(Hong Kong, December 11, 2014) Hang Lung Properties Limited (stock code: 101), in conjunction with The Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Department of Mathematics of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, today announced the winners of the 2014 Hang Lung Mathematics Awards (HLMA) at an awards presentation ceremony held at the Asia Society Hong Kong Center. Mrs. Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, GBS, JP, Chief Secretary for Administration, Government of the HKSAR, was the guest of honor at the ceremony.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of HLMA. This prestigious event has nurtured over 1,700 secondary school students, awarding HK$6 million in scholarships to assist their university studies and further pursuits over the past decade.

As a co-founder of the HLMA, Mr. Ronnie C. Chan, Chairman of Hang Lung Properties Limited, said, “The Company believes that technology empowers the development of society. Therefore, motivating more young people in the pursuit of discovery and truth through mathematics is a first step in fostering technological innovation. As the HLMA celebrates its 10th anniversary, we are delighted that its stature has grown over the years, especially in the academic sector. I hope in the decades to come, the HLMA will continue to play an important role in discovering home-grown mathematics talent in Hong Kong, helping them explore the joy of mathematical research so that they can make positive contributions to improving the society and the wellbeing of humankind.”

Nearly 70 teams formed by over 200 students from over 40 schools participated in this year’s competition. The Gold Award went to Yuk Lun Fong from Buddhist Sin Tak College, whose report on the topic of Investigation of the Erdӧs-Straus Conjecture passed the assessment and oral defense officiated by the Scientific Committee. For the detailed list of winners, please refer to the attachment.

Professor Shing-Tung Yau, Chairman of the HLMA Scientific Committee, 1982 Fields Medalist, the William Caspar Graustein Professor of Mathematics at Harvard University and Director of the Institute of Mathematical Sciences at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, said, “HLMA encourages creativity and inspires students to develop in-depth mathematical thinking while nurturing our society’s future leaders.”

Founded in 2004, the objective of the biennial HLMA is to encourage secondary school students to realize their potential in the creativity of mathematics and sciences by stimulating their passion for intellectual discovery and by nurturing them to become world-class mathematicians. Under the supervision of a teacher, each team participating in the HLMA was tasked with designing and carrying out a mathematics research project. Each project was carefully assessed by the Scientific Committee using a multi-step process similar to that undertaken for publication by a scientific journal. Teams that showed the highest potential were shortlisted by the Scientific Committee to participate in an oral defense, which was hosted by the Scientific Committee to select the winners.

Eight awards were presented this year: a Gold Award of HK$400,000; a Silver Award of HK$200,000; a Bronze Award of HK$100,000; and five Honorable Mentions, each worth HK$60,000. Each award has four components: a "Student Education Award" to be shared equally among team members and applied towards their university studies, a "Teacher Leadership Award" for the supervising teacher, a "School Development Award" to promote mathematics education at the winning school, and a "Tuition Scholarship" for any teacher at the winning school to earn a Master of Science (M. Sc.) in Mathematics from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Besides awarding scholarships to all winners, Hang Lung Properties Limited also provides sponsorship to support the educational resources, guidance and mentoring, the assessment process, and expenses associated with the administration of the competition.

For more information, please visit the HLMA website: http://hlma.math.cuhk.edu.hk