1April 2008

Little fish solves big environmental problems

Victor FungEditor-in-Chief

Years of intensive research, and more than a little

patience, have culminated in the development of an

ingenious early warning system for monitoring marine

pollution. Two scholars at the forefront of technology now being

applied to Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour, Department of Biology

and Chemistry Associate Professors Dr Doris Au Wai-ting and

Dr Cheng Shuk Han, have painstakingly unravelled the genome

of a small fish and applied molecular biology techniques to alter

the fish so that it can emit green light in the presence of certain

pollutants (pages 10 – 16).

There’s more to business style than a well-cut suit. In today’s

increasingly interdependent business world, it is important to

understand the varying styles of management that prevail in

different countries. Dr Maris Martinsons, Associate Professor in

the Department of Management, dissects the myths and dispels

a few stereotypes (and vindicates some others) in his astute

summary of the range of management styles practised in our

region and beyond (pages 17 – 21).

Mainland China has delivered a verdict overwhelmingly in favour

of CityU’s School of Law. In a landmark collaboration, judges

from the Chinese courts, as well as those attending the National

Judges College, will be trained at CityU (pages 28 – 31). CityU is

endowed with many fine researchers and produces myriad services

and products that can improve the world we live in. CityU Today

spoke with the man who helps spur this talent to produce new

products that society needs, Mr James Ng Kam-ming, CEO of

CityU Professional Services (pages 24 – 27).

In our two regular columns, Straight from the heart and From

gown to town, we hear from an academic trawling through the

past and a graduate with her vision fixed firmly on the future (pages

32 – 35). We also share with you the latest news from around the

campus (pages 4 – 9).

着

Wealth of ideas at poverty forum

Student earns prestigious engineering scholarship

Art and science collide at museum exhibit

Wellness March goes the distance

Practice makes Putonghua perfect

Creative Media student crowned video champion

Sharing the experience of creativity

Editor’s note

From gown to town

Straight from the heart

contents

news

04

05

06

Editor-in-Chief Victor Fung

Managing Editor Longgen Chen

Deputy Managing Editor Michelle Leung

Executive Editor Craig Francis

Associate Editor Ellen Chan

Design and Production Communications Office

columns01

09

Phone

(852) 2788 9317

Fax

(852) 2628 2812

Website

http://www.cityu.edu.hk/newscentre

E-mail

como@cityu.edu.hk

Mail

CityU Today Editors Communications Office City University of Hong KongTat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Berkeley collaboration with Faculty of Business

Outstanding scholars earn Research Excellence Awards

Accreditation plaudit for antenna calibration services

CityU Today is published six times a year by City University

of Hong Kong. The mission of the magazine is to inform

the University’s stakeholders around the world of University

issues, people, activities and achievements.

Issue no. 23

07

08

32

34

Little fish shines bright light on a big problem

features17

22

cove r s t o r y

A CityU graduating student contemplates her future

CityU company tapping the talent — Q and A with Mr James Ng Kam-ming on knowledge transfer

Connected — Taking legal education to a higher level

24

10

Persistence, patience and very sharp fish knife are behind pioneering research that

saw a tiny fish sliced into 200 incredibly fine slivers in the name of environmental

protection. The science and handiwork of Department of Biology and Chemistry

Associate Professors Dr Doris Au Wai-ting and Dr Cheng Shuk Han has led to

the creation of a fish that literally turns green at prospect of swimming in polluted

waters.

28

4 April 2008

CityU representatives and the delegates from the Haas School of Business.

The Haas School of Business of the University of California,

Berkeley will provide advanced management executive

programmes to students of the Faculty of Business at CityU under an

agreement signed on 20 February. The partnership underscores CityU’s

status as a top global institution.

Under this agreement, the two schools will work closely on the

exchange of students, academics, research personnel and administrative

heads. In one such exchange, 60 business executives studying at CityU

will travel to Berkeley in the US for five days of executive leadership

training in marketing, finance and entrepreneurship. In addition, starting

from the next academic year, a professor from the Haas School of

Business will teach at CityU for a semester.

The Faculty will also collaborate with the Haas School of Business in

academic research and explore further areas of potential cooperation

in teaching.

The two schools share the same vision on leadership training. Through

the partnership, they will nurture a new generation of Asia business

leaders whose expertise will lead Asia’s rising markets.

Professor Richard Ho Yan-ki, Acting President of CityU, said in

the agreement signing ceremony that by combining Hong Kong’s

strength in doing business and California’s strength in technological

and entrepreneurial innovation, the partnership will be able to propose

creative ideas to excel in the global market.

Berkeley collaboration with Faculty of Business

5April 2008

Professor Richard Ho presents the Research Excellence Awards to Professor

Zhang Longxi (top left) and Professor Paul Chu (bottom left) respectively.

Two outstanding university scholars have won the first CityU

Research Excellence Awards (REA).

CityU introduced the new REA Scheme to recognise and reward

research excellence. After thorough deliberation, the Judging Panel,

comprising both internal and external assessors, unanimously decided to

confer the Grand Award to Professor Zhang Longxi, Chair Professor in

the Department of Chinese, Translation and Linguistics; and the Award

of Excellence to Professor Paul Chu Kim-ho, Chair Professor in the

Department of Physics and Materials Science.

Professor Zhang, a world renowned scholar in humanities and cross-

cultural studies, was excited about winning the award. “REA, with its

high standards, was a great way to promote high quality research and

enhance the visibility of the University,” he said.

“A world-class university is one that has among its faculty famous

scholars whose research and scholarship are internationally recognised

and widely influential. CityU has many good researchers, and REA is a

wonderful way to recognise their work and encourage them to aim high

and make great contributions to international

scholarship,” he said.

Professor Chu, a leading scientist

in plasma science and mater ia l s

engineering, said he was happy to

receive the honour and hoped the

University would continue to provide

support for researchers.

Off ic ia t ing gues t s a t the award ceremony inc luded

Professor Richard Ho Yan-ki, Acting President, Professor

David Tong Shuk-yin, Deputy President, and Professor

Roderick Wong Sue-cheun, Vice-President (Research). “We

are committed to creating an environment conducive to high

quality research at an internationally competitive level,” said

Professor Ho.

Outstanding scholars earn Research Excellence Awards

6 April 2008

The Wireless Communications Research Centre of CityU has

become the first non-governmental laboratory accredited in the

Asia-Pacific region to provide antenna calibration services, demonstrating

its leading position in this field.

Accredi ted under the Hong Kong Laborator y

Accreditation Scheme on 31 January 2008, the

research centre is recognised for its capability to

perform calibration on antennae, until recently

a service only available at national-laboratory

level in the region.

Accreditation plaudit for antenna calibration services

Chair Professor Edward Yung says the availability of an

accredited antenna calibration laboratory in Hong Kong

can help boost product quality.

More than 100 people participate in the roundtable forum.

Wealth of ideas at poverty forum

CityU hosted on 23 February a roundtable forum entitled “Tackling

Poverty in Hong Kong: What’s Next?” to promote discussion on

the issue of poverty in Hong Kong. Speakers included local and overseas

academics, Government officials and representatives from social services

and policy research organisations. “Tackling Poverty in Hong Kong: What’s

Next?” , the first such forum of the

Hong Kong Policy Roundtable Series,

was jointly organised by the Governance

in Asia Research Centre of CityU and

SynergyNet and attracted more than

100 attendants. The forum demonstrated

the University’s concern for community

development. CityU has taken an

increasingly pro-active role in addressing

public policy and governance issues.

7April 2008

An electronic engineering student from CityU has been awarded a

prestigious scholarship by the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques

Society in the United States. He is among just 10 students worldwide, and the

only one from Hong Kong, to receive the honour this year.

Joe Wu Weijiu, a Year 3 student, won the Undergraduate/Pre-Graduate

scholarship for his project entitled “2.45GHz Power Amplifier using

Doherty Architecture for High Efficiency and Linearity”.

Joe said his research would have implications for Bluetooth front-end

technology and the broader wireless

communications sector. By improving

the signalling efficiency of hand-held

devices such as mobile phones, Joe’s

award-winning design could markedly

improve the duration a rechargeable

battery remains operational.

Student earns prestigious engineering scholarship

In the “Magic Bouncing Balls” game, participants generate bouncing

balls that make the bricks vanish by waving her arms.

裏

Art and science collide at museum exhibit

Smart Ambience Therapy (SAT), developed by the AIMtech Centre

of CityU and its collaborating partners from the Hong Kong

Association of Art Therapists, has become an exhibit at the Hong Kong

Science Museum.

SAT is a pioneering application of interactive media and virtual reality

technology in art therapy, particularly for psychotherapy of children who

have been physically or

emotionally abused.

8 April 2008

Wellness March goes the distance

As part of the annual CityU “Wellness

March”, the University formed

a team to participate in

the Standard Chartered

Hong Kong Marathon

on 17 February. Professor

Richard Ho Yan-ki,

Acting President of

CityU, presented the

team with a flag on

15 February to wish

them a good performance.

Practice makes Putonghua perfect

CityU launched a Putonghua Salon to provide a relaxing

environment where students can learn and practice Putonghua.

Organised by the Department of Chinese, Translation and Linguistics,

the salon was being held every Monday and Tuesday from mid February

to late April. A Putonghua teacher acted as a facilitator and four or

five students from the English-Putonghua and English-Cantonese

interpretation courses acted as helpers to encourage participants to

improve their Putonghua.

9April 2008

Heidi Li Yin-fung, a Year 2 creative media student

at CityU, was crowned champion in the youth

DV category in the International Youth Video and

Photography Contest for her production entitled Can

I Sit Beside You. Heidi majored in “Moving Image:

Live Action” at the School of Creative Media.

Creative media student crowned video champion

(From left) Prof Steve Ching, Dr Ellen Ko, Prof Richard Ho, Dr Jerry Yu and

Mrs Eva Ng officiated at the opening ceremony.

Sharing the experience of creativity

The University is, in the interests of whole-person development,

dedicated to cultivating a greater interest in the arts within the

campus community. The Library and Human Resources Office have

organised the second “Exhibition of Art Works by Members of CityU

Community”. The display features paintings, calligraphy, sketches, photos

and glass sculpture created by CityU staff. The exhibition opened on

6 March with a session entitled “Sharing the Experience of Art” and

an opening ceremony at which the officiating guests were Professor

Richard Ho Yan-ki, Acting President, Dr Jerry Yu Jer-tsang, Chief

Information Officer, Dr Ellen Ko Law Yin-lan, Vice-President for

Administration, Mrs Eva Ng Li Yee-wah, Acting Director

of Human Resources and Professor Steve Ching

Hsianghoo, University Librarian.

Dr Cheng Shuk Han

By Karen Cheng鄭誼群

April 200810

Little

fi sh

on a big problemBy Karen Cheng鄭誼群

shines bright light

Dr Doris Au Wai-ting

11April 2008

裏

These novel biotechnologies, developed by the Centre

for Mar ine Environmental Research and Innovative

Technology (MERIT) at CityU, serve as an early warning system

for marine pollution monitoring.

Small freshwater fish such as zebrafish and Japanese medaka have

been commonly used for assessing environmental pollution and

toxicity levels. However, a fish model for assessing environmental

pollution in the salt-water environment has not been developed,

says Dr Dor is Au Wai-t ing , Associate Professor in the

Department of Biology and Chemistry.

With funding from the Area of Excellence Scheme under the

auspices of the University Grants Committee, Dr Au and her

research team started work three years ago on developing a

“universal” marine fish model for pollution assessment.

“There is an increasing trend of using fish for biomedical

research on human diseases. Human genes bear great similarity to

those of fish, so what affects fish in the marine environment can

be extrapolated to humans,” she says.

Small fish are generally easy to maintain and breed under

laboratory conditions. Researchers have tried toxicity testing

on a number of small fish, such as the sheepshead minnow and

mummichog, but the results were impeded by their varying rates

of growth and “restricted” life cycle, for example taking years to

reach sexual maturity and producing eggs only a few months in a year.

The 3-4cm-long marine medaka has a number of characteristics

that render it a potentially good marine fish model. It is small and

takes only three months to reach sexual maturity after hatching.

It breeds well in the laboratory and produces eggs frequently,

making it possible to assess the different developmental and

reproductive stages of the fish during its life cycle as well as

across generations. More importantly, it is closely related to its

freshwater counterpart, the Japanese medaka, of which the entire

genome, anatomy, biology and nutritional requirements are well Longitudinal sections of the f ish showing different organs.

April 200812

裏

known. This gives it a distinctive advantage in the study of the

ecotoxicological impacts on the fish.

Using the mar ine medaka, the MERIT research team has

developed a reproducible and cost-effective technique that can be

used flexibly to test early and multiple biological responses of the

fish to a pollutant. A single adult medaka can be systematically

cut into 200 slices and analysed for early biological responses and

pathological changes, giving a very clear picture of the overall

impact of environmental pollution on the animal.

“The most challenging part of the research is to preserve adult

medaka with heavy bony structures, which can be cut into

whole fish slices of five-micrometres, without compromising the

quality and integrity of genes and proteins in tissues for accurate

biological and pathological analysis,” says Dr Au. It took the

team a year to successfully develop a cocktail of fixatives and

processing conditions.

As of now, four generations of self-breeding marine medaka

populations have been established and their feeding conditions,

growth rates and reproductive requirements evaluated. The whole

marine medaka system developed by Dr Au’s team could be

Microscopic view of the different organs of the marine medaka.

Cutting the fish into five micrometer-thin slices requires delicate skill.

13April 2008

裏

easily adapted to study early biological changes in fish in response

to various pollutants in the marine environment.

“The results are encouraging as the long term goal of MERIT is

to promote marine medaka as the ‘universal’ marine fish model

for assessing the impact of a wide range of pollutants in the

marine environment,” Dr Au says.

The research has generated much interest in the international

community and the team will be collaborating with researchers

from Japan, Germany and Russia to conduct testing in their

waters using the “model fish”.

Locally, the marine medaka will be used in toxicity testing in a

$4.5m consultancy project awarded by the HKSAR Government

to MERIT for developing a suite of chronic toxicity tests. These

tests will be used to determine and quantify the toxicity of

complex effluent, and predict the environmental consequences of

discharging such effluent into the marine environment.

Using the same species, MERIT has undertaken further

research to monitor pollution caused by endocrine disruptors, in

particular estrogenic pollutants.

According to Dr Cheng Shuk Han, Associate Professor from

the same department, endocrine pollution has become one of the

most serious forms of environmental contamination. The cause

is the vast quantities of personal care products, such as cosmetics

and hair spray, medicine and cleaning agents, which contain

Fish sections mount on a microscopic slide.

April 200814

着

脱

脱

estrogenic pollutants that are discharged into the sea without

regulation.

“While the impact of these pollutants is not immediate,

gradual accumulation could affect the hormones of organisms.

This in turn could affect their reproduction and growth,”

Dr Cheng says.

The par t played by Dr Cheng is to develop innovative

biotechnologies to monitor the presence of endocrine-disrupting

pollutants in Hong Kong waters. She and senior research

assistant Dr Chen Xueping inserted a piece of hybrid DNA

containing part of a medaka gene fused to a jelly fish gene into

the chromosomes of the marine medaka. This piece of fusion

gene transforms the young medaka into a swimming test-tube. It

lights up like a green light bulb inside the fish when in seawater

polluted by estrogen-like chemicals.

“These juveniles are highly sensitive to estrogenic pollutants and

they give a brighter glow in their livers with increasing amount

of estrogenic compounds,” says Dr Cheng.

The application of the scientific skill involved in making

these glowing green medaka was very tedious. It started with

a thorough understanding of the gene sequence in the fish,

followed by the cutting and pasting of pieces of DNA. The

researchers then injected the fusion gene into the medaka

embryos with tiny glass needles. The MERIT research team took

two years and experimented on more than 4,000 eggs before

they could successfully cultivate a family of glowing, green,

transgenic medaka fish.

The transgenic fish show a response to estrogenic pollutants after

a little more than five hours of exposure to seawater samples.

A water sample tested from Victoria Harbour in the Tsim Sha

Tsui area by the research team last summer showed a faint green

fluorescent glow in the transgenic fish, indicating the water

contained a detectable amount of estrogenic pollutants.

着

diate,

ganisms.

th,”

re to se

Harbour in the

ummer showed a faint g

nic fish, indicating the water

f estrogenic pollutants.

A glowing green juvenile medaka.

15April 2008

MERIT is one of the eight “Areas of Excellence” selected by

the University Grants Committee (UGC) in 2004 and is the

only one related to environmental research. It is led by CityU in

collaboration with the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

University of Science and Technology, the Chinese University of

Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Baptist University and the Hong

Kong Polytechnic University.

The centre has been given funding of $45 million by UGC’s

Area of Excellence scheme to develop innovative chemical,

biological and engineering technologies for monitoring, assessing

and controlling the effects of human activities on the marine

environment.

Marine medaka was selected for this testing, Dr Cheng explains,

because in addition to all the signs it displays of being a model

fish, it can also live in brackish water (a mixture of fresh and salt

water).

“As brackish water is common in Hong Kong, especially near

the Pearl River Delta region, we can use just one species to assess

estrogenic activity in marine and estuarine water samples,” she

says.

With the availability of this assessment tool, Dr Cheng hopes

it would help raise awareness of the impending problem of

estrogenic pollution, and that compulsory testing could be

introduced soon. The international scientific community is

interested in data on the creation and application of glowing

medaka and presentations have been held at conferences in South

Korea and Japan.

Research and Innovative Technology (MERIT)Centre for Marine Environmental

April 200816

17April 2008

is a matter of national style管理方式反映Management

文化

國家

By Craig Francis

Dr Maris Martinsons

18 April 2008

When it comes to doing business on a global scale,

management style refers to more than just the cut

of your bespoke tailored suit.

Certain stereotypes have evolved in regard to perceptions of the

management styles of different nationalities. But the question

of whether these pigeon holes are accurate has been the focus

of research by Dr Maris Martinsons, Associate Professor in the

Department of Management.

As a Latvian-Canadian living in Hong Kong with a PhD

from England and management consulting experience on five

continents, Dr Martinsons was naturally inclined to study the

business world and its most influential decision-makers.

“As international interactions increase, it is useful to know

how top managers in different countries make decisions,” says

Dr Martinsons. “When it comes to the management styles,

one business leader’s self-perceived egalitarian and systematic

approach can be seen by overseas counterparts as either too slow

or unemotional,” he says.

The cur ios i ty and academic fore s ight tha t prompted

Dr Martinsons to study Amer ican, Japanese and Chinese

businesses and the decision-making styles of their leaders has led

to a raft of findings. They both belie and underline some popular

stereotypes.

The responses from business

leaders in China, Japan and the

United States have resonance

for managers on several levels.

“ T h e r e a r e t h e o bv i o u s

i m p l i c a t i o n s o f d o i n g

bus iness with people f rom

other countr ies. You need to

understand how they think and

what motivates them,” explains

Dr Martinsons. “But it is also

crucial for expatr iates. For

example, consider an American

19April 2008

going to work in Japan where the behavioural style is

more dominant. The American needs to either adjust

to that management style or seek out a job where the

prevailing style is more analytical, a trait that is more

identifiably American,” he explains.

Styles differThe research of Dr Martinsons revealed definite

national characteristics and examined some of the

influences for these differences in decision-making style.

The prevailing style of American business leaders

reflects a high need for achievement and the rational ideology

that dominates scientific management and MBA education.

American managers tend to “analyse” situations and ‘conceptualise’

solutions. Their structured and formalised decisions require a lot

of objective and often quantitative information.

The prevailing Chinese decision-making style reflects a

comparatively high need for personal power and status. The

ability to exercise authority and to make decisions swiftly (in

order to take advantage of fleeting opportunities) is critical

for Chinese business leaders. They rely largely on their

own experience and subjective information from personal

relationships. In Sino-American joint ventures, different decision-

making styles could be a source of conflict, concludes Dr

Martinsons.

The prevailing Japanese management style reflects a high need

for affiliation. Japanese business leaders indicate that they involve

more employees and more subjective elements in their decision

making than the Americans. The Japanese commonly arrive at

decisions by seeking consensus across all management levels, but

this takes time. Americans and Chinese typically take days or

weeks to make big decisions while the Japanese require weeks or

months. Japanese decisions are slow and deliberate, but pay off by

enabling rapid and smooth implementation.

Although the forces of globalisation are gradually expected to

temper these distinct differences, early results from research Dr

Martinsons is currently conducting suggest these differences are

still evident around the world, from India to Europe.

裏

20 April 2008

“Even within Europe’s open borders we see significant

differences in management styles between countries. The Spanish

are inclined to be more behavioural, Austrians exhibit analytical

tendencies, Latvians are comparatively conceptual while the

French tend to be more directive (see chart on p21 for definition

of style models),” says Dr Martinsons.

Perspective mattersBoth the decisions that managers make and how they make them

are affected by their socialisation and surroundings.

“Many differences are due to cultural factors”, explains Dr

Martinsons. “Concepts such as hierarchy, collectivism, and

attention to context are more important for Asians, because

they have prescribed roles in complex social networks. Since

Americans live in a looser social environment, they are able to be

more egalitarian and individualistic and less attentive to context.”

Surveys of students taking CityU’s business programmes show a

transformation in their mindsets.

“We have surveyed some

MBA students before they

beg in their studies, near

the end of their s tudies

and again as alumni about

five years later. We see a

migration away from the

directive style to the analytic

style and, to a lesser extent,

the behavioural style,” says

Dr Mar tinsons. “So you

could say that they become

more Amer ican and also

a l itt le more Japanese as

a resul t of management

education.”

“This reflects our intended

learning outcomes. It would

be d i s appo in t ing i f we

didn’t have an influence

― ―

Definition of style models

1. Directive decision-makers

are driven by a need for power. They are results-

oriented, but also want to dominate others. They have a low tolerance for ambiguity and prefer

cognitive simplicity. This limits the information that they gather

and the alternatives that they consider.

2. Analytic decision-makers

are driven by need for achievement in the form

of new challenges. Their comfort with cognitive complexity encourages data collection and

processing. They make decisions slowly because they examine

situations thoroughly and consider alternatives

systematically.

3. Conceptual decision-makers are

also driven by a need for achievement, but they crave

extrinsic rewards, such as praise and recognition. They thrive on cognitive complexity and are

more oriented towards people than tasks. They are creative,

idealistic and have a long-term perspective.

4. Behavioural decision-makers

are driven by a need for affiliation. They prefer

cognitive simplicity and have a strong people orientation, being genuinely concerned about others.

They are receptive to new ideas, willing to compromise

and prefer loose controls.Findings: The American business

leaders score highest on both the conceptual and analytic decision styles, but the lowest on the directive and behavioral styles. The Japanese business leaders have a very behavioural style while the Chinese business leaders have the most directive style.

21April 2008

because management, in the way that we teach it, is essentially

an American concept. People who complete an MBA should

become more analytic and systematic in their management

approach,” he says.

“I expect management styles to change throughout China as

the economy evolves and business leadership passes to a new

generation. We are already seeing changes, at least in Hong Kong

and parts of China, from those taking our business programmes,”

Dr Martinsons concludes.

22

23

April 200824

CityU is a technological powerhouse contributing to the growth of the economy of Hong Kong. To

channel this power, CityU Professional Services Limited (CPS) was set up as a company to promote

consultancy work and contract research.

Since its establishment in 1998, CPS has effectively united the University’s vast reservoir of talent

with the community and commerce. The limited company has incorporated CityU’s knowledge

and research to complete more than 5,400 consultancy projects in the past decade. Clients include

government departments, public corporations and private enterprises. The CEO of the Company,

Mr James Ng Kam-ming, talked to CityU Today about the future development of knowledge

transfer for the University.

What it is actually meant by knowledge transfer? What is the role of CPS in promoting knowledge transfer for the University?Our mission is to assist the University in undertaking knowledge

transfer by providing tailor-made consultancy services for

organisations or corporations in need. In addition, we also

offer custom-built professional training courses for individual

corporations. Through this mechanism, the University can effectively

use its resources, which include people, professional knowledge and

innovative scientific research, to contribute to the well-being and

advancement of society and promote the economic development of

the region.

As a non-profit-making organisation, CPS is responsible for developing

and providing consultancy services. All consultancy services provided

to external organisations by the staff of the University are considered

external practices that need to be arranged and processed by us. We will

handle for CityU staff the administrative and business-related works

such as the bidding for tenders, preparation of agreements, business

着

By Regina Lau

Q&A with Mr James Ng Kam-ming on knowledge transfer

By

April 2008 25

negotiations and professional indemnity insurance coverage so they can

concentrate on their consultancy projects.

Our services include consultancy study, professional training and

surveys, but with consultancy study being our core service. For

example, 32% of our total revenue last year came from consultancy

studies, 27% from professional training and 10% from surveys. Through

consultancy studies, we can apply the University’s strengths in areas of

scientific advancement, such as artificial intelligence and environmental

technology, to the areas closely related to the livelihood of people.

Through professional training, such as providing information technology

training to local primary and secondary school teachers, we can transfer

the knowledge of the University to the broader community. Also, by

making use of the wealth of technology resources at the University,

such as the advanced laboratory facilities, we can provide calibration and

testing services to external organisations. This comprised 20% of our

total projects.

裏

26 April 2008

着

What are some of the knowledge transfer projects that have had a significant impact on the community in the past ten years?One of the more significant projects was the ser ies of

artificial intelligence consultancy studies provided for the MTR

Corporation, Airport Authority Hong Kong, Hospital Authority

and immigration-related processes. The result was that we enhanced

the MTR’s night-shift schedule for engineering maintenance, the

allocation of aircraft stands, hospital staff scheduling and automatic

immigration document processing. It has significantly boosted the

operational efficiency of the corporations, providing the public

with a more convenient and faster service. Imagine, for example,

the potential ramifications of the MTR having an error in its

maintenance schedule at night and not being able to provide its

usual service the next day. How chaotic could it prove to be for

Hong Kong’s commuters?

Our marine environmental protection projects, commissioned by

various government departments, have also had a profound effect

on the community. The development of a suite of chronic toxicity

tests for the Environmental Protection Department to determine

and quantify the toxicity of complex effluent and predict the

environmental consequences of discharging such effluent into the

marine environment is one such example. We have also successfully

designed for the Government 13 bio-indicators that monitor

the health of the marine environment. In addition, we have been

commissioned by the Drainage Services Department to study

whether chlorine should be used to process waste water before

discharging it into the sea.

To support the new academic curriculum structure of secondary and

university education, the Education Bureau will provide teaching

resources and training for senior secondary form teachers. CityU

was appointed last year to develop support services for teaching

and studying English in order to help local senior secondary school

teachers prepare for the new academic curriculum.

CPS no longer appears confined to Hong Kong. Quite true. With globalisation of the world’s economy and the

accession of China to the World Trade Organisation, government

officials and business leaders on the mainland understand that

enhancing competitive advantage is the only way to meet market

27April 2008

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着

challenges. With this in mind, we have set up the CityU Professional

Development Centre to provide exchange and training programmes

at the international level for corporations, both within and outside the

mainland, to help mainland professionals develop a global view and

enhance their professional knowledge. Within the past 12 months, the

centre has organised about 20 short-term training courses and arranged

more than 300 government officials, business managers and senior

university staff to visit Hong Kong on exchange.

The centre provides a one-stop training service, including

tailor-made courses and ar rangement of transportation and

accommodation, as well as visits to government departments

and private organisations. Last year, the centre arranged for a

group of Taiwanese MBA students, who are senior managers and

administrators, to come to Hong Kong for a short-term course and

a visit to the mainland.

With the opening up of the entertainment industry in Macau, some

new social issues have emerged there. We are now working with the

Macau government on several consultancy projects and have made

concrete proposals with regard to the problem of juvenile delinquency.

With ten years chalked up for CPS, what are some of the new challenges that lie ahead?During the past 10 years, we have completed numerous consultancy

projects and built up a good relationship with public and private

organisations. CityU’s technological achievements have become

known and recognised by the broader community. Looking ahead, I

believe professional training, particularly those programmes designed

for government officials and business managers on the mainland,

have tremendous potential for development. I hope our work

in this area can contribute to the development of our

motherland.

In terms of challenges, we face more intense competition

as many universities are developing consultancy services

and professional training. With the University staff ’s

heavy workload in teaching and research, it is difficult

for them to squeeze in the time and effort to work on

external consultancy projects and professional training.

Therefore, we will adopt a “selective” strategy, by providing

high quality advanced technology services that are different

from those at the general level of the market.

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28 April 2008

Mainland China’s top judicial body gave its verdict

on CityU’s School of Law – and the outcome

was very positive.

In late February, the Supreme People’s Court greeted a

delegation from CityU headed by Acting President Professor

Richard Ho Yan-ki and Professor (Chair) Wang Guiguo,

Dean of CityU’s School of Law. This was followed by the

signing of a unique collaborative agreement, under which

CityU’s School of Law will provide legal education and

training to serving mainland judges for the Supreme People’s

Court and the National Judges College.

For both sides, the collaboration signifies a breakthrough. For

the Supreme People’s Court and National Judges College, it

represents the first time they have collaborated with a school

of law outside the mainland to train serving mainland judges.

For CityU, the agreement means it will serve as an official

external judicial training centre.

“No doubt this is a trailblazing agreement that will have far-

reaching significance. It is our privilege to help improve

the level of profess ional i sm and

international exposure for the serving

judges,” said Professor Wang after

signing the agreement. “The support

from the University’s top management

has been crucial,” he added.

Collaborative expansionThe School of Law has witnessed great

changes since Professor Wang took

up the position of Dean in August

2007. The International Advisory

Boa rd ( IAB) wa s sub sequen t l y

established, followed by the signing

of a collaborative agreement with

裏

(Front row, from left) Professor Richard Ho Yan-ki, Acting President and Mr Wan Exiang, Vice-President of the Supreme People‘s Court witnessed the signing ceremony.

29April 2008

着

Monash University of Australia, and later an agreement with

University of Oxford, UK under the Global Legal Education

a n d Aw a r e n e s s

P r o g r a m m e

( G - L E A P ) . I n

m i d - F e b r u a r y

2 0 0 8 , C i t y U ’ s

School of Law set

up an e lec t ronic

connect ion with

Yale Law School,

where Professor

Michael Reisman,

Myres S. McDougal

P r o f e s s o r o f

International Law

and a member of

IAB, gave lectures

to CityU students

via video conference. In mid-March 2008, the School of

Law signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development on

international dispute settlement.

“All these new measures, alongside the collaboration on

training mainland judges, are centred around one theme –

getting connected with the outside world, and taking the

globalised legal education at our School of Law to a higher

level,” Mr Gu Minkang, Associate Dean of School of Law, told

CityU Today. Mr Minkang is in charge of liaison and planning

for the judge training programme. “All of these measures are

like links in a chain, hooked together and complementing one

another,” he added.

Chain reactions“Quality legal education is no empty talk; it takes solid work

and real efforts,” Mr Gu explained. “Since mid-2007, through

the joint efforts of our School of Law colleagues, the new

measures have set in motion chain reactions. Take IAB for

example. Its member professors have been more than advisors;

30 April 2008

they are directly taking part in teaching thanks to the video

facilities. In future, more and more world-famous professors

will be giving lectures to our law students in a similar way.”

“The G-LEAP is yet another aspect of globalising our legal

education,” added Mr Gu. “Besides those institutions that have

signed agreements with us, the School of Law is seeking other

suitable partners in North America,” he said

“Legal training of mainland judges is more than an honour;

it has substantive consequences,” explained Mr Gu. “The

programme g ives our students the chance to interact

with serving judges and creates internship and study tour

opportunities on the mainland. In the long run, we’ll see

CityU-trained judges performing their duties in various

provinces and cities across China, and that will in turn initiate

a very wide network for our law graduates. More importantly,

through such long-term collaboration, CityU will have closer

ties with the mainland and the image of CityU as a whole

will be enhanced.”

着

(From left) Professor (Chair) Wang Guiguo, Professor Richard Ho Yan-ki and Mr Gu Minkang at the Supreme People‘s Court in Beijing.

31April 2008

Determination engineers a bright future

裏

“Nothing is impossible. Never give up.” This is the motto Janet Tsang Ching-luen has adhered to

for many years.

As an Assistant Building Services Engineer with the

Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, Janet is

mainly responsible for the maintenance, renovation, repair

and remodelling of hygiene-related construction works for

public hospitals. Unlike sometimes routine office work, an

engineer’s job demands that Janet leave the comfortable

surrounds of the office and carry out her duties on

construction sites. Perhaps due to the nature of the work,

there are no female colleagues in her work unit. However,

due to her work experience and capabilities, Janet is always

assigned to new projects.

How does she feel about working in such a senior

position at such a young age? “Competence in a position

has nothing to do with gender or age but depends on one’s

personality and capabilities,” she says. “I am very lucky

as I can apply what I have learnt. Soon after I graduated

in 2002, I joined the engineering industry, which was

my dream career for many years.” With such an abiding

and unshakeable interest in building and construction,

Janet chose to study at CityU’s Department of Building

and Construction. She is now studying part-time in the

University’s PhD degree programme and working hard

towards her professional qualification examinations.

There are sound reasons behind her success. When she

completes her work on-site, she will usually return to the

By Jo Kam金恬薇

32 April 2008

office and continue to work or review and study reference

materials. “Knowledge and experience are very important

in engineering, therefore I feel compelled to work hard,”

she says.

Aside from a sturdy work ethic, her strong will and keen

sense of responsibility are also central tenets of her success.

“As the eldest daughter in my family, I developed an

independent character and sense of responsibility when

young. I also learned how to face difficulties and find

solutions,” Janet says. “This is very helpful to my job. When

facing difficulties, a competent manager should be able to

stand out and provide answers to win the confidence of

others.”

Janet has set herself clear objectives. “I often set goals for

myself and then I will try my best to achieve them. I aim

to have advanced my career within two years and I hope

to obtain my professional qualification and complete my

PhD degree,” she says. “Also, I wish to better equip myself

so that I can apply my knowledge and skills to serve the

community and contribute to society.”

In addition to her own efforts, she thanked CityU for

offering her such strong support. “University life at CityU

has helped determine my career. I received a scholarship

and this recognition gave me huge encouragement and

boosted my confidence that I could become an engineer.

The field work also strengthened my resolve to pursue this

career,” she says.

“I am very grateful to CityU’s professors, particularly

Dr Joseph Lam Choi, my PhD thesis supervisor,” Janet

says. “He has been helping and encouraging me since my

days of undergraduate study. Like a father, he guides me

and offers direction whenever I feel lost.”

33April 2008

温

Mr Li Guo participated in archaeological research in Vancouver, Canada.

34 April 2008

着

着

It has been nine years since I joined CityU, so I might be called

an “old” teacher. With my academic training in archaeology,

I prefer to analyse Chinese culture from an archaeological

perspective in my Chinese Civilisation Centre courses. Some

students find my course difficult and unfamiliar terrain. But the

sense of satisfaction for both myself and the students when they

are enlightened by new knowledge makes the job worthwhile.

Teaching a new General Education course this semester is a

mix of new and old for me. On the one hand, I work with my

old colleagues as a team again, while on the other, we need to

employ our individual expertise and find new angles to teach

the subject. It could be likened to aluminum that has been used

to build aeroplanes in the past and now faces the prospect of

being used to build space shuttles.

Fortunately, with the strenuous efforts of Dr Fan Ka-wai,

Mr Li Lin, Dr Chan Kwok-shing and myself, we finally

succeeded in developing the course. Many students who know

温

M Li G i i d i h l i l h i V C d

Mr Li Guo (left) collected earth sample from the remains of Angkor in Cambodia.

Mr Li Guo (left) investigated the artifacts in the Antiquities and Monuments Office.

35April 2008

about our teaching style have enrolled in our course

prepared to take an intellectual journey.

The successful launching of this course has certainly

been gratifying, as has the memorable experience of

working with three old colleagues and helping each

other during the preparation process.

An ethnic group without a recorded history are like

people without memory. They may look carefree

but they will harbour in their mind a sense of

absence. How willing are we to destroy the legacy inherited

from our ancestors? And what do we want to leave for the

next generation? To me, cultural heritage is the most practical

element of history. If we don’t care about what has happened in

the world, we will not be able to improve ourselves. With this

in mind, this General Education course is designed to refresh

the collective memory of students. This is an introductory

course only and I hope there will be a chance in the future to

explore further with the students the theories related to cultural

heritage, for example, the recursive nature of cultural practice,

traditional inventions and the materialised culture advocated by

Bourdieu, Hobsbawm and Hodder.

As I finished writing this article, the morning sun of spring had

started to rise. A cool breeze wafted by and the mountains were

verdant. A new day has just broken at CityU.

By Goodwin Li GuoSenior Tutor, Chinese Civilisation Centre

ARefreshing experience

f

M Li G (l ft) i ti t d th tif t i th