City University of Hong Kong embraces innovative teaching and learning initiatives to support various learning needs of different students. CityU is the first university in Hong Kong to conduct campus-wide real-time online learning due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, shortly after the Government announced school suspension in the Lunar New Year. Leveraging the advanced and effective CityU-Learning system, we introduce new online taster lectures so that secondary school students can have a taste of university learning at home or at any place which is convenient to them!
One ultimate goal of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is to build a machine/system that can learn by itself, via interactions with the environment. One successful example is AlphaGo, an AI that plays the board game Go with world-class performance. The underlying framework that builds AlphaGo is called Reinforcement Learning (RL), a standard paradigm where an AI can respond to the environment. In this lecture, we will study the idea of reinforcement learning and discuss how this framework can be applied to different applications such as digital marketing and game AI.
人工智能 (Artificial Intelligence) 其中一個長遠目標是建立一種能夠通過與環境相互學習的機器/系統。AlphaGo在圍棋遊戲中的卓越表現正好是演繹人工智能的成功例子， 它背後的基礎框架為強化學習 (Reinforcement Learning)，正正是人工智能回應環境的標準範例。這個講座將會介紹強化學習的概念及其應用，例如數據營銷和遊戲人工智能。
智能手機已經成為我們生活當中不可或缺的一部分，不論是我們和家人朋友的溝通，或是處理銀行交易以及到超市購物，智能手機已經成為我們手中的必需品。 大家都知道每一個人都是透過大腦控制我們的思想以及動作，大家想知道智能手機是靠什麼控制的呢？當社會往智慧城市發展的時候，我們也更需要了解我們每天生活當中每一樣事物， 了解各種原理，成為智慧市民，本講座將以深入淺出的互動方式和大家一起討論。
With the recent expansion of knowledge and technology, our understanding of the biological role and diversity of ribonucleic acid (RNA) has changed significantly. Being a close cousin to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), RNA is versatile and thought to be an ancient biomolecule that originates life. RNA has the dual functionality to store genetic information, like DNA, and perform catalysis and regulate gene functions, like protein. In this talk, I will discuss the past and present of the RNA world and will present my view on how understanding RNA can help shape the advancement of chemistry, biology, and medicine in our future.
Gene therapy is an advanced technique to introduce genetic material into human cells to cure diseases. Gene therapy is regarded as the future of medicine. It holds promise for treating a wide range of human diseases, including the diseases that are currently incurable. So far there are only a few gene therapies approved worldwide, and a gene therapy can cost more than one million dollars. In this lecture, I will introduce how gene therapies are developed and why they are the most expensive medicine in history.
基因治療是一種將遺傳編碼導入人體細胞以治療疾病的前沿生物醫藥技術。基因治療被譽為醫藥的未來，因為它可以用於治療很多人類疾病，包括一些還沒有治療方法的絕症。 然而到目前爲止僅有屈指可數的基因治療得到批准上市，而且它們價格高昂，一般在百萬美金以上。在這個講座裡，我將介紹基因治療是如何被開發，並且解密它們為何成為史上最貴藥物。
Animation is a diverse art form with distinctive production methods, combining storytelling, visual communication, graphic art, characterization, cinematography, sound design and other forms of imaginative and individualistic techniques. This form of creative media influences the production of film, video, online media, games and television entertainment. This lecture offers students a sneak peek of what animation is, including the history, workflow, principle and samples of various types of animation.
Sunscreen, also known as sunblock, is essential for the protection against sunburn. In this 1-hour lecture, not only the working principle of various sunscreen components will be discussed and illustrated, but tips on how to use sunscreen wisely will also be provided.
In this course, you will learn to train neural networks to classify audios and images. We will also dive into the python codes and underlying concepts as deep as possible.
Is it okay to modify genes in crops and livestock, edit genes in human embryos, or predict personalities and disease predisposition by sequencing genes in babies? Why are these controversial, when it is okay to cure diseases and save lives through science? In this lecture, I will introduce the science behind these, and many other, controversial trends, and discuss the moral implications of these technological advances.
修改農作物和家畜的基因，編輯人類胚胎基因，或通過嬰兒基因來預測性格和疾病，你覺得有問題嗎？科學家不是一直治病和拯救生命嗎，為什麼上述的技術卻引來這麼大的爭議呢？在這個講座中， 我將介紹這些具爭議的生物技術背後的科學，並討論這些技術進步帶來的道德問題。
Where do smartphones go when they “die”? Come find out! This talk explores how smartphones are recycled and what kind of valuable resources can be recirculated back to the electronic industries. We will also talk about how smartphone companies can improve their future product designs to enhance smartphone’s recyclability.
This lecture will give students some insights on whether law can help protecting the environment. Can law stop hurricanes, floods and heat weaves?
The year 2028 marks the centenary of the discovery of Penicillin. Ironically, the era of antibiotics, the magic bullets for bacterial infection, will likely be over in the same decade. In less than 100 years of large-scale antibiotic production, the magic bullets are losing their power. In the post-antibiotic era of the 21st century, the United Nations has declared that antimicrobial resistance poses the greatest threat to human health. Why did we lose the race against bacteria so quickly? What lessons can we learn from this? How should we prepare for the post-antibiotic era? In this lecture, I will introduce the history of antibiotics, explain the cause of antibiotic resistance, and introduce the latest works in combating antibiotic resistance.
2028年是青黴素(盤尼西林)發現的一百週年紀念。諷刺的是，抗生素的時代可能會在這十年內結束。在抗生素大規模生產的不到100年𥚃，這對付細菌感染的神奇子彈失去了力量。聯合國宣布，在21世紀的後抗生素時代𥚃， 抗菌素耐藥性是對人類健康的最大威脅。為什麼我們在與細菌的競爭中那麼快就輸掉了？可以從中學到什麼教訓？應如何為後抗生素時代做準備？在本講座中，我將介紹抗生素的歷史，解釋抗生素耐藥性的原因，並介紹與對付抗生素耐藥性的最新發展。
The 21st century is the great age of translation. More than ever before texts are translated from one language to another. But what exactly is involved in transferring ideas across languages and cultures? What are the specific issues and difficulties? We will explore what it means to rewrite someone else’s words in another language and context. To do so, we will draw on historical and current translation practices, as well as the latest research in translation studies.
This topic is about how cells behave during the different stages of embryonic development and organ regeneration. Each cell can be seen as a single piece in a game of Go or Chinese Chess Xiangqi. Every cell has a set of rules on the steps to take and how to take them. When individual cells follow this playbook on the rules and temporal sequence to live, die, move forward or backward, the embryos will develop properly and the organ will regenerate. The interesting question is how do cells know and enact their own playbooks when they also share the same genes inside the same body. In this lecture, we will look at how curious scientists used equipment and technology to solve this centuries old question.
這個課題，是講述細胞在胚胎發育階段和在組織再生時的不同型態。每一個細胞就好像圍棋和中國象棋的棋子一樣。每一個細胞都有特訂的步法和走勢。個別細胞的生存、死亡、前進和後退都是有規則和先後次序的。 如果每一個細胞都能按照既定的程序，那麼整個胚胎就可以完成生長過程，另外傷口也可以癒合。有趣的是，在同一個身體裹面，每一個細胞都有同一組基因，他們怎樣分辨那一個細胞是可以生存並生長， 那一細胞是應該死亡。這些問題，十分有趣。在這一個課堂，我們一同看看科學家怎樣用儀器和科技，解答這些幾百年來，一直令人感到非常好奇的問題。
Antibiotics were regarded as a “magic bullet” when they first appeared in last century. However, due to misuse and abuse over the years, antibiotics are losing their power. Instead we are hearing more about antibiotics resistance and an increasing number of super bugs. In the post-antibiotic era of the 21st century, the United Nations has declared that antimicrobial resistance poses the greatest threat to human health. In this lecture I will introduce the history of antibiotics, explain the cause of antibiotic resistance, and introduce the latest works in combating antibiotic resistance.
抗生素在上世紀曾被視為“神奇子彈”。然而，由於多年來的濫用，抗生素正在失去功效。我們經常聽到抗生素耐藥性和超級細菌的新聞。聯合國宣布抗菌素耐藥性是對人類健康最大的威脅。 在這個講座中，我將介紹抗生素的歷史，解釋抗生素耐藥的原因，並介紹抗擊耐藥性的最新研究。
The man-in-the-street is likely to believe that the law is concerned with delivering fair results. This lecture enquires into the meaning of ‘fairness’ in contract law, the values embedded in legal principles, and why the outcomes do not always accord with the layman’s expectations. These hold important lessons on what we should do before entering an agreement, where the law might protect inadequately and what we should do about it.
Why do we feel that some languages are so beautiful, while we think that the way other people talk is strange or funny? In this talk, the speaker will explore how our feelings and beliefs about language influence our identities, our decisions and our social world. We will also discuss how a greater awareness of our language attitudes can contribute to building a more fair and just society.
The duty of forensic toxicologists and dangerous drug chemists is to provide expert aids to the investigation of criminal cases (or even civil proceedings) that involve the use of toxic compounds, poisons or drugs. What are poisons and dangerous drugs? How knowledge of toxicology is applied to criminal investigation? How analytical chemistry is used to bring dangerous drug manufacturers, traffickers and dealers to justice? The aim of this talk is to arouse students’ interests in toxicology and drug chemistry, and to understand how their knowledge can be used to preserve justice of the society. Case studies of some notorious criminal poisoning cases will be included.
不少刑事案件(甚或民事訴訟)皆可能涉及有毒化合物、毒藥或毒品。要調查這類案件，就要出動法醫毒理學家及毒品(危險藥物)化驗師了。到底毒藥的定義是什麼？什麼又是危險藥物？ 法醫毒理學家是如何透過對涉案毒物的認知來追查案件？毒品化驗師又怎樣利用分析化學的方法去將毒犯繩之以法？本講座的目的是透過分析一系列臭名昭著的毒品及下毒案例來喚起學生對 毒理學和藥物化學的興趣，並了解他們所學到的知識是如何用於維護社會公正之上。
This sample class will look at some of the basic tools we use to read, analyse, and discuss English poetry, with a focus on the practices of ‘close reading’. Poets discussed in the class will include Ezra Pound, A.E. Housman, Thomas Hardy, and Sylvia Plath.
This talk aims to introduce various principles of Forensic Sciences and Crime Scene Investigation to students. Special highlights will be given to chemical techniques in forensic analysis that are relevant to the current syllabus of secondary school in Hong Kong. Examples of how knowledge in chemistry and biology are applied to solve real criminal cases will be shared. We hope to arouse students’ interests in studying science, and to understand how their knowledge can be used to preserve justice of the society.
本講座旨在介紹各種科學鑑証(法証科學)和罪案現場調查的原則及技術。其實當中一些知識是與現行香港中學文憑考試的課程相關的。我們將分享一些真實刑事案例，以點出化學和生物學知識是如何幫助破案。 我們希望透過這講座來喚起學生對學習科學的興趣，並了解他們所學到的知識是如何用於維護社會公正之上。
In recent years, there has been a rise in "conscious consumerism": People choose to consume more sustainably (for example by avoiding fast fashion or going vegetarian) to protect the environment. This lecture explores why conscious consumerism DOESN'T work. It presents evidence showing why conscious consumerism will have a very limited impact on climate change. It then introduces ideas on how we, as individuals, CAN have a bigger impact on reversing environmental disaster.
This lecture will discuss the conception and misconception of neo-colonialism in Africa.
Is your Deliveroo courier an ‘entrepreneur’? How about your restaurant waiter? What does it mean to be an ‘entrepreneur’ or ‘small business owner’ today? Do digital platforms transform ‘workers' into ‘independent contractors’? Do they transform price-fixing conspiracies into ’networks’ run by algorithms? This talk will explore the legal consequences of the digital gig economy for workers and companies under employment law and antitrust law. It will also explore how digital platforms are seeking to reshape how we think about market relations today.
Robots are taking over! This is true in a sense that machines can now create contents that look like human expressions. Can these contents be regarded as copyrighted works? Can robots be regarded as authors in the eyes of copyright, so that they could enjoy the rights and undertake obligations? What are the impacts of the existing solution proposals on our society? This talk will introduce the recent developments of artificial intelligence in the creative field, the challenges the AI has raised to the fundamental concepts of copyright law, and how the law should respond to them.
Veterinary Science and Biomedical Science are exciting careers that provide you with endless opportunities to make a difference to the Health of Animals, Humans and our Planet. This lecture will lead you to the learning journey of One Health by giving you an overview on the Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences.
Thickeners, also known as thickening agents, are not just substances to increase the viscosity of liquids but are the soul in a wide range of cosmetic products that we use every day. In this 1-hour lecture, not only will the working principle of thickeners be discussed and illustrated, but also their versatile applications, which may blow your mind.
Suppose 50,000 students are applying to universities. Each student has applied to a small number of programmes that he/she is interested in. Each program has stated its capacity and its entrance requirements. How can we maximize the number of students who are accepted into university? We can model this scenario with the maximum matching problem. This model will help us decide on an optimal assignment of students to programmes when we are constrained by students’ interests, as well as programmes’ capacities and requirements. The maximum matching problem can be extended to aid decision-making in many applications. For example, we can decide on an optimal assignment of workers to tasks, or an optimal division of resources/rewards to individuals with different needs.
The primary purpose of a criminal trial is to ascertain whether a defendant has committed an alleged criminal offence. The law of criminal evidence is the set of rules and principles that addresses the manner in which evidence in a criminal trial should be received and evaluated. This talk seeks to provide an introduction to some key ideas in the law of criminal evidence. Guiding through our logical reasoning, so as to determine whether a person is guilty or innocent, the law of evidence requires us to identify human limitations and attend to our biases - all in the name of fair trial.
This lecture of Developmental Psychology introduces cognitive development in children. In what ways children think differently compared to us as adolescents/adults? You will learn the characteristics of thinking of children, developmental milestones and important theories on cognitive development in this lecture. We will see the world through the eyes of a child.
We encounter many complex networks in our daily life, involving engineering, physics, mathematics, biology, computers, and even finance and economics as well as social sciences. They are practically important with far-reaching impact. Typical complex networks include the Internet, WWW, wireless communication networks, biological and brain neural networks, social and economic networks, and research cooperation networks. In this lecture, we will briefly introduce the notion of complex networks and their simple mathematical descriptions, as well as some basic concepts and characteristics of complex networks. We will explain the knowledge and applications of complex networks by using some technical, biological and social networks as examples, highlighting the promising future of complex networks development.
我們日常生活中遇到很多複雜網絡，涉及到工程、物理、數學、生物、計算機甚至金融經濟和社會科學，其實用性強、影響廣泛深遠。典型的複雜網絡包括 Internet、WWW、無線電通信網、生物大腦神經網、社會和經濟 網、以及科研合作關系網等等。本講座將簡單地介紹生活中經常遇到的複雜網絡及其簡單數學描述，以及複雜網絡的一些基本概念和特征，並以技術、生物和社會網絡爲例，解釋這些模型的概念和應用，並簡要地展示複雜 網絡發展的前沿和遠景。
You and your crew members are in a dropping plane in air above the Caribbean island region, and about to ‘land’ in a Panama tropical rainforest. You and your team are experiencing extreme pressure of urgency, high emotional distress, and lack of survival expertise. Before landing, you and your team now have to make a series of decisions at a critical moment...
Animation is a diverse art form with distinctive production methods, combining storytelling, visual communication, graphic art, characterization, cinematography, sound design and other forms of imaginative and individualistic techniques. This form of creative media influences the production of film, video, online media, games and television entertainment. This lecture offers students a sneak peek of what animation is, including the history, workflow, principle and samples of various types of animation.
This lecture of Cyberlaw (or Internet law) covers the legal issues related to use of the Internet. It will begin by considering the origins and development of information technology in the booming Internet economy, moving on to consider, through the key issue of cyber property, both how the law has responded to the challenges of information technologies, and the extent to which legal issues have shaped the development of information society policy. Finally, this lecture provides a strong practical training by devoting lectures to the dispute settlement of internet domain disputes with focus on the Hong Kong practice.
This 1 hr online lesson will describe applications of physics in modern medicine. This includes imaging, which is essential for assessing pneumonia, a common symptom of COVID-19.
Humans count in decimal, i.e., in base 10, because we have 10 fingers (and 10 toes). However, computers represent numbers in binary which is a different number system. In this lecture, you will learn the basic concept of binary number system. We will solve interesting problems by applying this concept, and you can enjoy a magic performed by the lecturer during the lecture.
Date:27 February 2020 (Thursday)
In this 1-hour online workshop, you will be able to build an Artificial Intelligence (AI) system to classify different types of Pokemon! At the end of the workshop, you will develop a simple Python program to classify 5 different types of Pokemon: Pikachu, Charmander, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Mewtwo. You can apply this learning outcome to other problem domains.
Date:26 February 2020 (Wednesday)
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