HKUST and Tsinghua University Co-organize the First Bauhinia Forum to Drive Innovation and Development in Computer Science

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and Tsinghua University jointly hosted the first Bauhinia Forum on Development of Computer Science. The two-day forum, which took place from 16 to 17 June 2023 in the HKUST campus brought together nearly 30 leaders, including Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, deans, heads, and faculty of computer science departments and schools from leading universities in Hong Kong, Mainland, and Macau to exchange insights on the latest computer science education and research as well as explore the collaborative efforts in leading the world's computer science development. The forum aimed at fostering cross-university initiatives and collaborations in driving innovation and development in computer science.

HKUST and Tsinghua University jointly organize the first Bauhinia Forum on Development of Computer Science, bringing together Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, deans, heads, and faculty of computer science departments and schools from leading universities in Hong Kong, Mainland, and Macau to exchange insights on the latest computer science education and research.

On the first day of the forum, Prof. GUO Yike, Provost of HKUST; Prof. WU Jianping, Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering and Professor of Department of Computer Science and Technology of Tsinghua University; and Prof. ZHANG Ping, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Professor of School of Electronic Engineering Department of Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications delivered welcoming remarks and kick-started the forum.

Prof. Guo remarked, "Computer science is rapidly evolving and shaping the future of our world. The technologies have become indispensable in various research domains and have been widely applied across industries. In particular, generative AI is impacting the higher education sector and HKUST is one of the pioneers in leveraging ChatGPT in our teaching and learning. This forum provides a great opportunity to gather dedicated academia, leaders, and scholars to discuss together the research and education development direction of this field, deepening the collaboration among the top computer science departments and schools in cross-strait four regions to embrace the future opportunities and challenges brought by computer science and advance the development of innovation and technology."

Prof. Wu said, "The development of computer science is flourishing. There is strong demands and application needs for computer science technology worldwide which is a global trend. We firmly believe that it is very important for leaders in this domain across the strait and four regions to exchange and collaborate together, leveraging the strengths of all parties to lead the global development of computer science and make contributions to the field."

HKUST Provost, Prof. GUO Yike delivers the welcoming remarks and says the forum provides a great opportunity to gather dedicated academia, leaders, and scholars and deepen the collaboration to embrace the future opportunities and challenges brought by computer science and advance the development of innovation and technology.

Prof. WU Jianping, Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering and Professor of Department of Computer Science and Technology of Tsinghua University and Prof. ZHANG Ping, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Professor of School of Electronic Engineering Department of Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications deliver welcoming remarks and kick-start the forum.

Four major themes were presented in the forum with each presentation session led by an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences as moderator and delivered by a few speakers. Topics of discussion included how to run a world-class computer science school/department, changes that are needed on computer science curriculum to nurture the next-generation technology talents, collaboration among universities in China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan to lead the global computer science research and education, and how computer science departments can compete with the IT industry with very limited resources. In addition to the thematic presentation, there was a stimulating panel discussion on ChatGPT and computer science education on the second day of the forum joined by Prof. Jianping Wu, Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering and Professor of Department of Computer Science and Technology of Tsinghua University, Prof. YIN Xia, Head of the Department of Computer Science and Technology of Tsinghua University, Prof. LIU Zhiyuan, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Department of Computer Science of Tsinghua University, Prof. Yike Guo, Provost of HKUST and moderated by Prof. ZHOU Xiaofang, Otto Poon Professor of Engineering, Head and Chair Professor of Department of Computer Science and Engineering of HKUST. The panellists together with the forum participants discussed the dynamic nature of ChatGPT in teaching and learning as well as examined and addressed the issues arising from the use of generative AI technology.

Stimulating panel discussion on ChatGPT and computer science education joined by Prof. Jianping Wu, Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering and Professor of Department of Computer Science and Technology of Tsinghua University (2nd from left), Prof. YIN Xia, Head of the Department of Computer Science and Technology of Tsinghua University (1st from left), Prof. LIU Zhiyuan, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Department of Computer Science of Tsinghua University (1st from right), Prof. Yike Guo, Provost of HKUST (2nd from right) and moderated by Prof. ZHOU Xiaofang, Otto Poon Professor of Engineering, Head and Chair Professor of Department of Computer Science and Engineering of HKUST (centre).

The forum marked a significant milestone in establishing a collaborative platform to facilitate meaningful exchange and strengthen collaboration among top computer science departments or schools from cross-strait four regions for leading the global development of computer science education and research. All participating institutions and academic leaders in the field will continue to give unwavering support to the interdisciplinary initiatives to drive the technology innovation for the benefit of the society.

The forum was co-organized by Department of Computer Science and Engineering of HKUST and Department of Computer Science and Technology of Tsinghua University, with participation by Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, deans, heads, and faculty of computer science schools and departments from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, City University of Hong Kong, Harbin Institute of Technology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Macau University of Science and Technology, Nanjing University, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Peking University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shenzhen University, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, University of Macau, and Zhejiang University.

More details about the event.