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Three CUHK members awarded the 2022 Joseph Needham Merit Scholarship in support of their overseas postgraduate studies
Joseph Needham Foundation for Science and Civilisation (JNFSC), www.jnfschk.org. is pleased to announce the award of 8 outstanding graduating students from The University of Hong Kong (HKU), The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) for the 2022 “Joseph Needham Merit Scholarship” (JNMS) program.
The selected recipients, already accepted by internationally reputable universities are judged for both academic achievements and demonstrated empathy and humanity. Please see the attached list.
The JNMS program was first launched in 2020 to nurture a community of future “Needham Scholars” excelling in scholarship and embracing empathy and humanity. These students have been selected following careful assessments by a panel of distinguished scholars appointed by JNFSC. Since its launch, a total of 25 students had been awarded this scholarship over the past three years.
The JNMS program has been a long term mission of the JNFSC to promote and sustain the late Dr Joseph Needham’s scholarly legacy through this unique “Merit Scholarship” and to reach out to other local tertiary institutions in the years to come. It is also the hope of the Foundation that other philanthropic organizations will join and generously support this novel program.
CUHK participated in the program in 2022 for the first time through its Faculty of Science. Professor Rocky S. Tuan, Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK, said, “The expanding community of ‘Needham Scholars’ will promote science, humanity and intellectualism following the example of the late Dr. Joseph Needham. This mission mirrors CUHK’s decades old, time-honoured commitment to the humanistic spirit of excellence, cultivation, and societal responsibility and impact. We are delighted to see CUHK participate in such a noble scheme to nurture young people to contribute on the world stage.”
Professor Xiang Zhang, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKU, said, “It is a pleasure and a privilege for us to reaffirm our commitment to the Joseph Needham Merit Scholarships to nurture young people committed to the pursuit of scientific and humanistic scholarship. In these tumultuous times and with the great challenges the world faces, we are delighted that three HKU students have been awarded Scholarships in recognition of their exemplary academic achievements and deep sense of empathy. We are confident that they will continue Dr Needham’s noble mission and contribute to the global advancement of science and humanity.”
Professor Wei Shyy, President of HKUST, said, “We have been a strong supporter of this program since its inauguration in 2020 and we are delighted once again to have students selected as ’Needham Scholars‘ this year. We are of course grateful for JNFSC to launch this initiative to promote research and development of science and technology, as well as encourage the future generations to give back to our society.”
Chairman of JNFSC Dr. Peter L. LEE said, said: “The late Dr. Needham was a great scientist and a passionate humanist who cared deeply about humanity and spoke out truly at times when truth was considered unpopular. To perpetuate the Needham scholarly legacy, our Foundation is committed to nurture a community of future ‘Needham Scholars‘ who would excel in their fields of scholarship with a strong sense of empathy, humility and also courage to defend and speak the truth.”
