Newsletter No. 49

CUHK Newsletter No.49 December 1993 were open to visitors. Groups of elderly people and secondary students were frequently seen touring these facilities with CU students as guides. A highlight of the programme on the first day was a debate on whether exit and entry freedom of Hong Kong people should be given concrete assurance after 1997. The debate was conducted by Mr. T. L. Tsim, director of The Chinese University Press. Two teams each consisting of one academic staff, one student, and one guest speaker were formed to represent the proposition and the opposition. This year the guest speakers were Legislative Councillor Ms. Emily Lau and Mr. Tsang Yok Shing, chairman of the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong. In the evening, a variety show was held at the Sir Run Run Shaw Hall by the organizing committee of the open day. Through different performances students expressed how they felt about studying and living on campus. A l l in all, the open day was a successful attempt to let the public know more about the University and its students. The next open day will be held three years later in 1996. The Celestial Sphere That Fell to Earth A public lecture in commemoration of the University's 30th anniversary was presented by the Faculty of Science on 23rd November in the Shaw College Lecture Theatre. Prof. Harold Kroto, co-discoverer of C 60 , was invited to deliver a talk on 'C 60 Buckminster- fullerene, the Celestial Sphere That Fell to Earth'. Prof. Kroto, Royal Society Research Professor of the School of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences at the University of Sussex, UK, discovered C 60 , the third allotropic form of carbon (after graphite and diamond), in 1985. It has been named Buckminster- fullerene because the molecular structure resembles the basic pattern of the geodesic domes devised by Buck- minster Fuller. Composed of 60 carbon atoms and displaying an elegant symmetry in its structure, Buckminster- fullerene was 'Molecule of the Year 1991' and has inspired immense research interest among chemists, physicists, and materials scientists. According to Prof. Kroto, it has vast potentials for the synthesis of novel compounds and promises exciting applications. Prof Kroto believed it would take at least five more years for the properties of C 60 to be fully understood, and pointed out that application research into C 60 might help the development of high temperature superconducters and ferro magnets. New Language Learning Centre Opens on Campus An Independent Learning Centre (ILC) was formally opened on 30th October to provide self-access language learning facilities for staff and students. Located on the fourth floor of the Tin Ka Ping Building, ILC is equipped w i th a wide range of self-access materials including software teaching packages, audio and video tapes, laser discs, CD-ROM discs, language worksheets, and a selection of books, magazines, and newspapers. A satellite dish on the building makes foreign language television broadcasts available. The ILC also contains a Writing Centre which provides one-to-one tutorial services for undergraduates, postgraduates, and staff members who want to improve their writing skills. The centre is open to the entire University community and is run by the English Language Teaching Unit. Its main goals are to encourage students to assume personal responsibility for their continued language learning and to enhance their language skills in a variety of ways. While set up primarily to meet the English language needs of CUHK, the ILC will likely be offering assistance for other language studies in the future. Officiating at the opening ceremony were Prof. S. W. Tam, pro- vice-chancellor; Dr. H. H. Ho, dean of arts; Dr. Michelle Chase of the English Language Teaching Unit; and Mr. David Tang, founder of the Community English Language Laboratory. 2