Asian Young Scientist Webinar
“The Biggest Question for My Science” Series
As the saying goes, “asking the right question is half the answer.” The Biggest Question for My Science event series fosters a deeper understanding of the fundamental questions that drive scientific discovery.
Each session invites one AYS Fellow and one prominent scientist, both from related research fields, to identify the biggest question in their research field and to discuss why it is the biggest question and how the scientific community is approaching it, essentially taking a step back to look at the big picture.
This series is tailored for students and faculty members with a keen interested in science, research, and grappling with scientific inquiries in this field. This event series will be held monthly via online Zoom meetings and is open to participation.
How will AI Transform the Landscape of Precision Oncology?
The Biggest Question for My Science
Session 3-How will AI Transform the Landscape of Precision Pncology?
Artificial intelligence (AI), especially deep learning with large-scale training datasets, has dramatically advanced the recognition performance in many domains including speech recognition, visual computing and natural language processing. Despite its breakthroughs in above domains, its application to precision oncology remains yet to be explored, where large-scale fully and high-quality annotated datasets are not easily accessible. In this session, we will explore recent progress on computational pathology with multimodal data integration for precision oncology through the lens of information theory and foundation model, with versatile applications to disease diagnosis, treatment response prediction, prognosis, etc. Challenges and future directions will also be discussed.
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Date and Time:
l Hong Kong：Thu, Sep 26 2024，09:30 - 11:30 AM
l Seattle: Wed, Sep 25 2024, 6:30 - 8:30 PM
Meeting Format: Online @ Zoom
Meeting ID: 360 103 9307
Password: AYSF
Agenda
- 9:20 - 9:35 Zoom meeting room open
- 9:35 - 9:40 Opening Remark
- 9:40 - 10:00 “General robotics/computer vision questions"
l Presentation by Prof. Katsushi Ikeuchi (15 mins)and Q&A (5 mins)
- 10:00 - 10:20 “Towards Multimodal Data Integration for Precision Oncology via Foundation Model”
l Presentation by Prof. Hao Chen (15 mins) and Q&A (5 mins)
- 10:20 - 10:40 "Recognizing Self and Nonself" (for personalized cancer treatment as well as understanding autoimmune diseases)
l Presentation by Prof. Ming Li (15 mins) and Q&A (5 mins)
- 10:40 - 11:30 Open Discussion (30 mins) + Q&A (20 mins)
l Moderator: Prof. Hao Chen
l Panelists: Prof. Hao Chen, Prof. Katsushi Ikeuchi, Prof. Ming Li
Convener (AYS Fellow):
Hao Chen, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Dr. Hao Chen is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He leads the Smart Lab focusing on trustworthy AI for healthcare. He received the Ph.D. degree from The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2017. He has 100+ publications (Google Scholar Citations 20K+, h-index 60) in MICCAI, IEEE-TMI, MIA, CVPR, AAAI, Radiology, Lancet Digital Health, Nature Machine Intelligence, JAMA, etc. He also has rich industrial research experience (e.g., Siemens), and holds a dozen of patents in AI and medical image analysis. He received several premium awards such as Asian Young Scientist Fellowship in 2023, MICCAI Young Scientist Impact Award in 2019, and several best paper awards. He serves as the Associate Editor of multiple international journals and Program Committee of multiple international conferences. He also led the team winning 15+ medical grand challenges.
Invited Speakers:
Katsushi Ikeuchi, Emeritus Professor, University of Tokyo Sr. Principal Research Manager, Microsoft
Dr. Katsushi Ikeuchi received the BE degree in Mechanical Engineering from Kyoto University and the PhD degree in Information Engineering from the University of Tokyo. After working at MIT-AI Lab, ETL, CMU-RI, U-Tokyo, he joined Microsoft in 2015.
His research interest spans computer vision, robotics, and computer graphics. In the field of computer vision, he proposed the so-called “smoothness constraints,”near-by pixels have similar visual characteristics and a variational approach with this constraint in shape- from-shading algorithm. In the field of robotics, he created the field of learning-from- observation, where a robot learns how to do from observing human actions. He also started an area, e-Heritage, to digitally preserve cultural heritage by using computer vision and computer graphics technique and the U Tokyo team, let by him, successfully digitize Cambodian Bayon temple.
His community service includes general/program chairs of dozen international conferences including IROS95, CVPR96, ICCV05, ICRA09, ICPR12, ICCV17; EIC of IJCV (2000-2017), IJ-ITS (2012-2014). Through these research and society service, he was awarded a (life) fellow from IEEE, IAPR, IEICE, IPSJ and RSJ.
He received the Distinguished Researcher Award from IEEE-PAMI, the Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon from Japanese Emperor, the Okawa prize from Okawa foundation as well as a couple of research achievement awards from Japanese professional societies.
Ming Li, University Professor, University of Waterloo
Dr. Ming Li is a Canada Research Chair in Bioinformatics and a University Professor at the University of Waterloo. He is a fellow of Royal Society of Canada, ACM, and IEEE. He is a recipient of Canada's E.W.R. Steacie Fellowship Award in 1996, the 2001 Killam Fellowship and the 2010's Killam Prize. Together with Paul Vitanyi they have pioneered the applications of Kolmogorov complexity and co-authored the book "An introduction to Kolmogorov complexity and its applications". His recent research interests recently include bioinformatics, natural language processing, deep learning, and information distance.
To enrich the AYS Webinar series, we welcome young scientists to raise your "Biggest Questions"! This is a unique chance to engage with thought-provoking topics or ask our expert speakers directly. Your questions will engage discussions and deepen the conversation. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect, learn, and contribute!
Is it Practically Possible to Slow Brain Aging?
The Biggest Question for My Science
Session 2 - Is it Practically Possible to Slow Brain Aging?
In our quest to maintain cognitive sharpness and mental acuity as we age, we face an inevitable challenge: the natural progression of time and its effects on our brains. While many of us enjoy healthy aging, some unfortunately encounter dementia or other neurological diseases, underscoring the urgency of understanding aging and brain health. This session explores the gap between cutting-edge research and practical applications, revolving around the critical scientific question: Is it possible to slow brain aging, and can we apply such strategies to treat neurological diseases? We'll delve into the latest basic science studies that investigate the mechanisms of how the brain works and how it changes in aging, seeking to unravel this central mystery. Join us to discover how scientific breakthroughs might pave the way for enhancing quality of life and promoting holistic well-being, offering hope in our collective effort to stay mentally sound and cognitively resilient for longer.
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Date and Time:
l Beijing Time (CST): August 22, 2024 (Thursday), 10:30 AM- 12:30 PM
l Korea Time (KST): August 22, 2024 (Thursday), 11:30 AM- 1:30 PM
Meeting Format: Online @ Zoom
Joining link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/3601039307pwd=kkOMYogz2XULJvO52G1Z5bUUoFetVK.1
Meeting ID: 360 103 9307
Password: AYSF
Agenda (Beijing Time)
- 10:20 - 10:35 Zoom meeting room open
- 10:35 - 10:40 Opening Remark
- 10:40 - 11:00 “The Feasibility of Slowing Brain Aging and Implications for the Treatment of Diseases”
l Presentation by Prof. Ho Ko (15 mins) and Q&A (5 mins)
- 11:00 - 11:20 “Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease”
l Presentation by Prof. Xiangdong Fu (15 mins) and Q&A (5 mins)
- 11:20 - 11:40 ”Effort to take care of the ROS involved in diverse neurodegenerative diseases”
l Presentation by Prof. Hee-Sup Shin (15 mins) and Q&A (5 mins)
- 11:40 - 12:30 Open Discussion (30 mins) + Q&A (20 mins)
l Moderator: Prof. Ho Ko
l Panelists: Prof. Xiangdong Fu, Prof. Ho Ko, Prof. Hee-Sup Shin
Convener (AYS Fellow):
Ho Ko, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong; 2023 AYS Fellow-Life Science, Asian Young Scientist Fellowship
Ho Ko is a clinician-scientist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). He holds a Bachelor of Medical Sciences (BMedSc, 2008), a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB, 2015) from CUHK, and a PhD in neuroscience from University College London (2012). In his early career, he advanced our understanding of the physical basis of sensory perception by uncovering several fundamental rules governing the connections between neurons. After years of medical training, he established his lab in 2016 and shifted his research focus from studying the neural basis of information processing, to its preservation in diseases. His current research employs preclinical and clinical approaches to investigate the neural circuitry and molecular mechanisms underlying nervous system dysfunction in aging and neurodegeneration, with the aim of guiding the development of disease-modifying therapeutics. Ho Ko has received several awards in recognition of his contributions to neuroscience, including being a runner-up for the 2014 Eppendorf and Science Prize for Neurobiology, a 2020 Croucher Innovation Award, a 2021 Excellent Young Scientist Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the 2022 Sir David Todd Lectureship.
Invited Speakers:
Hee-Sup Shin, Honorary Fellow, Institute for Basic Science (IBS); Member of the Steering Committee, Asian Young Scientist Fellowship
Shin has obtained an MD degree from Seoul National University Medical College in 1974 and a PhD degree on genetics and cell biology from Cornell University Medical College in 1983. He taught at MIT in USA and POSTECH in Korea. He was Director of Brain Science Institute, KIST, and then Director of Center for Cognition and Sociality, IBS. After stepping down from the directorship of Center for Cognition and Sociality, he continues his research as an Honorary Fellow of IBS.
Since mid-90’s his group has been using molecular genetics to study neural mechanisms for animal behaviors, primarily focusing on the role of the thalamus in normal and diseased brains. His approach was by elucidating the physiological consequences of deranged regulation of intracellular Ca2+ levels in brain cells. Three groups of genes were targeted: voltage-gated Ca2+ channels for Ca2+ entry into cells, phospholipase Cbeta enzymes for Ca2+ release from internal stores upon activation of metabotropic receptors, and Na+/Ca2+ exchangers driving Ca2+ out to restore the resting Ca2+ level.
Beginning in 2010 his research interest has evolved to neurobiology of social behaviors. He has pioneered to establish a behavioral paradigm, observational fear learning in mice, a rodent model for emotional contagion which is considered to be the basic form of affective empathy. This mouse model allowed, for the first time, to study affective empathy at the molecular and cellular levels. Owing to this animal model, he has been able to define genes, circuits, and brain rhythms that control empathy behavior.
Xiangdong Fu,Chair Professor, Westlake University
Dr. Xiang-Dong received his BS degree in Virology from Wuhan University, China in 1982, PhD degree in Biochemistry from Case Western Reserve University in 1988 (via the CUSBEA program), and postdoctoral training at Harvard from 1988 to 1992. Dr. Fu joined the faculty of University of California, San Diego since 1992 as Assistant Professor of Cellular and Molecular Medicine (1992-1998) and was promoted to Associate Professor (1998-2002), Full Professor (2002-2018), and Distinguished Professor (2018-2022). Dr. Fu joined Westlake University as RNA Biology and Regenerative Medicine Chair Professor in January 2023.
Dr. Fu was responsible for co-discovery of SR proteins, a family of RNA binding proteins involved in constitutive and alternative pre-mRNA processing. His laboratory also discovered a family of kinases specific for SR proteins and demonstrated that these kinases are critical for transducing external and intracellular signals to regulate alternative splicing in the nucleus. Dr. Fu’s research has been centered on understanding the functions of coding and non-coding RNAs in development and disease. His laboratory has also invented multiple technologies for high throughput analysis of gene expression, mRNA isoforms, and genomic interactions. One of their latest breakthroughs is the development of a new cellular reprogramming strategy to generate functional neurons from non-neuronal cells and the application of this approach to reverse the disease phenotype in a Parkinson’s disease model. In his newly established laboratory at Westlake University, he will continue to follow the fields of RNA biology and regenerative medicine and use a battery of molecular biology, biochemical, molecular genetics, functional genomics, animal behavioral, and electrophysical approaches to pursue mechanistic understanding of specific diseases and develop therapeutic strategies. Dr. Fu welcome talented and motivated postdocs and students to join force in addressing some fundamental questions in RNA biology and regenerative medicine and in translating basic science discoveries into novel disease intervention strategies.
The Origin of Mass in Quantum Field Theory and String Theory
The Biggest Question for My Science
Session 1 - The Origin of Mass in Quantum Field Theory and String Theory
The origin of the mass of visible matter in our universe is a pivotal question in both physics and broader scientific inquiry. According to the Standard Model of particle physics, approximately 1% of mass originates from the Higgs field, while about 99% results from the strong interactions between quarks and gluons. Both factors play crucial roles in the evolution of the universe and the emergence of life.
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Date and Time:
l Beijing Time: June 16, 2024 (Sunday), 10:30 AM- 12:30 PM
l India Time: June 16, 2024 (Sunday), 8:00 - 10:00 AM
l Chicago Time: June 15, 2024 (Saturday), 9:30 - 11:30 PM
Meeting Format: Online @ Zoom
Joining link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/3601039307?pwd=kkOMYogz2XULJvO52G1Z5bUUoFetVK.1
Meeting ID: 360 103 9307
Password: AYSF
Agenda (Beijing Time)
- 10:20 - 10:35 Zoom meeting room open
- 10:35 - 10:40 Opening Remark
l Dr. Eric Chen, Chairman of BaseBit Technologies; Co-CEO of ARM China Independent director of Applied Materials; Donor of the Asian Young Scientist Fellowship
- 10:40 - 11:00 Presentation by Prof. Liantao Wang
l The origin of mass through the Higgs mechanism and the most fundamental questions to be answered there.
- 11:00 - 11:20 Presentation by Dr. Huaxing Zhu
l The current understanding of how mass emerges from strong interactions of quarks and gluons highlights some key unresolved questions.
- 11:20 - 11:40 Presentation by Prof. Rajesh Gopakumar
l How strings with tension emerge from strong interactions and seek to fundamentally understand how strings arise from quantum field theories (QFTs).
- 11:40 - 12:10 Open Discussion
l Moderator: Dr. Huaxing Zhu
l Panelists: Prof. Rajesh Gopakumar, Prof. Liantao Wang, Dr. Huaxing Zhu
- 12:10 - 12:30 Q&A
Convener (AYS Fellow):
HuaXing Zhu, Associate Professor, School of Physics, Peking University; 2023 AYS Fellow-Physical Science, Asian Young Scientist Fellowship
HuaXing Zhu is an Associate Professor at the School of Physics, Peking University. He obtained his PhD degree in 2012 from Peking University. Since then, he has been a postdoctoral fellow at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and the Center for Theoretical Physics at MIT. He held a tenured-track researcher position at Zhejiang University from 2017 to 2023 before moving to Peking University. His research interests involve quantum field theory and particle physics, with a particular focus on the development of theoretical tools for understanding the strong interactions of quarks and gluons in quantum chromodynamics. He received the Qiushi Outstanding Young Scholar Award in 2020 for his contributions to theoretical particle physics.
Invited Speakers:
Rajesh Gopakumar, Distinguished Professor, International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, Tata Instt. of Fundamental Research; Member of the Steering Committee, Asian Young Scientist Fellowship
Prof. Rajesh Gopakumar is a theoretical physicist who is Senior Professor and Director of the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, Tata lnstitute of Fundamental Research in Bengaluru. His research interests are in string theory and quantum field theory aiming to understand the nature of fundamental interactions in nature.
He completed his MSc in physics from llT Kanpur in 1992 and received his PhD from Princeton University in 1997. After a few years as a Research Associate at Harvard University, he joined Harish Chandra Research institute, Allahabad in 2001 where he was until 2015. He was also a Visiting Fellow at the lnstitute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey from 2001 to 2004.
Prof. Gopakumar's work in theoretical physics aims to understand the versatility of string theory and he has developed a program to decipher the AdS/CFT correspondence. His early research was primarily focused on large N gauge theories, non-commutative gauge theories and topological string theory. His work in the context of topological string theory has also had an impact in mathematics in what are now known as the Gopakumar-Vafa invariants. He has recently also worked on the conformal bootstrap in quantum field theory.
He is the recipient of the B.M. Birla Science Prize in Physics in 2004, the lCTP Prize in 2006, the Swarnajayanti Fellowship in 2006, the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in 2009, the GD Birla Prize in 2013 and the JC Bose National Fellowship in 2015. He is a founding member of the Global Young Academy and was elected the Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences in 2015. He is also a Fellow of the lndian Academy of Sciences, the lndian National Science Academy (INSA)and the National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI). In 2019, he received llT Kanpur's Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Lian-Tao Wang, Professor, Department of Physics and Enrico Fermi Institute University of Chicago; Member, Science Committee of the Future Science Prize
Liantao Wang is the professor of Enrico Fermi Institute, Department of Physics, and Kalvi Institute for Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago. He completed his B.S. at Fudan University (1995) and Ph.D. at the University of Michigan (2002). He later worked as a research associate at the University of Wisconsin and Havard University. He joined the faculty of Princeton University in 2006 and moved to the University of Chicago in 2011. He is a Fellow of the American Physics Society. He has won an Early Career Award of US Department of Energy (2010-2015), and Outstanding Junior Investigator Award of US Department of Energy (2008-2010). His focus has been on various aspects of the phenomenology of elementary particle physics.
