Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 2002

T h e s u p e r c o m p u t er is t h e f a s t e st c omp u t er i n H o n g K o n g a nd an excellent scalable c omp u t i ng system. Several p o p u l ar s c i e n t i f ic research a p p l i c a t i o ns i n c l u d i ng Gaussian, VASP (Vienna Ab-initio Simulation Package), F l u e nt a n d A M B E R ( A s s i s t ed M o d e l B u i l d i ng w i t h En e r gy Refinement) have been installed a nd the supercomputer has demonstrated an outstanding scalability p e r f o r ma n ce w i t h the use of p a r a l l el pro- grammes. A p a r t f r o m the i n s t a l l a t i on o f s u ch applications, a parallel operating environment has been set u p to s u p p o rt the use of high- performance compilers, scientific engineering libraries and job management systems. Celebrations in Honour of Prof. C.N. Yang's 80th Birthday Members of the University and the local community raising a toast to Prof. Yang (seated, left) • A display of old photos at the C.N. Yang Archive The Biography of C.N. Yang The University hosted a full-day programme to celebrate the 80th b i r t h d ay of Prof. Yang C h e n N i n g , r e n o w n ed N o b e l l a u r e a te i n physics and Distinguished Professor-at-Large of the University, on 28th September 2002. The programme began w i t h a symposium i n the mo r n i ng held at Sir Run Run Shaw Ha ll f e a t u r i ng a w e l c o m i n g a d d r e ss b y P r o f. Am b r o se K i n g, vice-chancellor, a nd t a l ks delivered by Prof. Kenneth Young, pro-vice- chancellor, Prof. Yau Shing Tung, director of the Institute of Ma t h ema t i c al Sciences, D r. Chen Fong Ching, h o n o r a ry senior research fellow at the Institute of Chinese Studies, and Prof. Yang h i ms e l f. There w a s also a f i v e- m i n u te mo v ie made by Prof. Yang s h o w i ng his acquaintance w i t h famous physicists such as Heisenberg, Dirac, Wigner, and Schwinger. I n attendance at the s y m p o s i um were over 1,400 students and teachers of the University and local secondary schools. I n the afternoon, the C.N. Yang A r c h i ve was f o r ma l ly opened. The archive houses a valuable collection of Prof. Yang's research manuscripts, correspondence, publications, and prestigious medals i n c l u d i ng the No b el Prize medal, all of w h i c h we re d o n a t ed b y Prof. Yang to the University back i n 1999. The Biography of C.N. Yang, a book i n Chinese on the life and w o r k of the great physicist w r i t t en by Ms. Yip Ch u ng Ma n, was launched on the same occasion. I n the evening, a b i r t h d ay banquet was held for Prof. Yang at the G r a nd Hy a t t. The f u n c t i on was attended by about 180 guests f r om different w a l ks of life, i n c l u d i ng Prof. A r t h u r K.C. Li, Secretary for Education and Ma n p o w e r; Dr. Alice K.Y. L am, chairperson o f U G C ; Sir R u n R u n Shaw, a p a t r o n o f education in H o ng Ko ng and mainland China; and former vice-chancellors of the University, Prof. M a L in and Prof. Charles Kao. News in Brief 5 9