19/08/2011
Thus Spake…
The summer of 2011 must be an exhilarating time for Prof. Dennis Y.M. Lo, Li Ka Shing Professor of Medicine of CUHK and Director of the Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, and his family. He was elected to the Royal Society, the prestigious UK academy of science founded in 1660, joining a long and illustrious line of scientists that include Newton and Darwin, and went to London on 15 July to sign himself into the history of science. He was also awarded the Silver Bauhinia Star by the HKSAR Government in its July Honours List for his research excellence and contributions to the welfare of patients. Professor Lo shares a few thoughts on the Royal Society and on scientific research and education.
What happened on 15 July?
Before the ceremony on the 15th, a symposium was held on 13th and 14th July for each of the new Fellows to give a brief presentation. It was interesting to hear so many scholars from different fields speak about their work. We were shown an ancient book where the inaugural presentation of Newton was recorded. Nowadays the presentations are of course videotaped, but the sense of history and community had already begun to enthrall me.
On 15 July, the new Fellows were given a briefing on the history of the Society, how it began in 1660 and obtained a Royal Charter a few years later. That’s when the tradition of signing the Charter Book began. It’s the same book in which I inscribed my name on 15 July. It is over 300 years old and still has enough pages for new Fellows in the next 100 years!
Before the ceremony we were given time to practise using the quill for it was not at all easy to write with this traditional instrument. When I signed my name on the Book, I was of course in awe of the solemnity of the occasion and the moment. But I also had to be extremely focused on the act of signing. I could hear and feel the rustle of the quill on the paper, and see the ink spill and sink on the paper to form my name in English and Chinese. I felt proud and happy to have been placed alongside so many distinguished scholars both past and present.
How do you see the role of the Royal Society in promoting science?
The Royal Society has essentially laid down the mode of scientific enquiry in the western world. In as early as the 17th century, it had already assembled a community of scientists and cultivated the practice of examining data in detail, conducting experiments, encouraging debates among peers and publishing the results. This evidence-based method of scientific enquiry is still with us today. So in addition to its tremendous contributions in terms of leadership and innovation in scientific circles, the Royal Society has far-reaching influence on how generations of scientists have plied their trade.
[Original source: Newsletter on 19 August 2011, CUHK Information Services Office Website http://www.iso.cuhk.edu.hk/english/publications/newsletter/article.aspx?articleid=13524]