The first event in the HKUST Research Forum Series was successfully held on November 3, with the focus on the great global challenge of energy. The series seeks to enhance synergy between faculty members and students within and across disciplines, and to nurture a collaborative research atmosphere and culture.

At the inaugural forum, co-organized by the Office of the Vice-President for Research & Graduate Studies and School of Engineering, two internationally renowned scholars, Prof Qingyan Chen, Vincent P. Reilly Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University and Prof Surendra Shah, Fellow of the Institute for Advanced Study, HKUST and Walter P. Murphy Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University shared their visions on energy research directions. Mr Bob Aylsworth, Vice President, WW Engineering and Chief Innovation Officer, Embedded Computing & Power, at Emerson Network Power, was also invited to talk about research challenges in energy in industry.

To share what was ongoing in the field at HKUST, 11 projects on energy research, funded by the University's Special Research Fund Initiative, were presented. Topics included sustainable buildings, ecotronics, ethanol fuel cells, and sustainable energy.