Newsletter No. 277

EYE ON CAMPUS Weiyuan Lake: Perfect Mix of Form and Function •The automati c Watergate in Weiyuan Lake • Irrigatio n by nullah water T he Chines e Universit y ha s th e larges t campus i n Hong Kon g at 13 4 hectares . Satellite images indicate that approximatel y 77% o f this area i s covered b y vegetation . Protecting suc h a large area i s not eas y — watering it alone i s enough o f a challenge. As using fresh water woul d go agains t both economic and greening principles, the University ha d alway s use d nulla h wate r to irrigat e it s campus. Howeve r acquirin g wa t e r f r o m ou t s i d e en t a i l s h i g h maintenance cost s for the supply system as well a s an unstead y o r inadequat e wate r supply. The University soon found an idea l solution within it s walls — i n its very ow n Weiyuan Lake , Chung Ch i College . The University began by clearing awa y the mu d an d sil t in the lak e to increas e it s water storag e level ; i t als o improve d it s pumping system. In addition, an automati c Watergate was installed in the lake in 200 3 to manag e the water level . At present , th e lake supplie s a decen t 700,00 0 litre s o f water t o th e Universit y pe r day , whic h i s not onl y sufficient for watering th e whol e campus, bu t leave s enough fo r cooling it s air-conditioning systems and flushing . This is a story of how a scenic lake has been turne d in to a sustainabl e sourc e o f life. CUHK Study Finds Girls Enjoy Reading More Than Boys A c co r d i ng t o a recen t stud y conduc t e d b y CUH K researchers, th e reaso n girl s outscor e boy s i n readin g ail aroun d th e worl d i s that girl s enjo y readin g more . Prof. Chi u Ming-min g o f the Departmen t o f Educationa l Psychology an d Prof . Catherin e McBrid e o f the Departmen t of Psycholog y conducte d a large-scale internationa l stud y o f how gende r an d readin g enjoymen t affec t readin g literacy . The stud y wa s base d o n th e PIS A (Progra m fo r Internationa l Student Assessment ) dat a release d b y th e Organizatio n fo r Economic Cooperatio n an d Development . Th e data include d the readin g test score s an d questionnair e response s o f clos e to 200,00 0 fifteen-yea r old s i n 4 3 countrie s an d regions , including Hon g Kong . In al l regions , girl s outscore d boy s b y 9% i n readin g o n average. Moreover , adolescen t boy s wer e mor e likel y t o b e illiterate (14% ) compare d t o girl s o f th e sam e ag e (8%) . Interestingly, Hon g Kon g ha d the fourt h smalles t gende r ga p with onl y 4 % illiterat e boy s an d 1.4 % illiterat e girls . Man y of th e gende r difference s note d coul d b e explaine d b y environmental an d socia l influence s o n literacy , suc h a s schoolmates' f am i l y soc i o - economi c status , readin g enjoyment, countr y income , famil y socio-economi c status , and numbe r o f book s a t home . Notably, girl s tende d t o repor t enjoymen t i n readin g more tha n boys ; an d Hon g Kon g student s ha d th e thir d highest readin g enjoymen t rating . Afte r accountin g fo r th e above factors , i t was found tha t gender differences explaine d only abou t 1 % of the difference s i n readin g literac y an d th e researchers believ e thi s 1 % migh t b e biological . The study' s result s sugges t tha t adolescent s whos e families valu e readin g an d wh o enjo y readin g wil l ten d t o read better . Thes e finding s sho w th e valu e o f hom e literac y for adolescents. As reading for enjoyment i s linked to readin g c omp e t e n c e, th e researcher s r e c omme n d a l l o w i n g adolescents t o selec t thei r ow n readin g materials . Members Newl y inducte d int o the CUHK Chapte r o f Beta Gamma Sigma MBA Graduates AW-YONG MAURICE CHAN HUNG IRIS CHAN KIT YIN CHAN PAK LEUNG CHAN YAN CHAN YUET LING MAGGI E CHIU CHI KEI BILLIE HO WIN G NGAR HUI LAI WAN KWOK WAI SHUN LAI WAI YEUNG LAM PAK HAY LEE PUI YUK LEE SHING CHO LEUNG HO LAM KELVIN LI HO MAN JOSEPH LO KIN I MA OI SUET MANIATIS ARION IOANNES NG JEFFREY NG KAM HON PAGELLA ALESSANDRO POON WING KAN QUE SZE KIT TANG CHI WAH TO KWOK WING WONG KA KEUNG WONG WAI PING JENNY YEUNG KWOK HO YIP KELVIN HOK-YIN Executive MBA Graduates CHEN PAK KEUNG ANDY FUNG SHUK FUN QUEENIE LAM MAN TUNG LAU YIN LING ANNIE LEE LAI LING ELAINE LEUNG SHUI ON LEUNG WAI YIP VINCENT NG WAI CHIU LEWIS PANG SIU HAN POON MO YIU TING SEE KI RUTH YIP WAI YIN TAMASA OneMBA Graduates KEMP SARAH ELIZABETH TAN YEW MENG EUGENE BBA/BSc Undergraduates (third year) CHAU WING SZE CHE U SAN CHENG YIK LUN CHEUNG YIN MAN MONICA FENG JINGWEN HO MAN CHI KWAN PUI SHAN KWOK YUEN MAN LAM KA YAN LAM KING LAM OI HEI LAM SIU FUNG LAM YU HEI LAW HO SANG LEE TSZ KEUNG LEUNG SlU TO LING CHUN HOI LO KAM FAT LUK SZE WAN WENDY NG SO HAN NG WING SANG NGAI KEI WING NIP CHI HANG SHI FUK YING TAM MAN KIT TSE HANG HIN WONG KWOK WAH WONG TSZ KWUN XU WANCEN YEUNG FU NGAI YIP CHUN PONG YIU YICK YU FELICIA YOU JIA YU KA FAI BBA/BSc Undergraduates (second year) CHAN CHONG HEI CHAN HOI YAN CHAN KA WING CHAN WING YIN CHAN YEUNG YUN CHENG LA I CHING CHEUNG WING YAN CHIU LICK HIM DENNIS CHOI HO MAN CHOI HON KEUNG CHOW YAU SHING CHUK HI U TUNG HUI HOI NING LAM KAI HO LEE HIU FAI LEE KWAI LAM LEE YU SHEUNG LEUNG WING YU LI KA YEE JESSICA LI PUI IN LI WAN YING LI WIN HAN LUK CHING HO NG KA KIT SHE PEIPEI SHU CHEN SO CHI HO TANG WING HO TONG CHUN HO WONG TSZ KWAN WU TIN YAU YEUNG CHUN FAI YIP SIU KEI YU KWAN SEEN CINDY YU TZE KIN YU YAO ZHANG JINGJING ZHANG LU ZHANG WANQING ZHOU YU ZONG YUTING Business School Recognizes Excellence in Induction and Award Ceremonies T he Un i ve r s i t y ' s Facult y o f Busines s Administration presente d awards to som e of It s most outstandin g teacher s an d students , and hel d th e Sevent h Inductio n Ceremon y o f the CUHK Chapte r o f Bet a Gamma Sigma an d the Awar d Presentatio n Ceremon y o n 25t h March a t Si r Ru n Ru n Sha w Hal l o n campus . About 40 0 teachers , student s and guest s wer e in attendance . Th r ee teacher s we r e awa r d e d th e Outstanding Teache r Awar d fo r excellenc e i n teaching — Prof . Michae l Fung , Departmen t of De c i s i o n Science s an d Ma n a g e r i a l Economics, Dr . Elen a Keung , Departmen t o f Finance, an d Prof . Wan g Qian , Schoo l o f Accountancy. I n addition, 22 0 maste r student s and undergraduate s wer e awarded Dean' s Lis t certificates fo r thei r outstandin g academi c achievements i n the previou s academi c year , wh i l e 1 0 undergraduate s wer e awarde d Service Award s fo r thei r contribution s t o p r omo t i ng teacher-studen t relationships , organizing studen t activitie s an d servin g th e student body . In the Sevent h Inductio n Ceremon y o f the CUHK Chapte r o f Bet a Gamm a Sigma , tw o prominent busines s leaders , Mr. Pau l Chan M o Po (left 3), president of the Hong Kon g Institut e of Certified Publi c Accountant s (HKICPA) , an d the Hon . Leun g Chu n Yin g (left 4), convene r of the Executiv e Counci l o f Hon g Kong , wer e presented th e Chapte r Honore e Awa r d . Seventy-five busines s undergraduate s an d 4 4 MBA, EMB A an d OneMB A student s (se e list) were inducte d int o Bet a Gamm a Sigm a membership i n recognitio n o f thei r achievements in business . Beta Gamma Sigma was founded i n 19 1 3 i n t he U S t o h o n o u r academic achievemen t in busines s an d ha s a current membershi p o f over 540 , 00 0 worldwide. Its membership i s a lifetim e recognition . The CUHK Chapte r wa s established i n 2000, th e first chapte r outsid e North Americ a t o hav e been a c c r e d i t e d b y AACSB International . 2 No. 27 7 19t h April 200 6