Fourteen postgraduate students participate in the one-day Faculty Postgraduate Seminar 2023
Ms Kay Li Wing-ki from CCA explains how her research project tries to explore the cultural differences in metacognitive teaching in instrumental music learning in Hong Kong. Ms Li wins the best oral presentation in the social science panel.
Mr Zaheen A. Iqbal from HPE explains that eleven runners were recruited to run on treadmill and over-ground for 31 minutes at their preferred speed, where stride time, total range of motion (TROM), different angles of hip, knee and ankle joints in different phases of running in the sagittal plane movements were measured. He is voted the best presenter in the science panel.
To encourage vibrant research culture among students, FLASS has organised the Faculty Postgraduate Seminar for three consecutive years. This year, a total of 14 students participated and presented their research ideas at the one-day seminar on 22 November 2023. The seminar was grateful to have Professor Stephen Chiu Wing-kai, Chair Professor of Sociology from the Department of Social Sciences and Policy Studies (SSPS) and Associate Dean (International Engagement) of FLASS, and Professor Keith Ho Wing-kei, Acting Head of the Department of Science and Environmental Studies (SES) as the keynote speakers to share their expertise and research experiences.
In his keynote speech, Professor Chiu said sociology is a social science subject that deals with public issues, and one of the starting points of sociological research is developing a research topic from your personal concerns. Using his own experience with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as an example, the professor in sociology said, “Since my late father was a Chinese herbalist, different issues about traditional Chinese medicine, in particular professional status of Chinese medicine practitioners, have been exposed to me since my youth.”
To students looking for a topic for their postgraduate research, Professor Chiu advise them that one of the starting points of sociological research is developing a research topic from their personal concerns.
Professor Ho says even though doing scientific research could be a long and sometimes lonely journey, but the belief that his discoveries will contribute to a better society gives him a lot of motivation.
“In the early 2000s, one of my students worked on a PhD project about TCM. Because I was her advisor, I began to look at TCM from a sociological perspective,” said Professor Chiu. It was the Hong Kong Government’s announcement of its plan to build a new Chinese medicine hospital (CMH) in 2018 that ignited Professor Chiu’s new round of research interest in it. Professor Chiu said, “The COVID-19 pandemic clearly illustrated that TCM can and should play an important role in the public health system of the city.” To students aspiring to take up postgraduate studies, he advised that they should develop their research questions on topics that interest them. “While your research should address an issue that the community is concerned about, it should also be something you are passionate about and thrills you,” the veteran sociologist said.
Professor Keith Ho Wing-kei has recently been named by Clarivate Analytics as one of the Highly Cited Researchers of 2023, and it is the sixth consecutive year that the professor has been named on the list. Air pollution control has long been one of Professor Ho’s main research interests. The environmental scientist shared in his keynote speech about how his research team discovered a new photocatalytic material called graphitic carbon nitride, which consists of only carbon and nitrogen, and is free of metal and non-hazardous.
Photocatalysts like titanium dioxide require UV light, the new photocatalyst is capable of activating photocatalytic reactions with visible light sources, including daylight and indoor lighting. This groundbreaking technology allows the use of LED lighting, which is both energy-saving and environmentally friendly, as a light source for photocatalysis,” Professor Ho said, adding that there is a wide range of possibilities for using the new technology in air purification and disinfection contexts in daily life.
Professor Ho encouraged aspiring students to join research work even though it is a long and sometimes lonely journey. “In the world of scientific discoveries, it usually takes decades of hard work before reaching any meaningful breakthroughs. However, knowing that my discoveries will contribute to a better society gives me a lot of motivation. As a scientist, I always view myself as connected to a bigger scientific community. I have a conviction that my discovery will contribute to a bigger invention that will change the world,” he said.
During the poster presentation session, postgraduate students use a poster and other graphics to explain to the audience about their research projects.
The keynote speeches were followed by a poster presentation session. Aided by a poster and graphics that highlight the key points of their research projects, eight postgraduate students explained to the audience what their research projects intended to address. Two oral presentation sessions —one for research projects on social science and one for projects on science — were held in the afternoon session during that day. Six postgraduate students presented their research ideas and took questions from the floor.
Polls were held to select the best poster presentation and the two best oral presentations from the social science and science panels. “How Divers’ Specialization Affects Their Marine-based Conservation Behaviours”, the research project by Mr Zhang Ke from SES, was voted the best poster presentation. Ms Kay Lee Wing-Ki’s research “Cultural Difference in Metacognitive Teaching: A Study of Instrumental Music Learning in Hong Kong” and Mr Zaheen A. Iqbal’s research “Differences in the Stride to Stride Variability While Prolonged Running on Treadmill and Over-ground: A Crossovers Study” garnered the most votes in the social science and science panels respectively.
Professor Daniel Chow Hung-kay, chief moderator of the seminar, hopes that participants can enjoy the seminar and learn from each other on how to develop research questions and how to fine-tune their research methodology.
Academic and teaching staff from different departments under FLASS attend the seminar. Dean of FLASS Professor Li Wai-keung, left, and Professor Philip Yu Leung-ho, right, Head of the Department of Mathematics and Information Technology raise questions about the development of TCM in the city.
Professor Daniel Chow Hung-kay, Chair Professor of the Department of Health and Physical Education (HPE) and Associate Dean (Research & Postgraduate Studies) of FLASS was the chief moderator of the seminar. He said, “Today’s seminar was a big success. Many postgraduate students used this opportunity to think through their research proposals again. They presented their research ideas in front of an enthusiastic audience and received many constructive feedbacks. I hope they enjoyed the seminar today and learnt from each other on how to develop research questions and how to fine-tune their research methodology.”
Academic and teaching staff from the five departments under FLASS, including Professor Li Wai-keung, Dean of FLASS, and Professor Philip Yu Leung-ho, Head of the Department of Mathematics and Information Technology, attended the seminar. Dr Tan Weiqiang from SSPS served as the moderator for the social science panel and Dr Claudia Wong Ming-yu from HPE acted as the moderator for the science panel in the afternoon session of the seminar.
