Bulletin Spring‧Summer 1998

Three Teachers Win National Natural Science Awards The National Natural ScienceAwards arethe top honour for researchersin the natural sciences in China. TheseBeijing-based awards, which comein four grades, are presented every other year. Profs. Henry N.C. Wong, Wong Yee-ding, and Chan Hsiao Changfrom the University wer among 55 winners at the Eighth National Natural ScienceAwards presentation ceremonyheldon 26th December 1997. Prof. Henry N . C. Wong Receives Second Class Award Prof. Henry N.C. Wong (right) of the Department of Chemistry received a second class award for his research project 'Synthetic Studies of Some Highly Strained Molecules', conducted with Prof. Hou Xuelong (left) of the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry. The research studies the physical and chemical properties of certain molecules that have special importance in organic chemical theory. It began in the eighties and is considered among the world's leading research in organic chemistry. The findings have had significant influence on organic chemical theory and led to the synthesis of theoretically interesting compounds. The second scientist from Hong Kong to have received a second class award since 1989, Prof. Wong is especially pleased because he believes it is proof that basic science research is receiving increasing attention on the mainland. Such research, he said, puts Hong Kong in a leading position in the development of organic chemistry and related fields, and he hopes that more and more young people w i ll engage i n it. As synthetic studies of chemical molecules is very costly due to the need for large amounts of reagents, Prof. Wong also hopes to secure more resources for research in this area. With financial support from the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, The Chinese Univerity, and the University of Hong Kong, Prof. Wong establish the Shanghai-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory in Chemical Synthepis which will be located at the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry.