Seminars of International Museum Day, Macao 2013

LAU Lesley, Ph.D.

Chief Curator, Art Promotion Office

Lesley Lau obtained her PhD degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, specialising in Chinese art history. Her research mainly focuses on Chinese export art and trade-port culture, public and community art development in Hong Kong. Lau has served for the Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre, Hong Kong Heritage Museum and the Cultural Services Branch of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Currently, she is the Chief Curator of the Art Promotion Office.

Ms. HUI Jeremy

Curator, Hong Kong Heritage Museum

Graduated from the Chinese University Hong Kong, Hui Siu Mui immediately joined the museum profession and has been working in various departments of the Hong Kong Heritage Museum since its establishment. Hui is at present the Curator of the Hong Kong Heritage Museum overseeing the museum's exhibition and research programmes related to the history and culture of Hong Kong.

LIM Tit Meng, Ph.D.

Chief Executive, Science Centre Singapore

Associate Professor Tit Meng Lim has been Chief Executive at the Science Centre Singapore (SCS) since January 2010. He is fondly known as TM. He graduated with a doctorate from the University of Cambridge in England in 1987, after attaining a BSc (Hons 1) from the National University of Singapore (NUS).

TM concurrently holds the position of Associate Professor at NUS Department of Biological Sciences. He has held many leadership positions at NUS, including that of Vice Dean from 2003 to 2008. The past President of the Singapore Institute of Biology, TM co-chairs the 2012 International Biology Olympiad Committee in Singapore. He is the current President of the Singapore Association for the Advancement of Science (SAAS). He has been appointed recently as a director in the Board of the Singapore Technologies Endowment Program. He is also a director in the Board of the Association of Science & Technology Centers (ASTC), and a member of the IAAPA Museum Sub-committee.

In 2008, he received the Outstanding Contributorship Award for the Ministry of Education (MOE) Science Research Program, for his services spanning 1988-2007. His other awards include the NUS Quality Service Award, 2007; and the MOE Service to Education Award 2009; and the Outstanding Science Entrepreneur Award 2010. Under his leadership, the Science Centre Singapore has won many accolades locally and internationally, including the coveted Singapore Tourism Board Award for Best Education Experience in 2010, 2011 and 2012 and the inaugural Museum Roundtable Award 2011 for Best in Education.

Science Centres and Museums inspire future creativity through past and present innovations

Science centres and museums are institutions that exhibit discoveries, inventions and innovations which have socio-economic impacts not just in history but also for our present and even future applications. The archive of things from the bygone era serves to remind us of how our living conditions have evolved over time. The exhibits can also help the young ones appreciate the challenges their parents and grandparents faced, to cherish all the convenience modern civilization has brought and, hence, learn not to take any of it for granted. Knowing how things worked or did not work in the past and the limitations of present innovations will help inspire new inventions and new solutions for the future. A Chinese phrase 温故知新 says 'revising old knowledge will give us new understanding'. Science centres and museums therefore have an important and meaningful role in promoting creativity with far reaching influence. Some strategies or methods used by the Science Centre Singapore to interest and engage visitors in creativity and innovations will be shared to demonstrate the effectiveness of such a role.

WANG Yusheng, Ph.D.

Vice Chairman, Beijing Association for Science and Technology

Wang Yusheng is a DSc, professor and doctoral advisor of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He is a member of the National Education Advisory Committee, Vice Chairman of the Beijing Association for Science and Technology, Director General and Secretary General of the China Care and Compassion Society and Vice Director-General of the China Association of Children's Science Instructors. He has been the Deputy Director of the Institute for the History of Natural Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Director General of the China Science and Technology Museum. He has also been a Board Member of the National Committee, Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and a member of the Subcommittee of Education, Science, Culture, Health and Sports for ten terms.

His publications include "Introduction to History of Natural Science", "History of Chinese Mathematics", "Exploration of Science", "Hundred Years of Technology", etc. He has been presented the National Book Award, China Book Prize, Award for Outstanding Contribution on Strategic Research for the "National Medium- and Long- Term for Science and Technology Development Plan (2006-2020)". He is granted special government allowance of the State Council.

AN Laishun, Ph.D.

Member, Executive Council of International Council of Museums (ICOM)

Education

• PhD in Chinese History (2005), Nankai Unversity, Tianjin, China.
• Master Degree of the Arts in Museology (2000), Reinwardt Academy, Amsterdam School of the Arts, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
• Bachelor Degree of History in museology (1984), Nankai University, Tianjin, China.

Professional Career

• Vice President & Secretary General, Chinese Museums Association (2010-present)
• Member, Executive Council of International Council of Museums (ICOM) (2010-present)
• Deputy Director, International Friendship Museum of China, Beijing, China, (10/2007-01/2012)
• Deputy Director, New Cultural Movement Museum of Beijing, Beijing, China, (02/2012-present)
• Director, Department of Planning & Development, China Agricultural Museum, Beijing, China (2002- 9/2007)
• Guest Professor of Museology and Heritage, Central University for Nationalities of China, Beijing, China, (2003-present)
• Guest Professor of Museum Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China, (2011-present)
• Guest Senior Researcher, Gansu Provincial Museum, Lanzhou, China, (2009-present)
• Vice President, International Committee for Museology (ICOM-ICOFOM)(2007-2010)
• Executive Editor-in-Chief, Chinese Museum Magazine, Beijing, China, (2003-present)
• Member, Editorial Board of International Journal of Intangible Heritage, Korea, (2009-present)
• Coordinator, Ecomuseums in Guizhou Province, Guizhou, China, (1996-2002)