to the belief that direct, physical interactions bear superior outcomes than online engagements.
Interestingly, topics emphasized in the poster presentations were not bound by any specific scientific realms. This led to the nurturing of a uniquely varied thought process in scientific investigation within HKLF’s community of young scientists. From a pool of 200 research studies, 30 were chosen for presentation, which spanned a wide array of scientific fields, most popular being medical science.
To give you a taste of these presentations, one such was led by Dr Jane Wong from Queen Mary’s Hospital in Hong Kong. Dr Wong’s research aimed at fine-tuning the screening procedures for hereditary angioedema (HAE) – a rare genetic disorder characterized by extreme bodily swelling, potentially compromising respiratory functionalism and proving fatal. With a prevalence rate of 50,000 to 150,000 globally recorded in 2017, Dr Wong was motivated to contribute towards effective and cost-efficient screening procedures.
Dr Wong vouched for a family screening approach, proving that this method could significantly lower the costs by around US$153 per family. Moreover, this approach tapped into the possibility of screening 67% of 179 family members for the presence of HAE. Subsequently, this ground-breaking project is now on the horizon of global expansion, intending to foray into multiple regions within ASEAN, including Thailand.
Additional studies presented explored a fascinating range of near-future realities such as the ever-evolving landscape of cryptocurrency and combating Covid-19. Chinese University scholar, Raphaela Iris Lau, explored the use of probiotics for treating the vexing symptoms of Covid-19. Meanwhile, Stephen Chen from the American University of Shahjah delved into the peculiarities of momentum trading in cryptocurrency.
While the meeting’s primary purpose was sharing knowledge, extraneously, it paved the way for robust networking among scientists, setting the stage for future synergies.
HKLF yearned to launch this stimulating initiative in 2021 itself, but the pandemic caused a slight delay. Fortunately, the delay did not dampen the spirits of 200 young global scientists, including 20 acclaimed Shaw Prize recipients from across 30 countries, asserting their scholarly dominance in the global scientific knowledge pool.
The Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Mr John Lee Ka-Chiu opined that the forum stood testament to Hong Kong’s resolve to be a beacon of progress in leveraging science and technology to tackle global challenges. He promised, “Hong Kong will continue to be a world-class collaboration hub for inspirational minds.”
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