Welcome back, to a new semester, a new academic year, a new Dean of Science, and some exciting postings for several of our ‘old’ colleagues. The Faculty of Science welcomes Professor Sun Kwok to HKU from the University of Calgary in Canada. Professor Kwok joined the Faculty in February, and is a renowned astronomer. We congratulate Dr. Andy Cornish for his move from DEB and SWIMS to WWF-HK in the important role of Director of Conservation, and Dr. Yixin Zhang, until very recently a Research Assistant Professor in DEB and our salamader expert, who has just started his new Faculty position at the State University of Texas at San Marco. Congratulations and good luck to both Andy and Yixin in these important moves. Dr. Yvonne Sadovy is now the Deputy Head of DEB with a special responsibility to work towards our integration into the new School of Biology. The School, which will unite the three biological departments under one umbrella, will become a reality on 1 July 2007. The current scheme for organization of the School (as approved by the University Senate) envisages that DEB will largely continue as a 'Division of Ecology & Biodiversity', along side two other Divisions. I am also pleased to announce my reappointment as Head of DEB.

In closing, I would like to take this opportunity to say goodbye and thank you to Richard Corlett and Yvonne Sadovy as co-editors of Porcupine! After presiding over 12 issues, both feel it is time to pass on the pen (or, increasingly, the PC) for others to shape the issues. Dr. Billy Hau and Dr. Kenny Leung have, generously, taken up the Porcupine! challenge.

David Dudgeon

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