The Review 2014

Examples of our Research in 2013-14 THE REVIEW 2014 ⎜ 23 Professor Jao Tsung-I receives the University Laureate certificate from Director of Jao Tsung-I Petite Ecole Professor Lee Chack-fan (left) and the then HKU Vice-Chancellor Professor Lap-Chee Tsui. based sessions; launched a fund to encourage faculties to tailor research integrity programmes to their members; introduced a compulsory course on research integrity for all research postgraduate students; and appointed a Director of Education and Development for Research Integrity. HKU’s collaborations with other scholars and institutions in the region mean we can also exemplify our values to others. This is work that we expect will become more important over time and we will continue to devote substantial effort to it. Instilling the right values and pursuit of excellence in the next generation of researchers is also an important part of our work. Our postgraduate curriculum is benchmarked with best practices overseas. We also provide students with opportunities to extend their knowledge and networks beyond HKU. Most of the 2,966 research postgraduate students enrolled in 2014 will attend conferences overseas, some may conduct research elsewhere, and all will be encouraged to keep their horizons wide open (see pp. 26–27). • An international research team, led by HKU’s Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, discovered a new immune therapeutic strategy for controlling Epstein-Barr virus-induced tumors. The discovery was published in the prestigious international scientific journal Cancer Cell . • The Faculty of Engineering led a multidisciplinary team to develop new optical spectroscopy technology called Parametric Spectro- Temporal Analyzer (PASTA), which integrates existing fiber-optic and laser technologies and can capture the optical spectrum of dynamic events up to a million times faster than existing technologies. The results have been reported in various prestigious journals including Nature Scientific Reports , Optics Express and Applied Physics Letters . • Researchers from the Department of Surgery developed Asia’s first liver cancer staging system with treatment guidelines to improve the survival rate of patients, called the Hong Kong Liver Cancer (HKLC) staging system. The breakthrough, which recently made its global debut in Gastroenterology , has received widespread international recognition as probably the best staging system for liver cancer. • Smart software was created enabling criminal investigators to create 3D reconstructions of crime scenes using data from surveillance videos. A research team from the Department of Computer Science developed the software in a project supported by the Hong Kong government’s Innovation and Technology Fund. • A team from the School of Biological Science developed a new strategy to protect flowers from freezing stress. An extension of this technology to crop plants is expected to benefit agriculture and food production by protecting against cold spells that kill flowers and adversely affect fruit and seed formation. This research has yielded publication in Plant & Cell Physiology and a US patent. • New technology was created for spotting rare cancer cells and enabling early cancer detection. The Faculty of Engineering successfully developed a new optical microcopy approach which integrates existing fiber-optic and laser technologies, called Asymmetric-detection Time-stretch Optical Microscopy (ATOM) that can capture images of moving cells up to 10,000 times faster than existing camera technologies. • A study led by Professor Eric Chen Yu-hai, Clinical Professor and Head of the Department of Psychiatry, revealed that yoga can complement medication in treating neurocognitive degeneration. Research results suggest practicing yoga can help improve the memory, attention, depressive symptoms and other clinical symptoms of patients at early stages of psychosis. • Hong Kong’s first academic study on mental health status, mental health related knowledge, attitudes and behaviours among the working population was undertaken by a team from the Department of Social Work and Social Administration. The ultimate aim of the study is to devise a working environment that is sympathetic to people's mental well-being. The University Laureate was established in 2013 as the highest academic honour bestowed by the University. It seeks to recognise, celebrate and encourage extraordinary, paradigm-changing, world-class scholarship by individuals who have a distinguished international reputation and an association with or commitment to HKU. The first University Laureate, renowned sinologist, Professor Jao Tsung-I, was appointed in early 2014. Professor Jao has links with HKU stretching back to the 1950s, when he first came here as a young academic. He has published more than 80 books and 900 papers on sinology, Chinese civilisation studies, art and education, is an active promoter of cultural conservation, and is celebrated for his poetic writing, calligraphy, guqin playing and Chinese painting. Professor Jao previously donated his collection of more than 40,000 books (including rare and antique volumes) and about 200 of his artworks to HKU. In 2002 the University also established the Jao Tsung-I Petite Ecole to promote his spirit of diligent scholarly pursuit. Professor Jao in 1960 playing guqin while on an outing with students. Research Honouring Our 'Renaissance Man'