HKU Bulletin May 2009 (Vol. 10 No. 2)

IN BRIEF Funding Approval for Centennial Campus T he Legislative Council has approved a $2.03 billion funding request for the Centennial Campus, paving the way for the project to move ahead. The approval was given in late April and construction will start very soon, with the aim of completing the work within about three years. The Centennial Campus will be located to the west of the Main Campus and include three new academic buildings to accommodate increased student and faculty numbers when HKU and other local universities switch from a three-year to a four-year undergraduate programme in 2012. Environmental features have been incorporated into the design, such as green rooftops and facades, a layout that promotes natural cooling and ventilation, and $16.3 million in energy-saving measures. Three graded historic buildings are also being preserved on site. Stakeholders such as district councillors, local residents and University members have been consulted extensively on the project, and four exhibitions were staged to raise public awareness of the project. The new buildings will provide more than 42,000 square metres of new space for classrooms, teaching and research laboratories, libraries, learning commons/study areas, office facilities and amenities such as exhibition areas. The Faculties of Arts, Law and Social Sciences are expected to move onto the new campus and their existing premises will be allocated to other faculties. Further information about the Centennial Campus can be found at http://www3.hku.hk/cecampus/chi/ (in Chinese) or http://www3.hku.hk/ cecampus/eng/ (in English). Lights Out for Earth Hour T he University participated in the Earth Hour event at the end of March by turning off lights across the campus, including a ceremonial switch-off at the Main Building. The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Lap-Chee Tsui, was joined by a group of students as he turned off the lights at 8:30 pm on March 28 – a time dubbed Earth Hour by the World Wide Fund for Nature, which organized the event to promote awareness about global climate change. The lights were left off for 60 minutes and organizers said hundreds of millions of people participated in 88 countries. Switching lights off was considered a vote for Earth, leaving them on a vote for global warming. A number of buildings across Hong Kong also dimmed their lights. Apart from academic buildings, campus lights were also turned off in 15 residential halls. The Earth Hour activities at HKU were promoted by the Centre of Development and Resources for Students. Students at the University, and the Main Building during the Earth Hour event. HKU Launches the Territory’s First Geological Museum E arth Sciences education received a boost in January with the launch of Hong Kong’s first Geological Museum. Named in honour of the late Dr Stephen Hui the Museum aims to boost public appreciation of the dynamic world of Earth Sciences. With a world-class collection of minerals, rocks and fossils and interactive displays, it showcases the Earth’s development over the 4.5 billion years of its history, with examples relevant to the China region. The opening of the Museum coincided with the launch of the Faculty of Science’s 70th Anniversary Celebration. Dr Stephen Hui was a philanthropist who, apart from constructing the Hui Oi Chow Science Building, in honour of his father, Mr Hui Oi Chow, also donated his extensive mineral collection to HKU which has formed the core of the Geological Museum’s permanent Earth Material display. Mr William C.L. Hui, Dr Stephen Hui’s son told guests at the launch ceremony that the Museum had always been his late father’s dream, and it gave him immense pleasure to see it come to fruition. “I would like to thank the staff of the Department of Earth Sciences for their painstaking efforts in setting up this Museum virtually from scratch,” he said. In thanking the Hui Family, Professor Richard Wong Yue Chim, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost, said: “Generation after generation of the Hui Family have lent their very generous support to the University.” Professor Kwok Sun, Dean of Science, added that the Museum provided an attractive object-based learning laboratory for the nature and evolution of the planet to visitors at all ages. “The museum is vital in driving the development of Earth Science education at Hong Kong schools.” The Review 2008 Scoops International Gold Award T he University’s annual report, The Review 2008 has won a Gold Award in the category Covers: College/University, in the prestigious ASTRID Awards competition. ASTRID, an international organization based in the United States, honours the best in international design innovation. The 2008 awards programme received over 400 entries from around the world. Entries were judged by an international panel of design professionals searching for the best in concept, creativity, message clarity and production. According to MerComm Inc., which sponsors the Award, it “symbolizes the stellar qualities of creativity, craft, and originality in design”. Reni L. Witt, President of the ASTRID Award says: “We aim to promote design as a fundamental element of communications, a business imperative, and a powerful tool for commercial success.” Katherine Ma, The Review’s Editor said the team was delighted with the award. The cover which is a snapshot of students totally immersed and engaged in class, succinctly presents the ambience of a vibrant University community. “It’s a simple but striking picture,” says Ma. 2 3