New Academic Development Proposal
Innovation and discovery will be the focus of the new 4-year curriculum starting 2012, according to CityU's new Academic Development Proposal (ADP) which was unveiled last week. The ADP describes how the campus will use this ground-breaking approach to frame the entire educational experience at CityU in order to spearhead a new era in inter-disciplinary professional education in Hong Kong. A key message is that CityU students will learn what it means to create new knowledge, communicate it, curate it, and cultivate it to benefit society. The ADP offers details on strategic direction for 2012–15, teaching and learning initiatives, advanced scholarship and community outreach.

There will be a series of events, including a Town Hall meeting, symposium and workshops, between 19 and 21 April to discuss the ADP and building the new Discovery-enriched Curriculum.

President's Lecture Series
The next talk in the President's Lecture Series will be given by Professor Stephen Smale, University Distinguished Professor, who will look at how some constructions from the theory of the visual cortex can suggest algorithms for the peptide design problem to help fight diseases such as cancer and HIV. His talk on 13 April is called "From Vision to Immunology via Mathematics". Professor Smale is a Member of the US National Academy of Sciences and one of only twelve mathematicians in history to win both the Fields Medal and the Wolf Prize in mathematics.

Chemistry symposium
The 18th Symposium on Chemistry Postgraduate Research in Hong Kong will be hosted by the Department of Biology and Chemistry at CityU on 30 April. The symposium will bring together chemistry postgraduate students, academics, researchers and industrialists to reflect on advancements in chemistry, exchange research ideas, foster collaboration and facilitate networking. The symposium is organised annually by six local universities and is part of the programme to commemorate the International Year of Chemistry 2011. A keynote lecture will be given by Professor Helmut Schwarz, Technical University of Berlin, Institute of Chemistry, and President of the Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation, one of the most prestigious foundations in Europe.

ICT Expo
The Knowledge Transfer Office will feature 10 research projects at the International ICT Expo 2011 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 13 to 16 April. Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the expo showcases the latest in ICT products and solutions in telecommunications, multimedia, the internet, digitainment, computer and peripherals.

Croucher Foundation winner
Professor Yang Tong, Chair Professor in the Department of Mathematics and a world leader in the research of nonlinear mathematical theories of conservation laws and kinetic equations, has been awarded this year's Distinguished Scientific Researcher Prize by the Croucher Foundation.

The prize was set up in 1997 by the Croucher Foundation to honour scholars excelling in scientific research. Recipients of the prize can be relieved from teaching and administrative duties for a year.

Super Science Fellowship
Dr Jodie Rummer, Research Fellow in the Department of Biology and Chemistry, has been appointed as a Super Science Fellow in the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, the world's largest and most successful group of scientists involved in coral reef research and the effects of climate change. Dr Rummer is investigating marine organisms and ecosystems to cope with accelerating climate change under this capacity.

Book launch
A new book on e-portfolios will be distributed to all CityU full-time and part-time teachers in April, as well as educators in other higher education institutions and secondary schools in Hong Kong. The book, produced by the Office of Educational Development and General Education and the English Language Centre, will also be distributed at international conferences relating to technology, teaching and learning. The aim of the book, Integrating ePortfolios into Teaching and Learning: 10 CityU Case Studies, is to give teachers insight into how the e-portfolio might be used in teaching to enhance learning. A launch will be held on 4 May 2011 at City Top.

Painting exhibition
An opening ceremony was held on 29 March for "Small Views of a Big City – Sketches and Watercolour Paintings of Au Yeung Nai Chim" at CityU Gallery. In attendance were Mr Au Yeung Nai-chim, Ms Salina Yan, Deputy Secretary for Home Affairs, and Professor Cheng Pei-kai, Director of the Chinese Civilisation Centre (CCIV). The exhibition, which is being organised by CCIV, runs until 15 May.

CityU sports tournament
Badminton and table-tennis teams, consisting of students and staff and their families, will be competing this month in a number of events culminating in the finals of the competitions on 16 April at the Hu Fa Kuang Sports Centre. The tournament has been organised by the Human Resources Office and Student Development Services.

Promotion
The following faculty members will be promoted to the rank of Professor on 1 July: Dr Kim Chansog, Department of Accountancy; Dr Sia Choon-ling, Department of Information Systems; Dr Su Chenting, Department of Marketing; Dr Fan Ruiping, Department of Public and Social Administration; Dr Cheung Sai-on, Department of Building and Construction; and Dr Kenneth Lo Kam-wing, Department of Biology and Chemistry.

Kudos
CityU dominated the sports competitions organised by the University Sports Federation of Hong Kong, China (USFHK) in 2010–11, claiming the overall championship title in both the men's and women's divisions for the fourth consecutive year. This is also the sixth occasion CityU has won the grand slam (both the men's and women's titles in the same year).

Lau Wai-ho, Yip Kai-wing and Chung Wing-ho on the BSc (Hons) Computer Science programme won the 2nd Runner-up prize at the IBM Inter-University Programming Contest 2011. They were competing against 39 teams with 117 students from eight universities in Hong Kong and Macau. Our students demonstrated excellent programming skills and computing knowledge in solving a series of problems from a fictitious financial case. 

Wong Yee-mei, Lo Chun-yip, Ho Ka-ho, Tsui ka-hei, Fu Wing-yan, Lam Chi-fai, Yuen Sau-ying and Chiu Yuet-yung, graduates of the School of Creative Media (SCM), and Wong Chi-chuen, a Year 3 student in SCM, have picked up eight awards at the 16th Hong Kong Independent Short Film and Video Awards, including the Gold Awards of the Open Category and the Interactive Media Category.