HKU Bulletin May 2012 (Vol. 13 No. 2)

Professor Sir Leszek Krzysztof Borysiewicz Doctor of Science honoris causa Sir Leszek is an exceptional man who has made his mark as a physician, a distinguished medical researcher and a university administrator – multiple achievements that reflect his stated philosophy to seize life’s many opportunities and not be deflected by its tribulations. He is now the 345 th Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, prior to which he was Chief Executive of the UK's Medical Research Council, the national body that supports medical science. Born in Wales to Polish parents, he was brought up in Cardiff and enrolled at the Welsh National School of Medicine (now part of Cardiff Medical School). He received his doctorate from the Royal Postgraduate Medical School in London, where his passion for research into immunology first emerged. After a first stint at Cambridge in 1988, Sir Leszek returned to his home town to be Professor of Medicine at the University of Wales, where he led a research team that carried out pioneering work on vaccines, in particular conducting clinical trials for a therapeutic vaccine for human papillomavirus (a cause of cervical cancer). He was knighted in 2001 for services to medical research and education. While at Imperial College London in 2001–07, first as Principal of Medicine then as Deputy Rector, he was responsible for the development of interdisciplinary research between engineering, physical sciences and biomedicine. Sir Leszek strongly believes that the purpose of universities is to serve society: “In economic hard times who will look to the long term? Governments will not; stock markets cannot; businesses dare not. Universities are enabled by our autonomy from outside pressures to discharge this responsibility.” Honours Aung San Suu Kyi Doctor of Laws honoris causa Burma’s pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, is honoured for her commitment to non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights. Daw Suu, as she is respectfully addressed by her compatriots, led a pro- democracy movement in Burma and was placed under house arrest in 1989, the year before her party won a general election by a landslide. The party was not allowed to take power and the military regime brutally suppressed her supporters. Daw Suu spent 15 of the next 20 years under house arrest, much of that time separated from her family, and was finally released in 2010. She remained committed to her beliefs and in April led her party to a sweeping victory in by-elections, the first time the party had joined the political process since 1990. She addressed the HKU Honorary Degrees Congregation in a videotaped speech, saying the awarding of the Doctor of Laws had particular meaning to her. “Only with a strong, independent, honest judiciary, and a strong, independent legislature that truly reflects the will of the people, will we be able to look on laws as a protective body for our people.” This was Daw Suu’s second time addressing an HKU audience after a Skype dialogue last year for the Centenary Distinguished Lecture series. She said if she is able to leave Burma, “I would so wish to visit your University and to thank you personally for all that you have done for me and for our cause over the years.” Dr John Craig Venter Doctor of Science honoris causa Dr Craig Venter is a bold scientist who has made several remarkable and ground-breaking discoveries in genomic research. Nature magazine has described him as ‘maverick, publicity hound, risk-taker, brash, controversial, genius, manic, rebellious, visionary, arrogant, feisty, determined and provocative’. Those qualities led Dr Venter to an early discovery, Expressed Sequence Tags, that was born out of frustration over slow and time-consuming gene identification. He founded The Institute for Genomic Research in 1992 and with his team developed the whole genome shotgun sequencing technique. They decoded the first genome of a free-living organism, Haemophilus Influenzae , a bacterium that causes meningitis. In 1998 he founded Celera Gemonics to sequence the human genome. He and his team achieved their goal using DNA from five individuals, including Dr Venter (who, it turns out, has a genetic predisposition to antisocial behaviour). This was despite scepticism from many scientists who thought their method was not as good as that used by the separate Human Genome Project. In 2000 US President Bill Clinton declared the two teams had tied in the race to map the human genome. Dr Venter has since blazed new trails, such as creating the first self- replicating bacterial cell constructed entirely with synthetic DNA. Professor Michael Wilkinson, HKU’s Public Orator, declared: “Craig has been responsible for extending the boundaries of known science. In particular his novel conceptual approach to deciphering the human genome and in creating synthetic life make him stand apart from other scientists. The maverick wizard is in truth a giant.” Professor Xu Zhihong Doctor of Science honoris causa A respected botanist who has dedicated his life to research into plant development and plant biotechnology, Professor Xu is also renowned as a prominent university administrator whose forthright ideas on education have sometime sparked controversy. He developed his love for plants while still at junior secondary school in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, where he conducted his first tests on sprouting seeds. After studying botany at Peking University and graduate studies at Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology (SIPPs), he began research into improving food production by regulating plant growth. As a visiting scholar in the UK between 1979 and 1981, Professor Xu made significant discoveries to improve the biotechniques for growing barley and grain legumes. Returning to China, Professor Xu concentrated on finding new biotechnological methods of improving crop production. He studied plant cell regeneration in protoplast cultures and worked on maximising plant generation in protoplants in crops such as soybeans, peanuts and cowpeas, helping pave the way for the genetic modification of these crops. Between 1999 and 2008, Professor Xu was President of Peking University. He stirred up heated debate in China with his calls for less bureaucracy in university administration, less emphasis on university rankings and less emphasis on examinations. He advocates “giving time back to students... to develop in an all-round way”. Having retired from administration, Professor Xu has returned and his laboratory at Peking University now focuses on molecular mechanism of sex determination of cucumber and the early development of microspore in rice. His work on plant development and biotechnology of important food crops has benefited not only China but also the world. M 41 May 2012 The University of Hong Kong Bulletin