The School of Science organized a 5-day Summer Camp and a 5-week Summer Research Program for Prospective Research Postgraduate Students in the summer of 2013.  The purpose of the two events was to provide an interactive platform for outstanding junior undergraduate students from universities in Mainland China and elsewhere to learn more about HKUST and in particular, the School of Science.  

 

In the Summer Camp, individual division/departments organized various activities including campus visit, laboratory visits, group discussions and seminars especially designed for the participants.  Faculty members and PG students attending the Summer Camp offered detailed information about the features and strengths of each postgraduate program and answered questions from the participants. The faculty members also gave the participants an overview of their research directions. Participants interested in pursuing postgraduate studies in the School of Science were invited for interviews.  

 

In the Summer Research Program, participants were invited to experience research and to work with the faculty mentors in the School of Science. Over the 5-week period, participants had opportunities to work in the laboratories, learn about different research tasks, and meet with the faculty mentors and fellow PG students.  There were many face-to-face meetings between the participants and the current PG students and faculty mentors. Participants were able to experience research in an interactive atmosphere.  

 

Feedback on the Summer Camp and the Summer Research Program was overwhelmingly positive.  The two summer events have laid a solid foundation for PG student recruitment.  In 2014, the School plans to further expand the scale of the Summer Camp and the Summer Research Program to admit approximately 130 and 40 participants respectively.