About the Talk:Despite completing secondary school biology, many adults have only a very basic knowledge of human reproduction. In the 21st century, advancements in science offer more insights, treatments, and choices for conceiving and bearing children.In this engaging talk,  Dr. Aftab Amin from HKUST’s Division of Life Sciences will explore genetics, inheritance, fertility issues, IVF, and more. He will help make this topic accessible whether you’re planning a family or simply curious. The talk will also include a 10 minute VR demo of the human reproductive system.Notes:This talk supports the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):SDG 3: Good Health and Well-BeingSDG 5: Gender EqualityThis is a HMAW1905-recognized event in the "Personal Enrichment & Community Service" category under the "Self-directed Experience" of HMAW1905: Behavioral Foundations of University Education: Habits, Mindsets, and Wellness. To receive 1.5 hours, you must attend the event in full and miss no more than 10 mins.The talk will be recorded and photos will be taken during the talk. By attending or participating in this event, you are giving your consent to be photographed and video recorded and you are waiving any and all claims regarding the use of your image by the University. About the Speaker:Dr. Amin, a PhD holder in Molecular Medicine from HKUST, is an innovative educator and researcher. His teaching, enhanced by Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and AI, has earned him prestigious awards, including the Educational Technology Innovation GOLD Award (2024) and the Thetos Early Career Distinguished Teaching Award (2024-25) Registration link: https://library.hkust.edu.hk/ce/event/10868         

About the TalkHow did Germans imagine global order after the Second World War -- in the event that they won? This is an alternate future that has been widely discussed in counterfactual fiction and film. But it was also an outcome that many German intellectuals actually envisaged between 1939 and 1945.In this talk, Prof. Derman will share insights from his current book (in progress) about German theorists who challenged the liberal international order. Between the 1890s and 1940s, they argued that global capitalism and governance were doomed to fail. The only sustainable form of international order, they claimed, was a world divided into blocs or “great spaces,” as they called them, each led by a great power. Their visions of a "de-globalized" world order underlay many aspects of Nazi propaganda and diplomacy. They have persisted, in many surprising ways, up to today. Registration:  https://lbcube.hkust.edu.hk/ce/event/10635 About the SpeakerProf. Joshua Derman is an Associate Professor in the Division of Humanities at HKUST. He received his Ph.D. in modern European history from Princeton University, and his A.B. in philosophy from Harvard University. Prior to joining HKUST, he was a Max Weber Postdoctoral Fellow at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy.Professor Dermans research focuses on modern German history, and, in particular, the international dimensions of German political and social thought. His current research projects investigate the intellectual history of Nazi Germany.He has recently taught courses on European and world history, fascism and totalitarianism, geopolitics, the theory and practice of prediction, and the social theory of capitalism. Please Note:This is a HMAW1905-recognized event in the “Personal Enrichment & Community Service” category under the Self-directed Experience of HMAW1905: Behavioral Foundations of University Education: Habits, Mindsets, and Wellness.To receive 1.0 hours, you must attend the event in full and miss no more than 10mins.Photos will be taken during the talk. By attending or participating in this event, you are giving your consent to be photographed and video recorded and you are waiving any and all claims regarding the use of your image by the University.

About the TalkThe Chinese economy has not had the widely expected rebound since pandemic restrictions were lifted in late 2022. High debt levels, falling property prices, excess capacity in many industries, falling foreign direct investment, and tepid consumption growth have all contributed to a weak recovery and stubborn deflationary pressures.Commentators predict that the Chinese economy has peaked, and that it is now undergoing ‘Japanification’ – a reference to Japan’s lost decades marked by a prolonged period of sluggish growth, falling asset prices, and debt deflation. In response, the Chinese government has launched an ambitious plan – emphasising the technologies and industries of the future – to invest in ‘new quality productive forces’, increase productivity, and ensure technology self-sufficiency in the face of growing trade tensions. Amid the slowdown at home, Chinese firms are investing heavily in the rest of world, especially in other developing countries.What are the causes of China’s post-Covid slowdown? Is the slowdown structural or cyclical? And what are its likely impacts on the rest of Asia and the world? 
 In this talk, Prof. Donald Low  will examine the causes and economic consequences of the zero-Covid policy that the Chinese authorities pursued for much of the pandemic, as covered in his latest book, The Price of Zero: Chinas Policy Missteps During & After Covid (Call no. RA644.C67 L69 2024).Register here: https://lbcube.hkust.edu.hk/ce/event/10538
The book will be available for sale at the talk for HKD $120 (cash & FPS only).  About the Speaker:Donald Low is Senior Lecturer and Professor of Practice at the HKUST Institute for Public Policy, as well as Director of Leadership and Public Policy Executive Education (LAPP) at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST).He’s the editor of Behavioural Economics and Policy Design: Examples from Singapore (2011), the lead author of Hard Choices: Challenging the Singapore Consensus (2015), and co-author of PAP v PAP: The Party’s Struggle to Adapt to a Changing Singapore (2020).  Notes:This is a HMAW1905-recognized event in the “Personal Enrichment & Community Service” category under the Self-directed Experience of HMAW1905: Behavioral Foundations of University Education: Habits, Mindsets, and Wellness.To receive 1.0 hours, you must attend the event in full and miss no more than 10mins.Photos will be taken during the talk. By attending or participating in this event, you are giving your consent to be photographed and you are waiving any and all claims regarding the use of your image by the University.

This event was held in conjunction with HKUSTs 2010 Environment Week.About the BookThe Great Disconnect / by Bill Barron
(Multiple locations HD75.6 .B3627 2009)The world economy has grown to the limits of what our planet can sustain. Climate change is the most talked about, but we are also reaching limits of water, crop land, and marine fisheries. The biosphere is too stretched; the system cannot continue as it has for the past several decades."Moving to a more sustainable development path will require making truly basic changes in what, how, and how much is produced and consumed. That, in turn, will require nothing less than restructuring the economy, a make over of consumer lifestyles, and re-examining values."In this work, Dr. Barron raises important questions. Asking these questions is the only way we can ever hope to reach possible answers. Questions like:What is the difference between economic growth and economic development?Can continuing technological advances allow indefinite economic growth?Can market mechanisms substitute for limited natural resources?Once our basic material needs are met, what is the "good life"?   











About the Author Prof. Bill Barron is a faculty member of HKUST Division of Environment. An environmental economist, he received his PhD in Economics for Public Decision Making from the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering at Johns Hopkins in 1980. From 1980-1986 he worked at the USs renowned Oak Ridge National Laboratory on assessing energy technologies. He has also served as an advisor on energy issues to the Liberian and Pakistani governments.A Hong Kong resident for over 20 years, Prof. Barrons work has focused on environmental aspects of transport policy, urban planning, and energy use. He also works with the public policy think tank Civic Exchange, in both advisory (Board of Directors 2003-05) and research capacities.Before joining the newly created Division of the Enviroment, Prof. Barron was a member of HKUSTs Institute for the Environment, which published his book The Great Disconnect in 2009.For enquiry, please contact Victoria Caplan at 2358-6786.