HKU Bulletin June 2006 (Vol. 7 No. 3)

CONTENTS Editor The Registrar Editorial Board Sheila Stimpson, Dora Yue Writers Kathy Griffin, Allison Jones Photographer Richard Jones, sinopix photo agency Graphic Designer trinity & co. Printer HeterMedia Services Limited 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 number: 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. 1 NEWS ROUND-UP Striking the Balance P rofessor C. Duncan Rice, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen, delivered the second Ian Davies Distinguished Lecture at The University of Hong Kong on March 15, 2006. The guests at this well-attended event included Lord Wilson of Tillyorn, the former governor of Hong Kong and present Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen. Professor Rice was introduced by our Vice-Chancellor, Professor Lap- Chee Tsui. In a thought-provoking, stimulating and witty address, Professor Rice discussed the tensions between the traditional idea of a university as an institution of learning and the more modern view that its main business is to serve the demands of employers. He argued that every university must constantly be trying to strike the right balance between these competing imperatives and that solutions would doubtless vary from university to university and from country to country. NEWS ROUND-UP 1 u Striking the Balance u New Student Village 2 u Medical Faculties Form Alliance u New Fellow of Royal Society Joins Ranks of World Greats TEACHING, LEARNING AND SCHOLARSHIP 3 u Japanese Studies Enters Its Third Decade RESEARCH Croucher Senior Research Fellowships 4 u Time for Research 5 u One Year to Focus on Research 6 u Brain Function Restored with Nanotechnology 7 u Mind Body Harmony Aids Conception COVER STORY 8 u Replacing Lost Species PEOPLE 10 u Shot in the Arm for Human Rights 11 u Keeping Hong Kong’s Financial Sector Competitive 12 u A Haven Amid the Neon 13 u Hong Kong in the Middle of Two Empires SUSTAINABILITY 14 u Running on Green Power 15 u Gold Extraction that Helps the Environment ARTS Hong Kong International Literary Festival 16 u Asian Writers Advance on World Literature 17 u Passion Shared 18 u Penwork, Prizes and Perspective 19 u Fiction and the Dream 20 u Everyday Life in Hong Kong 1942 – 1945 21 u A Forgotten Wartime Tragedy New Student Village T he Jockey Club Student Village II was opened by Hon. Ronald Arculli, Chairman of the Hong Kong Jockey Club on May 2, 2006. The Village consists of three halls, Morrison Hall, Lee Shau Kee Hall and Suen Chi Sun Hall. It is home to 900 local and international students from 23 countries. Left to Right: Lord Wilson, Professor C. Duncan Rice, Professor Ian Davies, Professor Lap-Chee Tsui.