University gets back to roots with math school

Eunice Lam

The Chinese University of Hong Kong has established the Zhizhen School of Interdisciplinary Mathematical Sciences with renowned mathematician Yau Shing-tung serving as its founding director.

The school will be taking in its first batch of 40 students in the 2025/26 academic year, starting in September, comprising 10 local and 30 non-locals.

To be accepted, one needs to pass an examination conducted in collaboration with Tsinghua University's Qiuzhen College in Beijing.

The school will also consider taking in talented students who have not come through traditional university admission examinations such as the Diploma of Secondary Education here and Gaokao in the mainland.

The program offers an eight-year bachelor and doctoral training pathway, mirroring Qiuzhen College's curriculum, and will closely collaborate with other prestigious institutions, including Fudan University in Shanghai.

The curriculum encompasses three years of mathematical foundation training, two years of scientific research training, and three years of doctoral training.

In a launch, Yau, a former professor emeritus at Harvard University and a 1982 Fields Medal laureate, said the school will elevate the city's scientific development to new heights.

In discussing the balance of local and non-local students, Yau said the university wishes to attract "at least 10 talented Hong Kong students annually."

Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin commended Yau for giving the school a solid foundation and expressed hope that it would enhance Hong Kong's well-established reputation in education.

University president Dennis Lo Yuk-ming, who took office last month, highlighted the critical role that mathematics plays in being the foundation of fields of such fields as physics, chemistry and economics.

"Mathematical talents determine a country's scientific dominance," he said.

Lo also said that the university's focus in the five years between 2026 and 2030 would be on enhancing learning experiences and promoting innovative research and knowledge transfer, with proposals including the establishment of a new college for graduate students.