HKU Bulletin January 2011 (Vol. 12 No. 1)

Dec 2010 The University of Hong Kong Bulletin News in Brief Professor Lakshman Samaranayake, Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry and Tam Wah-Ching Professor in Dental Science, has received the 2010 Oral Medicine and Pathology Research Award from the International Association for Dental Research (IADR), the world’s largest non-government dental research organization. Presented on July 14, 2010 at the 88 th General Session and Exhibition of the IADR in Barcelona, Spain, the Oral Medicine and Pathology Research Award came with the title of IADR Distinguished Scientist, and is one of only 16 discipline-specific awards granted annually by the IADR. The IADR regards the Oral Medicine and Pathology Research Award as one of the highest honours it can bestow. Supported by Unilever Oral Care and awarded by an international selection committee, the IADR Distinguished Scientist Award for Oral Medicine and Pathology recognizes ’outstanding and sustained peer-reviewed research that has contributed to the understanding of the mechanisms governing the health and disease of the oral cavity and associated structures, principally encompassing skin, bone, and the oral soft tissue’. “I’m proud to be the first Asian from Asia to receive this coveted prize and Distinguished Scientist title,” says Professor Samaranayake. “For scientists from this part of the world to be recognized globally for dental research achievements is perhaps long overdue, so this award sends a clear message of encouragement to dental researchers all over Asia to keep striving to advance research to improve oral health.” Over the past three decades, Professor Samaranayake has contributed to the scientific literature on oral infections caused by Cadida yeast, infection control in dentistry, and oral microbial diseases in general, including more than 300 original, peer-reviewed research and review articles. Hailing from Sri Lanka, Professor Samaranayake is considered a pioneer clinician-scientist in oral mycology and clinical microbiology, and is named the world’s foremost expert on oral candidiasis in www.Biomedexperts.com . He was the first to describe the adhesion of the fungus Candida to oral appliances and tissue surfaces of the mouth, “leading to the currently fashionable candidal biofilm era of research in mycology”, the IADR notes. Professor Samaranayake has also been honoured by the University of Hong Kong with an Outstanding Researcher Award in 2001, a Research Output Prize in 2009, an Outstanding Research Student Supervisor Award in 2001, and the Tam Wah-Ching Endowed Professorship in Dental Science in 2010, the first endowed university Professorship in dentistry in Hong Kong. In 2005, his alma mater , the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, honoured him with a Doctor of Science honoris causa degree, making him the first Sri Lankan dental professional to have received this award. Reason to Smile: HKU Dean of Dentistry Named IADR Distinguished Scientist In view of the urgent demand for cultural leaders in the region, the University is pioneering the first cultural leadership programme in Asia, in association with the Clore Leadership Programme in the UK. The Advanced Cultural Leadership Programme (ACLP) aims to nurture young talent and equip those in senior positions with the skills needed to become outstanding cultural leaders and transform the region’s artistic landscape. HKU Hung Leung Hau Ling Distinguished Fellow in Humanities, Professor Lung Ying- tai, who will teach in the programme, said that Hong Kong had very good potential in its cultural development, owing to its internationalized environment and sophisticated management skills. There is, however, a discrepancy, in that many of those well-versed in culture do not have the corresponding level of management HKU Launches First Cultural Leadership Programme in Asia skills, and conversely, there are decision makers who do not understand culture. The programme has been designed to fill this gap. Around 20 students will be admitted annually and the tuition fee is $160,000. About seven scholarships will be set up. Programme Director and HKU School of Humanities Head, Professor Daniel Chua, said that the faculty would conduct intensive learning sessions with the participants, and that the group would also go to Shanghai and Suzhou to explore critical issues in preservation, conservation and urban regeneration. The ACLP is a cross-disciplinary and cross- cultural programme which provides world- class training without losing sight of the local sensibilities. Faculty and participants of the ACLP will form a growing network, which will stand as a long-lasting asset that will support the region’s cultural aspirations. 03 HKU and China’s ‘C9’ Come Together Provosts and Vice Presidents from nine top universities in China (called the ’C9’ on the Mainland) have joined HKU at a symposium to examine issues and concerns about undergraduate education in the midst of change. Hong Kong will switch to a four-year undergraduate curriculum in 2012 from three years at present, while the Mainland has released a blueprint for higher education development from 2010–2020. and personal qualities), general education or common core, curriculum structure and teaching quality and development. They also considered strategies for improving teaching and learning, covering such topics as student evaluation of teaching, pedagogical evaluation, and student learning experiences. The participants lauded this first ever attempt to bring together the senior management of ten top Chinese universities to deliberate on teaching and learning issues. They enthused about the future prospect of this platform for collaboration and have agreed to work together on four areas: general education/the Common Core curriculum, student evaluation of teaching, a student learning experience survey, and pedagogical innovations. Several universities have offered to host the next symposium to be held in a year’s time. The symposium, entitled ’Re-envisioning Undergraduate Education’ and hosted by HKU in September, aimed to identify common issues among the universities and explore ways to better prepare undergraduate students to take on the challenges of the 21 st century. The participants revisited the undergraduate curriculum, looking at such things as desired graduate attributes (in terms of both professional and disciplinary competence “Cultural leadership is the ability to transform a society. To achieve Hong Kong’s aspiration to be a world-class cultural hub, only cultural leadership can act as a transformative force that can energize and renew the meaning of arts and culture and have an effective impact on society,” said Professor Chua. A total of 100 cultural leaders are expected to be trained over the next five years to meet the urgent demand in the region, and a number of full and partial fellowships will also be available for dedicated cultural leaders who want to make an impact. 2 $ > ! + 9 * $ + ' ' $ ? 3 ! 7 # 3 & * $ + ' ' $ " # 3 @ A 3 @ 6 / * $ + ' ' $ " 1 ' > 3 . > $ 3 - 1 B $ @ C $ ( ) & D E F E = $ ! G & ( 3 3 & * ! @ - H ' $ ( I $ & J J , 3 $ ! . ' ' 3 3 & ; K 3 + L I ? H 3 0 $ ( ! 3 M . 8 3 / The University of Hong Kong Bulletin January 2011