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Month: July 2023

HKAPA appoints Jorge Luis Cacheiro as Dean of Drama

Posted on by Communications Office

The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) is pleased to announce that Mr. Jorge Luis Cacheiro has been appointed Dean of the School of Drama with effect from June 1, 2023.Mr. Cacheiro is a prestigious and well-respected theatre innovator with extensive teaching experience in acting and directing, as well as an award-winning theatre director and producer whose work has been presented globally. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the University of California and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Directing from Yale University.

Professor Gillian Choa, Academy Director, welcomes Mr. Cacheiro to join the Academy community and remarks, “I look forward to working with Mr. Cacheiro and am sure that his experience, expertise and international connections will make a very positive and valuable contribution to the Academy, especially for the further development of the School of Drama.”

Mr. Cacheiro has devoted himself to higher education in the performing arts for over 25 years and served as Founder cum Executive Director of the School of Performing Arts at Pace University. Prior to his tenure at Pace, he founded the New Works Initiative (NWI) at Montclair State University.

Mr. Cacheiro has taught Master’s acting and directing classes at the University of California, Cal Arts, Princeton University and the University of Iowa. Along with his long history of directing world premieres of new plays, he became the first American director to be invited to lead a Cuban company in a Latin American production in 2010.

UiTM dentistry undergraduates head to Xi’an for summer camp

Posted on by Fara Azwin Adam

UiTM aims to have an international reputation as a top institution by 2025. The anchors of this approach are the Three (3) Strategic Thrusts of Quality Education, Global Excellence, and Value-Driven Performance. Each strategy thrust is connected to acknowledged Strategic Themes to ensure the intended goal is accomplished.

The Faculty of Dentistry has established relationships with higher institutional partners to broaden student knowledge and provide them with the leading-edge technical tools for employability, keeping with UiTM’s objective to educate professionals of the highest calibre.

Institutional exchanges between faculty and staff from each partner institution; acceptance of undergraduate and graduate students from each partner institution for periods of study and research; organisation of scientific meetings, conferences, short courses, and meetings on research issues; exchange of information regarding developments in teaching, student development, and research institutions; visiting academician project to teach. To date, a “Summer Programme” run throughout the semester has served as the means of putting the prior efforts into practice. Amidst the pandemic, the MOU signing was held virtually in May 2022, with MyEdu Sdn. Bhd. as witness and consultancy agency. As part of the collaborative effort, delegates from the Faculty of Dentistry UiTM have participated in a Dental Summer Training Summer Camp, which Xi’an Medical University (XMU) organised. This Summer program was held on the 18-24th May, 2023, at Weiyang Campus in Xi’an, China. A total number of 6 dental students who have performed well both in academic and clinical training, accompanied by the Dean, Associate Professor Dr Aida Nur Ashikin Abd Rahman, Deputy Dean of Academic and International Affairs, Associate Professor Dr Siti Mariam Abd Ghani, Deputy Dean of Clinical, Dr Aimeeza Rajali, Liaison of International Affairs, Dr Fara Azwin Adam and Deputy Registrar, Martina Abdul Jalil.

UiTM delegates were given the tremendous opportunity to participate not only in academic activities at the dental clinics but also to be able to participate in the academic discussion and collaboration between UITM dentistry and XMU. The Counsellor General of Malaysia in Xi’an witnessed the discussion. On top of that, delegates were brought for a day tour of a historical place known as the 8th Wonder of the World, the Terracotta Warriors, Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum, and the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. They were able to adventure new places, showcasing historical architecture. The delegates were also given the golden opportunity to visit the Dental Museum at the Air Force Medical University. There, representatives were in awe, witnessing and admiring the detailed records of dental history with the evidence available from inception to the current day on the evolution of dentistry worldwide. Besides that, the delegates were also brought to local eateries in the heart of Xi’an to experience the unique culinary experiences of local foods that are available to portray the unique delicacies of Xi’an, China. The delegates shared much excitement throughout the program.

The greatest hope is that the Summer Program will strengthen the newly crafted relationship between XMU and UiTM and potentiate research collaborations, culture exchange, knowledge, and ideas between the participants. This program will also act as a platform to bring students from different nations globally and path a way for UiTM students to reciprocate the exchange programme to see other countries, as it gives them a chance to interact directly with other cultures while showcasing UiTM and Malaysia to their counterparts.

EdUHK wins 7 awards at Geneva invention expo

Posted on by eduhk

The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) garnered seven awards – a Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury, a Gold Medal and five Bronze Medals – at the 48th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva. The award-winning inventions covered a wide range of areas, including green technology, healthcare, educational technology, food safety, acoustic novelty, metaverse and sport innovation.

An innovation for the rapid quantification of microplastics, developed by Dr Chris Tsang Yiu-fai, Associate Professor at the Department of Science and Environmental Studies (SES), received a Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury in the ‘Protection of the Environment – Energy’ category. This is the first time that any of EdUHK’s inventions have received this prestigious recognition at the Geneva event, and less than 16% of this year’s inventions were awarded such honour.

Dr Fu Hong, Assistant Professor at the Department of Mathematics and Information Technology (MIT), has invented an ocular misalignment measurement system which received a Gold Medal.

The expo is widely recognised as the world’s most important event exclusively dedicated to inventions. This year, it attracted innovations from over 42 countries and regions, featuring a total of 820 exhibits. EdUHK’s award-winning inventions are:

Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury

1. Rapid Quantification of Microplastics Using Total Organic Carbon Analysis with Simple Sample Pretreatment

Principal investigator: Dr Chris Tsang Yiu-fai, Associate Professor, SES

An all-in-one semi-automatic sample pre-treatment device that can efficiently and accurately quantify microplastic abundance in water and slug samples.

Gold Medal

2. An Intelligent Ocular Misalignment Measurement System

Principal investigator: Dr Fu Hong, Assistant Professor, MIT

This fully automated machine measures ocular misalignment, with enormous potential to help mitigate the shortage of eye professionals and provide an objective method with high granular measurement.

Bronze Medals

3. Audio-Tactile Chinese Characters: Bringing Multisensory & Novel Learning Experience to people with visual impairment and with Special Needs

Principal investigator: Dr Hung Keung, Associate Professor, Department of Cultural and Creative Arts

Chinese radicals in several 3D tactile character models allow students to experience the structural formation of Chinese characters through touch and sound. This multi-sensory learning kit is designed to break visual and social learning barriers, especially for people with visual impairment or special needs.

4. Nano-Sensor System for Meat and Seafood Monitoring

Principal investigator: Professor Stephen Chow Cheuk-fai, SES

A food monitoring device that offers a new and convenient way to monitor food safety, with a series of chemo sensors to detect the chemical substance released from rotting food.

5. Learningverse – A 3D Metaverse for Online Collaborative Learning

Principal investigator: Dr Song Yanjie, Associate Professor, MIT

A 3D metaverse providing a custom virtual tool for online collaborative learning in school education. It enables customising of avatars and mirrors users’ interactions with a computer and a webcam to enhance immersive learning.

6. A Tuneable Multi-Feature Active Noise Cancellation Headset

Principal investigator: Dr Steve Mung Wai-yin, Research Assistant Professor

A wireless headset with tuneable active noise control and sound equaliser functions, developed for dedicated applications. It comprises multiple features which can be adjusted to suit the needs of different users.

7. Sitting Light Volleyball and Its Functional Sports Garment

Principal investigator: Dr Leung Ka-man, Assistant Professor, Department of Health and Physical Education

Sitting light volleyball is developed to promote the physical and mental health of people with physical disabilities or older athletes. This garment solves limitations and movement restrictions during the exercise.

New Lingnan programme with focus on housing policy

Posted on by Editorial Team

There are good reasons for Lingnan University’s decision to introduce a new Master of Housing Policy and Management (MHPM) programme, starting in September 2023.

Some tie in with a strategic plan to add more taught postgraduate courses with a professional orientation over the next five years. Others are more market-driven, reflecting the recent surge in demand for new blood in property, housing, and real estate management in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area (GBA).

“Part of our vision is to train the talent to meet these strategic manpower needs,” says Professor Yau Yung, programme director of the MHPM. “But we also see an increasing number of prospective students interested in housing policy. With the affordability crisis in Hong Kong and other Asian cities, people are looking for viable solutions. They need high-level training to analyse policy from different perspectives – social economic and environmental – and the knowledge and skills to inform decision making and advocacy.”

Therefore, the MHPM will combine theory and practice, with a focus on using smart technology and data analytics to improve performance. It will also cover the rise of social or third-sector housing plus the challenges facing NGOs and social enterprises running transitional housing.
Students will take nine core courses and electives for a total of 30 credits, including a capstone project on a relevant topic like government intervention in housing markets.

A multidisciplinary teaching team with expertise in urban studies, real estate, social sciences, environmental studies and geography will draw on findings from their ongoing research projects and encourage students to develop new insights and critical thinking skills.

The curriculum will also integrate essential aspects of facilities management and gerontology, an ever-more important area as society ages and communities have to adapt.

Available in one-year full-time and two-year part-time modes, the MHPM will also address questions central to the development of a sustainable built environment, smart cities, and the preservation of natural assets.

“Quality housing management should not just focus on the provision of basic services, but on community development too,” Yau says. “We will teach hands-on skills, for instance in mediation and public relations, through active engagement in real-life situations and learning from activities like role-plays.”

Experienced industry practitioners will teach practical aspects and examine contemporary and legal issues that can result. Due consideration will also be given to emerging market trends, changing customer expectations about environmental hygiene, and use of advanced technologies such as sensors, AI and robotics.

“Housing management professionals should know how to make use of these technologies to facilitate their work,” Yau says. “They must also recognise that communities now tend to be more polarised and diversified, which may create a need for additional facilities.”

The target for the first MHPM intake is 25-30 students. Candidates should have a bachelor’s degree, be proficient in English and, ideally, have some prior experience in housing, property or facilities management or policy research. Yau is confident the programme will reinforce Lingnan’s international reputation for quality education and groundbreaking courses.