The Review 2013

Grooming Researchers The pursuit of excellence is at the heart of our success, but sitting right next to it is a commitment to integrity in our research. How we conduct research, in terms of ethical, safety and related considerations, is essential to the acceptance of the results and therefore the impact of our research. Research integrity is a core value at the University and this message is reinforced to staff and students. We have policies and systems in place for addressing integrity issues and new staff and students must attend a mandatory course on research integrity. A survey in 2013 of those who attended the course found most were very satisfied with their training. We also want to ensure we have a robust mechanism to deal with delinquencies. In January 2013 the University Council approved refinements to our policy and procedures on research integrity. The previous policy had been drafted in 2003, but in recent years, research integrity and the response to misconduct have become issues of global academic interest. The revised policy ensures HKU meets world standards, as befits a member of the international community of research- intensive universities. A Fertile Ground for Young Talent HKU aims to be the institution of choice for students from around the world pursuing a research postgraduate degree. More than half of these students are from outside Hong Kong and they are provided with opportunities to attend overseas conferences and go on overseas exchanges if these can benefit their research. Elite students can also participate in HKU's joint PhD programmes with King's College London, Imperial College London and the University of Toronto. All research students receive a broad-based education that equips them with transferrable skills, such as communication and presentation skills, that they can apply in their future careers, whether in academia, industry, government or other domains. There are mandatory and optional programmes. The mandatory programmes include research skills, teaching skills and research integrity. An example of an optional programme is the 3MT ® competition, which originated in Australia and gives students a chance to crystallise their thesis into a three-minute presentation before a general audience. Undergraduate research is also nurtured at the University. Individual faculties offer programmes and in 2012-13 the University-wide Undergraduate Research Fellowship Programme was launched. Exceptional students in their final year of study are given an opportunity to do research under the supervision of an HKU academic. They may also undertake a research internship under the supervision of a professor overseas or locally if appropriate. The students have to produce a dissertation or other research deliverable at the end of the programme. Some 56 students were admitted in the first year of the programme. Dr Christopher See, a medical doctor and PhD student researching medical education in the Faculty of Medicine, won the International Vote in the 2013 FameLab, a science presenting competition with participation from 21 countries. Presenters can speak on any science topic of their choosing, but PowerPoint is not allowed. Dr See spoke on the role of neurotransmitters in ego-depletion. "I took the Graduate School course in presentation skills immediately before the competition - this was fantastic and I thoroughly recommend it," he said. "However, I believe communication skills are mostly improved in day to day activities and I place high value on simple interactions with fellow students in classes and in extracurricular societies." The Undergraduate Research Fellowship Programme gives talented young students the chance to pursue serious research at HKU and abroad if warranted. For example, Elize Chan Hoi-ting, a BEd (Liberal Studies) major, went to Cambridge University in the summer of 2013 where she was able to observe primary school lessons and discuss educational issues with well-known scholars, while Pan Wenqi, a BSc (Biochemistry) major, conducted biomedical research at the University of Toronto. Their experiences overseas fed into their research work at HKU. "I benefited a lot from going to Toronto - I was exposed to many cutting-edge research ideas," Pan said. Elize said her Cambridge experience broadened her understanding of her field. "The different ways of thinking and lifestyles there were reflected in the children's behaviour in the classrooms. It was a whole new context for me," she said. Presentation Skills Triumph in International Competition Opportunities for Young Researchers The University of Hong Kong ⎜ 29 THE REVIEW 2013 ⎜ Research