Two Lingnan students awarded by the prestigious Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fund
Desmond Tan Kai-teck, an MPhil student of Environmental Science (left), and Avivi Hau Wai-man, a final-year undergraduate student of Chinese (right), receive this year's Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fellowship and Scholarship respectively.
Two students from Lingnan University were presented with the prestigious Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fellowship and Scholarship 2023/24 respectively for their academic endeavours and strong sense of commitment to the well-being and development of society.
This is the first time Lingnan students have received both a fellowship for research postgraduate studies and a scholarship for undergraduate studies since 2012/13.
Desmond Tan Kai-teck, one of only three recipients of the postgraduate students’ fellowship of HK$50,000, is an admirer of the harvestmen or daddy longlegs, a spider-like arachnid that moves slowly and feeds primarily on small insects, plants, and fungi. Desmond intends to contribute to knowledge of the biodiversity of harvestmen in Hong Kong with his MPhil research in environmental science at Lingnan.
“This is huge recognition for the work that I am doing now, and greatly motivates me to continue with this subject and bring this arthropod to the public’s attention. The grant will allow me to do them justice and learn more about them, as well as sharing my knowledge with the general public.”
Desmond credits the fellowship opportunity to his beloved harvestmen, a neglected group especially in Asia where the last study of them was back in the early 1900s. These distant cousins of spiders should attract more attention with Desmond’s work on their taxonomy using modern technology such as electron microscopy and genital morphology.
“We have already redescribed one species of harvestmen, and by the end of my study another new species will have been labelled. My goal is to describe them all, and learn their roles within Hong Kong’s ecosystem.”
Lingnan’s MPhil student of environmental science intends to contribute to knowledge of the biodiversity of harvestmen in Hong Kong. Photo courtesy: Desmond Tan Kai-teck
Another outstanding awardee, Avivi Hau Wai-man, is a final-year Chinese student at Lingnan. In recognition of her diligence and unwavering commitment as a young leader to preserving the Chinese language and classical literature and culture, she and only five other local university students have received scholarships of HK$40,000.
Avivi, who has studied at the Department of Chinese for the past four years, where a gateway has been opened for her into the field of historical and literary research, said “The Chinese language is inseparable from our lives; it serves as both a means of daily communication and a conveyor of Chinese culture. Many of society’s timeless truths originate from the teachings of sages and philosophers, and it is important to read and understand ancient texts in order to grasp their wisdom.”
The honour has encouraged Avivi to urge her generation to engage with, read, and work to enhance social awareness of classical Chinese. She intends to study both the humanities and technological advancements tirelessly, and to pass it on to future generations.
The two Lingnan winners, accompanied by Ms Connie Wong Lai-chu, Associate Director of Students Affairs (middle), attend the 37th Awards Presentation Ceremony of the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fund held at the Hong Kong City Hall on 24 March.
The Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fund was set up in 1987 in order to support young talents to reach their full potential, and to create lifelong opportunities for young and more mature people to excel and to continue their education for the betterment of Hong Kong and elsewhere.