The security level on campus has increased by a notch this week. We are concerned that the decision by the National People’s Congress to pass a National Security Bill for Hong Kong will increase the chances of protest activity on campus. This is made more likely following the election of a Student Union Executive Committee…
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We made it! Honestly at times I have wondered whether we would get to the end of this semester. But we have done it, and examinations are underway now. the small amount of teaching that we were able to put on has been finished and we look towards the summer vacation and then looming on…
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There was no post last weekend because my old computer, which I had been using for about six years, died on Saturday morning. I have been using Apple computers since I bought myself an Apple Mac Plus in 1988, and this is the first time one has just died on me. A trip to the…
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Hong Kong has public holidays for all sorts of events. Yesterday was Buddha’s birthday, today is Labour day. The coronavirus pandemic has eased back in Hong Kong – no new cases for five days as of today but how long this will last I don’t know given that it is still rife in many parts…
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We have just finished the second week of small scale face to face teaching. I realise this hasn’t happened much elsewhere as universities have locked down and all teaching has gone online. However, I struggle to see how a science education can be regarded as complete without some hands-on practice of the skills that a…
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The Covid-19 cases in Hong Kong have really dropped this week – low single figures a day. The Faculty has quietly started a small amount of face-to-face teaching. It is our view that science graduates in some subjects need to be properly trained in some skills that can only be taught in person. So while…
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It seems that I probably picked up a bacterial infection in the Philippines and it has been festering in my right leg since January. This resulted in my lower leg and foot blowing up to such an extent that I could no longer get a shoe on. I was admitted to Queen Mary Hospital for…
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We had planned to start our practical teaching from 30th March, everything was in place. Strict hygiene was going to be used, at least 2m between each student. And then the government decided that groups of more than 4 were banned in public spaces. Is the laboratory of a university a public space – I…
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The coronavirus pandemic has swept around the world and is wreaking havoc. Having got the initial outbreak under control Hong Kong is now dealing with a wave of imported cases. What this means for us is that we have new challenges to meet. Many of our students are resident outside Hong Kong and need to…
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As coronavirus spreads around the world the impacts on day-to-day here at HKU change. Although the number of cases in Hong Kong is still quite low, and the outbreak seems to be coming under some sort of control in mainland China, there are now large outbreaks in Italy, Iran and South Korea. We have many…
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