THE MIXED BLESSINGS OF BIG DATA

Big data offers tremendous opportunities for expanding knowledge and the ways we gather and use it, with benefits to health, learning and all sorts of human pursuits. However, there are also risks to privacy and governance by making so much personal information openly available. Research at HKU offers examples of both the potential and pitfalls of big data.

The Deep Learning Curve

Big data is important not only to human researchers, but also to the artificial intelligence that computers acquire through deep learning. Emeritus Professor of Computer Science Francis YL Chin has jumped at the chance to be part of the big data revolution.

Cities That Make You Want to Get Active

The associations between walkability, greenness and density and public health have been demonstrated in studies by HKU and Oxford academics that use big data to provide the evidence.

Bigger is Not Always Better

With big data, the quality of the input matters as much as the quantity, says Professor Shen Haipeng, who has applied data analytics to fields as diverse as bank call centres and precision medicine.

A Healthy Balance

Big data can suggest the bigger picture of public health, but it still cannot match the rich information that comes directly from each patient.

Big Data’s Dark Side

The aggregation of big data can be put to some amazing uses. But there are also risks for the individual.

Disarming the Golden Invaders

Microbiologist Dr Richard Kao Yi-tsun and his team have developed a novel approach to antibiotic-resistant bacteria that keeps the bugs alive but makes them vulnerable to attack by the human immune system.

The Martian Question

Infrared remote sensing data returned from Mars suggests that the planet may hold key information on the origins of life, clues that are no longer preserved on Earth.

Factories Fit for Humans

The hard, sharp, straight configuration of modern factories is efficient for producing and moving goods as quickly as possible, but it also takes its toll on workers’ psyche, according to new research that advocates for more humane designs.

The Heart of the Matter

Research teams from the Mechanical Engineering Department have made innovative advances that will aid two different medical procedures for heart patients – cardiac catheterisation and complex cardiac surgery.

Students out of Sync

Universities around the world have been opening their doors and encouraging local and non-local students to study together and become friends. But despite their best efforts, a barrier lies in the way: these two groups lead very different lives.

New Pathway, New Possibilities

As HKU’s AIDS Institute reaches its 10th anniversary, the team has made a major discovery that could lead to a new immunotherapy to reinforce the fight against ‘the incurable disease of the century’.