HKU Bulletin December 2013 (Vol. 15 No. 1)

Promoting iResponsibility HKU Hosts the First Asian International Baccalaureate World Student Conference In view of the emergence of a great variety of online tools in a fast-changing digital world, HKU and the International Baccalaureate (IB) hosted a five-day conference themed ’iResponsibility: Explore How We Engage in the Online World’ in August with the participation of 150 high- school students from all around the world. This IB World Student Conference, the first in Asia, consisted of interactive sessions and workshops taught by industry leaders and academics, including HKU alumni who have successfully started their own social entrepreneurship projects. Vice-Chancellor Professor Lap-Chee Tsui remarked in the opening ceremony: “I hope you work together with your peers and learn from your mentors to use the power of social media to change this world for the better.” With urban farming becoming an up-and- coming trend, HKU has brought the green concept of organic farming to the campus by initiating a ’Rooftop Farming Project’ with over 25 different plants set up on top of the Runme Shaw Building, to further promote sustainable development and responsible citizenship. A kick-off ceremony was held on September 19, in the presence of officiating guests Dr In order to help high-school students master online tools of all kinds responsibly and positively, participants were not only given a chance to learn in a university environment, but also to discover the fast-paced, technology-savvy, 24/7 metropolis of Hong Kong through all sorts of activities and trips around the city, including interactive and inspiring tours of high-technology multimedia centres in Cyberport, a creative hub for digital content tenants. Participants then put what they had learnt in class into practice, by continuing to engage with each other through various social media platforms after the five-day conference was over. Urban Farmers in Action HKU Students Kick off Rooftop Farming on Campus Steve Cannon, HKU Executive Vice-President (Administration and Finance), and Mrs Ann Kung, Head of Personal Banking (General Manager) at the Bank of China (Hong Kong). Co-organised by the General Education Unit and the Sustainability Office of HKU, the ’Rooftop Farming Project’ not only connects people and farming, thereby fostering a sense of responsibility to the natural environment, but also serves as an example of putting the sustainable food cycle onto practice – the plants will be used in a vegetarian restaurant on campus so as to encourage consumption of local produce with a minimal carbon footprint and in return, the food waste from the restaurant can be composted. A group of urban farmers, comprising students from various disciplines, will undertake the maintenance of the farm under the guidance of farming instructors. From time to time, urban farming workshops and activities will be organised to engage more HKU students and staff, and the farm will be open for the general public twice a year. The ’Rooftop Farming Project’ is sponsored by the Bank of China (Hong Kong) Charitable Foundation, and supported by Time To Grow, Greenwoods (HKU Students’ Union), and Bijas Vegetarian Restaurant. Cultural products, from paintings to music to film to architecture, can convey great meaning beyond their material form. Our scholars are looking at how we make, use and preserve these products – and what they tell us about our society. Arts and Academia 04 | 05 The University of Hong Kong Bulletin | December 2013 Cover Story News in Brief