Forum calls for open, accessible collaboration

The inaugural HKU President's Forum was successfully held on April 3 at the University of Hong Kong's Loke Yew Hall. Four pioneering scientists and Professor Zhang Xiang, the president and vice-chancellor of HKU, and convener of the Forum, exchanged in-depth views on the important role of science in securing the future of humanity, and in addressing global issues, such as climate change, achieving sustainable growth and development, and mitigating aging.

The four academics, who participated in the forum, were Dame Carol Black, an accomplished clinician and UK government adviser; Steven Chu, Nobel laureate in physics and former US Secretary of Energy; Jack Dangermond, founder of the Environmental Systems Research Institute, who also led the development of geographic information systems; and John Hennessy, the former president of Stanford University who won the Turing Award in 2017.

Chu, a passionate advocate of clean energy, spoke eloquently about the progress his lab and other US companies have made in reducing carbon emissions and enhancing the use and storage of renewable energy to meet the global goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.