KE Spotlight - Community Engagement - HKU Knowledge Exchange

HKU's artificial mussel technology helps fight marine pollution globally

HKU Director of School of Biological Sciences Professor Rudolf Wu Shiu-sun has developed a technology called artificial mussel to test water quality. Professor Wu has been invited by Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to provide a two-month training scheme for scientists from Tunisia, Tanzania, Ghana, Thailand and the Philippines to learn how to use the technology to test for heavy metals that affect ecosystems and food chains.

UGC's TV Programme on KT/KE

The University Grants Committee (UGC) recognizes that knowledge transfer (KT)/knowledge exchange (KE) has become an important mission of Hong Kong's higher education institutions. In order to increase public awareness of the good work that has been done by institutions in this area, the UGC has commissioned TVB to produce a 30-minute programme in the form of a documentary, and selected a KT/KE project from each of the 8 UGC-funded institutions to be featured in this programme. The programme will be broadcast on TVB Jade on December 18, 2013 at 7pm.

HKU Young Brain Scientist Program holds its first public lecture on December 13, 2013

The HKU Department of Psychology will hold six public lectures designed for secondary students to raise their awareness of the potential impact of brain science from December 2013 to June 2014. Outstanding participants will be invited to tour brain science laboratory and take part in workshops.

Icelandic paintings exhibition held at HKU Museum and Art Gallery

The HKU Museum and Art Gallery has organized an exhibition titled ''Ingenious Iceland: Twentieth-Century Icelandic Paintings from the Anthony J Hardy Collection'', which is held until November 24, 2013. Over 80 Icelandic paintings, sculptures and drawings from the collection are on display.

HKU at InnoCarnival 2013

The InnoCarnival 2013, organized by the Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC) as a major event of the InnoTech Month 2013, was held from November 2-10, 2013 in the Hong Kong Science Park. The Technology Transfer Office co-ordinated the University's participation in the InnoCarnival 2013.

HKU study finds Hong Kong Laws inadequate to protect threatened animal and plant species

A new report by the Faculty of Law at The University of Hong Kong has concluded that while existing legislation has played a key role in eliminating most hunting of native terrestrial animals, and limited collection of valuable plant species, several Ordinances are in urgent need of updating. ''A Review of Hong Kong's Wild Animal and Plant Protection Laws'', undertaken by a multidisciplinary team led by animal-law expert Associate Professor Amanda Whitfort, reviewed the effectiveness of the five key ordinances in protecting wild native species in Hong Kong. A total of 15 recommendations for legislative amendments are made with a view to securing the long-term conservation of local biodiversity.

HKU Researchers and Press Council members urge responsible suicide reporting

Professor Paul S.F. Yip, Director of the HKU Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention said some new suicide methods spread out quickly in Hong Kong and to other Asian countries after the media's sensational and misleading coverage. He warned that irresponsible media reporting of suicides encouraged copycats. At a symposium on ''the Contagion of Suicide Reporting'' held at HKU on September 7, 2013, the Hong Kong Press Council released a proposed guideline for the media on how to report suicide cases responsibly and avoid becoming a catalyst for copycat suicides.