Newsletter No. 25

No25 December1991 CUHK Newsletter- Leung Ka uKu iBuildin gFormall yOpene d The Leung Ka u Ku i Building wa s formally opened by Dr. Leung Kau Kui and Sir Quo-wei Lee, chairman o f the University Council, on 9th November. The six-storey building with a gross floor area o f 4,400 square metres provides accommodation fo r th e Faculty of Business Administration, the MBA Programmes and the Asia-Pacific Institute o f Business. Facilities include offices, computer laboratories, a sizable lecture theatre, conference rooms, seminar rooms, an d amenities fo r students. UNESCO Chooses CUHK a s the Base of i t s Bioconversion Technology MIRCEN i n Hong Kong Set u p under th e auspices o f th e United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Microbial Resources Centres (MIRCENs) ar e components of a global network involving some 200 scientists a t 2 4 locations i n 19 countries, al l dedicated t o research and th e training o f investigators i n the us e o f microorganisms i n ne w industries an d fo r environmental management. Each MIRCEN serves as a centre fo r local an d international collaboration between MIRCEN scientists an d other experts i n organizations with similar missions. Asia-Pacific centres have been established i n Japan, China, Thailand and Australia. The University has recently been chosen as the site for the first MIRCEN in Hong Kong, and Prof. S. T. Chang of the Department o f Biology has been appointed director of the new centre for three years from 25th June 1991. The Hong Kong MIRCEN aims t o foster international collaboration i n the fields of microbiology and biotechnology, and is expected to make a significant contribution to the economic and scientific developments i n th e Asia-Pacific region. New Publication o f the University Press The Other Hong Kong Report 1991 (i n English), edited by Sung Yun-wing & Lee Ming-kwan, 569 pages, paperback, HK$98. The book will be sold a t a 20 per cent discount to staff members a t th e University Bookshop, John Fulton Centre. Internet Connection Connects Internationally The University ha s become th e first institution i n Hong Kong to have been connected t o Internet Connection, a global computer network that links over 4,000 smaller networks serving more than on e million users i n th e USA, Europe, Australia, and the Pacific Rim countries. Using ahigh-speed (64b/s) satellite link, Internet Connection can provide access to a large number of information sources over the world i n a matter o f seconds. Major functions include personal communication in the form of interactive ‘talks' , remote access o f information and computation resources such as university catalogues, data o n specific topics, and daily news. Through this network, the University can forge closer links with overseas tertiary institutions. Research activities will also be greatly facilitated. In a ceremony held o n 21s t November to mark Hong Kong's first-ever connection to this global network, University staff from th e Faculty o f Engineering demonstrated to members of th e University an d Polytechnic Computer Centre ways of accessing the link. The Chinese University has plans to share the link with other local tertiary institutions and se t u p a Hong Kong-wide sub-network. 3