Bulletin Number Four 1985

sity). A substantial recapitulation was shared between our visiting Fulbright Professor Earl Miner (Princeton University) and Dr. Yuan Heh-hsiang. We were quite honoured to have the sustained support and active participation o f our advisory committee: Dr. Ma Lin , Dr. F.C. Chen, Professor D.C. Lau, Dr. Ng Lee Ming and, from the P.R.C. State Education Commission, Mr. Jiang Miaorui and Mr. Yang Xun. Mr. Mark Sheldon, Yale-China represen tative, spoke on behalf o f the funding agencies, the Trustees o f Lingnan University and the United Board for Christian Education in Asia, in the closing cere­ mony. A ll forty-five participants spoke in warm terms about the unfailing support on the part o f the secre­ tarial staff and the postgraduate students in the smooth running o f the Conference. Dr. Ma Lin anticipated the results o f the Conference best, perhaps, when he started in his welcoming address, 'Such a gathering . . . suggests a worthwhile intellectual pursuit in which lies the better understanding o f ourselves and our world.' - J. Deeney International Symposium on Recycling o f Organic Wastes fo r Fertilizer, Food, Feed and Fuel An International Symposium on 'Recycling o f Organic Wastes for Fertilizer, Food, Feed and Fuel' was held at this University from 28th to 30th August, 1985. The symposium was the follow-up o f a previous conference entitled 'Ecological Aspects o f Solid Waste Disposal', also held at the University in 1983. The symposium was once again sponsored by COSTED (Committee on Science and Technology in Developing Countries) and UNESCO, and organ ized jo in tly by the Biology Department o f this University and ANBS (Asian Network o f Biological Science), Waste materials such assewage sludge,municipal waste, animal manure, etc. w ill increase tremendously in the near future. Reutilization o f these materials is therefore o f prime importance, especially in a densely populated area such as Hong Kong, where land for waste disposal is lim ited. Furthermore, in terms o f resource conservation and environmental protection, waste should be regarded as potential materials for fertilizer, food, feed and fuel. Resource recovery can therefore fore stall shortage o f natural resources and, at the same time, greatly reduce waste disposal problems. Many alternatives to waste disposal, either currently available or under study, focus on the recovery o f material or energy. In a world o f diminish ing resources and increasing needs, each opportunity for the reuse o f waste materials must be examined. We have gathered at the University a group o f scien­ tists and engineers from fifteen countries to exchange ideas and experience in various aspects o f waste recycling. Meetings such as this can serve as a media through which one can contribute significantly to solving the pressing environmental problems. Apart from the twenty papers presented during the Symposium, there were three keynote speeches: ‘Microbial biotechnology — Integrated studies on utilization o f solid organic wastes' by Professor S.T. Chang, Chairman o f the Department o f Biology, CUHK; 'Redressing the balance — The problem o f agricultural wastes in Hong Kong' by Mr. R. Hoare, Acting Commissioner, Hong Kong Environmental Protection Agency; and ‘Low capital cost biocon- version o f municipal and agricultural wastes' by Dr. D.L. Wise, Vice-President o f Dynatech Research/ Development Company, USA. A field trip was organized at the end o f the Symposium to study the waste recycling facilities o f the Agricultural and Fisheries Department, where pig and poultry manure is successfully turned into a high-quality soil condi tioner for various plants. Although the two-and-a-half-day Symposium has ended, research links have been established between different institutes. —M.H. Wong 6 NEWS