We are thrilled to announce that SKLMEH members have secured 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 at the 𝟱𝟭𝘀𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝘅𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗮!

The winning projects include:
𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗮𝗹 & 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲:
•  "𝗕𝗶𝗼𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝗗𝗡𝗔/𝗲𝗥𝗡𝗔 𝗘𝗻𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺" led by 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳. 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗴 𝗝𝗶𝗻𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 (Department of Science and Environmental Studies, EduHK)

𝗦𝗶𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗮𝗹:
•  "𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗦𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗦𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗩𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀" led by 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳. 𝗧𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗶𝘂-𝗳𝗮𝗶 (Department of Science and Environmental Studies, EduHK)

𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘇𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗮𝗹𝘀:
•  "𝗥𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲-𝗽𝗼𝘁 𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗣𝗥/𝗖𝗮𝘀𝟭𝟮𝗮-𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗴𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗘𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗶" led by 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳. 𝗞𝘄𝗼𝗸 𝗖𝗵𝘂𝗻 𝗞𝗶𝘁 (Department of Chemistry, CityUHK) and 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳. 𝗟𝗲𝗲 𝗞𝘄𝗮𝗻-𝗵𝗼𝗻 (School of Energy and Environment, CityUHK)
•  "𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗱𝗲-𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗼𝗳" led by Prof. 𝗣𝗲𝗴𝗴𝘆 𝗟𝗼 𝗣𝗶𝗸-𝗸𝘄𝗮𝗻 (Department of Chemistry, CityUHK) and 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳. 𝗞𝘄𝗼𝗸 𝗖𝗵𝘂𝗻 𝗞𝗶𝘁 (Department of Chemistry, CityUHK)

Congratulations to all SKLMEH members for this remarkable achievement!

The crystal phase plays a crucial role in determining the properties of two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides. SKLMP Member Prof. Zhiyuan Zeng from City University of Hong Kong, collaborated with Prof. Xinge Yu from City University of Hong Kong, Prof. Ju Li from MIT, Prof. Meng Gu from the Eastern Institute of Technology, as well as many other researchers, to conduct relevant experiments and published their research findings in the journal Nature Synthesis.

The research team discovered that by controlling the discharge current density and cutoff voltage, and utilizing an electrochemical lithium-ion intercalation-based exfoliation strategy, they successfully achieved phase-switchable preparation of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides. A small discharge current density (0.005 A g⁻¹, cutoff voltage 0.9 V) could produce a pure semiconducting 2H phase WS₂ bilayers, while a large discharge current density (0.02 A g⁻¹, cutoff voltage 0.7 V) leads to the dominant semimetallic 1T′phase WS₂ monolayers. Through techniques such as cryo-electron microscopy, annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy, and Raman, the researchers clarified the mechanism behind phase-switchable preparation. These findings inject new vitality into the current electrochemical Li⁺ intercalation-based exfoliation strategy, rendering it a feasible method for large-scale production of solution-processable group-VI 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (WS₂) with designated phases.

More information: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44160-024-00679-2

Methylmercury (MeHg) in aquatic systems poses a serious public health risk through bioaccumulation in the aquatic food web. MeHg in rivers near cities around the world have risen to concerning levels in recent years. However, the reasons for this increase remain unclear. SKLMP Member Prof. Zhiguo Yuan from the School of Energy and Environment of City University of Hong Kong, in collaboration with the team led by Prof. Feng Jiang of Sun Yat-sen University, revealed the significant impact of sewage contamination by analyzing more than 1,300 publicly available metagenomes in urban rivers worldwide and conducting experiments with water samples across China. Relevant research findings have been published in Nature Communications and picked by the editor as a highlight.

The research team found that sewage contamination significantly increases the abundance of mercury-methylating microorganisms in urban rivers globally. This increase is mainly attributed to the high abundance of active mercury-methylating microorganisms in sewage, which migrate to rivers through direct discharge or combined sewer overflows, becoming key contributors to elevated riverine MeHg levels. The findings highlight the importance of the effective removal of mercury-methylating microorganisms from sewage to mitigate the public health risks associated with MeHg in urban rivers.

More information: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-53479-9

Congratulations to SKLMP Member Dr. Apple Chui, Research Assistant Professor in the School of Life Sciences at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, for receiving the "Falling Walls Science Breakthroughs Award" in the Science Engagement category at the Falling Walls Science Summit held from the 7th to 9th November 2024.

Hong Kong, surrounded by three sides of the sea, boasts a rich diversity of coral species. However, in recent years, these corals have faced the threat of bleaching due to the impacts of climate change and human activities. To better conserve corals, Dr. Apple Chui officially established the outreach program "Coral Academy" in 2018, focusing on researching coral nurseries and coral propagation techniques. With the support of the Hong Kong Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, the "Coral Academy" has organized numerous public engagement activities, including the groundbreaking "Secondary School Coral Nursery Education Programme" initiated in 2020.

This program transforms primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong into culturing stations, allowing local students and teachers to participate in maintaining coral tanks and monitoring coral growth and health. Through hands-on experiences learning about Hong Kong's marine ecology and biological knowledge, students can enhance their awareness and concern for the biodiversity of marine life and coral conservation in Hong Kong, fostering a sense of duty to protect the oceans.

In Clarivate's latest release of the “Highly Cited Researchers 2024”, a total of 6,636 scholars from 59 countries and regions have been recognized for their exceptional academic influence. Among them are 6 members of the State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution. They are Prof. Ruquan Ye, Prof. Zhiguo Yuan, Prof. Zhiyuan Zeng, and Prof. Alex Jen from the City University of Hong Kong, as well as Prof. Tong Zhang and Prof. Xiaoling Zhang from the University of Hong Kong. This list celebrates leading scholars whose work ranks in the top 1% of citations globally across science and social sciences, highlighting their significant contributions to advancing knowledge and research excellence.

NerOcean, a startup company co-founded by SKLMP members Prof. Rudolf Wu, Prof. Vincent Ko and his Research Associate Dr. Ron NG, recently participated in the HKMA/HKT Global Innovation Award 2024 in the "Rising Stars" category. Their project "Artificial Mussel: A Novel Monitoring Device for Heavy Metals and Radionuclides in Global Aquatic Environments", earned NerOcean the prestigious Social Impact Innovation Award. This innovation award has been organized by the Hong Kong Management Association (HKMA) since 2022, aiming to contribute towards the National 14th Five-Year Plan to develop Hong Kong as an international innovation and technology hub. As one of the Top 10 Finalists, NerOcean is set to compete for the title of "Best Rising Star of the Year" against nine other teams in January 2025.

Moreover, NerOcean showcased its work at the 19th Eco Expo Asia, a conference jointly organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, co-organized by the Environment and Ecology Bureau of the Government of the HKSAR. NerOcean has been working closely with AFCD on advancing fish culture in Hong Kong and during the expo, Mr. LAI Chuen Chi, the Deputy Director of AFCD, engaged in a brief talk with them about the upcoming product trials and future plans.