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

30 31 PEOPLE H ong Kong’s last Governor, Chris Patten spoke to over 800 students, members and friends of the HKU community at Loke Yew Hall in November, in his second visit to HKU since 1997. In the one-hour forum Lord Patten explored imminent global issues facing our world today with five HKU student panelists and members of the audience. Drawing on his new book, What Next? Surviving the Twenty-First Century , the discussion revolved around globalization, energy, international crime, weapons of mass destruction, nuclear proliferation, small arms proliferation, climate change, water shortage, migration and health epidemics. Lord Patten was warmly welcomed by HKU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Lap-Chee Tsui, together with Court members, staff, students, alumni, donors, diplomats and journalists. His last visit was in November 2005 when he spoke about the rise of Asia. Lord Patten was the last Governor of Hong Kong and also former Chancellor of The University of Hong Kong from 1992 to 1997. He is currently the co-chair of the International Crisis Group and of the Anglo-Indian Round Table, and Chancellor of Oxford and Newcastle universities. T he UK Government Chief Scientific Advisor (GCSA) and Head of the Government Office for Science, Professor John Beddington, delivered a Distinguished Lecture on scientific innovation at the University, in April. In Let there be Light! How science, innovation and technology offer hope for emerging from our current economic turmoil , Beddington showed how a new era of innovation will be essential for all countries to maintain their competitiveness in the midst of our current economic crisis. A former professor at Imperial College, London, Beddington shared his view on Britain’s science, innovation and technology strengths, and how these can contribute to helping the UK, Europe and the rest of the world recover from the current economic and financial turmoil. Beddington’s main research interests are the appl ication of biological and economic analysis to problems of Natural Resource Management including inter alia : fisheries, pest control, wildlife management and the control of disease. VISITORS A visiting artists scheme brings masters to campus. A rtistic university students in Hong Kong are getting a chance to learn from world-renowned masters of their crafts, under HKU’s University Artists Scheme. The scheme is the first of its kind in Hong Kong and was launched last year to bring together young and established artists in an intellectual environment. The artists offer workshops, screenings, exhibitions and/or performances, and some of the sessions are credit-bearing. Several artists have already held sessions on campus, including film directors Ann Hui On Wah and Peter Chan Ho Sun, theatre director Dr Vicki Ooi, and virtuoso violinist Yao Jue. Students from other universities can participate in the scheme and in February, Ms Yao held a master class for four students from HKU, Baptist University and the Academy of Performing Arts, who had to submit audition tapes. “This is the first time I have done a master class at a university in Hong Kong and it is very good and generous that it was not limited to HKU students,” said Ms Yao, who also runs her own music school and has an intense interest in education. She believes there are some things young artists can learn only from other artists, such as how to progress to the next stage of their craft – something she gained from master classes at Juilliard and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. “Artists have to be constantly maturing and taking in more things so they can communicate the music to the audience. If you don’t grow yourself, your music will be dull. The teacher can give you so many things, then you have to make it your own, you have to think about it and get your own understanding so it’s not a copy, it’s something that develops in you and sooner or later it becomes yours.” Ms Yao’s enthusiasm inspired Bill Chan, a fourth-year HKU LLB student who attended her master class and has played the violin for more than 15 years. “She was energetic and passionate in her teaching and she had so many things to say that the class ran over time. She looked at all the basics and fundamentals of our playing and gave us very useful feedback,” he said. Ms Yao also performed a recital on campus in November and participated in a multi-media event with students in April, during which she did much of the learning. “The multi-media concert was really interesting. It was not just teachers and music students, there were others, like poetry students, who were connecting between each piece. And all the media that was involved. One piece was based on the original Nokia ring tone. You would never come across this kind of idea in the classical field. I have worked with pop stars, too, but I’ve never done anything like this before,” she said. The University Artists Scheme, which is hosted by the Faculty of Arts and supported by the Wah Ching Fund, will soon present percussionist Dr Lung Heung Wing, and other artists are being lined up. It is hoped the scheme will link HKU to the global network of visiting artist programmes. Masters to Groom Artistic Sense A Dialogue with Hong Kong’s Last Governor Let There be Light: UK Government Science Advisor Talks at HKU Yao Jue performs at HKU