{"id":11720,"date":"2017-12-01T17:27:19","date_gmt":"2017-12-01T09:27:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/?p=11720"},"modified":"2021-10-18T17:22:43","modified_gmt":"2021-10-18T09:22:43","slug":"fun-with-physics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/2017\/12\/fun-with-physics\/","title":{"rendered":"Fun with Physics"},"content":{"rendered":"

Colourful physicist Tong Siu-sing finds fame on TV<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Jade Li<\/strong><\/p>\n

I<\/span>n a city not known for its scientific prowess, Tong Shiu-sing may be the closest thing Hong Kong has to a rock star scientist \u2013 not because he is at the forefront of cutting edge research but because he may just the most recognisable physicist in town.<\/p>\n

Tong is a senior lecturer in the Physics Department at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and is best known for his quirky role as \u201cDr. Tong\u201d (\u6e6f\u535a\u58eb) in a popular Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) programme- Sidewalk Scientists<\/em> (\u5b78\u662f\u5b78\u975e).<\/p>\n

\"\"
Tong teaching at the lecture hall in CUHK<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While many people might think of physics as being boring or impenetrable, Tong has managed to present scientific knowledge in an accessible and even humorous way.<\/p>\n

His first love was astronomy, being a stargazer as a child, but he soon found that physics was the fundamental science, the most basic way through which to understand the world.<\/p>\n

His passion for physics took him all the way through graduate school and he had assumed he would pursue a career in research. But after completing his PhD at CUHK, Tong realised he was not a typical \u201clab person\u201d. He was more of a \u201cpeople person\u201d.<\/p>\n

Instead of spending his time chasing research grants and writing journal articles, he preferred a more interactive job where he could communicate with others. \u201cI like to get to know others and communicate with them. This helps me to get a better picture of who they are,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Tong enjoys teaching and likes to spend a lot of time preparing for his classes. Although teaching involves intellectual stimulation and the dissemination of knowledge, it also incorporates elements of performance, and this is something that Tong discovered he has a gift for and love of.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Tong giving a speech at the lecture hall in CUHK<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

His entry into the world of television started from a random phone call he got from programme makers at TVB one day.<\/p>\n

\u201cBasically they wanted me to perform an experiment on camera and add some explanation\u2026it was very easy,\u201d he says, explaining that he is as an extrovert who likes performing in front of audiences whenever he has the chance.<\/p>\n

His colourful on-screen persona began to take shape after he started filming for the first few episodes of Sidewalk Scientist, <\/em>a programme that explores science in daily life through performing various experiments.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Tong with the girls in Sidewalk Scientists (provided by interviewee)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI was brought onto the set of an ancient pagoda, where I was told to dress up in a costume,\u201d he recalls. \u201cThen I realised I was expected to do some acting.\u201d\u00a0 Although Tong was not a professional actor, his jokes and interaction with the presenters was positively received by the general public.<\/p>\n

Tong is grateful for the support his employer has shown for off-campus performances.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a reason why I chose to stay in CUHK. They provide me with lots of freedom,\u201d he says. Tong says he is free to use and develop his own teaching methods and is able to squeeze time off from work to do something he adores.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t think this can be measured by money, because I\u2019m able to do something that can influence society.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tong has taken advantage of his TV fame to interact with the public on social media and share his knowledge of science. His physics-themed Facebook page \u201cDr. Tong\u2019s Sharing\u201d (\u6e6f\u535a\u58eb\u7684\u7269\u7406\u7a7a\u9593) now has more than 24,000 followers. He hopes the page will attract not just his students but also members of the public to see the fun and interesting side of physics.<\/p>\n

He is also active on the discussion forum Hong Kong Golden, using his real name. Discussions can get heated and insults personal on Hong Kong Golden, but Tong says he is thankful that he does not get a lot of \u201chaters\u201d online. He thinks this is mainly because he shows sincerity and wears his heart on his sleeve. He understands that the old-fashioned way of talking to young people in an authoritative way does not work any more.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I really show the message that I care a lot about my students, about young people,\u201d says Tong. \u201cI would support them to understand themselves or break through in their growth, to fight against social norms and to take the path they truly desire.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for his own path, he wants to be the first to try new things. He was the first physicist to act in a TV series, the first to apply for funding from the Education Bureau to set up a physics database.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve the courage to try to achieve things that others aren\u2019t willing to,\u201d he says proudly.<\/p>\n

As a semi-celebrity, Tong says he does feel pressure, but it mainly comes from within. He was invited to be a guest speaker for the Inno Tech Expo 2017 at the end of September and was worried about the expectations of the audience.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople might come in with certain expectations or standards from the other speakers. What if I can\u2019t give them what they want?\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, he will grab such opportunities because he enjoys interacting with the public. Comparing his off-campus work with classroom teaching, Tong says teaching is more limiting in terms of creativity and inventiveness because of the constraints of the syllabus. \u201cYou have to ensure that your students understand the logic within the theories,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

The parameters are different when Tong is doing work on promoting popular science (\u79d1\u666e). Popularising science is all about promoting the understanding of science among the general public. It is done through various channels like performing experiments in public, promoting science education through television shows, online platforms and journals.<\/p>\n

Being a CUHK science lecturer means Tong is often invited to give school talks and attend activities in various district communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom my perspective, popular science isn\u2019t targeted for particular groups; it shouldn’t be constrained by a set of rules,\u201d he says. \u201cThe logic is simple; you apply different methods on different audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

For example, when explaining scientific concepts to children, Tong uses more graphics and props; when talking to university students, more abstract concepts can be introduced.<\/p>\n

The key is to understand the needs of a particular demographic group. Tong seems to have an intuitive grasp for this but admits he is still unsure what the most effective way is to promote science in Hong Kong. He says this is because people in Hong Kong are stuck in their existing views and mindsets and often put emotions before reason.<\/p>\n

\u201cHong Kong is an anti-intellectual city where people are often emotionally drained and our [political] stances often come first,\u201d he sighs.<\/p>\n

Tong said the government is also like this. As an example, he cited the third runway proposal for the Hong Kong International Airport. He says the government should convince the public with scientific evidence that the proposal is safe and cost effective, so people would not think the government is building it only for political or economic reasons. He said if people could look at the matter objectively, they would understand the reasons behind it.<\/p>\n

For Tong, it is a person\u2019s approach to knowledge, rather than the knowledge they have that is more important. He says that not everyone understands the theories behind science, but they can learn them through applying scientific methods or simply by analysing them logically. This can be applied to how we understand and interact with our society as well.<\/p>\n

Tong uses the idea of the Mandela Effect \u2013where a person or group of people becomes convinced that something happened though it did not – to describe Hong Kong\u2019s current predicament.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre the things we choose to believe reliable? Or are we just believing because we want to get self-satisfaction and feel included?\u201d he asks.<\/p>\n

Edited by Minnie Wong<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For university lecturer Tong Shiu-sing, Physics is both fundamental and fun. Varsity caught up with the TV scientist who wants promote popular science to the general public.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12013,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1812,79],"tags":[891,890],"class_list":["post-11720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-issue-146","category-people","tag-experiment","tag-physics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11720"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11720\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12019,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11720\/revisions\/12019"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}