A childhood passion is now a full-time career
Chan Lung-sang, HKU associate professor, department of earth sciences, talks about the complexity and challenges of his position
YOU HAVE TO be passionate about this job, because it is becoming more complicated. There are new challenges and problems every day. It is part of the job. The challenges and overcoming them are a source of great satisfaction to me, but they might be seen negatively by others.
In the past, your duties would have been dedicated to either teaching or research, but these days we are expected to do multiple tasks - teaching and research, promoting new areas of research, recruiting students, promoting the department and its programmes, outreaching and bringing science to the public.
Even the teaching side is not just about teaching any more. We have to think of the whole learning process - how best to teach students more innovative ways of learning, and arrange internships and professional training opportunities for students.
This in turn leads to some logistical and administrative work, such as insurance cover and indemnity liabilities. Nor does our responsibility stop when our students graduate. We try to help them find work. Sometimes students come back to me five or six years later seeking career advice, or to ask whether to switch companies.
I teach about five courses a year at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. I also spend a lot of time doing fieldwork, which might be a day trip to look at geology somewhere in Hong Kong or a three-week trip overseas. We go at least once a year to Cyprus, Australia or North America.
In the earth sciences department, we have about 90 undergraduate majors, 40 research postgraduates and 20 students on master's degrees. Additionally, I have more than 200 students studying earth science as a minor subject. I also have my own research to conduct, and I am directly responsible for supervising four research students. I spend quite a lot of time trying to find funding for our research work.
As an expert on local geology, my duties also extend into the community. I run field trips for the Geological Society of Hong Kong and the Education and Manpower Bureau.
Universities these days talk about our duty as a 'total scholar'. Besides teaching and research work, this includes society at large and professional organisations.
I always wanted to be a university professor in earth sciences. As a child, I developed a passion for geology.
I took my first degree in geography at Chinese University, but found the subject a bit vague and so I went on to specialise with a master's degree and a PhD in the United States in geology and geophysics.
I became a geology professor at the University of Wisconsin, but I always dreamed of returning to Hong Kong. When the opportunity arose to come back and help build up an earth sciences department at HKU, I did not hesitate, even though I was a tenured professor at Wisconsin.
To succeed at this job and enjoy it, you must have a passion for your subject and your students. Then all the hard work is enjoyable.
There are frustrations. For example, research proposals and grants are sometimes turned down. But, overall, the satisfaction of working in a subject you love, and for such an interesting institution, overwhelms the frustrations.
Ultimately, the students are what matters most - to help them, encourage them and facilitate their learning.
