The School Teaching, Research and Service Awards are given annually to Science faculty members at all levels and teaching track faculty for their outstanding teaching and service contributions. Professor Yusong GUO and Professor Robert KO from Division of Life Science were selected for this year’s School Teaching Award and School Service Award, respectively.
Dr. Guo joined the Division of Life Science as Assistant Professor in 2015. Since then, he has been enthusiastic about and consistently striving for teaching excellence. He has been teaching several courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and his students have spoken highly of Dr. Guo’s teaching skills:
“The dedication and enthusiasm displayed was truly inspiring. He (Dr. Guo) tried to inspire a sense of wonder about the subject, and appreciation for the subject.”
“Professor Guo’s teaching style is good that he always encourages student to think (about) the experimental approach to investigate the mechanism of biological work.”
“I was deeply impressed by his excellent performance in the course. He is one of the best teachers I have ever seen.”
Dr. Guo was also highly praised for his teaching strategies by his colleague:
“Yusong used various approaches to provide the basic foundation that would allow each student to develop his or her understanding of and capabilities in Cell Biology. His methods helped students to develop critical thinking skills.”
Dr. Guo believes that teaching is an essential part of a successful career in academia; it offers him the opportunity to deliver knowledge to young generations and cultivate academic successors.
Professor Ko joined the University in the early 90s and had already taken up extensive start-up service duties as one of the founding members in the former Department of Biochemistry. Over the years, he has been maintaining an active research program investigating the pharmacological activities of Chinese tonic herbs, which is unique within the Hong Kong scientific community. He is also a pioneer in the commercialization of research findings, some of which have already been developed and marketed since 2013.
Professor Ko is also a well-known contributor to local TV, radio programs and newspaper columns. He often answers questions from the public serving as a “bridge” for the outside world to understand the scientific research at HKUST. He has given seminars to the general public in numerous events including the University Outreach Day, Open Day, the Anniversary Special Talk, and Science Major Week.
In the Division of Life Science, Professor Ko served as the undergraduate coordinator and Associate Dean of Science for Undergraduate Studies before. He is now the Chairman of the Committee on Undergraduate Studies. Given his busy schedule, Professor Ko is still able to launch a new course for the Division without hesitation. His efforts and contributions to educations for the university and the local community is invaluable.
The awardees were selected by the School Awards Committee among ten very competitive nominations from all Divisions and Departments in the School of Science. Special thanks also go to those faculty members who have actively participated in the nomination process. Their support is no doubt a great encouragement for our faculty members.
In appreciation of excellent performance of the awardees, an engraved plaque and a cash award of HK$12,000 will be presented at the upcoming School Board meeting scheduled for December 11, 2018. Please come to join us to show our appreciation to the awardees together with a round of applause!
