World-renowned scientist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking will give a public lecture at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology on June 15, according to a press release from the university Thursday.

This will be the first visit to Hong Kong for Hawking, who is currently Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge.

At the lecture titled "The Origin of the Universe", Hawking will discuss theories on the origin of the universe and explain how time can have a beginning and the progress made by cosmologists.

Hawking was considered to be one of the greatest scientific geniuses alive. Despite being physically challenged by Lou Gehrig' s disease, he has continued to intrigue the scientific world by his insightful thinking on time, space, black holes and the origin and future of the universe.

He is the recipient of many awards, medals and prizes, including the Albert Einstein Award, the most prestigious in theoretical physics.

(Xinhua News Agency March 23, 2006)