HKU Bulletin January 2005 (Vol. 6 No. 2)

1 NEWS ROUND-UP Race to the Start O ne of the 21st century’s leading scientists in genomic research said he would be discussing possible future collaboration on influenza during his visit to the University in December 2004. J. Craig Venter, who pioneered the methods of rapid gene analysis used to decode the human genome, talked to staff and students about the scope of his work and suggested he may be interested in collaborating on the influenza virus. “Flu is a very critical issue right now,” he told a press conference. “We need new ways to make new vaccines based on what we know about the genome.” Venter, founder and President of The J. Venter Institute and The J. Craig Venter Science Foundation said he viewed the mapping of the human genome as ‘a race to the starting line, not a race to the finish line.’ His revolutionary new strategy for gene discovery – expressed sequence tags, or EST’s – was used to decode the genome of the first free-living organism, the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae . His accomplishments in decoding the genetic sequences of the fruit fly, mouse and rat have provided important insights, including a new understanding of the genetic relationship between species. Using his new whole genome shotgun technique his current research has seen him and his team sequencing microbes in the Sargasso Sea, off Bermuda – a body of water once considered a deser t . What he found, however, was 1,800 new species and over 1.2 million new genes. “The sheer amount of life and diversity was the biggest surprise,” he said. His research has led him on an 18 month global scient i f ic expedi t ion gathering water samples from Florida, Panama, the Galapagos and Polynesia. The information gathered will go into a database accessible for free by researchers all over the world. The mission of Venter Institute’s – not-for-profit organization – is to explore biological energy solutions to environmental issues like global warming and to discover new sources of cleaner and more efficient fuels. Venter said: “The point of science is not to make money. It’s to change the world.” Early Start T he risk of complications for older women during pregnancy does not rise dramatically at any particular age, according to researchers in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. New evidence indicates that there is no specific age at which compl ications dramatical ly increase, but rather there is a l inear correlation between maternal age and pregnancy complications. Professor Terence Lao Tzu Hsi, Reader in the Department, studied 16,000 births between 1998 and 2001 and documented the risk of ten different complications according to the age of the mothers. Lao said: “The older a woman carries a pregnancy the higher would be the r isk of adverse an outcome, however, there is no age threshold as most people used to think.” In other words the study revealed that the risk rises progressively along with maternal age. But Lao warned: “The findings imply that if a woman wants to have babies she’d better start while she is younger rather than older.” CONTENTS Editor The Registrar Editorial Board Sheila Stimpson, Dora Yue Writers Kathy Griffin, Allison Jones Photography Richard Jones, sinopix photo agency Graphic Designer trinity & co. Printer G & P Production & Printing Co. Items for Publication Items for publication in The University of Hong Kong Bulletin or suggestions for subjects which might be included should be addressed to the editorial board, Knowles Building, telephone number: 2859 2229, fax nu mber: 2559 9459 or e-mail: bulletin@hku.hk . Items should include the author’s name and University contact details. If you have any comments or suggestions to make regarding the content or format of The University of Hong Kong Bulletin , please direct them to the editor for consideration by the editorial board. Printed on recycled paper. NEWS ROUND-UP 1 u Race to the Start u Early Start 2 u Success for the Press u State Key Laboratory a First RESEARCH 3 u A Safety Net for Vulnerable Fish 4 u For Love of the Past 8 u TV Helps, Tutors Hurt in Literacy EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH, 2003-04 9 u Outstanding Research Student Supervisor Award 12 u Outstanding Young Researcher Award 18 u Outstanding Researcher Award 22 u Special Research Achievement Award TEACHING FELLOWSHIP AWARDS 23 u What It Takes to be a Good Teacher PEOPLE 28 u Roots and Shoots 29 u Pride in Our Past