HKU Bulletin May 2016 (Vol. 17 No.2)

News in Brief Cover Story Knowledge Exchange Arts and Culture 52 Hong Kong Soul-Searching Finding a New Groove The People's Perspective An Uneasy Relation Language Lessons Beyond the Lion Rock 04 06 10 14 15 16 Research Teaching and Learning Honours Money down the Drain Is All Fair in Love and War? The Science and Fiction of Antioxidants A Gene of Productivity Sound and Vision Deciphering Protein Interactions Minority Report One for the Little People Edible Roof A Start-up with Backbone Legal Lifeline 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 44 46 48 50 Thinking Big Flipping the Classroom Journey into Madness Honouring Those Who Give Back 38 40 42 34 A Brush with Tradition 54 Contents Professor Arthur Li Appointed HKU Council Chairman Professor Mok Ngai-ming Elected Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Professor Vivian Yam Elected Foreign Member of the Academia Europaea Professor So Kwok-fai Named Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors HKU and Sciences Po Launch Dual Degree Programme The Academy of Sciences of Hong Kong Established 01 02 03 Hiding in Plain Sight Books Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region the Honourable CY Leung, in his capacity as the Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong, appointed Professor the Honourable Arthur Li Kwok-cheung to succeed Dr the Honourable Leong Che-hung as Chairman of the HKU Council for a term of three years with effect from January 1, 2016. Professor Arthur Li said in his statement that he is very honoured to have the opportunity to serve HKU as Chairman of the University Council, will strive to maintain the traditions of HKU and hopes that his experience will contribute to the elevation of HKU to an even higher level of excellence, of which all stakeholders will be proud. President Peter Mathieson and the HKU Senior Management Team were pleased that the Chairmanship of the Council was announced: “We are looking forward to working closely with Professor Arthur Li to further the best interests of the University. With the support of the whole Council, we are confident that the University will scale new heights in realising the latest Strategic Plan centred on Internationalisation, Innovation and Interdisciplinarity, converging on Impact.” Professor Li is the former Secretary for Education and Manpower and the former Vice-Chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Professor Li was appointed as a member of the HKU Council in March, 2015. The Secretary for Education, Mr Eddie Ng Hak-kim paid tribute to the outgoing Chairman for his contributions: “Under Dr Leong’s sterling leadership, HKU continued to capitalise on its position as one of the world’s top-tier universities. Among the remarkable achievements during his tenure were the successful implementation of the new academic structure and the completion of various large-scale campus development projects such as the Centennial Campus.” Professor Arthur Li Appointed HKU Council Chairman Professor Mok Ngai-ming Elected Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Professor Mok Ngai-ming, Edmund and Peggy Tse Professor in Mathematics, Chair of Mathematics, was elected a Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Mathematics and Physics) in December, 2015. A delighted Professor Mok said: “I am very honoured and very happy to have been elected by the Academy, and to have my research in Mathematics and the many years I’ve dedicated to the development of the discipline in Hong Kong and in Mainland China recognised this way.” President Peter Mathieson congratulated Professor Mok on his achievements: “This distinguished award is a recognition of the importance of Professor Mok’s contributions to mathematical research and helps to strengthen even more HKU’s research standing nationally and globally. The University is proud of his accomplishments and grateful to him for his commitment to HKU over the past two decades. We offer him our warmest congratulations on this outstanding achievement.” Professor Mok Ngai-ming joined HKU’s Department of Mathematics in 1994 and is now the Director of HKU Institute of Mathematical Research. His research interests encompass several complex variables, differential geometry and algebraic geometry. He is an acclaimed mathematician and has received many prestigious local and international awards, including the Sloan Fellowship Award, the Presidential Young Investigator Award, the Croucher Award 1998, the Second-class Award of State Natural Science Award 2007, and the Bergman Prize of the American Mathematical Society 2009. Founded in 1955, Academic Divisions of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has served as an advanced national think-tank to the Chinese Government on major science and technology issues. It consists of six divisions, respectively in mathematics and physics, chemistry, life and medical sciences, earth sciences, information technical sciences and technological sciences. There were 61 Members and 12 Foreign Members elected in the meeting this year. Renowned mathematician Professor Mok Ngai-ming is the only local scholar elected to be a Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Mathematics and Physics) this year. HKU Council Chairman Professor the Honourable Arthur Li. 01 News in Brief