HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 26 March 2024 - Lingnan University announced today (26 March) the establishment of the Lingnan University Institute for Advanced Study (LUIAS), and held a plaque-unveiling ceremony and inauguration for Lingnan Fellows. LUIAS consists of eminent scholars from all over the world, and experts from diverse academic fields, who will bridge the gap between the sciences and the arts, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and integrating advanced scientific technology with a liberal arts education. The Institute will equip Lingnan students with skills and knowledge to navigate the rapidly changing landscape of the digital age.

Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science of Lingnan University, presided over the plaque unveiling ceremony and inauguration of Lingnan Fellows. He was joined by Prof Xin Yao, Vice-President (Research and Innovation), Prof Sam Kwong Tak-wu, Associate Vice-President (Strategic Research), and the newly appointed fellows, including Prof Tang Tao, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and President of Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College, Prof Zhang Dongxiao, a member of the US National Academy of Engineering, and Chair Professor of Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo (EIT), and Prof Zhou Min, an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Asian American Studies and Walter and Shirley Wang Endowed Chair in US-China Relations & Communications at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

President Qin extended a warm welcome and said that LUIAS is proactive in attracting outstanding scholars to serve as Fellows, with the aim of raising the global profile of liberal arts and science at Lingnan University, and also other academic institutions in Hong Kong and Greater China. "LUIAS emerges at Lingnan as a leading centre for research, education, and innovation in the integration of sciences and arts. We are grateful to the esteemed scholars who have joined LUIAS, as their wealth of expertise and accolades in their respective fields will significantly enrich the intellectual environment at Lingnan. Our vision is to create a society where technology enhances individuals' creativity and critical thinking skills through interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary education, leading to innovative solutions for complex problems."

Prof Sam Kwong Tak-wu, Associate Vice-President (Strategic Research) and Chair Professor of Computational Intelligence of Lingnan University pointed out that LUIAS is strategically positioned to drive research and promote knowledge transfer by facilitating innovative projects that span the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. He said, "It will encourage the formation of interdisciplinary teams and the creation of new digital tools for data analysis across various disciplines, breaking traditional disciplinary boundaries and contributing to a broad spectrum of impactful research projects. In future, LUIAS will invite more world-class researchers to deliver talks on cutting-edge technology and topics, which will lead to new collaborations and partnerships, accelerating the pace of research and development. The research findings will also be presented to government and sector platforms, leading to evidence-based policies that are more effective."

LUIAS will also organise conferences, workshops, and forums, providing platforms for researchers and experts to exchange knowledge and engage in discussions. A series of keynote speeches and lectures featuring respected speakers from different fields will be arranged to offer valuable insights and expertise. Furthermore, the institute will host Lingnan University Distinguished Seminars (LUDS), inviting eminent scholars and experts to deliver talks and meet the academic community. The first of these was Prof Zhou Min's inaugural Distinguished Lecture on "What Chinatown Unfolds: Ethnic Enclaves, Immigrant Selectivity, and Segmented Assimilation", attended by over a hundred faculty staff and students.

Prof Zhou underscored the significance of Chinatown as one of the main ethnic enclaves in immigrant gateway cities of the US. Recounting her nearly 40 years of living as an immigrant and a scholar of migration studies, Prof Zhou Min examined key sociological concepts such as ethnic enclaves and segmented assimilation, explaining why patterns of diasporic formation differ over time, and why outcomes of social mobility are segmented and vary across ethnoracial groups. The seminar provided an invaluable opportunity for students and colleagues to gain knowledge and insights into the latest research of this brilliant international scholar on the pertinent and timely topic of migration, and also showed how advanced research methodologies could be used. Prof Zhou's distinctive perspective inspired her audience, and broadened students' critical thinking and analytical skills.