Bulletin Spring‧Summer 1998

All for the Sake of Excellence in Research To keep abreast of the latest developments in science and technology, researchers need to maintain close links with world-class research centres as well as the support of state-of-the-art facilities. To cultivate an ideal environment for research on campus, the University recently established a Joint Laboratory for Geo- information Science with the Chinese Academy of Sciences ， acquired a supercomputer, and set up Hong Kong's first bioinformatics c e n t r e . Partnership with the Chinese Academcy of Sciences The Joint Laboratory for Geoinformation Science , set up in August 1997 by the Institute of Remote Sensing Application and the Institute of Geography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and relevant units at The Chinese University, is the first laboratory for geoinformation science in Hong Kong. The collaboration also marks the first joint attempt b y institutions in Hong Kong and the mainland to link geoinformatics technology with its theoretical study. Established with resources and facilities from the two institutions, the lab boasts a high-powered team of experts, including over a hundred senior professors and researchers, some 80 doctoral candidates, and over 40 master degree candidates. Joint Laboratory for Geoinformation Science P a r t i c i p a t i o n in the National '863 P r o j e c t ' The lab is currently engaged in the Hong Kong part of the remote sensing research programme of the '863 Project',so called because it was approved by Deng Xiaoping and the PRC Government in March 1986 to encourage high-tech developments i n China. The programme has invested heavily in developing advanced technology such as satellite remote sensing, radar and hyperspectral remote sensing. Hong Kong , as part of the Pearl River Delta, is specified one of the six sites under study in the programme. The lab will contribute to the project with its pool of expertise and highly advanced facilities, which include a remote sensing plane that can fly up to an altitude of 12,000 metres to collect data on land surface stability, water quality, and infrastructure. This w i ll provide important reference for the future development of Hong Chinese University Bulletin Spring • Summer 1998 24