Award for Teaching Excellence 2006-07

Professor D Dudgeon
School of Biological Sciences

Professor Dudgeon has worked at the University of Hong Kong for 25 years where he is a professor in the Division of Ecology and Biodiversity within the School of Biological Sciences, and Chairman of the Board of the Faculty of Science. He teaches courses on human evolution, freshwater ecology, and an introduction to ecology and evolution, and participates in a residential ecology field course for undergraduates. Professor Dudgeon's scientific publications deal with the ecology of streams and rivers, and the conservation of freshwater biodiversity. He is the author of several books including The Ecology and Biodiversity of Hong Kong (2005: co-written with Professor R. Corlett), which was published simultaneously in English, Chinese and simplified Chinese characters, as well as a field guide to Hong Kong streams that was published bilingually. These books were written as a contribution to local education beyond the university context, and to arouse public interest in Hong Kong's natural environment. In 2000, Professor Dudgeon was awarded the Biwako Prize in Ecology by the Japanese government; locally, he is a member of the Town Planning Board of Hong Kong SAR, and a Trustee of WWF (HK).

"Good teaching is something that has to be worked at. I suspect that the key is self-reflection: thinking about what you are doing, why you are doing it, and what you expect the students to gain from it."