2013 Activities
2013.11.14
Visit: Secretary for Education
Meeting with Mr. Eddie Ng Hak-kim, Secetary for Eduation
Visit to the greenhouse facilities
Left: Mr. Kenneth Cheng, Administrative Assistant to Secretary for Education; Prof. HM Lam, Mr. Eddie Ng Hak-kim, SBS, JP, Secretary for Education; Prof. SSM Sun, Ms. Michelle Li, JP, Deputy Secretary for Education; Prof. JH Zhang; Mrs. Salome Chan
2013.11.13
Visit: Delegation from Yunnan
2013.11.9
Centre for Soybean Research - Second Meeting
2013.11.8
Visit: Delegation from China Association for Science and Technology
Left: Prof. HM Lam, Prof. SSM Sun, Prof. ZL Chen (Associate Director of China Association for Science and Technology), Prof. JH Zhang
2013.11.2
Seminar: SKL/IPMBAB Seminar Series 2013
Best presentation award
2013.10.25
Seminar: GMOs: Assessing their Safety
Speaker: Prof. Alan McHughen
UC Riverside, USA
2013.10.10
Seminar: RNAi-Directed Downregulation of Vacuolar H+-ATPase Subunit A Results in Enhanced Stomatal Aperture and Density in Rice
Speaker: Dr. Zhang Huiying
Chongqing University
2013.6.3
Visit: Vegetable experts from mainland China
Prof. JH Zhang (4th from right), Prof. HM Lam (3rd from right), Prof. JX He (3rd from left, 2nd row) and Prof. WC Yu (2nd from left, 2nd row) had a meeting with vegetable experts from different institutes of mainland China (The Institute of Vegetables and Flowers Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences: Zhiyuan Fang, Rifei Sun, Xingfang Gu, Xi Zhang, Yumei Liu; Huazhong Agricultural University College of Horticulture & Forestry Sciences: Zhibiao Ye; Chongqing Academy of Agricultrual Sciences: Shibing Tian; Hunan Vegetable Research Institute: XueXiao Zou; Northeast Agricultural University: Xiangyang Xu; Beijing Vegetable Research Center: Fenglan Zhang; Nanjing Agricultural University College of Horticulture: Xilin Hou; Tianjin Academy of Agricultural Sciences: Deling Sun; Shenyang Agricultural University: Hui Feng; Institute of Economic Crop, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Science: Shiyong Mei).
2013.4.30
Seminar: Deep and Wide Applications of Mass Spectrometry in Proteomics Dicovery
Speaker: Prof. Eastwood, Hon-Chiu Leung
Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine; Director, Mass Spectrometry Proteomics Core Facility, Baylor College of Medicine
2013.4.25-28
Outgoing visit: SKL delegation visit to Academia Sinica Biotechnology Centre Southern Taiwan and the AVRDC The World Vegetable Centre cum seminars on progress and application of agro-biotechnology to crop production
To facilitate academic exchange, explore and develop collaboration with the Academia Sinica and The World Vegetable Centre in the field of plant and agricultural biotechnology, a delegation led by Prof. Zhang Jianhua, the Director of State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology (CUHK) visited Taiwan on 25-28 Apr 2013. The delegation (Prof. Zhang Jianhua, Prof. Jiang Liwen, Prof. Ngai Sai Ming, Prof. He Junxian, Prof. Tan Baocai, Prof. Yu Weichang, etc.) fostered and developed strategic collaborations with our Taiwan partners.
Visit to Academia Sinica Biotechnology Centre Southern Taiwan:
Prof. Chan Ming-Tsair , Director of Academia Sinica Biotechnology Centre Southern Taiwan hosted an in-depth focus group meeting for the delegation and the representatives from the National Cheng Kung University including Prof. Liu Zin-Huang , Director of the Institute of Tropical Plant Sciences. Both research units are located in the Tainan Science Park. Taking advantage of the proximity of these research institutions, we had the chance to meet with their researchers with complementary expertise in both institutions and placed visits to their research facilities.
There has been joined publication between members of our SKL and members of the Academia Sinica Biotechnology Centre Southern Taiwan. Built on the existing foundation with the Academia Sinica, this visit not only re-strengthened the current partnership but also fostered future collaborations in our strategic partners in Southern Taiwan to make good use of their resources in terms of lab space and experimental field in a typical subtropical climate.
SKL delegation and the representatives from Academia Sinica Biotechnology Centre Southern Taiwan and National Cheng Kung University
Left: Prof. Zhang Jianhua, the Director of State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology (CUHK)
Right: Prof. Chan Ming-Tsair , Director of Academia Sinica Biotechnology Centre Southern Taiwan
Visit to AVRDC - The World Vegetable Center:
The delegation visited the Center’s headquarters and meet with the research team, especially in the field of Vegetable Molecular Biotechnology. The AVRDC Head of Communication, Ms Maureen Mecozzi gave an overview presentation on AVRDC followed with a meeting with the Head of Molecular Genetics, Dr. Roland Schafleitner. The team then placed a visit to their Seed Bank which is one of the largest public seed bank on vegetable breeding in the Asia region. This visit has been very fruitful and our delegation was impressed by the outstanding and dedicated work of the AVRDC on vegetable breeding and the well established gene bank.
As one of the research focus of our new SKL branch in Shenzhen is on vegetable breeding and we had established our "Engineering Laboratory for Vegetable Molecular Biotechnology" in Nov 2012. This visit provided essential understandings between AVRDC and our SKL, follow up communications have been initiated on developing collaboration between AVRDC and our SKL on vegetable breeding, particularly the molecular breeding of some indigenous vegetables.
4th from right: Ms Maureen Mecozzi, the Head of AVRDC Communication
3rd from right: Dr. Roland Schafleitner, the Head of AVRDC Molecular Genetics
SKL delegagtion visited the seed bank of AVRDC
Other Visits:
Apart from the above visits, the delegation also visited the headquarters and the experimental field of one of the biggest seed company in Taiwan, the Known-You Seed Co. Ltd located in Kaohsiung as well as the Yuen Sen Applied Botanical Garden located in Taitung.
SKL delegation and Ms Wendy Y.Wu (4th from left, Vice General Manager of Known-You Seed Co.)
SKL delegation visited the experimental field of Known-You Seed Co.
SKL delegation visited Yuen Sen Applied Botanical Garden
2013.4.13-7.31
Exhibition at the Hong Kong Science Museum
The Hong Kong Science Museum invites local scientific teams to exhibit their research achievements in their Science News Corner. The purpose is to introduce important researches conducted in Hong Kong to the public, with the aim to promote popular science.
Our soybean research was selected for exhibition from April 13 to July 31, 2013. There are a total of eighteen poster boards together with one video show, two display columns, and one computer Q&A game.
In conjunction to this exhibition, Prof. HM Lam also gave two educational seminars organized by the Education Bureau (June 26, 2013; attended by ~600 high school teachers and students) and one popular science lecture hosted by the HKSM (June 29, 2013; attend by ~100 general public). A video recording a snapshot of the soybean research is being shown in the exhibition room. This video produced by the Education Bureau has won an award of excellence in the Indie Fest, an award of merit in the in Accolade File, Television, New Media and Videography Competition, and an award of merit in the Chicago International Film Festival TV Award. The video is also available in a public education website:
http://minisite.proj.hkedcity.net/stds_sci/cht/Video_of_Scientist/soybean_homecoming.html
Opening ceremony on April 12, 2013 was officiated by (left to right): Professor Fanny Cheung (pro-VC, CUHK), Professor Yuk-Shan Wong (pro-VC, HKUST), Ms. Karen Sit (acting chief curator of HKSM) and Professor Hon-Ming Lam (Director of the Center for Soybean Research, CUHK)
Representatives from the Education Bureau and some local charity organizations also attended the opening ceremony
2013.4.10
Centre for Soybean Research - First Meeting
We have officially established the Center for Soybean Research, CUHK. The team composes of investigators of complementary expertise. The first academy meeting of this center was held on 10 Apr 2013 in which all teams presented their current works related to soybean.
Left: Prof. HL Hui, Prof. TF Chan, Prof. MK Chan, Prof. SSM Sun, Prof. HM Lam (Director of Centre for Soybean Research), Prof. MC Fung, Prof. SM Ngai, Prof. JX He
2013.3.18
Outgoing Visit: Tai Lung Experimental Station
To facilitate the development of the vegetable breeding and production program in CUHK Shenzhen Vegetable Breeding Centre, the delegation led by Prof. Yu Weichang, Research Assistant Professor, CUHK, and Mr. Xiao Yu, Manager of the Shenzhen Dapeng Management Committee visited Tai Lung Experimental Station in the afternoon of March 18, 2013. The aim of this trip was to visit Tai Lung's facilities for vegetable growing and experience in vegetable production at Hong Kong.
Mr. Chan Siu Lun, the Agricultural Officer of Agricultural, Fisheries and Conservation Department, introduced and shared his experience on organic vegetable cultivation, greenhouse facilities and infrastructure to the delegation. The delegation got the valuable experience about vegetable production in Hong Kong which will definitely beneficial to the development of CUHK Shenzhen Vegetable Breeding Centre.
3rd from left: Mr. Xiao Yu, Manager of the Shenzhen Dapeng Management Committee
4th from left: Mr. Chan Siu Lun, the Agricultural Officer of Agricultural, Fisheries and Conservation Department
2nd from right: Prof. Yu Weichang, Research Assistant Professor, CUHK
2013.2.28
Press Interview: Wen Wei Po
http://paper.wenweipo.com/2013/04/16/ED1304160002.htm
http://paper.wenweipo.com/2013/04/23/ED1304230018.htm
2013.1.29
Delegation from Shenzhen Technological Innovation
A delegation led by Ms. Qiu Xuan, Deputy Director of the Shenzhen Technological Innovation visited CUHK on 29 Jan 2013. They met with Pro-Vice-Chancellors Prof. Henry Wong and watched a video about CUHK and Prof. Wong introduced the development of the University and highlighted the accomplishments in its areas of excellence. The delegation also visited the State Key Laboratory (SKL) of Agrobiotechnology (CUHK) and met with Prof. Zhang Jianhua and Prof. Yu Weichang of the SKL.
This visit increased the understanding of the delegation about SKL and enhanced communication between the two parties.
