Current Hong Kong University of Science and Technology President Paul C.W. Chu lectured last night about his life as a leading researcher in the field of high-temperature superconductors and as a president of one of the fastest-growing universities in the Pacific.

Yesterday’s lecture, “An Odyssey of Discovery: from Searching for HTSs in Houston to Developing HKUST in Hong Kong,” was part of a three-day installment of lectures given by Chu.If you look here...: Paul Chu shares insight into scientific discovery yesterday in Schwartz Auditorium.

“If you looked far back enough, the universe should have been decelerating before it [started] accelerating,” said Prof. Robert Kirshner, Clowes Professor of Science, Harvard University, and the former president of the American Astronomical Society, at last night’s lecture entitled “The Accelerating Universe: Einstein’s Blunder Undone.”

Kirshner’s lecture last night was one of three talks on schedule for this year’s Hans A. Bethe Lecture Series. Over 200 people, including students, professors, elementary school kids and their parents, attended the lecture at in Schwartz Auditorium.

If like many not-so-early-birds you’ve been snoozing through that 8:40 class, you probably should have dropped your class. Or lived on West Campus.

“It’s like a second alarm,” said Rachel Holloway ’10. “The construction starts at 8 a.m. every morning which is fine because it helps me get up. It’s really no inconvenience at all.”

Since construction on the West Campus Residential Initiative began in 2003, the “Class of” halls have all been demolished and three of the five new residential dorms — Cook, Becker and Bethe — now house students.

Construction on the remaining two houses was originally set to be completed in 2010, but is now scheduled for August 2008.