It is one of the commitments of CUHK to nurture students’ personal growth and self-enhancement through whole-person education. With the start of the Lunar New Year, a campaign promoting students’ mental well-being was launched at the University with a series of activities. The campaign is titled “Sunshine at CUHK”, encouraging a positive attitude and a campus full of love and support.

On 22 February, the campaign opened with a talk by Revd. Thomas Kwan and Ven. Chuan Deng on the topic of “New Year · Fine Year”. The two speakers enlightened the audience with their wisdom on life and shared their understanding of positive living. After the talk, Qigong exercises and Zen-painting took place on each side of the Forum and participants were invited to enjoy relaxation through these practices. At the same time, a meditation workshop led by teachers of various disciplines took the participants on a peaceful journey of mindfulness. Lucky bags and ice-creams were distributed to add more joy and laughter for the new year.

Interesting game installations, such as merry-go-round and balance boards will continue to be placed on the University Mall up to 26 February. Stay tuned as more events will be staged in March. Invite your friends to join and let the sun keep shining in our hearts!

Event details: http://www2.osa.cuhk.edu.hk/scds/en-GB/whats-new/latest-news

On 11 February, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) officially announced that the gravitational waves from colliding black holes 1.3 billion years ago have been detected by both of its twin detectors, opening up a new window on the study of the Universe. It is the first time that scientists have observed the gravitational waves. Prof. Tjonnie G. F. LI, Research Assistant Professor from the Department of Physics at CUHK, has been involved with the work of LIGO since 2009, and is currently the only scientist from a Hong Kong institution to be part of it.

The existence of gravitational waves is one of the most important propositions made by Albert Einstein a century ago in his theory of General Relativity. However, it remains one of the most elusive phenomena and physicists have been struggling for years to detect the incredibly faint ripples. Prof. Tjonnie G. F. Li remarked, “I’m extremely excited about this detection, but it is only the beginning. We will continue to explore the Universe with this newfound sense. This is a turning point in science. A new era in astronomy has begun.”

To give a detailed introduction on gravitational waves and the operation of LIGO, Prof. Li has given two public talks entitled “Einstein’s Messenger: A New Window on the Universe” at CUHK. The video of the first talk is now ready for public view.

CUHK Notebook, a newly released university souvenir decorated with the campus’ amazing scenery, is now available at the souvenir counter.

With a cover of Chinese vintage design, the notebook carries the calligraphy of Professor Jao Tsung-I and Prof. Joseph Sung.

In addition, images of beautiful scenes on campus, such as the flourishing azalea, the Lake Ad Excellentiam covered with lotus leaves, the bald cypress trees by the Lake and the poetically foggy view of the campus are included. Quotations from poems and prose about the campus written by professors of the University are also used as captions to the breath-taking pictures. These charmingly designed illustrations will certainly make your writing more enjoyable.