Vice-Chancellor's Report 1982-85

our tota l numbe r o f postgraduat e programme s t o forty-five . Th e tota l number o f postgraduat e student s gre w f r o m 97 3 t o 1,172 , f o rmi n g eighteen percent o f ou r tota l student population i n 1985 . Wh i le thi s is a healthy growth ; th e p r opo r t i on o f postgraduat e student s i s stil l muc h too l o w b y th e standard s o f leadin g internationa l institutions , an d th e University wou l d nee d t o devot e eve n greater attentio n an d resource s to thi s par t o f it s effor t i n future . Research an d Conference Closely relate d t o postgraduat e educatio n i s research , wh i c h forms anothe r majo r par t o f ou r wo r k . Reader s who refe r t o the list o f staff publications appende d t o thi s Repor t wou l d se e that it i s substantially longer tha n tha t i n m y las t Report , an d I a m gla d t o sa y tha t a n internal stud y ha s indicated tha t staf f produc t i v i t y an d the p r opo r t i o n of publication s appearin g i n internationa l journal s hav e bo t h bee n o n the increase . This i s a reflection of our stron g commitment t o academi c research i n a number o f ways , includin g staf f assessmen t policy , th e support o f postgraduat e student s an d fundin g o f a wide spectru m o f academic activities . Research i n th e biologica l science s has long been a strong are a o f our efforts . Thi s researc h ha s bee n mainl y concentrate d o n th e stud y of severa l traditiona l Chines e medicina l herb s b y mode m analytica l methods. Som e o f th e result s obtaine d hav e alread y show n hig h potential fo r patentabl e applications , fo r instance , t o b i r t h control . Many othe r project s hav e attracte d substantia l externa l funding , wh i ch enable s the investigators t o intensif y thei r wo r k an d make long - term plans . A fe w year s ago , productive researc h in the area of molecular biology wa s also initiated, an d subsequently ther e have been plans for establishin g a researc h an d postgraduat e programm e i n biotechnology under th e join t auspice s o f th e Department s o f Biochemistr y and Biolog y o f th e University . Muc h greate r progres s i n thi s excitin g new fiel d ca n therefor e b e expecte d i n th e year s t o come . Two large-scal e researc h project s i n th e socia l sciences involvin g a numbe r o f collaborator s als o deserv e attention . On e i s th e interdisciplinar study o f th e physica l fitnes s o f youn g peopl e i n Ho n g Kong a s a n exampl e o f a densel y populate d are a which , unde r th e leadership o f Professo r T o Cho-Yee , draw s investigator s f r o m th e School o f Education , th e Facult y o f Medicin e a s well a s the Physica l Education Un i t , an d ha s alread y produce d a report i n boo k f o r m o n the subject . Ano t he r i s th e join t projec t o n Chines e demograph y an d economic modellin g undertake n b y th e Centr e fo r Contemporar y 7