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The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has been organising the “Class Acts” CUHK Online Talk Series since March. It helps students in ongoing learning at home and self-improvement by acquiring knowledge in different areas during the pandemic. In the fourth talk today (31 March), Dr. Shiu Sing Tong from the Department of Physics spoke on the topic “What Do Gravitational Waves Tell Us?”. Through the video conferencing platform Zoom, Dr. Tong explored the mystery of gravitational waves with close to 370 participating CUHK students, staff members, alumni and members of the public, both local and overseas.

It was not until in 2015, 100 years after Einstein published the General Theory of Relativity, that physicists directly detected gravitational waves which are predicted by the Theory, for the very first time. In the talk, Dr. Tong introduced how the gravitational waves could be produced and detected, how the signal of gravitational waves could change human understanding of the universe, and verify the General Theory of Relativity. He also responded to online questions from the participants in the Q&A session. 

Professor Steven Gallagher, Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning), Faculty of Law, will give the next talk on 1 April 2020 on the topic “Chinese Shipwrecks and the Law of Treasure Hunting” to introduce the Chinese shipwrecks and the laws on treasure hunting.

About the “Class Acts” CUHK Online Talk Series

Eight online public talks are being given in simple terms, by CUHK scholars outstanding in their areas of expertise. The talks are free to the public, in particular local students and those from the Mainland and overseas.

The outstanding scholars from a number of faculties will give their views on their respective areas of expertise. The topics cover artificial intelligence (AI), gravitational waves, the application of robots in education for Special Educational Needs students, and the law of treasure hunting, amongst others. For more information on the other talks and arrangements, please visit https://againstcovid19.cuhk.edu.hk/class-acts-online-talk/.