Over 100 Participants Join Sub-Conference of 2nd Young Academy of Sciences Summit Focusing on Cutting-Edge AI Technologies Exploring Applications in Scientific Research and Engineering

The sub-conference of the Second Young Academy of Sciences Summit (YASS) 2024/25 was successfully held today (5 June) at InnoCentre. The event focused on one of the most significant areas of interest within the I&T industry — artificial intelligence (AI). Outstanding young scientists from different regions were invited to share their insights with more than 100 researchers, professionals,university students and members of the public at the event, with many more participating online.Together, they explored the development of AI in various fields of scientific research and engineering.

More than 100 participants attended today’s sub-conference of the Second Young Academy of Sciences Summit 2024-2025, themed AI for Science and Engineering. (Photo provided by YASS)

In his welcome speech, Professor Giulio CHIRIBELLA, Member of The Hong Kong Young Academy of Sciences (YASHK), Professor, Director of QICI Quantum Information and Computation Initiative,School of Computing and Data Science, The University of Hong Kong, noted that AI technologies have been advancing at a rapid pace in recent years. He added that in the “Hong Kong I&T Development Blueprint”, the Hong Kong Government clearly stated that the AI and data science industries are key areas for further development. Last year’s “Development Outline for the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone” highlighted that Hong Kong Park will focus on developing cutting-edge technologies, including AI. All of these developments suggest that Hong Kong, like the Greater Bay Area and the global community, seeks to play an active role in exploring the applications of cutting-edge AI technologies.

Professor CHIRIBELLA emphasised that this sub-conference has brought together some of the finest young scientists from different regions, all specialising in AI technologies. He trusts that through the in-depth exchanges, innovative thinking would ensue, and just as importantly, participants would collectively promote the development and application of AI.

Professor Giulio CHIRIBELLA, Member of The Hong Kong Young Academy of Sciences (YASHK), said that he hoped this sub-conference would foster in-depth exchanges among young scientists, inspire innovative thinking, and encourage collaboration to advance the development and application of AI. (Photo provided by YASS)

The theme of this sub-conference was AI for Science and Engineering, with three discussion topics:"AI in Fundamental Science", "Challenges and Risks in Trustworthy AI", and “AI in Construction”.Renowned young scientists were invited to exchange ideas and insights, including Xingliang YUAN,Associate Professor, School of Computing and Information Systems, University of Melbourne; Hao SUN, Associate Professor with Tenure, Gaoling School of Artificial Intelligence, Renmin University of China; and Yuxuan DU, Assistant Professor, College of Computing and Data Science, Nanyang Technological University.

A number of topics were discussed at the YASS sub-conference, including "AI in Fundamental Science" and “Challenges and Risks in Trustworthy AI”. The event brought together many outstanding young scientists from different regions, all specialists in AI. (Photo provided by YASS)

Among the speakers, Professor Cheuk Lun CHOW, Associate Professor in the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering of City University of Hong Kong, offered insights on “AI-driven Fire Engineering Design in Supertall Buildings”, explaining how AI can be integrated into construction.

Professor Shiqi WANG, Associate Professor of the Department of Computer Science of City University of Hong Kong, gave a talk on the subject “Towards Trustworthy Vision AI: Bridging Explanation,Security, Privacy, and Forensics”, in which he weighed the potential risks and challenges associated with AI.

More than 100 participants attended today’s sub-conference of the Second Young Academy of Sciences Summit 2024-2025, themed AI for Science and Engineering. (Photo provided by YASS)

This YASS sub-conference is organised by YASHK with the Greater Bay Area Homeland Investment Limited, the Greater Bay Area Homeland Youth Community Foundation and the World Association of Young Scientists serving as co-organisers.

The first sub-conference of the Young Academy of Sciences Summit (YASS) 2024/25 was successfully held today (10 March) at The University of Hong Kong. Outstanding young scientists from Hong Kong and Asia were invited to share their insights with more than one hundred scientists, professionals,and members of the public at the event, with many more participating online. Together, they explored new directions in cancer research, aiming to achieve future breakthroughs in treatment that will benefit cancer patients worldwide.

More than 100 participants attended the first sub-conference of the Young Academy of Sciences Summit 2024-2025, held today (10 March). The theme of the sub-conference was "From Cancer Discovery Science to Therapeutic Innovation". (Photo provided by YASS)

In her welcome speech, Professor Stephanie MA, Founding Member and Vice-President of The Hong Kong Young Academy of Sciences (YASHK) and Associate Vice-President (Research and Innovation),Jimmy and Emily Tang Endowed Professor in Molecular Genetics of The University of Hong Kong, said that tens of millions of people worldwide are affected by cancer, and the unpredictable nature of cancer evolution underscores the urgency for scientists to diligently research and explore new treatment modalities to address these challenges. This conference has brought together many outstanding young scientists in the field of cancer research, providing a platform for in-depth exchange. It is hoped that this will bring new insights and advance cancer research and treatment, bringing hope to patients.

Professor Stephanie MA, Founding Member and Vice-President of The Hong Kong Young Academy of Sciences (YASHK), said that the sub-conference brought together many outstanding young scientists in the field of cancer research to exchange ideas, with the hope of providing inspiration and advancing the direction of cancer research and treatment. (Photo provided by YASS)

Professor Alice WONG, Associate Vice-President (Research), Interim Director and Chair Professor of School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science of The University of Hong Kong, served as the guest of honour and delivered the opening remarks at the event.

Professor Alice WONG, Associate Vice-President (Research), Interim Director and Chair Professor of School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science of The University of Hong Kong, was the guest of honour and delivered the opening remarks. (Photo provided by YASS)

The theme of the sub-conference was "From Cancer Discovery Science to Therapeutic Innovation"and the discussion topics included "Prevention and Early Detection of Cancer", "Mechanisms of Cancer Development", “Advancements in Technologies for Cancer Research and Understanding Cancer Heterogeneity” and "Emerging Treatments for Cancer". Professor Jun YU, Member of The Hong Kong Academy of Sciences (ASHK), Assistant Dean and Choh-Ming Li Professor of Medicine and Therapeutics of the Faculty of Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, shared her research findings during the sub-conference "Gut Microbiome in GI Cancer Prevention and Early Detection",providing new perspectives for early cancer detection.

Professor Lai Guan NG, Senior Investigator at the Shanghai Immune Therapy Institute, and Professor Wai Leong TAM, Deputy Executive Director of the Genome Institute of Singapore, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), were invited to Hong Kong to share their latest findings in cancer research.

The theme of the YASS sub-conference was "From Cancer Discovery Science to Therapeutic Innovation" and one of the discussion topics focused on "Prevention and Early Detection of Cancer". The event brought together many outstanding scientists in the field of cancer research. (Photo provided by YASS)

Today’s discussions also delved into cutting-edge AI technologies, including a presentation on "AI-Powered Next-Generation Histological Imaging with Medical Diagnosis" by Professor Terence Tsz Wai WONG, Associate Professor of Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Sub-conference speakers shed light on innovative treatments as well, such as Professor Jingying ZHOU, Assistant Professor of School of Biomedical Sciences of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, who spoke on "Decoding the Immunoregulatory Role of Hepatic Innervation: A Novel Therapeutic Approach to Combat Liver Metastasis", and Professor Alan Siu-lun WONG, Associate Professor of School of Biomedical Sciences of The University of Hong Kong who discussed "Using Genome Editing and Combinatorial Genetics to Tackle Cancer".These presentations provided participants with valuable insights into the future directions of cancer treatment.

The Young Academy of Sciences Summit 2024/25 and its three sub-conferences are jointly organised by the Hong Kong Young Academy of Sciences, Greater Bay Area Homeland Investments Limited and the Greater Bay Area Homeland Youth Community Foundation.