HKU Bulletin October 2008 (Vol. 10 No. 1)

1 NEWS ROUND-UP New Donation Fosters Development T he University’s campus and academic development has received a major boost with the donation of $400 million, from Dr Cheng Yu-Tung, Chairman of New World Development Company Ltd. Speaking at a cheque presentation ceremony, Dr Cheng referred to his relationship with the University saying: “It goes back to 1997, the time when I began supporting the Faculty of Medicine in the form of student scholarships. Since then many mainland medical professionals have been trained. “When I first knew that the University had embarked on building the Centennial Campus to meet its strategic development plans, I wanted to make my contribution to HKU so that the new campus could be built as scheduled. “All of us know that the Faculty of Law was established 39 years ago and has fostered many outstanding lawyers. I hope that my donation can not only be beneficial for the future development of the Faculty of Law in nurturing local talent, but can also contribute to the Rule of Law of our country, and to its future prosperity.” Professor Johannes Chan, Dean of the Faculty of Law, thanked Dr Cheng for his gift saying it would greatly aid the Faculty’s five-year development plan. It would also support other projects such as recruiting world-class teachers and scholars, establish scholarships and facilitate research and training in arbitration and dispute resolution. Council Chairman, Dr Victor Fung, expressed his gratitude to Dr Cheng saying: “We believe this is a great investment in tertiary education in Hong Kong. Most importantly it offers the utmost encouragement to each member of the University.” In recognition of his generous gift the proposed new Faculty of Law building, to be constructed on the Centennial Campus, will be named the Cheng Yu-Tung Building. The Campus is scheduled for completion in 2011/2012. CONTENTS Editor The Registrar Editorial Board Allison Jones, Dora Yue Writers Kathy Griffin, Allison Jones Photographer Eric Lee & Co. 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 1929, fax number: 2546 0456 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 New Donation Fosters Development u Quake Prompts New Initiative on Catastrophe Management 2 u Writing and the Cult of Celebrity 3 u Greening the Community PEOPLE 4 u A Blueprint for Great Learning 6 u Sustainable Behaviour Therapy COVER STORY 10 u Breathing New Life into an Ancient Art Form RESEARCH 8 u Getting to the Root of Reading Problems 13 u Engineering Safer Buildings in Earthquake Zones 14 u Pregnancy Blues Linked to Abuse 16 u DNA Forensics and the Law 18 u Fighting Cancer Naturally 19 u Haunted by the Past ARTS 20 u Picasso Exhibit Hailed a Great Success 21 u The Chronicle of a Killer Plague engaged in voluntary or professional works at the quake-affected areas. “While the immediate relief work is still going on, universities, as knowledge hubs, should contribute their expertise not only to the short- term redevelopment of the quake areas, but also long-term knowledge- based catastrophe management worldwide,” he said. Dr Braven Zhang Qiang, Research Professor of Institute of Social Development and Public Policy, BNU, believed that the comprehensive expertise and extensive global connections of both universities would help further mobilise the commitment and resources of local, national and international efforts to help the redevelopment of the quake areas. Si Yuan Professor in Health and Social Work Cecilia Chan said some initiatives were already on the drawing board. These include a Pre-school Programme for Children aged 3 to 6 – with an estimated 100,000 children, in this age group, left without nursery and kindergarten education. The initiative will provide special pre-school educational programmes, community child-activity centres and mobile child-service stations, student training in disaster management and community development and psychosocial intervention for severely injured individuals and orphans; this will also support healthcare professionals, teachers, grassroots cadres and disciplinary forces members, especially those who have been traumatized by rescue work in heavily affected areas. Quake Prompts New Initiative on Catastrophe Management I n response to the recent Sichuan earthquake HKU experts have joined hands with the Beijing Normal University (BNU) to launch a large-scale Catastrophe Management Initiative. The pioneering joint initiative will address all aspects of catastrophe management, from rehabilitation to reconstruction and redevelopment, at both policy and practice levels. The two Universities expect their collaboration to establish a knowledge base for future catastrophe mitigation and management. Professor Chow Shew Ping, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Vice- President of HKU, and Professor Han Zhen, Vice-President of BNU represented both Universities at the signing ceremony. Professor Chow said the initiative would focus on “research, education, action, capacity building and ultimately knowledge generation.” “HKU members boast a very wide spectrum of expertise across various academic disciplines and professions,” he said. “Since the Sichuan earthquake occurred on May 12, many of our colleagues, students and alumni have initiated fundraising activities, and have been