A collaboration between theoretical physicists Dr Chengkang ZHOU and Professor Zi Yang MENG from the Department of Physics at The University of Hong Kong(HKU),along with experimentalists Zhenyuan ZENG and Professor Shiliang LI at the Institute of Physics(IOP),Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS),and Professor Kenji NAKAJIMA from J-PARC Center,Japan,has led to adiscovery in the realm of quantum physics.Their study,published in arecent issue of Nature Physics,sheds light on the long-anticipated emergence of quasiparticles,akin to the famous Dirac particles obeying the relativistic Dirac equation.These quasiparticles,known as Dirac spinons,were theorised to exist within anovel quantum state called aquantum spin liquid state.Quasiparticles are intriguing entities that emerge from collective behaviour within materials,which can be treated like agroup of particles.The Dirac spinons,specifically,are expected to exhibit unique characteristics similar to Dirac particles in high-energy physics and the Dirac electrons in graphene and quantum moire materials,such as alinear dispersion relation between energy and momentum.But such spin-½charge neutral quasiparticles have not been seen in quantum magnets till this work.‘“To find Dirac spinons in quantum magnets has been the dream of generations of condensed matter physicists;now that we have seen the evidence of them,one can start to think about the countless potential applications of such highly entangled quantum material.Who knows,maybe one day people will build quantum computers with it,just as people have been doing in the past half-century with silicon,’”said Professor Meng,HKU physicist and one of the corresponding authors of the paper.The team‘s investigation focused on aunique material known as YCu3-Br,characterised by akagome lattice structure leading to the appearance of these elusive quasiparticles.Previous studies had hinted at the material‘s potential to exhibit aquantum spin liquid state,making it an ideal candidate for exploration.In order to enable the observation of spinons in YCu3-Br,the research team overcame numerous challenges by assembling approximately 5000 single crystals together,meeting the requirements for conducting experiments such as inelastic neutron scattering(see Fig.1d).Using advanced techniques like inelastic neutron scattering,the team probed the material‘s spin excitations and observed intriguing conical spin continuum patterns,reminiscent of the characteristic Dirac cone.While directly detecting single spinon proved challenging due to experimental limitations,the team compared their findings with theoretical predictions,revealing distinct spectral features indicative of the presence of spinons in the material.Finding spectral evidence of Dirac spinon excitations has always been achallenge.This discovery provides compelling evidence for the existence of aDirac quantum spin liquid state,which can be akin to aclear cry cutting through the fog of spectral investigation on the quantum spin liquid state.The findings not only advance our fundamental understanding of condensed matter physics but also open doors for further exploration into the properties and applications of YCu3-Br.Characterised by the presence of fractional spinon excitations,the quantum spin liquid state is potentially relevant to high-temperature superconductivity and quantum information.In this state,the spins are highly entangled and remain disordered even at low temperatures.Therefore,investigating the spectral signals arising from spinons obeying the Dirac equation would provide abroader understanding of the quantum spin liquid state of matter.Such understanding also serves as aguidepost toward its broader applications,including the exploration of high-temperature superconductivity and quantum information.For adetailed explanation of the research,please visit here:https://www.scifac.hku.hk/page/detail/8595 The journal paper entitled‘Spectral evidence for Dirac spinons in akagome lattice antiferromagnet’can be accessed from here:https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-024-02495-z The study was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China,the Chinese Academy of Sciences and grants from Hong Kong Research Grants Council.Neutron scattering measurements were performed on AMATERAS,J-PARC. 查看详细>>

The University of Hong Kong(HKU)is launching anew interdisciplinary think tank,the Centre on Contemporary China and the World(CCCW).Its aim is to foster international collaboration to study China and global governance in aworld facing economic turbulence,environmental degradation,technological transformation,and geopolitical challenges.Professor LI Cheng,an internationally renowned political scientist,and aseasoned think tank scholar,will serve as CCCW’s founding director.Prior to joining HKU,Professor Li served as director of the Brookings Institution’s John L.Thornton China Center,where he remains anonresident senior fellow.Professor Li is also adirector of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations,a Distinguished Fellow of the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at University of Toronto,a nonresident fellow at Yale University’s Paul Tsai China Center,and amember of the Council on Foreign Relations.CCCW’s inception arrives at acritical moment amidst escalating geopolitical tensions worldwide.CCCW builds on the robust foundation of HKU’s internationally renowned faculty,diverse student body,and exceptional academic tradition.By assembling alarge pool of researchers from around the world—including affiliated HKU faculties,post-doctoral fellows,distinguished visiting fellows,and young global China scholars,CCCW will promote interdisciplinary and international collaboration to address pressing governance challenges.“Hong Kong,uniquely positioned as acosmopolitan city,cultural crossroads,and bridge to the Greater Bay Area,is the ideal location for our new global think tank.Hong Kong’s influence on international discourse makes it acrucial enabler of global integrations.At HKU,we’re committed to nurturing meaningful interdisciplinary and international collaborations to facilitate these vital developments.”said Professor Xiang Zhang,President and Vice-chancellor of HKU.CCCW’s initial research directions encompass five areas:science and technology transformation;climate change and alternative energy;economic and financial reforms;political leadership and generational transition;and geopolitical landscape change,with an emphasis on the Sino-U.S.relationship.CCCW will be officially launched on December 15(Friday),at ahigh-profile conference themed“A Renewed Hub and aNew Horizon”(新樞紐、新格局).The launch will include afull day of dynamic programming including keynote speeches,fireside conversations,and panel discussions featuring prominent scholars,diplomats,and practitioners from Hong Kong,mainland China,and around the world.Further details on the programme and speakers will be provided later.Through publications,public forums,private roundtables,and media commentaries,CCCW scholars will strive to produce comprehensive,original,accessible,high-quality,and creative research.The Centre aims to become aleading voice of reason,a bridge for mutual understanding,and aconstructive force for peace across the Pacific and around the world. 查看详细>>

A team of international researchers led by The University of Hong Kong(HKU)and The University of Science and Technology(HKUST)has made asignificant discovery in the field of quantum materials,uncovering the controllable nonlinear Hall effect in twisted bilayer graphene.The findings,published as an Editors‘Suggestion article in the prestigious physics journal Physical Review Letters,shed new light on the unique properties of two-dimensional quantum moirématerials and hold promise for awide range of applications in industries such as new materials and quantum information to achieve terahertz detection with ultra-high sensitivity at room temperature.The team,composed of PhD student Xu ZHANG and his advisor Dr Zi Yang MENG from the Department of Physics at HKU;Professor Ning WANG from the Department of Physics at HKUST and his postdoctoral researchers Meizhen HUANG and Zefei WU(currently an Associate Researcher at the University of Manchester);as well as Professor Kai SUN from The University of Michigan,conducted in-depth research using acombination of theory,computation,and experiments.They discovered that by adjusting the dispersion of the topological flat bands in twisted bilayer graphene,the Berry curvature dipole moments,which play acrucial role in the Hall effect(details can be found in the Supplementary Note),can be easily controlled and manipulated.Using avertically applied electric field,the researchers found the dispersion of the flat bands in twisted graphene can be easily tuned and observed aclear nonlinear voltage response in the longitudinal direction when atransverse driving current was applied.The response varied significantly with the adjustment of the applied field,strain and twist angles,exhibiting increases,decreases,and changes in direction.These experimental observations confirmed the sensitivity of the nonlinear transport behaviour to the sliding of the Berry curvature hotspots in the topological flat bands,perfectly explained by their theoretical calculations(details can be found in the Supplementary Note).The researchers also investigated the role of the moirépotential and twist angle in the controllable nonlinear Hall effect of twisted bilayer graphene.They found that the strength of the moirépotential played acrucial role in determining the magnitude of the observed nonlinear response.By varying the twist angle between the layers of graphene,the researchers were able to manipulate the moirépotential and consequently control the nonlinear transport behaviour.The controllable nonlinear Hall effect demonstrated in twisted bilayer graphene holds great potential for the realisation of quantum Hall materials and nonlinear Hall effects in new experimental platforms.Unlike traditional electronic devices,the nonlinear Hall effect in graphene,driven by low-frequency currents,does not have voltage threshold or transition time limitations.This opens up possibilities for applications in frequency multiplication and rectification using low-frequency currents,especially in the terahertz frequency range with significant response and ultra-high sensitivity at room temperature(details can be found in the Supplementary Note).This discovery of the controllable nonlinear Hall effect in twisted bilayer graphene represents asignificant advancement in the field of quantum materials.It paves the way for further exploration and applications in condensed matter physics,new materials,and quantum information.This collaborative research between top institutions also underscores the importance of interdisciplinary cooperation in pushing the boundaries of scientific knowledge.This research was supported by the Area of Excellence Scheme(AoE 2D materials)and the Collaborative Research Fund(CRF many-body paradigm in quantum moirématerial research)of the Hong Kong Research Grants Council,highlighting the forward-looking perspective and support of the Hong Kong government in the research of two-dimensional quantum materials,especially quantum moirématerials such as twisted graphene.The large-scale numerical calculations conducted in this study were performed on the High-Performance Computing Platform HPC2021 at the Information Technology Services,HKU,and the‘Blackbody’supercomputer at the Department of Physics at HKU. 查看详细>>

The University of Hong Kong(HKU)has partnered with Dr Wong How Man,a world-renowned explorer and founder of the China Exploration and Research Society(CERS),to establish the"Wong How Man Centre for Exploration"(the Centre)at the University of Hong Kong.Being the first among local universities,the Centre is aone-of-its-kind institute dedicated at nourishing students‘curiosity,courage and creativity through exploration.Both HKU and the Centre share the ambition of enhancing students‘understanding of the real world and encouraging them to engage in diverse research and learning experiences through the spirit of exploration.Throughout the academic year,the Centre will organize aseries of experiential exploratory activities and public lectures for HKU students.Additionally,the Centre will arrange field visits to centres and conservation project sites of CERS throughout Asia.On October 4,Dr Wong How Man delivered the inaugural public lecture on campus,titled"Exploration&Education:From 20th to 21st Century”.Dr Wong recounted his 50-year exploration journey,including leading multiple expeditions to China‘s border regions and neighboring areas,as well as terrestrial,maritime,and cave exploration experiences in China and Southeast Asia.The lecture was well-received by hundreds of students and staff.“The exploration programmes and experience offered by the Centre will sow the seeds of curiosity and spirit of exploration among our students,and offer them new perspectives to look at the world”,says Professor Xiang Zhang,HKU President and Vice-Chancellor.“Show me athree-year old child and Ishow you an explorer”,said Dr Wong,who believes that each individual should stay as curious as achild.In 2002,Time Magazine selected Dr Wong How Man as one of the"25 Asian Heroes."Recognized as China‘s most accomplished contemporary explorer,he has previously worked for National Geographic Magazine and led numerous large-scale exploration projects,including one that successfully located the source of the Yangtze River,that have received significant international media coverage. 查看详细>>

In the relentless battle against antibiotic-resistant superbugs,science continues to unveil ingenious strategies to address their vulnerability.Like other bacteria,superbugs have aunique weakness–their dependence on iron for growth and survival.Iron serves as an essential nutrient that bacteria utilise for various cellular processes,including DNA replication,energy production,and other vital functions.In essence,iron is like a‘food’for bacteria.Building upon this understanding,a research team led by Professor Hongzhe SUN from the Department of Chemistry,The University of Hong Kong(HKU),introduced a‘Dual Trojan Horse’strategy,where ametal-based-drug and sideromycins,a class of antibiotic structurally resembling iron,work together in combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria.This approach allows these antibiotics to be delivered into bacterial cells through apathway that mimics iron uptake.When bacteria encounter sideromycins,they are deceived into believing they are acquiring iron,prompting them to usher these compounds into their cells.This strategy not only enhances the effectiveness of sideromycins but also prolongs their lifespan,marking asignificant advancement in our battle against antibiotic resistance.These promising results were successfully replicated in alive mice model,introducing an innovative strategy to combat antimicrobial resistance,offering hope in the fight against superbugs in clinic.These findings have recently been published ain Nature Communications entitled‘Metallo-sideromycin as adual functional complex for combating antimicrobial resistance(AMR)’.‘We are short of new antibiotics,and infection caused by resistant bacteria(i.e.superbugs)may lead to another pandemic.We have uncovered adual Trojan Horse strategy to restore antibiotics activity,such as cefiderocol,and hope to provide anovel arsenal for combating antimicrobial resistance,’commented Professor Sun.Research Background Antimicrobial resistance(AMR)in bacterial infections has emerged as asignificant global health concern.The overuse and misuse of existing antibiotics have accelerated the acquired drug resistance in bacteria,resulting in resistance to almost all antibiotics used in clinical settings across various bacteria strains.Gram-negative bacterial infections,such as those caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa,pose significant challenges in treatment due to their complicated structure.For example,the high resistance of P.aeruginosa against conventional antibiotics can be attributed in part to the limited permeability of the outer membrane(OM)and the expression of‘efflux pump’,specialised proteins within bacteria that actively remove antibiotics,thus reducing their effectiveness.These factors collectively impede the accumulation of antibiotics at the bacterial target site.Gram-negative bacteria,including Pseudomonas aeruginosa,can cause arange of infections in humans.These infections often affect the respiratory system,leading to pneumonia or lung infections,as well as urinary tract infections.They can also lead to skin and soft tissue infections,bloodstream infections(sepsis),and infections in wounds or surgical sites.In severe cases,these infections can be particularly challenging to treat due to the bacteria‘s resistance to antibiotics,making them asignificant health concern.For these reasons,there is now an urgent need for both new antibiotic discovery and other modifications or strategies to enhance or prolong the antibacterial activity of existing clinical antibiotics.Sideromycin is anovel type of antibiotic where the parent antibiotics or prodrug incorporates asiderophore molecule that utlises iron transport system for delivery.This incorporation enables the active transport of the antibiotic into bacterial cell through nutrient pathways.Cefiderocol(FetrojaÒ)is arecently FDA-approved sideromycin antibiotic in 2019.The antibacterial activity of cefiderocol is improved under the iron-deficient condition because of the enhanced uptake of cefiderocol,with acomponent of catechol,which coordinate with iron and facilitate the transportation of cefiderocol-iron complex in P.aeruginosa. 查看详细>>

A team from the Department of Urban Planning and Design of the University of Hong Kong(HKU)has won the prestigious First Prize under the Innovation category at Baidu‘s 2023 National Large Model Application Innovation Challenge Competition in Artificial Intelligence.Led by Assistant Professor Dr.Jun Ma,the award-winning team comprises Master of Urban Analytics(MUA)students Huiyuan Xue,Peizhuo Guo,and Yiyan Li.Held by China’s largest search engine Baidu,the highly competitive national event aims to foster creative and innovative ideas in developing cutting-edge solutions and applications through large generative AI models.With the rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence technology and products,the competition has drawn more than 2,500 teams comprising experts,scholars,and students from renowned universities,research institutions,and technology giants such as Baidu,Alibaba,Tencent,and Google,to compete under two categories:Innovation and Challenge.Given the intense competition,two first prizes were awarded under the Innovation category this year.HKU’s award-winning project,titled"Application of Large Language Models in Compliance Control for Architectural Design Models",seeks to revolutionise the model evaluation process in the building and construction industry by utilising Large Language Models.“Currently,building plans submitted through Building Information Modelling(BIM),in accordance with statutory building regulations,undergo amanual verification process for approval by relevant authorities.The process is labour-intensive and time-consuming.By harnessing the capabilities of advanced Large Language Models like ChatGPT and Wenxinyiyan,we can automate this procedure and significantly expedite the inspection process.This transformation will substantially diminish the workload associated with model verification for both governmental bodies and private companies,thereby revolutionising the building and construction sector.,”said Dr Jun Ma.Launched in 2020,HKU’s Master of Urban Analytics programme aims to equip students with the latest urban science theories and analytical methods for smart planning and management of cities.This recent victory at Baidu‘s national competition is atestament to the programme‘s success in preparing its students to become future leaders in the rapidly evolving field of urban analytics.For more details about the competition,please visit:https://aistudio.baidu.com/competition/detail/998/0/introduction 查看详细>>

A collaborative research team led by Interim Head of Physics Professor Shuang ZHANG from The University of Hong Kong(HKU),along with National Center for Nanoscience and Technology,Imperial College London and University of California,Berkeley,has proposed anew synthetic complex frequency wave(CFW)approach to address optical loss in superimaging demonstration.The research findings were recently published in the prestigious academic journal Science.Imaging plays an important role in many fields,including biology,medicine and material science.Optical microscopes use light to obtain imaging of miniscule objects.However,conventional microscopes can only resolve feature sizes in the order of the optical wavelength at best,known as the diffraction limit.To overcome the diffraction limit,Sir John Pendry from Imperial College London introduced the concept of superlenses,which can be constructed from negative index media or noble metals like silver.Subsequently,Professor Xiang ZHANG,the current President and Vice-Chancellor of HKU,along with his then team at the University of California,Berkeley,experimentally demonstrated superimaging using both asilver thin film and asilver/dielectric multilayer stack.These works have extensively promoted the development and application of superlens technology.Unfortunately,all superlenses suffer from inevitable optical loss,which converts optical energy into heat.This significantly affects the performance of optical devices,such as superimaging lenses,which rely on the faithful delivery of information carried by light waves.Optical loss has been the main limiting factor that has constrained the development of nanophotonics for the past three decades.Many applications,including sensing,superimaging,and nanophotonic circuits,would greatly benefit if this problem could be solved.Professor Shuang Zhang,corresponding author of the paper and also Interim Head of HKU Department of Physics,explained the research foci,‘To solve the optical loss problem in some important applications,we have proposed apractical solution—using anovel synthetic complex wave excitation to obtain virtual gain,and then offset the intrinsic loss of the optical system.As averification,we applied this approach to the superlens imaging mechanism and theoretically improved imaging resolution significantly.’‘We further demonstrated our theory by conducting experiments using hyperlenses made of hyperbolic metamaterials in the microwave frequency range and polariton metamaterials in the optical frequency range.As expected,we obtained excellent imaging results consistent with our theoretical predictions,’added Dr Fuxin GUAN,the paper’s first author and aPostdoctoral Fellow at HKU. 查看详细>>

In recent years,there has been growing public awareness of people with disabilities and the need for social inclusion.Interest-based communities,corporates and the philanthropic sector are keen to contribute to the cause,and yet many organisations promoting social inclusion are unable to gain headway on projects due to alack of resources.To resolve this mismatch,the Centre for Civil Society and Governance at The University of Hong Kong has launched the mobile app“InMatch”under the Inclusive Career Platform of the Jockey Club Collaborative Project for Inclusive Employment.As aresource-matching platform connecting different sectors,“InMatch”fosters aconducive environment in which communities of interest can engender asocially inclusive and cohesive society,while also facilitating more efficient and effective allocation of community resources.The main features of the app include:Publishing innovative inclusive project ideas and activities;Search function for suitable resources(including seeking job openings for people with disabilities);Resources to support inclusive projects(including recruitment of people with disabilities);and Announcing and browsing the latest inclusive activities and information.Among the user groups served by the app,corporates can use it to connect with and support organisations that promote social inclusion,enabling them to optimise their“Environmental,Social and Governance”(ESG)performance.Schools,NGOs,parent organisations and social enterprises can find resources and promote activities through the app.Parents and people with special education needs and disabilities can browse the inclusive information to find related messages and resources.Meanwhile,community members can offer their resources to those in need.The mobile app“InMatch”,launched by the project team,is available for free download from the App Store and Google Play.Media Enquiries Ms Karen Chan,Centre for Civil Society and Governance,The University of Hong Kong(Tel:3917 4762;email:karenckmk hku.hk)About the Project-Jockey Club Collaborative Project for Inclusive Employment In collaboration with the four key NGO partners–CareER,Heep Hong Society,SAHK and St.James’Settlement–and funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust,Jockey Club Collaborative Project for Inclusive Employment adopts astakeholder-based and collaborative approach to attaining inclusive employment.The three-year Project aspires to not only raise stakeholders’awareness and knowledge on inclusive employment,but also to inspire them to take action and become advocates for inclusive employment.We hope to encourage members of the society to think outside the box in terms of job types for people with disabilities(PWD)and provide them with more suitable opportunities,so their talents and contributions can be fully acknowledged from multiple perspectives.Organised by the Centre for Civil Society and Governance at The University of Hong Kong,the Project’s Inclusive Career Platform will conduct adiagnostic study of inclusive employment and engage members of the community and key stakeholders to participate in acommunity-wide re-visioning exercise to reflect upon what inclusive employment and social inclusion entail.We will also establish an information commons for assessing and sharing information,and build an action platform to empower talents,incubate ideas,leverage resources and form working networks.We trust that such collaboration can ultimately lead to the raising societal awareness on and furthering the cause of inclusive employment,achieving an inclusive and sustainable society.About the Centre for Civil Society and Governance,The University of Hong Kong Established in December 2002,the Centre for Civil Society and Governance(the Centre)strives to enhance our knowledge of civil society and its contribution towards good governance,and to facilitate the attainment of asustainable society through forging community-based innovative solutions to inform policy deliberation and collective actions.The work of the Centre is organised around the three Labs–the Policy for Sustainability Lab(PSL),the Social Entrepreneurship and Civic Action Lab(SECAL),and the Nonprofits and Philanthropy Lab(NPPL);each of them representing aresearch focus and an area of excellence of the Centre. 查看详细>>

In human society,reward and punishment are introduced as an incentive to induce cooperation.However,some people still try to cheat to win.So,is there asystem with clear rewards and punishments in the world of other organisms?The answer is‘yes’.Corals may‘punish’the algae that live inside them by cutting off their food supply if such algae become selfish and renege on their part of the resource-sharing deal with the coral as part of their symbiosis–a mutually beneficial relationship.These are the findings of Dr Shelby MCILROY of the Swire Institute of Marine Science(SWIMS)and the School of Biological Sciences at The University of Hong Kong(HKU)and her collaborators..In the coral-algae relationship,the two sides–the coral host,and the algal symbiont,share and recycle nutrients they cannot access on their own.But this relationship is open to abuse.Corals can host several species of symbiotic algae at the same time,but not all algal species are honest.Some take advantage of their host by keeping more nutrients for their own needs instead of passing them to the coral.In this way,the selfish algae gain an advantage over more beneficial species that grow slower because they share their nutrients more generously.This cheating ultimately undermines the long-term health and growth of the coral itself.In other symbiotic relationships,for example,between trees and fungi,the cheated hosts can interfere and punish their dishonest partners.However,until McIlroy’s latest research came out in the journal Microbiome,it has been difficult to determine if or how corals could do the same with their algae.Using stable isotope techniques,McIlroy was able to unravel the flow of nutrients between different species of algae in their host,a Caribbean coral species.‘Stable isotopes combined with genetic techniques allow us to track the currency exchange between the partners.In this case,the currency is nutrients,in the form of carbon and nitrogen,’McIlory explained.The results showed that the coral might indeed punish the cheats and reward the honest partners.‘Our study showed that corals seem to limit the supply of nutrients to the symbiotic algae that are less beneficial to them,as away of fostering more beneficial algal symbionts,’McIlroy added.Understanding how corals control and manipulate their symbiotic algae is now crucially important for coral survival.Because of climate change,the seas are becoming too hot for the algae living inside the coral.When water temperatures spike,algae die,and so does the coral itself–a phenomenon known as bleaching.Episodes of bleaching are now becoming increasingly common,and most of the world’s coral reefs are now threatened by it.If scientists could get the coral to host the species of algae that can handle higher temperatures–a form of‘coral probiotics’,it could prevent bleaching and buy more time for corals threatened by the warming of the oceans.‘We may have the ability to intervene and help corals resist bleaching by exposing them to more thermally tolerant partners.But we need to understand the biology of corals and how they might react to these interventions so that we can work effectively and efficiently.There’s no time to lose.’McIlroy concluded. 查看详细>>

Oysters have been an important commodity in Hong Kong for more than 700 years.While serving as atasty and highly nutritious food source,oysters also clean and enrich our seawater,and their reefs provide habitat and nursery grounds for many native species that are otherwise lost from our shores.However,the local oyster agriculture in Lau Fau Shan and the surrounding waters of Deep Bay has been severely hindered by coastal modification,the seasonal shift in temperature and salinity due to climate change,pollution and emerging pathogens in the recent years,which not only leads to huge summer and winter mortality of oysters(as high as 80%),but has also affected the livelihood of thousands of growers around the area.As demand for sustainable supply of this precious seafood is rapidly growing,there is an urgency to identify an oyster strain with relatively high-stress tolerance and immune resistance power to overcome at least some of these novel human-induced environmental constraints.In view of this,Marine Scientists at the School of Biological Sciences and The Swire Institute of Marine Science(SWIMS)of The University of Hong Kong(HKU),joined hands with the local oyster industry to set up the Hong Kong Oyster Hatchery&Innovation Research Unit,which aims to develop innovative hatchery technology in partnership with growers and industry that re-establishes high-quality natural resources and delivers superior oyster seeds for sustainable coastal aquaculture particularly in South China and Hong Kong.The facility will commence operation in July 2022.On 27 May,2022,the hatchery and aquaculture experts from the northern,middle and southern part of mainland China gathered at HKU to discuss the oyster hatchery and its relevance for sustainable aquaculture with Hong Kong’s oyster growers,government agency,industry,NGOs researchers,and other stakeholders,in order to identify ways through which the proposed oyster hatchery could be integrated with national efforts to develop sustainable oyster aquaculture with aglobal perspective.The project received 5.28 million funding from the Sustainable Fisheries Development Fund(SFDF)of the Agriculture,Fisheries and Conservation Department(AFCD),and agenerous donation of 3million from Lee Kum Kee Company Limited.Under their support,an oyster hatchery at aresearch scale will be set up at HKU campus,using novel hatchery technologies to enhance oyster seed production.After the settlement of the oyster spat,the final stage of seed production will take place at the laboratory of SWIMS,which is located in the Cape D’Aguilar marine reserve,where the seeds will be maintained and monitored for afew weeks before being supplied to local growers.The laboratory set up at The Hong Kong Oyster Hatchery The hatchery at HKU Campus contains an Algal Culture area to supply adequate food for the nursery culture of both oyster larvae and spats in the hatchery room.A Larval Culture area made the major part of the hatchery,which has its own re-circulation facility for over 2000L of seawater and supports larval settlement and spat culture facility.A significantly large Chemical Lab area for studying oyster meat quality and food safety parameters.The project aims to produce oyster seeds of three local oyster species:Crassostrea hongkongensis(Hong Kong oysters),Crassostrea ariakensis(Suminoe oysters)and Crassostrea angulata(Portuguese oysters),and estimates to produce 10,000 strings of oyster seeds,with each string holding 200 good quality oysters approximately per year.The trial seed production will start in summer 2022,and full-scale seed production is expected to be done by summer 2023.Local stakeholders,including oyster growers,will adopt the technology for their oyster production by the year 2024. 查看详细>>