Dr Rebecca Lee Lok Sze

Mr Chairman, University Council Members, President Tong, Honoured Guests,

I would like to wholeheartedly thank my alma mater for conferring this prestigious Fellowship upon me today.

Since graduation from the Hong Kong Technical College, I have been in close contact with, and have developed deep affection for, my alma mater. As an environmentalist, I have conducted many public lectures on environment-related topics and hosted a number of sharing sessions on polar exploration for the PolyU community. I am delighted that my achievements have this endorsement from my alma mater. So, today at this important ceremony, I receive this honour with a great sense of joy and excitement.

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my alma mater for not only equipping me with professional knowledge and skills in design, but also nurturing those skills that have enabled me to think creatively and critically and to grow in wisdom. These life-skills have in turn enabled me to review my personal and social development, and consequently to make the decision to devote my life to polar research and environmental education. Design and environmental work, which seem to be entirely different paths for development, are in fact heading for the same destination - to build a better world for us to live in. Much to my disappointment, while people are heavily engaged in innovation and exploration with a view to raising our living standards, we have forgotten our primary obligation of conservation. Our ecological environment has therefore been badly damaged.

University education is a driving force for the development of society. It also plays a pivotal role in cultivating a sense of social responsibility among young people. It is most pleasing to see that my alma mater shares the same vision as me concerning the nurturing of our next generation. As President Tong has stressed, urbanization and massive urban renewal must be carried out, but community building instead of community destruction should be the guiding principle of urban development. With this vision of sustainable urban development underpinning education, there is still hope that our environmental efforts will pay off one day. Thank you.

Mrs Angel S.P. Chan Lau, BBS, JP

Ir Johnny Fan Siu Kay

Dr Rebecca Lee Lok Sze

Mr Lo Ka Chung (in absentia)

Mr Joseph K.C. Lo

Mr Herbert Tsoi Hak-kong, BBS, JP

Dr Wang Jianzhou

Dr Yip Kit-chuen

(in alphabetical order by name)