Celebrating 20 Years at HKUST

Acknowledgment of the dedication of faculty and staff who have worked at HKUST for two decades.

Congratulations and a major celebration were the order of the day for 240 members of staff and faculty in February when they shared memories of 20 years of working at HKUST at the 5th Long Service Award Ceremony.

The happy occasion, attended by the President and other senior management, recognized the dedicated service of members of the University community representing all aspects of campus life, including faculty members, administrators, language instructors, safety officers, technicians, and other supporting staff.

Loyalty and team spirit

Awardees joined HKUST in 1994, just three years after the University was established, playing an important part in the University’s founding days and setting HKUST on its fast track to world-class standing, President Tony F Chan said at the ceremony.  President Chan recognized the time, effort and commitment required of the awardees in developing the institution and thanked them for helping to make the University the outstanding place it is today.

In just over two decades, HKUST has achieved global recognition for its research discoveries, now has 80 nationalities from five continents studying at its campus, and has ranked No.1 in Asia in the QS University Rankings: Asia for the past three years.

Diverse opportunities

Among those receiving awards were Dr CM Li, Senior Manager for Facility Operations, Contractor Safety and Green Practices and Chairman of the HKUST Staff Association, and Prof Ping Sheng, Dr William MW Mong Professor of Nanoscience and Chair Professor of Physics.  Dr Li said he particularly enjoys the diverse responsibilities offered at HKUST – in a single day, he may demonstrate to students how to use a fire extinguisher, discuss safety measures with construction companies and teach staff about potential lab hazards.

For Prof Ping Sheng, life at HKUST has been equally rewarding as a pioneering researcher.  An early achievement for Prof Sheng at the University was to successfully develop the world’s smallest single-walled carbon nanotubes (0.4 nanometers in diameter), together with other researchers.  He later helped to develop a novel metamaterial that could absorb sound energy, becoming a co-winner of the prestigious Brillouin Medal in 2013 with other Physics Department academics.

Prof Wei Shyy, Executive Vice-President and Provost, Prof Joseph HW Lee, Vice-President for Research and Graduate Studies, Prof YS Wong, Vice-President for Administration and Business, Dr Eden Y Woon, Vice-President for Institutional Advancement, also joined the celebration, along with family members of the awardees.