All 2,500 tickets for world-renowned scientist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking's first Hong Kong public lecture on June 15 have been snatched away, the organizer of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology said on Monday.

At a press briefing, Director of the university's Development and Public Affairs C K Yeung said that Hawking will arrive in Hong Kong on June 12 afternoon accompanied by his daughter and research and medical assistants.

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.

A local artist will be invited to sketch the a portrait for the scientist during the lecture which will be presented to him as a souvenir, said Yeung.

Besides giving a lecture, Hawking will also meet local members of academic organizations and participate in a tree-planting ceremony, which will be held in the university campus.

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 June 6, 2006)