Kickoff Ceremony Marks the Start of COMP Golden Jubilee Celebration

In 2024, Department of Computing has reached a significant milestone and will be celebrating its 50^th anniversary since its establishment in November 1974. To commence the jubilant celebrations, a kickoff ceremony for the 50th anniversary was held on 25 January 2024. The ceremony unified members of the PolyU and COMP community, including the Faculty Dean, industrial leaders, outstanding alumni, judges of the anniversary logo design competition, staff members, and student representatives of research postgraduate, taught postgraduate and undergraduate programmes, all joining hands to mark this special occasion.

We were honoured to have the following officiating guests present at the ceremony:

• Ir Prof. H.C. MAN, Dean (ENG), DoS (IGDS), DoRIAM, DoU3DP & Cheng Yick-chi Chair Prof. of Manufacturing Engg
• Mr Vincent MA, CEO of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park Limited
• Prof. LI Qing, Chair Professor of Data Science and Head of COMP
• Prof. CAO Jiannong, Dean of Graduate School, Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Professor in Data Science, Chair Professor of Distributed and Mobile Computing, Director of RIAIoT, Director of UBDA
• Prof. CHEN Changwen, Chair Professor of Visual Computing
• Prof. TAN Kay Chen, Chair Professor and Associate Head (Research and Development)
• Dr Henry CHAN, Associate Professor and Associate Head (Partnership & Collaboration)
• Mr Darron SUN, Head of Information Technology, Hong Kong Housing Society

Prof. H.C. Man, the Honorary Chair of COMP 50th Anniversary Organising Committee, warmly welcomed all participants. He expressed his amazement at how quickly time has passed. He recalled the rapid development of the department in the past ten years, acknowledging the tireless efforts of COMP colleagues in securing competitive research grants, producing significant research outputs with societal impact in the disciplines of AI, Data Science, Fintech, coding, etc, and providing all-round programmes that match the development needs of the city and the country. He has confidence that our Department of Computing will soon be a leading institution in the world.

Mr Vincent MA, also the Honorary Chair of COMP's 50th Anniversary Organising Committee, as well as a distinguished alumnus of COMP, shared his memories of enrolling in the undergraduate programme offered by the department in the 80s and his professional experience in the industry. As he witnessed the evolution of the industry over the years, he highlighted the importance of a vibrant and continuous learning mindset to exploit new technology development for societal advancement and personal growth. Looking ahead to the future, he firmly believes PolyU graduates will contribute significantly to the development of innovation and technology for decades.  

Prof. LI Qing reflected on the department's growth in his speech, highlighting key milestones such as the introduction of programmes at different levels and areas over the years. He emphasised our department's pivotal role in driving innovation and conducting research that benefits society. In regard to the upcoming activities for the COMP 50^th anniversary, he expressed excitement about the activities and invited all members of the COMP community to actively participate in the celebratory events.

During the kickoff ceremony, a COMP 50 Digital Time Capsule was launched, witnessed by the officiating guests and the participants. After its public release in the near future, the time capsule will serve as a platform for friends, colleagues, students, and alumni to share their memories of our department and submit messages that will be revealed in 5 years' time. The digital time capsule will be closed and sealed during the gala dinner in early November 2024.