On behalf of the Shaw Prize Foundation, I extend warm New Year wishes to all of you. As we enter 2025, I want to reflect on the vibrant 2024, a year brimming with passion, fresh opportunities, and invigorating energy.
In 2023, we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Shaw Prize, and 2024 marked the start of a new chapter as we entered the third decade of this celebrated journey. We welcomed four new Shaw Laureates last year – Professor Shrinivas Kulkarni for the Prize in Astronomy; Dr Swee Lay Thein and Professor Stuart Orkin for the Prize in Life Science and Medicine; and Professor Peter Sarnak for the Prize in Mathematical Sciences, expanding our Shaw Prize family to 110 exceptional members.
Throughout the year, we endeavoured to engage and inspire young science enthusiasts through a series of new activities. These activities took place during the week when the laureates visited Hong Kong for the Award Presentation Ceremony in November and were tailored to students across various academic levels and fields of interest, aiming to foster intimate and engaging interactions between budding minds and the laureates.
On 13 November, the “Shaw Laureate Space Theatre Lecture: Walk with The Stars” was held at the Hong Kong Space Museum, where Professor Kulkarni walked the young audiences through his journey with stars. Three Shaw Prize Lectures were hosted at local universities on the same day, providing opportunities for students from respective fields to learn more about the award-winning researches of the laureates.
Two activities, jointly presented by The Shaw Prize Foundation and the Hong Kong Science Museum and organised by the South China Morning Post, were scheduled for 14 November. Unfortunately, adverse weather conditions led to the cancellation of the morning session “Inspiring Future Possibilities: A Conversation with The Shaw Laureates”, a customised student engagement programme for high school science students. Luckily, the weather got better in the afternoon and the “2024 Roundtable with Shaw Laureates – Future of Science: Breakthroughs and Impacts” proceeded as planned, with the four 2024 Shaw Laureates engaging in a cross-disciplinary discussion on the future of science, covering topics like the growing importance of international cooperation in science, and the implications of AI and other emerging technologies. The Q&A session saw participation from students ranging from secondary school to postgraduate levels, alongside young faculty members, posing insightful questions that invoked in-depth discussions.
The Shaw Prize Exhibition is currently ongoing at the Hong Kong Science Museum and will remain open to the public until early January 2025. I encourage you to seize this last opportunity to explore more about the 2024 Shaw Laureates and their groundbreaking research if you haven’t done so.
Looking ahead, our dedication to nurturing the next generation of scientists remains unwavering. We believe that by engaging with young minds, we sow the seeds for a future where excellence and innovation continues to flourish. As we embark on this new year, let’s carry forward the spirit of collaboration, inspiration and celebration. Warmest wishes for a fulling and joyous New Year!
Raymond Chan
Chair of The Shaw Prize Foundation
