An anti-microbial hydrogel technology developed by Division of Environment and SustainabilityITB Prof. YEUNG King-Lun and funded by Innovation and Technology Bureau for use in flush water was applied to three public housing estates for trial run, and has been proven effective in reducing more than 95% of viable microbes and inactivating more than 99% of viral particles in toilet flushing water for up to 60 days. The technology will have a chance to be applied to other public housing estates if the trial run is successful.

In an article on the diplomatic challenges that the new Singaporean Prime Minister will face as the city-state has to choose between the East and the West, Division of Public Policy Senior Lecturer Prof. Donald LOW said there is a big overlap between those who are more skeptical of the western world order and those who may have not benefited much from globalization. He added that it takes time to observe if the new administration could find the right balance between the two worlds.

Division of Environment and Sustainability Chief Development Strategist Prof. Christine LOH wrote an article on the issues that sole CE candidate John LEE has to deal with if he becomes the city’s leader.

In an article on Mainland’s inclination to combat the pandemic through lockdown and mass testing than boosting the lagging elderly inoculation rate, Division of Public Policy Prof. Stuart GIETEL-BASTEN said the Chinese government may still view the restrictions as more acceptable than forcing the elderly to get vaccinated.

The new UG program BSc in Sustainable and Green Finance (SGFN), jointly offered by The Division of Environment and Sustainability (ENVR) and The School of Business and Management (SBM), and the new Extended Major “Digital Media and Creative Arts” are mentioned at the article on HKUST’s flexible academic programs and latest admission score calculation mechanism.

In a press conference, a research team led by Prof. YEUNG King-Lun from Division of Environment and Sustainability introduced the team’s latest development of two multifunctional hydrogels – MOC hydrogel, which has been applied to different drainage sites in HK and proven effective in treating odor problems, and AMGel, which is now being trialled at public housing blocks and is proven effective in killing 95% of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and 99% of the Omicron in flush water.

Division of Public Policy Prof. Stuart GIETEL-BASTEN spoke on a broadcast program on global population change that simply having more babies would not efficiently fix the population aging and decline issues, adding that we have to define and specify the challenges more carefully and fix them at the source, such as pension system, social care crises, and labor productivity. Separately, in an article on China’s zero-COVID strategy, Prof. GIETEL-BASTEN said that the Chinese government may still view harsh lockdown restrictions as more acceptable than forcing the elderly to get vaccinated.

Division of Environment and Sustainability Chief Development Strategist Prof. Christine LOH wrote an article on how Hong Kong and Macau could promote sustainable tourism.

Division of Environment and Sustainability Assistant Prof. WANG Zhe has collaborated with international scientists to reveal the significant roles of anthropogenic low-volatility organic vapors on the secondary organic aerosols formation in four megacities in China, providing new insights for effectively mitigating urban air pollution issues.

Division of Environment and Sustainability Chief Development Strategist Prof. Christine LOH on the ability of CE-elect John LEE’s administration on achieving Hong Kong’s climate goal.