7th ASPIRE Undergraduate Research Academy for “Better Living: Innovations and Technologies to Improve Lives”
This year, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) hosted the 7th ASPIRE Undergraduate Research Academy (UGRA) virtually on the theme “Better Living: Innovations and Technologies to Improve Lives” on 9 July 2021.
Asian Science and Technology Pioneering Institutes of Research and Education (ASPIRE League) is a consortium of five leading science and technology universities of Asia, HKUST, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) and Tsinghua University. The UGRA is a one-day intensive program gathered 15 undergraduate students, 3 from each member university, who are working or have worked on research projects related to the event theme “Better Living for All through Innovative Technologies”. Ms. Christy WONG, a Year 2 student from Environment and Technology Management Program (EVMT) was nominated and selected as one of the undergraduate student representatives of HKUST.
During the course of the program, the participating students attended two special lectures delivered by expert KAIST faculty members to learn about the latest developments in the field of research related to the program theme and joined the online cultural field trip to understand more about KAIST and Korea. The participating students then took turns presenting their research projects and receiving feedback from KAIST professors and fellow UGRA participants.
Christy said that she was glad to receive the opportunity to do a research presentation with students from other universities, such as NTU and Tokyo Tech. This virtual program enabled them to learn about the latest developments in the research related to the theme. They improved their communication, presentation, creative thinking and problem-solving skills and furthered their horizon by exchanging views with professors and students from other regions.
About The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (www.ust.hk) is a world-class research university that focuses on science, technology and business as well as humanities and social science. HKUST offers an international campus, and a holistic and interdisciplinary pedagogy to nurture well-rounded graduates with global vision, a strong entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking. HKUST attained the highest proportion of internationally excellent research work in the Research Assessment Exercise 2014 of Hong Kong’s University Grants Committee, and is ranked as the world’s best young university in Times Higher Education’s Young University Rankings 2019. Its graduates were ranked 16th worldwide and top in Greater China in Global University Employability Survey 2018.
