Media

HKU weekly notice (from July 11 to 18, 2015)

10 Jul 2015

 

Public Lecture
“Science of Learning Discoveries about the Role of ‘Visual Sign Phonology’ and Reading: Revolutionary Implications for Young Visual Learners”

Decades of research have identified that the capacity to segment the speech stream, called “phonological awareness,” is crucial for acquiring successful reading skills in the very young emergent hearing reader. What happens in the case of deaf children without access to sound? Until recently, it was widely viewed that deaf children without access to spoken language will become poor readers and face academic challenges for life. Here, we present scientific evidence spanning multiple labs in the United States that the brains of profoundly deaf people extract visual sign phonetic-syllabic units from the visual linguistic stream around them, produce these units in infancy, and create a homologous “phonological” level of language organization in the absence of sound (c.f. Petitto & Marentette, 1991; Petitto et al., 2001, 2004; Petitto, 2009) en route to becoming successful readers. Moreover, early sign language-exposed children build upon their visual sign phonology to create connections among orthographic, semantic, and phonological representations, critical for the development of skilled reading, in precisely the same manner as hearing children with sound phonology.

In the public lecture, Dr Adam Stone and Dr Geo Kartheiser, student scholars and researchers from NSF Science of Learning Center, Visual Language and Visual Learning (VL2), Gallaudet University will discuss the implications of these findings for the Science of Learning, and how it contributes new knowledge about the role of phonology and its associated neural sites and systems in all human language and reading acquisition. Professor Laura-Ann Petitto, one of the lead researchers in the field on this topic, will serve as the Moderator. Members of the media are welcome to cover the event. Details and programme are as below:

Date:   July 11, 2015 (Saturday)
Time:   2:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Venue:   Rayson Huang Theatre, the University of Hong Kong
Language: Sign Language (English)

Details:  http://sol.edu.hku.hk/stone-kartheiser-public-lecture/

For media enquiries, please contact Ms Rachel Li, Senior Manager (Development and Communications) (Tel.: 2219 4270 / E-mail: lirachel@hku.hk).

HKU Science Public Lecture on the Historic Encounter of Pluto
Flyby of New Horizons Spacecraft over Pluto gives the first-ever detailed account of the dwarf planet
The New Horizons spacecraft will fly by Pluto, making its closest approach on July 14, 2015 at 8 pm (HK time). It will give us the first-ever detailed look of this dwarf planet, which has fascinated scientists and the general public ever since its discovery in 1930. To unveil the mysterious Pluto, the Faculty of Science of the University of Hong Kong will organize a public lecture on this historic encounter on the same day.

Following a nine-year journey, New Horizons will pass approximately 12,500 kilometers above Pluto’s surface. The spacecraft will zip through the Pluto system at about 50,000 km/h with the most powerful suite of science instruments ever sent to the outer solar system.

What do we know about Pluto? Why is it classified as a dwarf planet? Why does it come closer to the Sun than Neptune periodically? How did it end up with a moon, Charon, almost half its size, as well as four smaller moons in an unusual configuration? How has Pluto and its siblings in the Kuiper Belt revolutionized our understanding of the evolution of our Solar System? This talk will give you some clues, in anticipation of the results that will be streaming in from New Horizons.

Members of the Press are cordially invited to this public lecture. Below please find the details.
Date: July 14, 2015 (Tuesday)
Time: 5:30 pm- 6:45 pm (light refreshments from 5 pm)
Venue: Rayson Huang Theatre, Main Campus, the University of Hong Kong
Speaker: Dr Lee Man Hoi, Associate Professor of Departments of Earth Sciences and Physics, HKU

Dr Lee Man Hoi is a planetary scientist who works on the formation, motion, and dynamical evolution of planetary bodies (planets, moons, etc.) in our Solar System and in planetary systems around other stars. He has written research articles on the evolution of Pluto-Charon and on the orbits and origin of the small moons of Pluto.

For more information of the talk, please visit: http://www.scifac.hku.hk/events/comm/2015/pluto
For the updates of New Horizons, please visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/newhorizons/main/index.html

For press enquiry, please contact Ms Cindy Chan, Senior Communication Manager of Faculty of Science (Tel: 3917-5286/ 6703-0212/ email: cindycst@hku.hk)

UMAG exhibitions:
1.  “Sèvres: Porcelain of the Kings” Celebrating extraordinary French Porcelain
The exhibition “Sèvres: Porcelain of the Kings” is held from June 10 to August 16, 2015. Through the exhibition, visitors will discover the extraordinary history of the manufactory and the artistic quality and work methods of its world-famous kilns. An extensive outreach programs such as public guided tours and clay workshops will be offered to bring the visitors closer to one of the world’s most exquisite artistry.

Details of the Exhibitions
Period: June 10, 2015 (Wed) to August 16, 2015 (Sun)
Venue: 1/F T.T. Tsui Building, UMAG, 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam
General Enquiry: Tel: (852) 2241 5500 (General Enquiry)  / Email:  museum@hku.hk

Fees: Free Admission

2. "Alberto Reguera: Blue Expansive Landscape"
The University Museum and Art Gallery is presenting an exhibition of renowned Spanish artist Alberto Reguera from June 5 to August 23, 2015. The exhibition highlights a borderless space that is woven together by the artist’s paintings, sculptures and installations. Reguera’s work across various media shares a similar visual structure formed through an expansive use of the colour blue. Diverse stylistic elements are then linked to create a single aesthetic and conceptual unit.

Details of the Exhibitions
Period: June 5, 2015 (Friday) to August 23, 2015 (Sunday)
Venue: 1/F & 2/F, Fung Ping Shan Building, University Museum and Art Gallery, the University of Hong Kong, 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam
UMAG opening hours
09:30 – 18:00 (Mon to Sat)
13:00 – 18:00 (Sun)
Closed on University and Public Holidays
General Enquiry: Tel: (852) 2241 5500 / Email:  museum@hku.hk
Fees: Free Admission
Website: www.hkumag.hku.hk

HKU Centre for the Humanities and Medicine presents an exhibition on the History of Malaria in Hong Kong
"Fever: The History of Malaria in Hong Kong" encourages multi-sensory engagement with local historical information and artefacts and promotes understanding of the importance of the disease in the development of the territory. Visitors will learn how malaria was eradicated from Hong Kong, as well as the seriousness of the contemporary malaria situation in other regions of the world.

The launch of the exhibition was timed to coincide with World Malaria Day 2015 which aims to raise awareness of malaria as a disease that is preventable and treatable and mobilize action to end the ravages of malaria.

Period: April 25 to July 26, 2015
Time: 10:00am - 5:00pm (Tuesday - Saturday); 1:00pm - 5:00pm (Sunday & Public Holidays); Closed on Mondays
Venue: Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences, No. 2 Caine Lane, Mid-Levels

Further information: http://www.chm.hku.hk/history_of_malaria.html

For media enquiries or individual interview requests, please contact Mr Cyrus Chan, Events Coordinator, Faculty of Arts (tel: 3917 4984 email: cyrusc@hku.hk).