Newsletter No. 55

CUHK NEWSLETTER would benefi t bot h Australi a an d Hong Kon g i f thei r universitie s coul d continue t o exchang e mor e student s and staf f an d conduc t mor e join t research projects . Australia n academics could gai n in-dept h understanding of the Pacific rim as a whole, and exploi t th e existing link s betwee n Hong Kon g universitie s an d mainlan d tertiary institution s t o develo p tripartite relations whic h coul d benefi t al l parties concerned . Prof. Ka o als o visite d AN U and th e Universit y o f Canberra . I n Canberra h e me t wit h Australia n Foreign Ministe r Garet h Evan s an d Senior Adviso r t o th e Ministe r Jef f Bentley, wh o i s forme r Australia n Consul-General i n Hong Kong . In Sydne y th e vice-chancello r attended a special workshop on optical fibre communicatio n an d discusse d information technolog y opportunitie s with Mar k Skeats , directo r o f Fibr e Optics Technolog y Centr e o f th e University o f Sydney , an d th e technical staff of Optus, the second larges t t e l ephone networ k p r ov i de r i n Australia. H e als o gav e a tal k o n th e industrial developmen t o f Hong Kon g at the Sydney Institute, a think-tank for the Australian government . During th e las t par t o f hi s trip , Prof. Ka o attende d th e inaugura l ceremony o f th e Alumn i Associatio n of CUH K i n Sydney , an d talke d t o some 4 0 alumn i abou t th e recen t an d planned development s o f The Chines e University. The function was arrange d by Melod y Chong , ex-persona l assistant to th e vice-chancellor , befor e her recent emigration to Australia . on th e applicatio n o f advance d technologies t o ship-building , foo d production, furnitur e production , optical manufacturing , an d injectio n moulding. Dr. Chintay Shih , president of the Industrial Technolog y Researc h Institute in Taiwan , gav e a keynot e speech o n th e statu s an d futur e development of automatio n technolog y in Taiwan. The Hon. James P. C. Tien, an eminent local industrialist, spoke on the developmen t o f technology - intensive industrie s i n Hon g Kong , while Mr . Mik e Monachino , vice-president o f th e IB M Asi a Pacific Servic e Corporation , expounded o n th e direction s o f engineering design . Officiating a t th e openin g ceremony wer e Mr. Dominic Law, deputy directo r o f th e Industr y Department; Mr . Tso i Pui-yuen , deputy hea d o f the Department o f Education, Scienc e an d Technology of th e Xinhu a New s Agency (Hong Kong Branch); and Prof. Charle s K . Kao , vice - chancellor o f th e University . Co - organizers include d th e Universit y of Hon g Kong , th e Hon g Kon g University o f Scienc e an d Technology, the Hon g Kon g Compute r Society, an d the Institute o f Electrica l and Electronic s Engineer s (Hon g Kong Section) . Th e functio n wa s sponsored b y th e Chian g Industria l Charity Foundation Ltd., the Croucher Foundation, th e Fo k Yin g Tun g Foundation Ltd. , th e K . C . Won g Education Foundation , Grou p Sens e Ltd., and the Sun Microsystems Inc . Conference on Scientific Computation A conferenc e o n scientifi c computation was hel d o n campu s fro m 17th t o 19t h March . Hoste d b y th e Institute o f Mathematica l Science s o f The Chines e Universit y o f Hon g Kong, the Department of Mathematics, and th e Departmen t o f Compute r Science, th e function was coorganize d by th e Hon g Kon g Mathematica l Society an d th e department s o f mathematics o f th e Cit y Polytechnic , the Baptis t College , an d th e Hon g Kong Universit y o f Scienc e an d Technology. Ther e wer e ove r 8 0 participants. The conferenc e aime d a t promoting research interes t i n scientifi c computation amon g loca l mathematicians and engineers , an d encouragin g greater interactio n wit h expert s overseas. Some 1 2 distinguishe d scholar s were invited a s guest speakers , an d 2 2 local researcher s gav e talk s o n different aspects o f scientifi c computing . Among th e distinguishe d speaker s were Professors Gene Golub (Stanford University), Da-Yon g Ca i (Tsinghu a University), Ton y Cha n (UCLA) , Dong-Gao Den g (Zhongsha n University), Anne Greenbaum (Ne w Yor k University), Hong-C i Huang (HKBC) , Gr a f t on Hu i (HKUST) , Davi d Kahaner (Offic e o f Nava l Research) , Yue-Sheng Li (Zhongshan University) , Franklin Lu k (Rensselae r Polytechnic Institute an d CUHK) , Rober t Plemmons (Wak e Fores t University ) and Ya-Xian g Yua n (Chines e Academy o f Science) . Conference proceeding s wil l b e published a s a specia l issu e o f th e SEAMS Bulletin, an d th e programm e committee ha s decided to hold anothe r conference in May 1995 . NO.55 JUNE 1994 3