Bulletin No. 2, 2009

18   Chinese University Bulletin No. 2, 2009 I n the 1450s, Johannes Gutenberg invented the first printing press, bringing about the first information revolution. In the 1960s, Professor Charles K. Kao, former Vice-Chancellor of CUHK, made a discovery that led to a breakthrough in fibre optics, facilitating the emergence of fibre-optic communication systems and triggering the second information revolution. Professor Kao thus earned himself the name ‘Father of Fibre Optics’. On 6 October 2009, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded Professor Kao the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics, for his ‘groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibres for optical communication’. The news thrilled Hong Kong, in particular, the CUHK communit y. On 7 Oc tober the Univer sit y held a celebration at the Ho Sin-Hang Engineering Building. Many University members and guests spoke on the occasion and exchanged anecdotes about Professor Kao. Former Vice-Chancellor Prof. Charles K. Kao Wins Nobel Physics Prize