hk prize is a science and technology innovation award for people in Hong Kong. The prize is open to people in the fields of artificial intelligence and robotics, life and health, new materials and energy, advanced manufacturing, and fintech. Each winner will receive HKD 2,000,000, a certificate, and a trophy. The prize is a part of the Future Science Week, which made its debut in Hong Kong this weekend. It also features a two-day scientific symposium with six sessions covering topics in computer science, plant research, chemistry, and physics. Gregory Winter and Michael Levitt, winners of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, gave keynote speeches at the event.
The first recipients of the hk prize were announced on Tuesday – astrophysicists Matthew Bailes and Duncan Lorimer of Australia, and Maura McLaughlin of the US – for their discovery of mysterious fast radio bursts (FRBs), which are millisecond-long giant pulses of radio waves that seem to come from far away in space. The team used data from the Parkes Radio Telescope in Australia to detect FRBs, which are thought to be associated with neutron stars.
Another hk prize is a parody of the Nobel Prize called the Ig Nobel, awarded for strange but useful experiments in physics, chemistry, medicine, economics, and literature. The name is a pun on the word ignoble, meaning “not honourable.” It’s meant to poke fun at prestigious prizes that can be seen as self-indulgent or pompous.
Researchers at the University of Hong Kong have discovered a new way to make artificial muscles more flexible. The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, is the first to show that artificial muscles can be made more flexible than natural ones. The research may help to develop prosthetic limbs that can adapt to different situations and movements.
Scientists at the Chinese University of Hong Kong have found a way to make cellulose-based nanofibers more conductive than their natural counterparts. The work could improve electronic devices such as computer chips and solar cells, which use the material in transistors and capacitors to store electrical charges. The scientists have created cellulose-based nanofibers that are ten times more conductive than their natural counterparts.
Six artists have been nominated for this year’s Sigg Prize, which honours work produced in Greater China. The exhibition will feature works by Jes Fan, Miao Ying, Wang Tuo, Xie Nanxing, Trevor Yeung, and Yu Ji. The winner, who will be awarded HK $500,000, will be selected in early 2024. The exhibition opens at M+ in September. Previously, the prize was awarded in person but has now been moved online due to the coronavirus pandemic. The shortlisted artists will also be presented with a Sigg Medallion at the M+ museum in November. The full list of nominees is available on the M+ website.