Hong Kong hosted the annual scientific award ceremony “Shaw” Science Prize 26 which is sometimes called the “Nobel of Asia” on September.

The Shaw Prize in Astronomy is awarded toResearcher, Institut d’ Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS) of CNRS and the Paris-Saclay University, France for his contributions to astronomy in the infrared to submillimetre spectral range. He detected the cosmic far-infrared background from past star-forming galaxies, and proposed aromatic hydrocarbon molecules as a constituent of interstellar matter. With the Planck space mission, he has dramatically advanced our knowledge of cosmology in the presence of interstellar matter foregrounds.

The Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine is awarded to

Mary-Claire King American Cancer Society Professor, Department of Medicine and Genome Sciences, University of Washington, USA for her mapping of the first breast cancer gene. Using mathematical modeling, King predicted and then demonstrated that breast cancer can be caused by a single gene. She mapped the gene which facilitated its cloning and has saved thousands of lives.

The Shaw Prize was established under the auspices of Mr Run Run Shaw in November 2002 to honour individuals, regardless of race, nationality, gender and religious belief, who have recently achieved significant breakthrough in academic and scientific research or applications and whose work has resulted in a positive and profound impact on mankind.

The Shaw Prize consists of three annual prizes: Astronomy, Life Science and Medicine, and Mathematical Sciences, each bearing a monetary award of US$1.2 million. This is the fifteenth year that the Prize has been awarded.