The "2023 Medical Engineering Cross-Disciplinary Session of the HUST-USYD Academic Lecture" was successfully held on December 12, 2023, combining online and offline platforms. The event was co-organized by the School of Computer Science and Technology at Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) and the School of Computer Science at the University of Sydney (USYD). Professor Albert Y. Zomaya, the Chief Professor of the School of Computer Science at USYD, Vice Dean Xuanhua Shi from the School of Computer Science and Technology at HUST, and representative teacher Feng Lu participated in the event, with Researcher Wei Li from the USYD hosting the opening ceremony. The lecture attracted over 30 researchers and over 3,000 online viewers from numerous domestic and international universities, including USDY and HUST, watching the live broadcast.
During his speech, Vice Dean Xuanhua Shi from the School of Computer Science and Technology expressed his appreciation for the presence of Professor Albert Y. Zomaya and extended a warm welcome to the faculty and students in attendance. He underscored the significance of healthcare as a common concern for China and Australia, highlighting the crucial role of cross-disciplinary collaboration between HUST and USYD in medical engineering. Throughout the years, both universities' computer science schools have cooperated closely, committed to leveraging cutting-edge technology to make substantial contributions to healthcare on a broader scale. Additionally, he expressed his aspirations for future endeavors to strengthen ties, foster communication, and encourage collaboration with the School of Computer Science at USYD. The aim is to jointly nurture talent in relevant domains and facilitate innovative advancements in the cross-disciplinary realm of medical engineering.
Professor Albert Y. Zomaya, a distinguished fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, the European Academy of Sciences, the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, and the Royal Society of New South Wales, also holds the position of advisory professor at HUST. He expressed his appreciation to the university's leadership, the School of Computer Science and Technology, and scholars from affiliated Tongji Hospital and Peking Union Medical College Hospital for their invaluable support in promoting collaborative efforts in the field of medical engineering. He emphasized that the lecture was a significant platform for fostering interdisciplinary academic exchanges and facilitating research collaboration between the two universities. Furthermore, he underscored the pivotal role of close cooperation and effective communication between the two parties in achieving this success. He expressed his optimism that through in-depth discussions, both sides would generate further insights and expand the horizons of cooperation, focusing on addressing shared concerns.
Professor ZOMAYA delivered a lecture titled "Edge Computing Enabling Clinical Information Processing," in which he introduced the relevant research on edge computing. He emphasized that the healthcare industry increasingly relies on the analysis of clinical information to provide accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for patients. However, traditional methods of processing and analyzing this information can be slow and resource-intensive, resulting in delays in patient care and sub-optimal outcomes. Edge computing offers a method for processing and analyzing clinical information at the point of care, improving the speed and accuracy of decision-making. He introduced the difficulties and challenges of edge computing in clinical information processing and the key technologies and advantages. He gave an outlook on the future application of related technologies in combination with emerging technologies.
In the following Q&A session, the students and faculty in attendance actively participated in exchanges and discussions with Professor ZOMAYA concerning the lecture's content. They delved deeper into the subject, exploring additional considerations and engaging in discussions on the practical prospects of edge computing and the seamless connectivity of hospital information.
This lecture focused on the application of data science in biomedical engineering, inspiring participants to contemplate the prospects of biomedical engineering and technological development. It broadened the international perspectives of faculty and students, laying a solid foundation for promoting deep cooperation between HUST and USYD.
HUST established a cooperative relationship with USYD in 2003 and signed a cooperation agreement for the "2+2" joint undergraduate program in computer science in 2019. Furthermore, the international offices of both universities jointly organized faculty Internationalization Competence development workshops in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, the computer science schools in both universities held the inaugural Cross-Disciplinary Academic Lecture in Medical Engineering.
