“Our knowledge has to be enhanced from generation to generation, and I have the responsibility to pass on my knowledge to the next generation.”

Being referred to as the “ghost particles”, neutrinos are one of the elementary particles of the Universe. The sun and stars rely on them for emission of light and heat. Unveiling their mysteries may facilitate our understanding of the origin and evolution of the Universe.

When studying in the university, IAS Paul CW Chu Professor Kam-Biu LUK of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) was curious about the particle physics phenomenon. In the 1990s, in view of a study proposed by Japan to prove the authenticity of neutrino oscillations through the generation of a large amount of anti-neutrinos by all nuclear power plants, Professor LUK decided to focus on the study of neutrino physics.

In 2012, Professor LUK and his international partners discovered the third pattern of neutrino oscillation for the first time in the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station. This experiment indicates that neutrinos may violate a combined Charge-Conjugation and Parity (CP) symmetry, and explains the possibility of having the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the Universe. The breakthrough proves that neutrinos may violate a combined CP symmetry, thereby providing a new direction for studying why there is more matter than antimatter in the Universe. In addition, Professor LUK received many international awards in scientific research for this achievement, including the Panofsky Prize of American Physical Society, the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, the High Energy and Particle Physics Prize of European Physical Society, as well as the 2019 Future Science Prize – Physics Prize. Nevertheless, Professor LUK was humble and did not take the credit. He said, “In fact, such a large-scale experiment required the joint support and contributions from staff members possessing many different skills, so the award should belong to everyone.”

Neutrinos exist everywhere and Professor LUK’s inspiration for scientific research comes from everything in the Universe. In particular, he thinks that the nature remains to be full of mysteries. In his dialogue with the young scientist, Adrian Hoi-chun PO (HKUST’s Hari Harilela Assistant Professor of Physics), Professor LUK said, “In doing experiments, I would encourage students to explore by themselves, and I usually gave them much freedom.”

Spending most of his life in scientific research, Professor LUK attaches great importance to nurturing the next generation, and is passionate about research teaching. He hopes to spend more time in understanding the thinking, strengths and weaknesses of today’s young generation, so as to provide appropriate training for them to achieve inheritance.

“Maybe the ultimate goal of mathematics is ‘the truth, the goodness and the beauty’. Human sensation is the most direct and most primitive. First you must have a sensation, then you start pursuing for knowledge.”

Professor Ngai-Ming MOK is a mathematician specialising in the research of Several Complex Variables, Complex Differential Geometry and Algebraic Geometry. He is the laureate of the 2022 Future Science Prize – Mathematics and Computer Science Prize for the theory of varieties of minimal rational tangents (VMRT) and his proof of Ax-Schanuel’s conjecture for Shimura varieties. Complex analysis is very important in modern geometry and is the cornerstone of many algebraic theorems. Modern physics also has to make use of the fundamental research of complex numbers to advance.

Professor MOK does not only devote himself to the study in mathematics, but also acquires profound knowledge in areas such as literature, poetry and philosophy. Striving for the truth, the goodness and the beauty in knowledge, he draws an analogy and embraces both liberal arts and science to understand and reach out to the world.

Professor MOK has considered himself a pursuer of knowledge since a young age. Knowledge across disciplines strengthens his imagination and helps him a lot with his researches in mathematics. Some people think that modern mathematics and physics become more and more distant or even detached from reality, but to Professor MOK, scientists, artists and philosophers are just depicting the same scenery from different perspectives.

At the same time, as a professor of mathematics at the University of Hong Kong, Professor MOK commits to nurturing the next generation in the hope of developing more outstanding mathematicians. He said, “I really wish to have mathematicians with ability and potential developed or nurtured in Hong Kong.”
Professor MOK places great importance on nurturing the next generation. To him, inheritance is just as important as research. His advice is that students must be committed to mathematics in order to find the right path to unleash their potential.

“Our important goal is to achieve inheritance by passing on science from generation to generation.”
Professor Dennis LO Yuk-ming, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, is referred to as the “father” of Non-invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT). The scientist who received numerous awards is not only down-to-earth, but even very much in touch with reality. Apart from comparing laboratories to scientists’ kitchens, he would think out of the box by drawing inspiration from daily activities, such as cooking instant noodles and watching a film, and transform it into the power of helping others.
In the past, pregnant women might need to receive amniocentesis (taking amniotic fluid from the womb) to test the risk of fetal Down syndrome, which might lead to fetal injury or even miscarriages. NIPT invented by Professor Dennis LO Yuk-ming has brought about a breakthrough. Simply by taking blood samples from pregnant women, NIPT can test whether the foetuses have Down syndrome or other genetic diseases in a safe manner. Since its introduction in 2011, NIPT has been adopted globally by more than 90 countries and helped more than 10 million pregnant women every year. Professor LO received a number of awards for this, including the Future Science Prize, known as “China’s Nobel Prize”, in Life Science, and the 2021 Breakthrough Prize, known as the “Oscar of Science”, in Life Sciences.
Spending most of his life in scientific research, Professor LO is not detached from reality. He likes to be a down-to-earth scientist, emphasising the possibility of using the research results achieved in laboratories to help others. In his dialogue with young scientists, Professor LO said, “Think about what you invented. You hope it can eventually help others instead of only existing in medical literature or libraries.”
Professor LO attaches great importance to nurturing the next generation. He thinks that actually many scientific discoveries or inventions could only be made with the continuous efforts of many generations of scientists, so inheritance is very important. Moreover, young scientists have the greatest creativity, and opportunities must be given to them as far as possible, so that they can do their jobs well.

The scientific spirit is an enlightenment, also an inheritance.

Laureates of the 2023 Future Science Prize, including Xianhui CHEN (Physical Science Prize), Shaoqing REN and Xiangyu ZHANG (Mathematics and Computer Science Prize), as well as Jijie CHAI and Jian Min ZHOU (Life Science Prize), gather together with the host Victor WANG to have a dialogue full of wisdom. The dialogue does not only explore the laureates’ achievements and their experiences in scientific research, but also covers other topics such as their outlook on science and life.

The researches of the laureates cover a wide range of fields in science, including plant immune responses in life science, high-temperature superconductivity in physical science, and artificial intelligence in mathematics and computer science. With far-reaching significance and important values, their work has brought about breakthroughs in scientific research and technology application in these fields, and is having profound impacts on the life and future of mankind. Through the laureates’ sharing on their experiences, insights on scientific research, as well as their visions for the future development, it is hoped that the young generation can gain knowledge about science and have their passion for science ignited.

“Being the outstanding human beings with the greatest curiosity and mind power, scientists need to be given more concern and stronger support. This is our original intention and spirit for introducing the Future Science Prize.” – Mr. LIU Qin, Rotating Chair of the Council of the Future Forum and the Future Science Prize Donor’s Congress said.
After eight years’ development, the Future Science Prize was held in Hong Kong for the first time in 2023. Packed with diverse activities for four consecutive days, the Future Science Prize Week has attracted almost 100 top scientists worldwide to gather together, sharing their views on cutting-edge topics in the scientific sector.

This episode features the wonderful moments and important conferences of the Future Science Prize Week——the Science Symposium, Asian Young Scientist Conference, Laureate Dialogue with the Youth, etc., and covers the interviews with several outstanding scientists having significant roles in the scientific community, including: Gregory Winter, Nobel Prize Laureate in Chemistry 2018; Michael Levitt, Nobel Prize Laureate in Chemistry 2013; and Shankar Balasubramanian, Winner of the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences in 2022, thus enabling the audience to understand the latest development in various scientific research fields and its impacts on human life, and to acquire a more comprehensive understanding of the Prize Week.
Besides, we have edited the highlights of the Prize Presentation Ceremony to revisit the important moments of presenting the Life Science Prize, Physical Science Prize, and Mathematics and Computer Science Prize to the laureates in recognition of their significant research outcomes achieved for all mankind, and to witness their honourable moments together.