Openlink August 2017‧Vol 26‧Issue 3

On 22–26 June, graduates from the four Creative Arts degree programmes of Creative Advertising and Media Design (CAMD), Creative Writing and Film Arts (CWFA), Animation and Visual Effects (AMVE) and Cinematic Design and Photographic Digital Art (PHTO) gathered for their first joint graduation show. They thoughtfully called it 'Preface', seeing it as the prelude to forthcoming shows, while hoping that, like the opening text that states the subject of a book, it would serve as an introductory showcase for their creative talents and enthusiasm. In Cantonese, 'preface' also brings to mind the homophonous word for 'assembly', connoting a meeting ground of the four programmes.

The curtain rises

The show was unveiled at the opening ceremony on 23 June, officiated by Prof. Tam Kwok-kan, Dean of the School of Arts and Social Sciences, alongside Mr Raymond Ho, Chairman of the Hong Kong Advertisers Association (HK2A). Prof. Tam urged the graduates to keep their spark of creativity alive: 'Only by stepping out of the technical box can one achieve a quantum leap.' He continued, 'We are pleased to see creative industries budding in Asia in recent years. They are most mature in Japan and Korea, but China is also quickly catching up. As creative industries are expected to play an increasing part in economic growth, you are given plenty of opportunities to develop your careers.'

Drawing on the results of the Survey on Advertising Spending and Projections conducted by Nielsen on behalf of HK2A, Mr Ho said, 'With the popularity of mobile devices, there is a shift in favour of online advertising. The year 2017 will likely be the first time for local online advertising spending to surpass that of offline. This marks a golden opportunity when creative arts come into play. Seize the opportunity and make the most of it!'

Among other exhibits, all four programmes featured film productions, including animation, micro films and experimental short films. Six were chosen for the opening, at which Q&A sessions were held to allow dialogue between the audience and the production crews. The rest of the films were shown on 24 June screening day.

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The first graduates' debut show

Except for Creative Writing and Film Arts, which was launched in 2008, three other Creative Arts programmes produced their first class of graduates this year. The Organizing Committee of their debut show was composed of the graduates themselves, who responded enthusiastically to the recruitment call last October and November. Associate Professor Dr Sunny Lam assisted them as Graduation Show Coordinator, and CWFA graduate Cheung Hoi-suen had the role of Chairman, as he had helped out in the programme's graduation shows.

Hoi-suen explained, 'The Organizing Committee formed four subcommittees overseeing social media, publication and printing, public relations and exhibition matters, each coordinated by one or two members of the teaching staff.' Looking back, he found the experience of producing the exhibition booklet most unforgettable: 'It took us some three weeks from collecting all the works to printing. During that time we worked six and a half days a week, starting at 9 in the morning and not resting until 11 at night, way beyond normal work hours.' From shooting the promos to decorating the exhibition venues, every task involved a lot of subtleties: 'For example, different types of work had different uses of the display boards. We had to work out how to distribute them.'

A great gathering

On display at the graduation show were the brainchildren of 300-odd students from four Creative Arts streams, spanning an array of genres including different varieties of film, photography, novels, plays, theoretical studies, advertising campaigns, multimedia designs and 3D installations. The majority were collective projects, supplemented by a significant number of individual works. The exhibition enjoyed full support from family, friends and schoolmates. But most importantly, it drew a crowd from the community, among them industrial practitioners, providing a passageway from the classroom to the real world. The graduates took the show seriously, placing nicely designed name cards alongside their works for the convenience of potential clients, partners and employers. Hoi-suen recalled, 'On the last day of the show, we met an independent artist from Shanghai. He was only staying in Hong Kong for a couple of days, but he found out about us on Facebook and came all the way to view each and every exhibit. He even promised to return next year!'

A closer look

Daily life is a source of creative inspiration in itself. CAMD students Lai Ka-yi, Law Hoi-ying and Lee Wing-man found their muse on the roads and streets of Hong Kong Island. Light-heartedly entitled 'Hong Kong Tramway Blablabla', their advertising campaign invites users to revisit cultural remnants along the tram routes as the city searches for values in a new era. 'Our campaign was initially driven by interactive media,' explained Hoi-ying. 'We began with a mobile app integrating AR (augmented reality) and GPS technology, which proposes three touring routes of architectural, everyday life and culinary interest along the tram line. Later on we designed a booklet for each route, telling stories of related shops.' The team believes that trams have evolved from a major means of transport on Hong Kong Island into a cultural symbol for the whole city.

Many of the graduation projects reveal their young creators' social concerns. Losing Sight of a Longed Place, a 2D animated short by AMVE students Shek Ka-chun, Wong Chun-long and Wong Tsz-ying, became one of the show's talking points due to its ingenious exploration of Hong Kong's LGBT movement. Instead of developing a fictitious plot, as is common for animation, the team resorted to real-life material: 'We interviewed 10 gay people and eventually settled on Adam Wan, the Chairman of Action Q, a college student-based LGBT advocacy group.' They styled their work after a Romanian animated documentary entitled The Magic Mountain, rendering a sense of helplessness through stop-motion and cut-out techniques. The finished work has been acclaimed by other students as 'extraordinary'.

A wide range of issues are addressed in the exhibits. To give a few examples, a novel called Voice in the Dark reflects on the dark side of human nature amidst local political chaos; a photography series called About Fashion and Us exposes the environmental harm of fast fashion; and a multimedia installation entitled To See, or Not To See campaigns for abandoned and suffering animals. After all, creative arts should not merely be a display of technical skill but should also inspire sensitivity to everyday life.

Industry recognition for outstanding Accounting student

The excellent academic performance of Alby Lam Kwan-yung, a full-time final-year student in Professional Accounting, was recognized by CPA Australia as one of the eight Outstanding Students of the Year 2016. Along with other awardees, Alby will be granted scholarships, internship placements at the Big Four accounting firms and other valuable networking and learning opportunities with industry leaders.

First step towards innovation and entrepreneurship

The 'Challenge Cup' National Competition Hong Kong Regional Final — Hong Kong University Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition 2017 encourages innovative technologies and nurtures potential entrepreneurial talent through academic exchange. Five teams formed by students from the School of Science and Technology and Lee Shau Kee School of Business and Administration demonstrated their outstanding exhibits in two rounds of professional judging and won several awards! A Second-Class Award (Innovation — Energy and Chemical Technology Category) was conferred on Applied Science students Lee Ting-ting and Yuen Lap-ming for their proposal on Bio-nano-technology (BNT) for water treatment. The other teams obtained Third-Class Awards in the categories of Energy and Chemical Technology, Information Technology and Social Enterprise. Four of the teams were invited to join the National Competition, which will be held in Shanghai in November 2017.

Student film in Cannes Short Film Corner

Supervised by Senior Lecturer Mr Dan Ip, Creative Writing and Film Arts student Wong Cho-yuen directed a micro film entitled One Step Wrong to enter the ICAC's 'All for Integrity' Micro Film Online Fest. The film has been selected by the Cannes Film Festival to play in the Short Film Corner.

Four students awarded HSBC scholarships

HSBC applauds tertiary students with outstanding achievements in different fields under various schemes in Hong Kong. This year, four OUHK full-time students won awards for excellence. Chan Chi-kwan, studying Statistical Analysis, and Yim Pui-sze, studying Mental Health Care Nursing, were awarded the HSBC Hong Kong Scholarship. Chan Pui-ting and Mou Chin-pang, both studying for the Higher Diploma in Nursing Studies, won the HSBC Vocational Education Scholarship. The awards were presented at the HSBC Scholars Day on 29 June.

Recognition for voluntary service

The Division of Nursing and Health Studies not only equips students with professional knowledge but also enhances their civic awareness by initiating participation in community service. Last year, staff and students from the Division offered more than 1,200 hours of voluntary service to various organizations and were presented with the Social Welfare Department's Gold Award for Volunteer Service (Organization). They held health talks as well as participated in fundraising activities for underprivileged groups such as 'International White Cane Day 2016 — Run for Vision', the Mental Health Foundation's 'Walkathon 2016' and Lifeline Express's 'Charity Run/Walk'. In addition, Nursing graduates who contributed over 300 service hours as 'Community Health Ambassadors' of the Jockey Club Home Health Watch Programme were recognized by the Bronze Award (Group).

Sports teams shine in invitation game

The OUHK sports teams won several medals in the Hang Seng Management College Sports Invitation Game 2017. In the badminton events, our athletes placed third in the men's singles, first and third in the men's doubles, first in the women's singles and second in the women's doubles. On the basketball court, Ngai Wing-fai was crowned Men's Scoring Champion, having racked up 80 points for the team.

Aptitude and brillance in modeling contest

Twelve teams of students from the School of Science and Technology participated in the 2016 Contemporary Undergraduate Mathematical Contest in Modeling, organized by the China Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, and achieved excellent results. The contest attracted more than 31,000 university and college teams from China and Singapore. Candidates were required to build mathematical and/or computer models within 76 hours to solve a simplified real-world problem in engineering or management. Our students demonstrated outstanding mathematical knowledge and creativity under the advice of Dr Douglas Ng and Dr Carlin Chu. The team, formed by Wong Yat-ming and Lau Shui-hong, both studying Statistical Analysis, won first prize, the highest class of award, and three other teams obtained second prize.

Poster presentation at international conference

Full-time Statistical Analysis student Yuen Siu-Chung, together with his supervisor, Dr Carlin Chu, gave a poster presentation of their project, 'Prediction of Chlorophyll-a concentration using Artificial Neural Network and Long Short-Term Memory Network', at the 2017 International Conference on Engineering and Applied Science (ICEAS) on 4 July. Conference expenses were provided by the Katie Shu Sui Pui Charitable Trust 'We can Fly' programme.

Winning social enterprise awards

Computing graduates Lui Kin-ching and Fung Kwong-chiu teamed up with partners from other institutions to found iSEE Mobile Apps, a company developing mobile apps for the visually impaired. The team won the championship of the Hong Kong Social Enterprise Challenge 2016. Two other teams composed mainly of OUHK students made it to the semi-finals of the same competition: Plus 1 Chopsticks, an online platform that allows busy working people to purchase meals from home cooks, and $9 Smart Veg, an enterprise offering affordable vegetable and fruit packs directly sourced from local wholesalers to working-class families. The former team also won a Best Presentation Award in the semi-final round.

Engineering presentation and exhibition prizes

Two teams of eight Testing and Certification students participated in the Young Engineers Programme organized by the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers — Manufacturing and Industrial (MI) Division. The programme included a series of seminars and technical visits from October 2016 to March 2017. The students won second and third places in the final presentation competition.

Another team of students from BSc (Hons) in Testing Science (Food) — Lam Ka-yam, Lau Chun-san, Ho Kin-hei and Kan Yeuk-hei — won second runner-up out of 33 teams in the undergraduate section of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Hong Kong Section's Young Professional Exhibition & Competition (YPEC) 2017 on 9 July. YPEC's theme this year was 'Imagineering'. The winning project, 'Reduction of Carcinogenicity and Enhancement of the Health Effects of Fermented Chinese Food by Probiotic Bacteria', was supervised by Dr Eric Sze.

Green building environmental forum

The OUHK teamed up with the Hong Kong Green Building Council, to foster greater public and industry awareness of how green buildings can benefit their occupants, neighbourhoods and the community as a whole. The evening-long seminar entitled 'Environmental Forum on Green Building and the Community — Latest Development and Case Sharing' took place on 7 June. Secretary for the Environment Mr Wong Kam-sing, Guest of Honour, updated participants on local policy and world trends of green buildings. Four local cases of green building implementation were presented, followed by a panel discussion themed 'Green Building and YOU', featuring winners of the Green Building Award.

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Energy and environmental science research symposium

On 6 June, the Centre for Research in Environmental Science under the Institute for Research in Innovative Technology and Sustainability (IRITS) hosted its Second Symposium of Research on Energy and Environmental Science. Eleven speakers, each from a different institution, shared their findings in areas such as water treatment, waste recovery, air quality survey, energy saving and renewable energy using biotic resources and chemical tools. The symposium was accompanied by an exhibition featuring various research and technology pilot schemes for energy and environmental science led by the Centre and the School of Science and Technology of the OUHK. Some 300 professionals, researchers and students participated.

RIDCH Conferences 2017

Two conferences on digital culture and digital humanities, 'Digital Art, Design and Advertising' and 'Digitization of the Humanities and New Ways of Teaching', were held on 1–3 June by the Research Institute for Digital Culture and Humanities (RIDCH) and the OUHK Tin Ka Ping Centre of Chinese Culture. Seven keynote speakers and 50 academic and industry presenters from around the world gave plenary addresses and panel presentations to over 100 scholars. They investigated the ways in which changing practices of digital media and advertising production benefit or challenge global media markets and how new concepts of the humanities arising from digitization create possibilities for research, teaching and learning. The first day of the conferences closed with a special screening and post-screening discussion of Mark Osborne's The Little Prince (2015), co-organized with Le French May.

ICLLS 2017

For the second year in a row, the OUHK's School of Education and Languages joined with organizer The Chartered Institute of Linguists Hong Kong Society and three other academic partners to hold the International Conference on Linguistics and Language Studies (ICLLS). The conference was held on 29–30 June on the OUHK campus. In addition to keynote speeches given by Prof. Rod Ellis from Curtin University and Prof. David Li from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 12 parallel sessions were arranged. About 40 scholars, researchers, educators and postgraduate students from the US, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Israel, mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong presented papers.

A week on open and innovative education

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The Institute for Research in Open and Innovative Education (IROPINE) organized the Open and Innovative Education Week 2017 from 11 to 14 July, to engage relevant educators and researchers in dialogue with one another. It featured two Distinguished Professor Lectures by the institute's Distinguished Professors Dragan Gašević and Gwo-Jen Hwang, plenary sessions by Prof. Pedro Isaias from the University of Queensland, as well as the International Conference on Open and Innovative Education (ICOIE) held from 12 to 14 July.

ICOIE, formerly the International Conference on Open and Flexible Education (ICOFE), is an annual conference held since 2014, addressing changes in modes of learning and teaching brought by technological advances. This year, in addition to keynote sessions, plenary forums and conference workshops by prominent scholars, the conference has about 140 participants from 15 countries who presented more than 50 papers.

Buddhism from a science perspective

Prof. Lee Chack-fan

Science and Buddhism seem to be unrelated but Chancellor of the Chu Hai College of Higher Education Prof. Lee Chack-fan, who has profound knowledge of Buddhism, shared his views on the correlation between the two. In the lecture on 4 July, Prof. Lee guided the audience through the similarities between the Buddhist concepts of the 'Four Noble Truths' and 'Dependent Arising' and the concepts in modern science of 'methodology' and 'cause and effect'. He pointed out that, as the development of neuroscience and cognitive science flourish, the application of magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography in brain scan and research has clearly shown that meditation is effective in enhancing one's attention, the ability to adjust emotions, compassion and enthusiasm.

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Do you eat healthily?

Mr Yim Ho

The well-known phrase 'You are what you eat' suggests that the kind of food you eat is vital to one's health. On 10 August, film director turned health guru Mr Yim Ho examined how healthy our daily diet is, and shared wisdom and knowledge about staying healthy. He brought to the audience's attention that the first rule of maintaining good health is detoxification. He illustrated with examples and cases the importance of having the body cleansed and renewed from the inside out to eliminate the build-up of toxins. In recent years, Mr Yim has devoted himself to the study of medicine and health and has published many best-selling books in the area.

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Spreading love in the neighbourhood

A total of 238 trainees have graduated from the third Jockey Club Home Health Watch Programme organized by the Division of Nursing and Health Studies and funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. The graduation ceremony was held on 8 July. Ms Winnie Ying, Executive Manager, Charities (Grant Making — Youth, Education & Training, Poverty) of The Hong Kong Jockey Club and President Prof. Yuk-Shan Wong officiated. Ms Wong Mei-yuk, winner of the programme's Volunteers Writing Contest, appreciated the course content as practical and informative for carers of elders and people in need.

On the same occasion, the annual Community Healthcare Day provided free game booths, an exhibition and health check counters, which were designed and hosted by OUHK Nursing students alongside alumni who are practising registered or enrolled nurses. These activities reinforced community members' understanding of the healthcare needs of the elderly, chronically ill, those with disabilities and those recovering from mental illness, while promoting a caring culture in the neighbourhood.

Visit by China Liaison Office delegation

Dr Tan Tie-niu, Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong SAR, and other three representatives visited the Jockey Club Campus on 9 June. Accompanied by President Prof. Yuk-Shan Wong and the senior management, the delegation visited the nursing laboratories and creative arts studios and laboratories.

New Council appointments

The following appointments have been made to the OUHK Council for a period of three years starting in June 2017.

Ms Diana Chen Ningning

Ms Diana Chen Ningning graduated from the New York Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Economics and a Master of Business Administration. She is currently the Chairman of Pioneer Group Holdings Corporation, and the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Seychelles to the Hong Kong and Macau SARs, an Economic Adviser to the Government of the Seychelles and President of the Seychelles-China Friendship and Business Association. Ms Chen has a distinguished record of public service and has been part of community services for more than a decade. In 2015, she set up the DC Foundation to provide youth a platform for development and support for the underprivileged. Her achievements in community service have won her many accolades, including the United National Progress Medal awarded by the People's Republic of China Government, appointment of the Justice of the Peace and a Bronze Bauhinia Star awarded by the HKSAR Government in 2010 and 2013.

Mr Arnold Cheng

Mr Arnold Cheng is Director of John Swire & Sons (China) Limited, overseeing Hong Kong and Pearl River Delta business. Prior to taking up his current position, Mr Cheng was Director Corporate Affairs at Cathay Pacific. He supervised every aspect of the airline's activities in Government and stakeholders relations, corporate communications, corporate social responsibility programmes and environmental affairs. He was once the General Manager Sales, PRD & Hong Kong, managing passenger sales for Cathay Pacific and Dragonair in Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta region. Mr Cheng graduated from the University of Hong Kong with a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Engineering.

Dr Albert Chau

Dr Albert Chau is Vice-President (Teaching and Learning) of Hong Kong Baptist University. He is responsible for the University's teaching and learning for the nurturing of creative, caring and ethical global citizens. He leads the development of curriculum and academic programmes, quality assurance, innovative learning such as experiential learning and eLearning, student recruitment and placement, and globalisation of teaching and learning. He received his BSc in Industrial Engineering and Postgraduate Certificate in Psychology at The University of Hong Kong, and MSc and PhD in Psychology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in the US.

Other Council changes

Mr Peter Wan Kam-to has been re-appointed Treasurer of the OUHK Council for three years. Current members Mr Henry Tong Sau-chai and Dr Gerald Siu Chi-shing have been re-appointed for three years, effective in June. Council Chairman Mr Michael Wong Yick-kam expressed his heartfelt thanks to Mrs Sandra Mak Wong Siu-chun, Prof. Paul Lam Kwan-sing and Dr Samson Tam Wai-ho, who retired this summer, for their contribution.

Prominent scholars facilitate research at OUHK

Since their establishment, the University's five research institutes have appointed over 20 internationally acclaimed scholars to be Distinguished Professors. The most recent group has arrived in the past months, sharing research tips and findings both in private consultation with OUHK research and academic staff and through public talks and seminars.

Institute for Research in Open and Innovative Education

Prof. Gwo-Jen Hwang, Chair Professor of the Graduate Institute of Digital Learning and Education and Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Mobile Learning and Organisation and the Journal of Computers in Education. His specialisms also include digital game-based learning and adaptive learning.

Prof. Dragan GAŠEVIĆ is the Chair in Learning Analytics and Informatics in the School of Education and School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh. He is founder of the Journal of Learning Analytics, and is well versed in self-regulated and social learning, higher education policy and data mining.

Institute of International Business and Governance

Prof. Jeong-Bon Kim is the J. Page R. Wadsworth Chair in Accounting and Finance at the School of Accounting and Finance, the University of Waterloo, Canada. His research interests encompass financial reporting, corporate governance and capital markets, including remarkable insights in the determinants and consequences of stock price crash risk.

Prof. Yochanan Altman, known for his research contributions to human resource management and organizational spirituality, is now a Visiting Professor at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. He is actively engaged in supporting young researchers with his wealth of journal editorial experience.

Prof. Raphael Nicholas Markellos is a Professor of Finance and the Director of Research and Enterprise at Norwich Business School, the University of East Anglia. He has co-published the third edition of the best-selling graduate textbook, The Econometric Modelling of Financial Time Series.

Research Institute for Bilingual Learning and Teaching

Prof. Liz Hamp-Lyons was Head of English and Chair Professor at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She is now a member of the Centre for Research in English Language Learning and Assessment (CRELLA) at the University of Bedfordshire, UK, where she contributes to the development of English language assessment.

Prof. Ernesto Macaro is a Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Oxford's Department of Education, as well as the Director of its Centre for Research and Development in English Medium Instruction (EMI Oxford). He is the co-author of Improving Foreign Language Teaching: Towards a Research-based Curriculum and Pedagogy, and takes a special interest in the influence of EMI on secondary school students.

Prof. Chi-chung Lam is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Among his research areas is curriculum implementation and change, a topic which found its way into his recent co-publication, Curriculum Reform in Hong Kong: Where Should It Go? .

Prof. Tseng Chin-chin is a Professor in the Department of Chinese as a Second Language at National Taiwan Normal University. Her early research concerned phonetics and interlanguage. Currently, she focuses on the relationship between online interaction and learning and teaching Chinese as a second language.

Institute for Research in Innovative Technology and Sustainability

Dr Paul Shin was an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology and Chemistry at the City University of Hong Kong before retiring in 2016. A veteran benthic community ecologist, he is now the Associate Editor of Marine Pollution Bulletin and the Co-chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission Horseshoe Crab Specialist Group.

New Director of Human Resources Vincent Shek
Innovative management for tackling challenges ahead

Mr Vincent Shek has been promoted to the post of Director of Human Resources, effective from June this year. In his new position, Mr Shek looks forward to helping the University innovate its organizational culture, so that it can continue to make big strides into the future and overcome the challenges ahead.

It has been more than two decades since Mr Shek joined the OUHK in 1993, during which he has witnessed its tremendous growth, the number of core staff members rising gradually from about 300 to more than 900 today. Due to changes in the demographic structure of our society, the number of students admitted to universities has been decreasing. This is quite a difficult situation for the OUHK as a self-financing institution. As staff remuneration is a major expenditure of the University, progressive steps are needed to maximize the utilization of resources. Mr Shek is therefore contemplating the introduction of several new initiatives. Among them is the new staffing budget system, allocating each unit or School a sum of money to provide it with more flexibility in planning and resource allocation. He is also looking into reviewing the pay adjustment mechanism, using the market as a reference, so that pay adjustment will be based on work performance rather than applied uniformly to all staff.

He points out that the focus of the new initiatives is 'the introduction of modern management to make the systems more flexible, so that the University can handle future challenges more swiftly and effectively'. Mr Shek hopes that the new initiatives will enhance staff performance and the University's competitiveness. Staff consultation will be made before implementation to collect valuable feedback.

Moreover, Mr Shek plans to launch several schemes to enhance staff engagement, raise morale and strengthen teamwork, including organizing more staff activities, wellness and work-life-balance programmes, and providing more staff development opportunities.

Adopting a people-oriented approach, Mr Shek cares not only about our colleagues but also students. Apart from recruiting OUHK students as summer interns so as to provide them with more exposure, the Human Resources Unit has employed several OUHK graduates as full-time staff. 'They were selected through open recruitment exercises, and their performance is as good as those from other universities, if not better,' he said.

Despite his demanding work responsibilities, Mr Shek works out twice a week to stay healthy. He also takes a 'no clutter' approach in his office for greater work efficiency. His neat and orderly office has an open-door policy. 'I like to communicate and work with people. My door is always open,' he said sincerely.

New academic staff

Three new Assistant Professors of the Lee Shau Kee School of Business and Administration joined the OUHK in August.

Dr Justin Law King-wai received his Master of Accountancy degree from the University of Manitoba and a PhD from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He taught at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Hang Seng Management College before joining the OUHK. He researches corporate governance, executive compensation and corporate finance.

Dr Emmy VAN ESCH obtained her BSc and MSc in Social Psychology from Tilburg University (The Netherlands), an MA in Anthropology from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and a PhD in Management from Hong Kong Baptist University. Prior to joining the OUHK, she taught at Hong Kong Baptist University. Her research interests include cross-cultural management, international organizational behavior, expatriate management, international human resources management, and business ethics.

Dr Ray Hui Tak-yin obtained his PhD (Organizational Behavior and Management) from the City University of Hong Kong. Prior to joining the OUHK, he taught at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the University of Macau, and Hang Seng Management College. His research interests include leadership, training, coaching, work motivation and adaptation of employees.

A generous gift from Lu's Foundation

The OUHK has received a generous gift of HK$5 million from Lu's Foundation Limited in support of the University's general development and the establishment of the Lu Sin Memorial Scholarship. Director Mr Wayne Lu Wing-yee and representatives of the Foundation visited the University and officiated at a cheque presentation ceremony on 9 August. In appreciation of the Foundation's benevolence, a lecture theatre on the third floor of the OUHK's Jockey Club Campus has been named Lu Sin Lecture Theatre, commemorating Mr Lu's late father, Mr Lu Sin.

Learning on the road

Summer is the best time to explore the world! To broaden their horizons, the University has been going to great lengths to secure subsidized exchange opportunities for students. This year, students enriched themselves through lessons, visits, training and experiential activities in places such as the UK, Canada, Japan, Singapore and Chinese regions like Beijing, Hunan, Guangxi and Qingdao. Some students also shared their love and knowledge with children from mainland villages on service tours.

Interning in new cultural settings

Global exposure is an invaluable asset for the new generation. Since 2015, the SAO has stepped up its efforts to line up overseas internship opportunities for students by directly liaising with companies and organizations. In programme formulation, it capitalizes on government policy and market trends, to provide students with the most relevant experiences. This summer, its collaboration with the Hong Kong Young Industrialists Council (HKYIC) and the Hong Kong Shanghai Youth Association (HKSYA) has led to two internship programmes.

The brand new 'YIC x OUHK Internship Programme in Newly Industrialized Country — Vietnam' was made possible by a sponsorship of approximately $170,000 from the HKYIC. It allowed eight students to intern in Ho Chi Minh City and Haiphong City for six weeks. The choice of location echoed the Government's 'Belt and Road' Initiative. In addition to first-hand experience of local industrial practices and trade culture, it provided a window into industrial development trends in Southeast Asia. To enrich their internship experience, the students joined various cultural activities and visits in Vietnam. Before setting off for Vietnam, they visited branches of the designated companies in Guangdong Province.

The HKSYA has for years run Shanghai-Hong Kong Future Leaders Internship Programmes for many other local universities. This year, an identical scheme placed 30 OUHK students in Shanghai enterprises for seven weeks, during which they also visited local CEOs, prestigious universities and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Shanghai of the Government of the HKSAR.

Moving ink paintings

Staff and students from the Animation and Visual Effects programme were invited to animate five masterpieces showcased at 'Ink Global', an international exhibition of Chinese ink paintings taking place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on 3–8 August. Presented by the Young Artists Development Foundation, it featured 500 works of portraits, birds and flowers, animals, landscapes and modern themes from around the world. The collaboration produced animated versions of masterpieces by Wucius Wong, Shi Jing, Chan Kau-on, Chen Wanfu and Chan Keng-tin, making the traditional art form more accessible to the younger generation.

Nine year 2 students participated in the project in July, under the leadership of Senior Lecturer Mr Vincent Mak, spending five to six hours a day in the studio. It took the first-timers numerous attempts to achieve the desired effects. To depict the movement of the deer in The East Garden is Quiet and Still, for example, the students had to learn from other films and make multiple adjustments. The team also stretched their creativity to give Shi Jing's Wisteria Flowers in the Afternoon Breeze, among others, an extra touch of life, by adding gestures like winking and nodding to the girl in the picture.

10th Students' Union takes office

'Lightify', formed by 13 full-time and four part-time students, was sworn in as the Executive Committee of the 10th session of the Students' Union. The inauguration ceremony was held on 16 June and attended by about 350 guests.

Training for orientation leaders

The Student Affairs Office (SAO) held two training camps in June for student leaders who will help first-years settle into university life. The training focused on skills for hosting activities, crisis management and team building. The first was run exclusively for some 100 office bearers of the Students' Union and 35 student societies, and the other for the Executive Committee of the 'Bro n' Sis Mentorship Scheme'.

OU Orchestra plays in joint show

The OUHK Orchestra was one of six groups invited to perform at the 'Music Concert for Kwun Tong in Celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Establishment of the HKSAR' on 23 July. The event was organized by the Hong Kong Society for Art and Charity and Crossover Cultural Association. They played Pirates of the Caribbean Theme Song, Forrest Gump Suite and Theme from Mission: Impossible and brought the night to a climax with a moving accompaniment to the choral finale, Below the Lion Rock.

An active summer

The SAO organized a variety of sports activities during the summer break. The Summer Sports Development Programme offered PE courses leading to the Elementary Bronze Trampoline Badge and the Tree Climbing Basic Training Certificate. More common courses included yoga, K-pop dance, badminton and integrated self-defence. Sports leader training camps were held in June and August to train athletes for the next competition season.

Introducing young people to university life

On 6 May, 15 students participated as group leaders and facilitators of the Youth Arch Foundation's 'One Day in University' programme. The 40 secondary students arriving at the OUHK participated in games and an interactive campus exploration tour. The Division of Nursing and Health Studies also hosted a mock lecture for them.

In 2014, a three-year project was started to set up a common electronic platform for library resources to be shared among five local self-financing higher education institutions: the OUHK, Caritas Institute of Higher Education, Chu Hai College of Higher Education, Hong Kong Shue Yan University and Tung Wah College. The purpose is to enhance teaching and learning support for these institutes. The project was funded by a $50-million grant from the Quality Enhancement Support Scheme (QESS) under the Government's Self-financing Post-secondary Education Fund. Experienced in systems development, the OUHK served as the Principal Grantee and undertook the responsibility of developing the new system and of coordinating the purchase of new e-books. Under the concerted efforts of the four Joint Grantees, the project was successfully completed at end of 2016.

According to the OUHK Librarian, Mrs Mok Wong Wai-man, 'The online library collection-sharing and information discovery system enables one-stop access to the library resources of the five institutions, which includes more than 800,000 perpetual items in print or electronic format, while a total of 32,632 e-book titles have been purchased with the QESS funding for shared access by the learning community of the five institutions. With just a few clicks, links to full-text materials and functions and features for interlibrary loan of printed items have been made available. Both the platform and the shared e-books can be accessed round the clock anywhere, and on any device that can be connected to the Internet.'

The OUHK has practical experience in applying advanced technology in library resources. In 2000, its electronic library project won the Stockholm Challenge Award conferred by the European Commission and the City of Stockholm.

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Master of Accountancy programme

This face-to-face full-time/part-time programme will enable students to acquire advanced skills and knowledge leading to a professional qualification with an integrated, global approach. Students will concurrently enroll in the programme and prepare for the CPA Program subject examinations of CPA Australia in Hong Kong.

Double-degree programmes

Three double-degree programmes will be launched by the School of Education and Languages in the 2018-2019 academic year. One of them is the first collaborative double-degree programme with Hong Kong Shue Yan University (HKSYU) under the Qualifications Framework's Credit Accumulation and Transfer (CAT) policy.

Bachelor of Education with Honours (History and Liberal Studies Teaching) and Bachelor of Arts with Honours (History)

This is the first academic collaboration between the School and the History Department of HKSYU to offer a double-degree programme, in which students will gain the professional knowledge and skills required of a history or Chinese history teacher and a liberal studies teacher. Under the CAT scheme, the OUHK will recognize the credits provided by HKSYU. Similarly, the credits offered by the OUHK are recognized by HKSYU.

Bachelor of Education with Honours (Chinese Language Teaching) and Bachelor of Language Studies with Honours (Applied Chinese Language Studies)

The School has been offering a full-time Bachelor of Language Studies with Honours (Applied Chinese Language Studies) programme since 2014. The new double-degree programme integrates both academic and professional studies of the Chinese language and Chinese language teaching. Graduates will be qualified to register as Chinese language teachers in local primary and secondary schools.

Bachelor of Language Studies with Honours (Bilingual Communication) and Bachelor of Global Business with Honours

Jointly offered by the School of Education and Languages and Lee Shau Kee School of Business and Administration, the programme aims to foster bilingual business graduates who possess a high level of English and Chinese proficiency and comprehensive knowledge of business for the pursuit of a career in international enterprises and organizations.

Consultation meeting on life planning education

Since September 2016, LiPACE has cooperated with over 90 secondary schools in providing life planning services to their students and related training to teachers and parents. On 6 June, a Headmasters' Consultation Meeting on Life Planning was held and attended by representatives of secondary schools, Federations of Parent-Teacher Associations, the Home Affairs Department and programme partners. Dr Frankie Yeung, LiPACE's Honorary Advisor, shared his inspiring life planning experience, and a school principal and a career master spoke about their experience working with LiPACE. The guests were also guided through the Institute's mock-up rooms for a taste of the workplace simulation activities offered to secondary students as part of the life planning programmes.

A taste of the hospitality industry

Along with its teaching partner in Higher Diploma in Tourism and Hospitality Studies, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), LiPACE organized a taster activity for secondary students, to encourage them to join the profession. On 20 June, Mr Brian Liu, IHG's Area Director of Human Resources, Hong Kong and Macau, and representatives from its five hotel brands visited LiPACE. After introducing the positioning and characteristics of each hotel brand, they held mock interviews for participants and advised them on suitable hotel positions according to their attributes and performance. The participants were also offered a hotel visit in early July. Hotel staff shared their wisdom about housekeeping and catering services and let students have a real taste of frontline work by trying mixing cocktails and vacuuming.

Efforts recognized at graduation ceremonies

The Capacity Building Mileage Programme celebrated its 13th batch of graduates, totaling 664, at a ceremony on 2 June. Officiating guests included the then Secretary for Labour and Welfare Mr Stephen Sui Wai-keung, Chairperson of the Women's Commission Mrs Stella Lau Kun Lai-kuen, Managing Director of Metro Broadcast Corporation Mr Sung Man-hei, OUHK President Prof. Yuk-Shan Wong and LiPACE Director Dr Kris Wong.

On 28 July, the Elder Academy held its seventh Graduation Ceremony for 86 learners. The officiating guests, Elderly Commission Member Mrs Susan So Chan Wai-hang, BCT Third Age Academy President Ms Lau Ka-shi, OUHK Vice President Prof. Reggie Kwan and LiPACE Director Dr Kris Wong each placed a LiPACE Buddy model onto an 'open door' symbolizing lifelong learning, alluding to the Institute's commitment to offering learning opportunities for older people.

New Programmes

Professional Certificate in Drama Education

With the inclusion of drama elements in language subjects and artistic development in 'Other Learning Experiences' in the New Senior School Curriculum, LiPACE and the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre jointly offer a new Professional Certificate in Drama Education for teachers to explore creative teaching methodologies.

Professional Diploma in Property Management Certificate in Property Management Practices

Two programmes, jointly offered by LiPACE and the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Property Managers, aim to nurture property management professionals in the wake of the adoption of the Property Management Services Ordinance. The ordinance prescribes a property management licensing regime, and graduates are expected to meet the academic requirements for a property manager license.

Baking workshops

Staff and their family members shared the fun of baking at a cake workshop series organized by the Human Resources Unit in July.

Soccer time

Staff and students played a friendly soccer match on 21 July. A training session was held before this five-a-side tournament, which was jointly organized by the Human Resources Unit and Student Affairs Office.

Launch of new alumni e-newsletter

The Alumni Affairs Office of the Public Affairs Unit has launched a new bimonthly e-newsletter, Alumni Linkage, to strengthen the alumni's connection with the University. Each issue will feature a selection of events, alumni group gatherings, benefits and University news, as well as stories on individual alumni and faculty members. Read it online at http://www.ouhk.edu.hk/alumni/linkage.

Openlink August 2017‧Vol 26‧Issue 3

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Industry recognition for outstanding Accounting student

First step towards innovation and entrepreneurship

Student film in Cannes Short Film Corner

Four students awarded HSBC scholarships

Recognition for voluntary service

Sports teams shine in invitation game

Aptitude and brillance in modeling contest

Poster presentation at international conference

Winning social enterprise awards

Engineering presentation and exhibition prizes

Green building environmental forum

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Energy and environmental science research symposium

RIDCH Conferences 2017

ICLLS 2017

A week on open and innovative education

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Spreading love in the neighbourhood

Visit by China Liaison Office delegation

New Council appointments

Other Council changes

Prominent scholars facilitate research at OUHK

New Director of Human Resources Vincent Shek Innovative management for tackling challenges ahead

New academic staff

A generous gift from Lu's Foundation

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Master of Accountancy programme

Double-degree programmes

Bachelor of Education with Honours (History and Liberal Studies Teaching) and Bachelor of Arts with Honours (History)

Bachelor of Education with Honours (Chinese Language Teaching) and Bachelor of Language Studies with Honours (Applied Chinese Language Studies)

Bachelor of Language Studies with Honours (Bilingual Communication) and Bachelor of Global Business with Honours

New Programmes

Baking workshops

Soccer time

Launch of new alumni e-newsletter

New Director of Human Resources Vincent Shek
Innovative management for tackling challenges ahead