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.

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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 a media interview on Hong Kong’s I&T development prospect, Secretary for Innovation and Technology Bureau Mr. Alfred SIT cited the new anti-microbial coating MAP-∞ developed by a team led by Division of Environment and Sustainability Prof. YEUNG King-Lun as a recent example of HK’s technological solution to the challenges posed by the pandemic.

Assistant Prof. Laurence DELINA from Division of Environment and Sustainability wrote an article on the potential of a fair energy transition in Southeast Asian countries.

In an article on why Chinese millennials are not getting married, Division of Public Policy Prof. Stuart GIETEL-BASTEN said people not getting married just constitutes a part of the population problem in Mainland and to fix the low marriage rate, authorities should look into the core issues, such as how marriage affects women’s career or financial independence, which forces them to push it back as long as possible.