名譽大學院士
譚麥美燕女士熱心公益，其丈夫為已故著名建築師及慈善家譚榮芬先生，彼亦為香港大學名譽大學院士，兼1950年開辦的港大建築學課程之首屆學生。
譚氏伉儷積極回饋社會，尤其是在支持教育、醫學、研究、兒童及長者慈善項目等方面貢獻殊深。
2017年，譚氏伉儷捐款支持港大工程學院成立譚榮芬創科翼，於2020年正式開幕，其配備先進設施，為研究人員及師生提供開放的協作環境，促進跨學科的工程和科技創新，以應對香港和全球社會面臨的挑戰。
此外，譚氏伉儷亦慷慨捐助港大內科學系，支持腎臟病學和神經系統疾病的研究。
譚氏伉儷將關愛延續至社會各階層。2019年，兩人支持香港耀能協會（前稱香港痙攣協會）成立譚榮芬兒童發展中心，成為該會首個於新界區營運的兒童發展中心，進一步拓展社區中的兒童和家庭支援服務。
譚女士延續譚先生的願景和慈善事業，慷慨資助本校新冠病毒、中風和認知障礙症的相關研究。
Citation delivered by Professor Norman C. Tien, Head of Innovation Academy, Faculty of Engineering
Mrs May Tam Mak Mei Yin is an unassuming individual who would not hesitate to support causes where she can create the biggest positive impact for those most greatly in need.
Her late husband, Mr Edmund Tam Wing Fan, was a member of the first cohort of students at HKU’s Department of Architecture when it was established in 1950. He was forever grateful for the invaluable learning opportunities provided by the University, which he regarded as a life-changing education that set him on a successful path in life.
Edmund and May wanted our students to have the same opportunities, and thus, have supported the creation of world-class learning facilities to help them realise their potential. It is out of that altruistic spirit of reciprocity, and the firm belief in the power of transformation that the Tam Wing Fan Innovation Wings on the Main Campus came into being in 2020.
At the heart of the Innovation Wings is a simple premise: our young scholars and researchers can make the world a better place through pioneering technological innovations. It is a space to congregate and nourish interdisciplinary exchanges with an emphasis on hands-on and experiential learning activities. Emerging technologies such as robotics, virtual/ augmented/ mixed realities, artificial intelligence, biotechnologies, and so on, are all being developed, explored and advanced in the Innovation Wings.
Apart from backing the development of new technologies, Mrs Tam is keen on supporting potential medical breakthroughs. She and Mr Tam have provided the University with a magnanimous contribution to support research on kidney and neurological diseases in the Department of Medicine. She is also interested in the study of stroke and dementia, which can be very debilitating, particularly to an aging population.
Another area she is eager to support is the study of infectious diseases. The way that COVID-19 disrupted the lives of individuals around the world, and in ways that we are still trying to recover from, has shown us how quickly contagions can upend everything we had taken for granted. Mrs Tam is a strong advocate of the work of researchers of infectious diseases who are determined to stay ahead of the next pandemic.
Apart from her philanthropic endeavours, Mrs Tam is also a Member of the Court of the University of Hong Kong, and we are grateful for her counsel and her continuing belief in the importance of our work.
Reflecting their concern for all walks of life in Hong Kong, she and Mr Tam also supported the establishment of the Tam Wing Fan Child Development Centre of the SAHK (formerly the Spastics Association of Hong Kong) in 2019. This is the first child development centre in the New Territories operated by the Association, strengthening its ability to provide children-and-family support services to the community.
Mrs Tam has a warm and generous heart, shows deep empathy to those from different walks of life, and is a stalwart supporter of the University.
Therefore, Mr Pro-Chancellor, it is my great pleasure to present Mrs May Tam Mak Mei Yin for the Honorary University Fellowship, in recognition of her contributions to Hong Kong and academia.