CONTENTS Message from the President and Vice-Chancellor Teaching and Learning Research and Innovation Knowledge Exchange and Technology Transfer The University Profile An Extract from the University’s Annual Accounts 2019–20 Officers of the University The Court 2 6 16 26 36 45 48 49 VISION MISSION The University of Hong Kong, Asia’s Global University, delivers impact through internationalisation, innovation and interdisciplinarity. It attracts and nurtures global scholars through excellence in research, teaching and learning, and knowledge exchange. It makes a positive social contribution through global presence, regional significance and engagement with the rest of China. The University of Hong Kong will endeavour: • To advance constantly the bounds of scholarship, building upon its proud traditions and strengths • To provide a comprehensive education, benchmarked against the highest international standards, designed to develop fully the intellectual and personal strengths of its students, while extending lifelong learning opportunities for the community • To produce graduates of distinction committed to academic / professional excellence, critical intellectual inquiry and lifelong learning, who are communicative and innovative, ethically and culturally aware, and capable of tackling the unfamiliar with confidence • To develop a collegial, flexible, pluralistic and supportive intellectual environment that inspires and attracts, retains and nurtures scholars, students and staff of the highest calibre in a culture that fosters creativity, learning and freedom of thought, enquiry and expression • To provide a safe, healthy and sustainable workplace to support and advance teaching, learning and research at the University • To engage in innovative, high-impact and leading-edge research within and across disciplines • To be fully accountable for the effective management of public and private resources bestowed upon the institution and act in partnership with the community over the generation, dissemination and application of knowledge • To serve as a focal point of intellectual and academic endeavour in Hong Kong, China and Asia and act as a gateway and forum for scholarship with the rest of the world
THE REVIEW2020 MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT AND VICE-CHANCELLOR The crisis-ridden academic year of 2019–20 was the most challenging the University has faced since the Second World War. Both the social unrest in Hong Kong and the COVID-19 pandemic have significantly impacted HKU and our society. I am pleased to say, however, that our response to these challenges has revealed HKU’s strengths – of teamwork, diligence and a commitment to excellence in teaching, research as well as contribution to the wider community and mankind. The disruptions had a silver lining. They provided opportunities for innovation and the expansion of online teaching and learning. They also caused the University’s leaders to pause, reflect and think deeply about our future. We are obliged to take HKU to the next level of excellence and to realise our potential to the full by critically reviewing our strengths and weaknesses, and dislodging any lingering complacency. The twin crises have added fuel to our determination to push forward with these plans, which include upgrading our facilities and attracting top-flight scholars from around the world. Moving Online The University’s resilience in the face of social unrest and COVID-19 ensured that our core work of teaching and research continued – thanks to the outstanding effort expended by everyone involved, from teachers, deans and department heads to support staff and administrators. An awful lot was demanded of them and they rose quickly and competently to the challenge. For example, when the social unrest affected campuses in Hong Kong in fall 2019, our senior management team, deans, department heads and staff worked day and night to keep the lines of communication with students open and address matters before they became flashpoints. Students also responded reasonably. As a result, the University emerged relatively unscathed. We continue to value diversity of views and vigorous debate, so long as it is conducted within the law and adheres to the principle of mutual respect and civility. Part of our response was to close the campus during November and December 2019 to facilitate calm to return. This required a swift move to online teaching and assessment and we managed to complete the semester as scheduled, including creating the HKU Online Examination System in just two weeks. The solutions were not perfect, but they provided a valuable practice run for what was to come later with the COVID-19 pandemic. Just one week into the second semester, face-to-face classes were suspended and would remain so, off and on until September. The lessons we learned during the earlier closure meant that we could quickly adjust and roll. Online teaching and learning at HKU have since improved tremendously, with better infrastructure, training and experience now under our belt. Many teachers have experimented and pushed the boundaries to make the most of the online environment. Multi-channel learning will undoubtedly be a core feature of teaching going forward at HKU. Back to Campus and Community Online learning cannot, however, replicate all the benefits of face-to-face teaching and campus life that are such a treasured part of being in university. HKU decided early in the year to work towards making the campus environment safe for everyone to return, with the first priority being classrooms. Our Task Force on Infectious Diseases has toiled away to implement infection control measures around the campus, and helped classes resume rapidly as far as possible (we had two class suspensions in 2020). They also mean we have been able to keep our halls and residences open for students. With these measures, no COVID-19 outbreaks have been linked to our campus. Importantly, our research could continue unabated. Our laboratories have remained open throughout the year and we have investigated and published as usual. This has been fortunate not only for HKU but the world: our medical scholars have produced world-leading research on the virus and their advice has been sought by local, national and overseas governments, as well as international agencies such as the World Health Organization. Even in the midst of great disruption, HKU has been able to demonstrate scholarly excellence and have a deep impact in society. Our impact was felt also in knowledge exchange activities on COVID-19. HKU has been one of the trusted institutions relied upon by the Hong Kong public for information as to how to A TURNING POINT 02 | 03
THE REVIEW2020 MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT AND VICE-CHANCELLOR stay safe, as well as to maintain mental and physical wellbeing. Our students have assisted primary and secondary school students in their studies during school closures, and the University has launched the HKU COVID Relief Fund to help students and community members in need. HKU also wants our fresh graduates to continue to perform well, despite the economic impacts of the pandemic. To help them over this hump, we announced short-term internships for 2020 graduates to gain work experience at HKU. We also offered scholarships if they instead wished to pursue our taught Master’s degree programmes to enhance skills and knowledge in a tough labour market. More than 110 graduates have taken up the latter opportunity. A Stellar Performance Despite the profound challenges this year, we have delivered magnificent achievements in our academic activities. The most prominent example was our COVID-19 research (detailed in the Research and Innovation chapter), but this was only one highlight in a very busy and fruitful year. We continued to perform strongly in the Research Grants Council’s competitive funding programmes, receiving HK$212 million (excluding on-costs) for 265 projects under its General Research Fund – significantly more than in 2019 and the highest amongst institutions in Hong Kong. We also led five of the seven major projects awarded in the Themebased Research Scheme, receiving a total HK$179 million (including on-costs), and participated in a sixth. Some 127 of our scholars were named by Clarivate Analytics as being among the top 1% in their fields in the world in 2020 based on citations by other academics while individual scholars earned various national and international honours. HKU also performed very well in InnoHK, a major, new Hong Kong government funding programme. Top-performing students continued to choose HKU. We admitted three of the five top scorers of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination, two provincial top scorers in Mainland China’s Gaokaoexaminations, 16 top scorers in the global International Baccalaureate exams and 24 top scorers in the GCE A-level exams. Many of these highflyers are non-local students who chose to come to Hong Kong. Altogether, more than 700 students of 38 nationalities from Mainland China and overseas picked HKU. Talent Acquisition The dust has not settled on the turmoil of the past year and challenges remain – the global pandemic, political polarisation in Hong Kong, and uncertain geopolitics which threaten to affect research and recruitment. The implications for the University are clear: we must continue to innovate and stay nimble, and press ahead with our ambitions to advance HKU. Academic excellence is the key to the University’s value to society. Our future depends on it. HKU has done very well among the best universities in Asia, but we need to engage in deep thinking and reform if we are to be truly world leading. The University is more than a century old and there are areas where we could be more efficient and effective. We need to go beyond our comfort zones and get ahead of the curve to lead change. To this end, and to inject new energy and continuously enhance standards on campus, we are actively recruiting 100 of the world’s best scholars, at all ranks and fields, through the HKU Global Professoriate Recruitment Campaign. At the same time, we are continuing our efforts to cultivate homegrown talent through recruitment of strong PhD candidates. Fresh voices and ideas will help stimulate everyone in the HKU community to gear their strengths to the maximum. Reinvigorating Facilities We are also in the process of expanding and upgrading our physical space to accommodate more people and more kinds of research. The Pokfield Campus development received green light in 2020 and will link HKU to Kennedy Town. Work is well underway to expand the Medical Campus on Sassoon Road, while the Tech Landmark, which will focus on interdisciplinary research, is also moving forward. These modern facilities should start to reach completion within the next five years. One point that must be emphasised in light of political developments, including the new National Security Law, in Hong Kong over the past year is that academic freedom continues to be alive and kicking at HKU. Although the implications of that law to academia remain unclear, we have held workshops led by the Faculty of Law to deepen our understanding on the subject. HKU remains fervently committed to academic freedom, while at the same time acknowledging that we must work within the law. We will continue to explore and discover, all for our academic excellence and contribution to knowledge generation and humanity. This is how I look at our future: we have to walk with two legs, one to deal with the usual societal challenges, the other to pursue and provide the best education and scholarship to help drive HKU and Hong Kong forward. The circumstances of the past year have brought us to a crossroads, a turning point, and opened up the scope for reform which promises to propel us to new heights. HKU has the capabilities to ramp up its intellectual dynamism to spark new ideas and collaborations across new and emerging fields. The more we succeed, the better we can serve society. The current Pokfield Road site will be redeveloped into a new landmark campus hub with academic, cultural and sports facilities. Professor Zhang interacting with students in the Tam Wing Fan Innovation Wing. Professor Zhang delivering a speech at the Inauguration Ceremony for New Students. Professor Xiang Zhang President and Vice-Chancellor December 2020 04 | 05
THE REVIEW2020 RISING TO THE CHALLENGE TEACHING AND LEARNING The double whammy of social unrest and COVID-19 created unprecedented disruptions to teaching and learning in 2019–20. But thanks to an enormous effort by our teachers and supporting units – and a spirit of innovation – learning and assessment maintained their normal schedules and top students continued to choose HKU. 06 | 07
THE REVIEW2020 TEACHING AND LEARNING Universities around the world have been tested by the restrictions on in-person teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but at HKU our challenges started earlier, in November 2019. Political protests led us to move classes and assessment online, in what turned out to be a trial run for 2020. Fortunately, we were not caught unprepared. Shortly before the November closure, we completed a scheduled review of e-learning at HKU, which revealed most courses were already connecting to students online. Our Information Technology Services (ITS) had also developed e-learning infrastructure with great potential for expansion. The missing piece was assessment, which was quickly addressed with OLEX, the HKU Online Examination System developed by ITS and our Examinations Office in just two weeks. The solutions were not perfect, but they enabled the semester to be completed as scheduled. Importantly, lessons were learned that we were able to apply in 2020 when, apart from just one week of face-toface teaching and a few weeks in summer, classes remained online until late September. Drawing on Experience: One key lesson was that teachers needed more support. When COVID-19 hit, more than 70 how-to videos and webinars for online teaching and learning were developed by our Technology-Enriched Learning Initiative using simple technologies and a system set up to provide assistance to individual teachers (see page 13). To support the pivot to re-designing courses for online and hybrid learning, the Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL) organised the Education 4.0 seminar series where international curriculum leaders shared experiences with more than 1,700 participants from more than 20 countries; the Summer Sandbox series that helped more than 100 HKU course coordinators re-design for online learning from the outset; and the ‘Dual Mode’ seminars to share good teaching practices across the University. The boost to CETL’s online resources following these initiatives attracted 1.5 million visits to its website from August to November 2020. All classrooms operate at a maximum 50% capacity to maintain social distance. Spatial separation of seating arrangement was adopted in Loke Yew Hall and other examination venues. The Centre of Development and Resources for Students moved many activities online. The International Virtual Forum in Teaching and Learning: Students-as-Partners in Online Learning – Voices from HKU gathered students, teachers, and senior leaders to discuss online learning in the current challenging time and its impact on higher education in the coming years . Some examinations still needed to be held in person, particularly clinical assessments that were needed to fulfil professional requirements. The Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine developed stringent infection control protocols such as requiring students and staff to submit health declaration forms, separating candidates’ seats by a two-metre radius, and arranging COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for all participants in clinical examinations involving physical contact. These examinations proceeded smoothly. New Normal: The rest of the campus, meanwhile, was being prepared for safe face-to-face classes, which became an option for many courses from September 22. Classrooms operate at a maximum 50% capacity to maintain social distance, and mask-wearing is compulsory. Ventilation, cleansing and other measures have been enhanced. Clinical training has also resumed – for instance, the Faculty of Dentistry has heightened infection control measures and introduced regular testing of staff and students and other protocols. All classes also continue to be offered online. This is especially important for non-local students who cannot yet travel to Hong Kong. The annual Inauguration Ceremony for New Students was held online on August 31 to ensure students everywhere could be part of this important ritual of entry to HKU. Opportunities have also been developed to enrich the university experience as far as the online environment can allow. The Centre of Development and Resources for Students (CEDARS) moved many of its activities online, such as a virtual career fair, counselling, orientation for international students and volunteering in the community (see page 11). The Common Core published Unforeseen Circumstances, its first online ‘journal + exhibit space’, which was edited and written by students; live-streamed its Student Learning Festival; and launched workshops on skills relevant to the post-COVID economy through its Passion Project: Creating Work You Love, Critical Zones: Gender, Cities and Well-Being, and through its engagement with the U21 RISE (Real Impact on Society and Environment) Video Competition. These activities cannot fully replicate all the opportunities that arise from being on campus in person. It is hoped a continued return to campus teaching – and a resumption of student exchanges and internships in 2021 if possible – will further enrich the student experience. Excellence Sustained: The disruptions did not dent HKU’s reputation for excellence. Teaching excellence received external recognition (see page 14) and top students continued to choose HKU, including three of the five top scorers of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination. We also admitted more than 700 students from Mainland China and overseas, including two provincial top scorers in the Gaokaoexaminations, 16 top scorers in the global International Baccalaureate exams and 24 top scorers in the GCE A-level exams. Students from 38 nationalities were admitted. To support students in what was a difficult year, we launched new scholarships in 2020, including the HKU REACH (Recognition of Achievements) Awards for local students in Nursing, Education and Social Work, the HKU Aspiration Scholarships for outstanding students to explore Arts and Social Sciences options, and the HKU FLY (Future Leaders of the Year) Scholarships for outstanding first-year students in the Bachelor of Arts and Sciences (BASc) programmes. Three new programmes were also announced: the HKUCambridge Undergraduate Recruitment Scheme (Natural Sciences) and the HKU and UC Berkeley dual degree programme in Arts and Social Sciences, through which top students can acquire degrees from two universities, and the Global Engineering and Business Programme at HKU, offered jointly by the Business and Engineering Faculties. These degrees, which cross disciplinary and national borders, will prepare graduates to deal with the very complex challenges facing today’s world. Students from Mainland China and overseas 700+ Admission and application levels remained strong. Nationalities 38 Students came from places as diverse as Israel, Turkey, Belarus, Ghana and Mexico. HKDSE top scorers 3of5 Three of the five students who scored 5** in seven subjects chose HKU and were admitted through the JUPAS system. 08 | 09
TEACHING AND LEARNING THE REVIEW2020 INNOVATION New ways to deliver content and enrich student life are being tried out in the wake of COVID-19. Jumpstarting Telemedicine Dr Anderson Tsang Chun-on of the Department of Surgery first encountered telemedicine consultations while studying in Canada, where it was used for patients living in remote rural areas. That exposure inspired him to try it out at HKU during the COVID-19 closure. He adapted bedside teaching and clinic sessions so students could consult patients via video during lockdown and continue to refine their skills. Clad in white coats, final-year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) student Ho Yik-to and her classmates took patient histories and performed simple neurological examinations over Zoom. For example, they were able to modify the finger-nose test in which patients touch their nose with their finger and then touch the examiner’s finger. “Before, I wouldn’t have thought that this test could be performed virtually because it involves direct interaction between the patient and the examiner. But with slight modification, we were able to obtain useful information from the test despite not seeing the patient face to face. Telemedicine has its limitations, but it also encourages us to think out of the box.” Her classmate Verma Rohit Kumar said telemedicine helped ensure their skills could continue to develop and it even improved on some aspects of in-person learning. For instance, he joined an operating theatre session in which groups of students spent half the time watching brain surgery via video link from a conference room and the other half in the operating theatre, where Dr Tsang had a camera mounted on his head. “It actually gave us a better view than being there in person and he communicated with students in both places,” Rohit said. “This was all very valuable experience for me.” Dr Tsang is drawing on these experiences to integrate telemedicine into the MBBS curriculum, with support from a Teaching Development Grant. “The pandemic has catalysed the adoption of telemedicine. Aside from the obvious advantage of enabling clinical teaching to continue, it has provided an opportunity for students to learn telemedicine consultation skills, which will become more important in future.” A ‘Take-home’ Lab Laboratory work was one area where teachers had to be creative during the COVID-19 closure. Dr Lui King-shan and Dr Sam KH Lam’s Integrated Design Project course, for instance, focusses on getting Electrical and Electronic Engineering students to work in teams in the laboratory to produce an automatic vehicle system. How can that be achieved when they are told not to come to campus? The teachers’ workaround was to quickly develop video lectures and instructions that were uploaded online, to adapt laboratory experiments so they could be done at home, and to arrange for packets of key components to be sent to students so they could complete their project at home. Students who were stuck overseas were provided with simulators to complete the work. “It was not perfect, but I think most of our course requirements were fulfilled,” Dr Lui said. “Students were still assessed according to our original plan. The major difference was we watched a lot of videos instead of real-time demonstrations and there was not much chance for us to ask questions. But the students were very understanding and patient.” They also felt the experience deepened their learning. Fourth-year student Gary Choi Ki-hin said: “The lecture videos were beneficial for self-learning, which is also an essential and critical skill.” 2020 graduate Molly Rathore, who was in India at the time, had additional challenges in getting a computer compatible with the simulator and dealing with errors, but she succeeded in the end. “Some of the tasks I simulated were developing a robotic car with features like obstacle detection and warning system and a Bluetooth car. It required a lot of additional research and this was great learning for me. The course was designed with a lot of thought and it was one of the most interesting courses I took at HKU.” Orientation and Volunteering Take to Zoom One of the biggest impacts of COVID-19 has been the damper on extracurricular activities that enrich the university experience. The Centre of Development and Resources for Students (CEDARS) has found a creative get-around that gives students these opportunities and helps them connect with each other, through online delivery of its Non-Academic Induction programme. When the new academic year kicked off in September 2020, the programme accommodated 258 students who participated in such things as ‘speed friending’ (rotating through chat rooms to meet new people), goal setting sessions, inspirational activity sessions and an Instagram challenge about adjusting to life as university students. About 30 current students were recruited to help facilitate newcomers through these activities. There were also online induction talks, attended by about 1,900 students, and an online Weeks of Welcome for international students. A volunteering programme to connect students with the children of former inmates was also moved online. In spring and summer sessions, student volunteers held Zoom sessions with the children to teach them fun educational activities such as making their own ice cream and a balloon rocket. The children, aged 5–12, were at home because schools were closed due to COVID-19. They were identified with the help of the Society of Rehabilitation and Crime Prevention. Gessy Li, a second-year Master of Social Work student, said the timing of the programme worked well. “We were all trapped in our own homes and feeling isolated and powerless, so when this virtual service opportunity came, I realised there was always a way to spread love and care. I was also interested to learn more about rehabilitated people and their families,” she said. There were other benefits for HKU participants, too. “We acquired some new skills, such as knowing how to place camera angles so your audience can see you and making use of breakout rooms for personalised instructions. It was surprising how much could be done virtually.” Second-year Bachelor of Laws student Sam Lee Cheuk-ming said the experience gave him insights about these children. “I used to think that children of former inmates had low selfesteem because of who their parents are, but that is entirely not true. They were just like normal children, they don’t like being bored and they like asking why, how, what and when.” MBBS students (in the TV) carrying out telemedicine consultation and examination on a patient in the neurosurgery clinic at Queen Mary Hospital. The simulation used to understand the system. Student volunteer Gessy (bottom) and Sam (top) held Zoom sessions with the children of former inmates to teach them fun educational activities. 10 | 11
TEACHING AND LEARNING THE REVIEW2020 Ready to Leap The move to online learning did not catch Dr Vichy Ho Wai-chi of the School of Chinese unprepared. For the past five years, he has been embracing the possibilities of learning and teaching online. With COVID-19, he was able to take this to the next level. Dr Ho first started developing what he calls ‘homemade videos’ in 2015 for his courses and in 2017 received a Teaching Development Grant (TDG) on the flipped classroom, which enabled him to enhance the standard of his videos. “The courses where I was course coordinator were 100% ready to be flipped by the 2018–19 academic year,” he said. In 2019 he was part of a team that received another TDG on experiential learning, which consists of a ‘super website’ to offer online language support with videos, databases and exercises. In the wake of the campus closure, he decided to record and edit all his lectures for students to use in revision and he made use of the VideoVox system invented by Professor Michael Botelho of the Faculty of Dentistry that uses time stamps, tags and data analytics to make videos more interactive and multifunctional. Dr Ho also uses WhatsApp during live Zoom sessions to enhance communication with students and has weekly Instagram Live sessions. Using all these tools, he held his first course entirely online in 2020 and received his highest-ever marks in student evaluation. “This is proof that online learning can be even better than face-to-face if teachers and students treat it seriously,” he said. “Students are the centre of learning and they are far more adaptive to learn online than teachers. My conclusion is that we should emphasise ‘online learning’ rather than ‘online teaching’.” Taking a Virtual Field Trip Field trips are central to programmes like Landscape Architecture, where students need to see real-life applications of the lessons they are learning. So division head Mr Mathew Pryor and colleague Mr Gavin Coates were determined that the COVID-19 restrictions would not get in the way of delivering their lessons. The pair developed virtual field trips to sites they would normally take classes to in person, with support from HKU’s Digital Literacy Laboratory and teaching assistants. The trips were live-streamed and recorded and accommodated real-time communication with students. “Landscape happens outside, it is a very tactile experiential subject, and we were very keen to continue to let students feel the landscape even in online classes. Gavin and I had been creating course videos for some years, so we saw it as an extension of that process,” Mr Pryor said. They visited sites on campus, in urban areas and across the New Territories for undergraduate, postgraduate and Common Core courses, and for groups ranging in size from 15 to 160. Students were not only able to watch these trips live, but also follow the progress on Google Earth or Google Street and simultaneously research the subjects being covered. “There are advantages to this approach – everyone has the same access, they can see and hear clearly unlike being there in person, recordings can be annotated, and it is easier to ask questions,” Mr Pryor said. Jessica Tsim, a student in Postgraduate Diploma in Landscape Architecture, followed a site walk on urban trees at HKU and another in Wan Chai to trace its historical development. “Although the experience is weaker online, it had good points like saving time and being able to jot notes online and research related information. I was able to Google a tree species that was new to me during one session,” she said. She also followed up on her own time to visit some of these sites in person and reinforce her learning. Tech’s Time to Shine The rapid shift to online learning put the spotlight firmly on HKU’s tech support. The Technology-Enriched Learning Initiative (TELI), which previously provided training on a small scale and through individual consultations and produced high-quality MOOCs (massive open online courses), found itself doing a 180-degree turn. It now had to serve all teachers and get them quickly up to speed on simpler technologies, such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams, so they could produce their own videos and conduct lectures online. This meant creating a lot of original training materials and resources for both staff and students within a few weeks. Since the beginning of the year, TELI has produced more than 70 videos that have had more than 20,000 views. A five-part webinar series on the virtual flipped classroom was also organised for teachers, and facilities were set up at studios in Chi Wah Learning Commons so teachers could record their own videos. The team also established a quick-response system through WhatsApp that responded to teachers’ messages within 10 minutes and they provided individual Zoom and in-person training as needed. An example of the assistance they gave was helping a mathematics professor capture blackboard writing on camera, which required testing different cameras and settings (a mobile phone proved the best option). TELI also produced six webinars for teachers, proctors and students to provide advice and training in using the HKU Online Examination System, OLEX, which was developed by the Information Technology Services and Examinations Office. Together, the three units answered more than 1,000 questions through the webinars. Dr Leon Lei, E-learning Technologist with TELI, said the work they had done prior to the campus closure was key to their success. “It gave us the confidence and competency to scale up and it also provided examples to showcase to other teachers,” he said. Dr Vichy Ho is keen to integrate technology and pedagogy to flip his classroom. Mr Mathew Pryor taking Landscape Architecture students on virtual field trips in and around Hong Kong. Technology-Enriched Learning Initiative (TELI) provides training and professional advice to teachers through a series of videos and webinars, to assist them in delivering quality teaching online. ADAPTATION Where e-learning was already being applied, COVID-19 opened new avenues to expand and experiment. 12 | 13
TEACHING AND LEARNING THE REVIEW2020 International Honours for Education Team A belief that student teachers should learn in the community as well as the classroom helped the Experiential Learning (EL) team from the Faculty of Education win the Gold Award in the Presence Learning and Teaching Category at the 2020 QS Reimagine Education Awards, the ‘Oscars’ of education. The team, led by Dr Gary Harfitt, have integrated EL into all programmes in the Faculty, including a mandatory requirement for undergraduate students – the first in Hong Kong and Asia to do so. Since 2016, more than 1,400 students have enrolled in 16 credit-bearing EL courses that range from mentoring local underprivileged children to working with partners in countries such as Cambodia and Sri Lanka. “We have long believed that there is another knowledge space beyond HKU’s classrooms and lecture halls where our teachers-to-be can learn about how to ‘become’ a teacher – namely the community,” he said. Boris Lau Ho-kiu, a fifth-year student of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education in Language Education (English), has been to Cambodia to develop sustainable teaching tools for students there, mentored a secondary school student in Yuen Long, and helped create educational games about environmental conservation at Ocean Park. “The most important thing I have learned is that teaching and learning can happen anywhere, and that with that, we also understand more about our students,” he said. Since his Cambodia EL in his first year, he has also been involved with a student-initiated group, Beyond Belief, that has built a playground for a school in Siem Reap and a house there for a family without parents. Gary Wong Yu-yeung, a fifth-year Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Science student, joined EL programmes in Thailand and Tibet and others in Hong Kong on design thinking and developing STEM / STEAM-related materials and activities for secondary school students. These experiences propelled him to set up a climate advocacy group that aims ultimately to improve understanding of climate change in the local education curriculum. “EL makes learning realistic and meaningful,” he said. Early Career Award for Business Lecturer Experience outside academia – in consulting, law, entrepreneurial ventures and finance – has given Mr David S Lee of the Faculty of Business and Economics (HKU Business School) a deep appreciation of the value of teaching. He has put that insight to productive use with his students and in September 2020, was awarded the University Grants Committee’s Teaching Award for Early Career Faculty Members. Only one teacher is selected for this award each year in Hong Kong and Mr Lee is the first recipient from a business discipline to be awarded. Mr Lee teaches ethics, FinTech, law and corporate governance in undergraduate and Master’s programmes and was the co-creator of a massive open online course, FinTech Ethics and Risks, that was the first of its kind in the world and has enrolled about 12,000 students globally. He embraced technology in learning well before COVID-19, although he sees it as the supporting act to teaching, not the main attraction. “I regularly reflect on and strive to improve my teaching practice. I’ll be working to develop additional multimedia resources going forward, as well as more case studies, especially in ethics and leadership,” he said. “But honestly, I’ve found that one of the most powerful catalysts for student learning and discussion is asking the right question at the right time, which is a skill I’m still refining.” Future Leaders Pick HKU A new scholarship to support students from developing countries in pursuing their dreams at HKU has attracted applications from some of the best students in the world, from countries as diverse as Ghana, Madagascar, Nepal, Nigeria, Belarus and Turkey. The HKU Scholarship for Future Leaders, launched in 2019–20, provides full tuition waiver and an allowance for living and accommodation. Among the recipients was Michael Obeng, a Ghanaian student whose SAT score of 1560 placed him among the top 1% in the world. He is pursuing a Bachelor of Engineering degree and hopes one day to help find solutions to his country’s transportation problems, which include widespread lack of access to efficient transportation and a high motor vehicle accident rate. “My dream is to use technology to put an end to motor accidents completely, first in my country Ghana and then the rest of the world,” he said. He hopes to learn how to apply nanotechnology to the problem. Atilla Kaan Erisir from Turkey is studying for a Bachelor of Science after winning the Most Innovative Award at an HKU-sponsored international symposium on STEM education. He developed an AI-based blind stick after being inspired by a visually-impaired friend. The HKU event was his first encounter with Hong Kong and HKU. “I learned that Hong Kong is a city very supportive of technological innovations. [And] I applied to HKU in particular because of its reputation as a leading university in Hong Kong and the world. I was also attracted by the flexible curriculum that allows students to mix and match courses in an interdisciplinary manner.” Atilla hopes to do research in molecular biology and biotechnology to help find innovative remedies for incurable conditions such as paralysis. Mr Carlson Tong (right), Chairman of the University Grants Committee (UGC), presenting the 2020 UGC Teaching Award for Early Career Faculty Members to Mr David S Lee (left). The Experiential Learning team – (from right) Dr Gary Harfitt, Ms Jessie Chow and Ms Ivy Chung – were awarded for the project ‘Nurturing a twenty-first century teaching force through community-based experiential education’. Michael Obeng (left) and Atilla Kaan Erisir (right) are among the four international awardees of HKU Scholarship for Future Leaders. EXCELLENCE Recognition was received and given for teacher and student achievements. 14 | 15
THE REVIEW2020 SEIZING OPPORTUNITIES RESEARCH AND INNOVATION The University earned major funding success and honours across a range of disciplines in 2019–20, a year in which we also demonstrated global impact on people’s well-being through our insights on COVID-19. Progress was also made on future expansion plans. 16 | 17
RESEARCH AND INNOVATION THE REVIEW2020 The COVID-19 pandemic was the defining event of 2020 and HKU researchers were thick in the effort to find solutions. Capitalising on years of effort and investment in building up expertise in infectious diseases, they produced dozens of studies on diagnosing the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 and tracking its transmission and spread between individuals and across communities. They have also been at the forefront in seeking effective treatments and vaccines (see page 20 for more details). But the year was also important to HKU for other reasons, most notably the dedication of scholars across all disciplines to continue with their work despite the disruptions of COVID-19 and the social unrest that suspended classes in November 2019. In both cases, researchers kept doing their research and laboratories stayed open. This made HKU more fortunate than many other institutions around the world and meant that our research activities and excellence have been undiminished, as evidenced by our stellar success in research funding exercises. Marks of Success: In the Research Grants Council’s (RGC) 2020–21 General Research Fund exercise, we secured HK$212 million (excluding on-costs) for 265 projects, the highest number of projects and largest share of funding amongst institutions in Hong Kong. We also received the highest award in the Early Career Scheme, some HK$32 million (excluding on-costs) for 44 projects, and had two of the eight Humanities and Social Sciences Prestigious Fellowship Scheme projects awarded. In the Research Matching Grant Scheme, HKU received HK$403 million in the five cycles since August 2019. The Theme-based Research Scheme was another standout, where we received HK$179 million (including on-costs) for major projects in areas important to Hong Kong’s long-term development. Seven projects were awarded across Hong Kong and our scholars are coordinating five of them and participating in a sixth. The five projects include personalised and innovative treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia; wireless power transfer; financial technology, stability and inclusion; intelligent robotics for elderly assistance in Hong Kong; and assessing the extent of antibiotic-resistant genes in the environment. In addition to these regular RGC funding exercises, we were the top recipient of the Hong Kong Food and Health Bureau’s Health and Medical Research Fund dedicated to COVID-19 research, receiving more than HK$97 million in additional resources to address this global threat, far more than any other institution – a reflection of our hard-earned expertise in infectious diseases and related research. Funding is only one measure of success, though. HKU scholars also received welcome recognition by their peers for the high quality of their work. According to Clarivate Analytics, 127 HKU scholars were in the top 1% in the world in 2020 in at least one research field, based on citations by other academics. Individual researchers were also singled out by China’s Excellent Young Scientists Fund, Academia Europaea, the American Physical Society and MIT Technology Review , among others (see page 24). Taking Stock: Alongside these successes, we completed an in-depth assessment of research and impact across the University for the RGC’s Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). This was supported by a wide range of activities, such as RAE colloquia, mock RAE exercises, training workshops, data collection, the recruitment of international advisors and professional services, and much more. At the end of the day, our submission included 3,450 research outputs, 74 impact cases and 37 overview statements for 37 units of assessment (of the RGC’s total 41 units). The results will not be known until the second quarter of 2021, but we are already investigating how to further enhance the impact of our work and take our research to the next level. Ready for Growth: Having achieved our current level of success, we are starting to look forward, to see where there is room for growth and elevation. We want to take HKU to a higher ‘steady state’. People will be an important factor in achieving that goal. In 2020, we launched the HKU Global Professoriate Recruitment Campaign to attract high-flyers and up-and-coming scholars from some of the top universities in the world. At the same time, we are grooming young talent through several schemes to support research postgraduate (RPG) students and we plan to further increase RPG numbers. We have allocated additional housing for these students in our current building plans, which will also expand research facilities on Sassoon Road and at the new Tech Landmark. We hope to complete these projects over the next few years. Apart from these tangible developments, HKU continues to reach out and collaborate with partners in the region and the world. For instance, we joined the International Universities Climate Alliance in 2020 in which 40 worldleading universities on climate research are uniting to communicate research insights about climate change, and we joined with Oxford University to establish the HKUOxford Joint Lab for Quantum Information and Computation. HKU is also preparing for the announcement of the HKSAR Government’s InnoHK funding, which will be Hong Kong’s largest research award and involve collaboration with international and Mainland China partners. Our future is bright and, as COVID-19 has shown, we are ready and able to take on the challenges that lie ahead. Through the HKU Global Professoriate Recruitment Campaign, the University plans to recruit 100 outstanding academics in emerging fields with potential for scientific and scholarly breakthroughs to join HKU. The establishment of the ‘HKU-Oxford Joint Lab for Quantum Information and Computation’ facilitates the exchange of mutual research visits, joint participation in grant applications, and joint supervision of PhD students in the growing area of quantum information and computation. highly cited researchers 13 ranked by Clarivate Analytics in 2020 based on producing multiple highly cited research papers. Theme-based Research Scheme projects 5of7 are led by HKU professors and received a total of HK$179 million. HKU is also a participant in a sixth project. funding from UGC and RGC funding from other sources HK$ 584.6million HK$ 1,011.3million for new research projects in 2019-20. 18 | 19
RESEARCH AND INNOVATION THE REVIEW2020 Identifying the New Threat Scholars from the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine (HKUMed) were at the forefront of this new pandemic, producing some of the earliest research findings on the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 and drawing on deep experience in studying infectious diseases that stretches back to SARS in 2003. The World Health Organization (WHO), governments and other researchers around the world have all worked closely with our scholars trying to understand the virus and how to control it. One of the first questions they grappled with was how to identify the virus and diagnose it in patients. Working with the Faculty of Engineering, HKUMed scholars produced some of the first electron microscope images of SARS-CoV-2, which were released in January, shortly after the pandemic started to threaten. These images have helped researchers and medical professionals around the world identify the virus. HKUMed scholars also quickly developed a protocol for detecting SARS-CoV-2 in humans, and the reagents and methods have been shared with over 70 countries. Over the subsequent months, they refined testing methods and identified new targets. For example, they showed that deep throat saliva samples, especially if taken early in the morning, are highly effective for diagnosis and that the viral load in infected patients is a potential marker for assessing disease severity and prognosis, with loads much higher in severe cases. They also identified two novel virus protein targets, ORF8 and ORF3b, that can facilitate antibody testing for SARS-CoV-2. Symptoms were also investigated. For instance, HKUMed scholars detected auto-antibodies that attack the immune system in more than one in every 10 people who developed severe COVID-19, regardless of age and pre-existing medical conditions, which may explain why some patients suffer a more severe disease than others of the same age. Loss of smell as a symptom was also explored and shown in some cases to be the only symptom. Gastrointestinal effects were shown to be slightly more prevalent in children, especially those under two years old. The fatality rate was also estimated to be about 1.4%, based on patients with symptoms in Wuhan, which is well above the rate for seasonal flu. Diagnosing COVID-19 has not been the domain of only medical scholars, though. Engineers, as mentioned, helped produce the electron microscope images, while scholars in the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science drew on their years of research into computer imaging to develop a digital online diagnostic system for COVID-19 based on chest CT scans. The system uses AI and integrates radiography and computer vision, and is especially effective for cases with no or minimal symptoms. The scholars are continuing to refine the system and have made it available online free of charge. Tracking Transmission Epidemiologists and microbiologists in HKUMed have been mapping and tracking outbreaks to determine the infectiveness of SARS-CoV-2. Before the end of January, they provided the first evidence of humanto-human transmission of the virus involving a family that was diagnosed at HKU-Shenzhen Hospital. Later, they were the first to show that a patient previously recovered from the virus had been reinfected. A research team led by Professor Guosheng Yin (right) and Dr Bin Liu (left) have integrated radiography and computer vision to develop a digital online diagnostic system for COVID-19 based on chest CT scans. Professor Gabriel Leung (left) and Professor Joseph Wu Tsz-kei (right) warned the general public the domestic and international spread of COVID-19 in late January. Rapid nucleic acid amplification tests developed by HKUMed to detect COVID-19 in patients are being used by public health laboratories in more than 70 countries and territories. Pseudo-colour scanning electron micrograph of SARS-CoV-2 grown in culture from a patient isolate. After 24 hours in culture there are large numbers of viral particles (orange) on the surface of the cell (blue). PATHBREAKERS HKU’s experience in controlling infectious diseases came to the forefront in 2020, when we produced important research across several disciplines that helped deepen understanding of the nature of the COVID-19 virus and how to control it, and identified avenues for treatment and vaccines. The real-time dashboard developed by the School of Public Health, which is accessible for all, provides detailed up-to-date information on daily infection and effective reproduction numbers in Hong Kong. 20 | 21
RESEARCH AND INNOVATION THE REVIEW2020 In terms of when people are infective, one study showed that patients shed the virus two to three days before symptoms appear, and that returnees to Hong Kong from Wuhan and on board a quarantined cruise ship included asymptomatic cases. These findings all flagged challenges to controlling the spread. Another study found patients shed the virus for at least nine to 10 days after the onset of symptoms, which prompted the Hong Kong Hospital Authority and WHO to adapt their policies on patient discharge. Yet another study showed that the eye could be an important route of infection. At the population level, HKUMed scholars were quick off the draw to model the transmission dynamics and likely spread of COVID-19 across China and the world. The results, released before the end of January, served as an early warning to the rest of the world of the nature of this threat and recommended that authorities worldwide start making preparations to mitigate its spread. In the following months, the model’s predictions were largely realised. The School of Public Health helped people in Hong Kong monitor the local spread of the disease by developing the real-time dashboard, which provides detailed up-to-date information on local cases and the probability of an infected person passing the virus to another, among other details. Other research showed Hong Kong had experienced ‘superspreading’ events, in which a few infected patients infect many people, and that there could be in-flight transmission aboard aircraft. Scholars in other disciplines also contributed knowledge. The Department of Mechanical Engineering showed the virus could be transmitted several metres by air when there is poor ventilation, based on an examination of cases from early in the outbreak. Meanwhile, the Faculty of Business and Economics developed a model that can predict the pandemic’s spread over time and space and assess risk using aggregated mobile phone data. Big Ideas Conference To stimulate multidisciplinary discussions and approaches, HKU organised the Virtual Forum on HKU’s Big Ideas on Combatting the COVID-19 Pandemic in May that brought together scholars from the Medicine, Science, Engineering, Business and Economics, and Education Faculties. Participants brainstormed on how to combine forces to move beyond the ‘fire-fighting’ approach to the pandemic and consider deeper, longer-term issues, such as how to develop effective drug therapies and vaccines, improve social and economic health, and address the impacts on vulnerable groups and future generations. Evidence that Masks and Other Non-drug Measures Can Help The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic gave rise to a surprising debate about whether face masks were effective in minimising infections. For places like Hong Kong, where people regularly wear masks when ill and where most of the population wore masks during SARS in 2003, the assumption was clear-cut: masks work. But in places where masks were not so common, doubts and questions arose. Research by HKUMed scholars provided strong evidence that Hong Kongers had it right. One study, published in April, confirmed that face masks helped limit the transmission of pre-COVID-19 respiratory viruses from symptomatic people; it became one of the most reported studies in the world at that time. Another experimental study of surgical mask partition using hamsters demonstrated that masks could effectively reduce COVID-19 transmission. Social restrictions and lockdowns were also assessed. One study showed that the Hong Kong government’s response during the first wave of COVID-19, which involved contact tracing and population behavioural changes but not a total lockdown, had been effective based on a sharp drop in cases of influenza, which is also easily transmitted. Another study of 54 countries and four epicentres nonetheless showed that curfews, lockdowns and other containment measures were effective in lowering the daily increase in new cases to less than 5% within one month. Taking people’s temperature has become a common way to detect fever in places that attract a lot of people, such as restaurants, fitness centres, shops and beauty salons. Researchers in the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science developed a low-cost, portable thermography fever detection system that can be easily mastered by users. The device can run on mobile devices and can rapidly screen and single out suspected fever cases in a crowd. Prevention and Treatment The most anticipated development for COVID-19 is a vaccine that could protect people or minimise the severity of the disease. HKU has been at the forefront in pursuing this goal. Researchers at HKUMed have developed the world’s first nasal spray COVID-19 vaccine, which was given the green light for human clinical trials in September. It is being developed with collaborators in Xiamen University and it is hoped that it will become part of a phalanx of emerging vaccines that can contain the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Another vaccine candidate has also been put forth by HKUMed scholars, a PD1-based DNA vaccine encoding the receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2. This vaccine has been successfully licensed for industry collaboration and received funding support from the Shenzhen and Hong Kong governments for clinical trial. Researchers have also been working frantically to develop treatments for COVID-19. The Departments of Chemistry and Microbiology announced in October 2020 that they had discovered a new antiviral strategy for treating COVID-19 that A mechanical engineering study led by Professor Li Yuguo reveals airborne transmission of COVID-19 is opportunistic in nature and poor indoor ventilation plays a role in transmission . The handy thermography fever detection system for public transportations developed by a multidisciplinary group of researchers from the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science. HKU scientists and microbiologists jointly discover a novel antiviral strategy for treatment of COVID-19 using existing metallodrugs. is based on existing metallodrugs currently used to treat other infections. Their approach was found to suppress SARS-CoV-2 replication and relieve associated symptoms in an animal model. Moreover, it is readily available for use. The researchers have applied for a US patent. This work followed earlier efforts that zeroed in on antiviral activity. For example, medical researchers showed that an antiviral therapy combining interferon beta-1b, lopinavirritonavir and ribavirin could effectively suppress the SARSCoV-2 viral load and cytokine, which resulted in earlier clinical improvement and discharge of COVID-19 patients. They also identified a potential target for antibody-based drugs in neutralising monoclonal antibodies. Broadspectrum treatments, which would attack not only COVID-19 but other viruses, have also been explored and showed promising results. 22 | 23
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