During the seminar, Dr. Dewi Rowlands, Director of LASEC, highlighted the importance of good animal welfare and its relationship to good science, emphasizing that taking good care of research animals was not only ethically sound, but also scientifically necessary. The University and Hong Kong regulations for animal use were also discussed and students were given an opportunity to learn the basics of analgesia, anesthesia and post-operative care in various species.
Subsequent to the seminar, several hands-on practical sessions in small groups were held at LASEC with students learning how to acclimatize mice and rats to handling as well as appropriate handling techniques for administration of drugs or treatments. Both lecture and hands-on sessions were very well received and attended by the post-graduate students as well as some research staff from SBS.