Bulletin Number One 1987

working on their individual projects normally have their experimental set-ups in either the Project La boratory or the appropriate research laboratories. In the past few years, the Department has been relying heavily on personal computers and other micro computers (20 IBM PCs or compatibles and a DEC MicroVax 1) for teaching and research. Recently, the new Computing Laboratory of the Department has become fully functional and comprises a super minicomputer with sixteen graphics terminals and eighteen additional IBM PCs. The undergraduate courses which w ill be using these facilities include computer graphics, CAD, engineering drawing, PCB design, image processing, circuit simulation, system analysis and VLSI design. Individual research laboratories in the Depart ment are essential in supporting teaching and in pro viding research and development projects for fourth year and postgraduate students. They are the Semi conductor Laboratory, Biomedical Engineering La­ boratory, Computer Vision Laboratory, Signal Pro cessing Laboratory, and Optical and Microwave La boratory. To offer teaching and to carry out active research at the forefront of technology, the Depart ment has been and will be sparing no effort in attracting University and outside funds to equip these laboratories to the best possible standard. Research Activities Members of the teaching staff are actively carrying out research in the following five major areas of electronics: — Solid-state Electronics: ion beam mixing and recoil implantation; buried nitride; ion- implanted silicon devices; VLSI design and fabrication; computer modelling of impurity profiles; solar cells. — Computer Vision and Digital Hardware: micro processor applications; 3D pattern recognition; automatic inspection techniques; video and data compression methods. — Computer Architecture: pipelining and multi processing; signed-digit number system; hyper- cube connectivity. — Communications: Computer communication networking; satellite communication protocols; multihop packet radio networks; optical fibre technology; integrated optical devices; fibre sensors; speech recognition; signal processing; adaptive recursive filters; cellular radio; system and control theory; fast Hartley Transform. — Biomedical Engineering: Impedance pneumo graphy; hypertrophic scar; ECG encoding; Pedobarography; measurement in physical activities; electric bio-impedance. The Electronics Society The Electronics Society is a student body organizing for Electronics students social, academic and intellectual functions. Since 1974, the Society has been publishing annually its technical magazine Resonance. It often attracts contributions from authors of high calibre as well as overseas former Electronics graduates working on advanced topics of current interest. In addition, the Society conducts computer courses during the summer vacation for the general public to promote computer literacy. These courses usually last for four to six weeks and are given by senior students with the advice of the staff. Career o f Graduates Employment opportunities for graduates of the Department have been good. Many of the graduates were able to re-join the companies in which they have undergone their Work-Study or summer vacation training. Tables 1 and 2 provide information on the employment pattern of first-degree graduates of the Department from 1982-1985. Cooperation with the Local Industry For many years, the Department has maintained a close relationship with the local industry through its Work-Study Programme, students summer vacation training, and in particular, the Advisory Committee on Electronics and the Electronics Consultancy Unit. The Advisory Committee on Electronics, which is made up of prominent industrialists from local electronics and electrical engineering companies, and representatives from organizations such as the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers and the Government Vocational Training Council, regularly reviews the Undergraduate Programme to ensure that it meets the need of the local industry. The Electronics Consultancy Unit was formed in the academic year 1984-85. It aims at providing research and development services to local industries and the academic community. Extensive contacts have been made with local industries for the promo­ tion of the Unit. A number of projects have been completed or are in progress, and a few are at an advanced stage of negotiation. Future Development One of the major growth areas closely associated with electronics is information technology (IT). The local community w ill soon be experiencing a tremen­ dous increase in the applications of information tech­ 12 RECENT DEVELOPMENTS