Newsletter No. 92

CUHK Newsletter 2 No. 92 4th September 1996 HK$1.7 Mi l l ion for Medical and Health Research Six research projects proposed b y staff members of the University recently received grants totalling HK$1,713,550 from three funding sources: Occupational Safety and Health Council, the Health Services Research Committee, and the Croucher Foundation. The six projects selected for support are: Project Title Principal Investigator(s) Grant (HK$) Funding Source Occupational noise exposure and hearing impairment among employees in the transport industries in Hong Kong Prof. T. W. Wong Prof. Ignatius T. S. Yu 800,000 Occupational Safety and Health Council Nosocomial (hospital-acquired) colonization of hospital employees Prof. Elizabeth T. S. Houang Chan 74,000 Occupational Safety and Health Council Occupational eye injuries in Hong Kong 一 a retrospective analysis Prof. John J. Michon 162,500 Occupational Safety and Health Council Standardized proportional mortality ratio study among food-service workers in Hong Kong Prof. Ignatius T. S. Yu Ms. Wong Siu Lan 70,000 Health Services Research Committee A population based case-control study of risk factors for low back pain in Hong Kong perimenopausal women Prof. Suzanne S. Y. Chan Ho Mrs. Yin Bing Yip Lau Ms. Chan Sieu Gaen 334,050 Health Services Research Committee Application of comparative genomic hybridization to the detection o f DNA imbalances in sinonasal T-cell lymphoma Prof. John H. S. Chow Dr. Natalie Wong 273,000 Croucher Foundation Fou rMajo rConference s i n Jun ean dJuly F our international conferences were held at the University i n the months of June and July: • The International Conference of Changing Diet and Foodways i n Chinese Culture, j o i n t ly organized by the Department of Anthropology and the Fairbank Centre o f Harvard University, took place on 13th and 14th June in the Cho Yin Conference Hall. Over 2 0 scholars from China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, USA, Taiwan, and Hong Kong spoke on the distribution, continuity, and changes o f Chinese food culture. • The conference on 'Vocational and Technical Education fo r 2000', coorganized b y th e University's Department o f Educational Administration and Policy, the Hong Kong Institute for Educational Research, th e Vocational Training Council, and the Education Department of Hong Kong took place o n 15th June i n th e Wong Fo o Yuan Building. Over 22 0 local an d overseas educators participated in the conference, sharing policy concerns, recent developments of and challenges to vocational and technical education i n different regions. • The Department o f Computer Science and Engineering hosted the seventh meeting o f the Ideographic Rapporteur Group of the International Standard Organization (ISO ) i n association with the Hong Kong Technology Federation from 24th to 28th June. The purpose of the meeting was t o propose that ideographic characters, commonly known a s Ha n characters, be included i n th e international standard ISO - 10646, the universal codesets. Apart from local participants, there were delegations from China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, an d the USA. The work done by the meeting will be submitted to the next level of ISO for inclusion in future versions ofISO-10646. • Leading academics from around the Pacific Rim gathered at the Regal Riverside Hotel i n Sha Tin on 25th and 26th July fo r the Pacific Ri m Economics Conference o n Trade an d Development. Organized by the Department o f Decision Sciences an d Managerial Economics and th e L o Fung Learned Society, and held under the auspices of the International Economics and Finance Society, the conference addressed issues ranging from trade and policy to trade theory, development, and integration. Exchange Agreement Signed w i th London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine First Step Towards HK's First Public Health School T he Department o f Community and Family Medicine signed an exchange agreement with the London School o f Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, a subsidiary of the University of London, on 10th June. Signed by Prof. S. H. Lee, chair of the Department of Community and Family Medicine, and Prof. Harrison C . Spencer, dean o f the London School o f Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, th e five-year agreement will strengthen collaboration i n education, training, and research between the two institutions. The London School o f Hygiene and Tropical Medicine i s recognized worldwide in the field of public health. I t will work with the Faculty o f Medicine o n several major projects, including th e organization of a Master of Public Health programme and a summer programme in epidemiology to train public health experts for the Asia- Pacific region. It will also help develop Hong Kong's first public health school, now actively being planned by the Faculty of Medicine, into an important public health education and training centre in the Western Pacific region. Summer Exhibitions on Campus T he months of June and July saw the mounting o f three exhibitions on campus: • Posters o f over 100 research projects of different disciplines were selected b y th e University's Research Committee fo r display from 17th to 20th June in the Sir Run Run Shaw Hall. The objective of th e exhibition wa s t o demonstrate, t o the public as well as t o members o f the Research Grants Council, the research capabilities an d accomplishments o f th e University. Viewers also included members o f the University Council an d th e College Boards of Trustees, who were given a guided tour o f the exhibition on the 19th, which was followed by a visit to the Art Museum t o se e th e graduation exhibition o f fine arts majors and highlights o f the Art Museum collection. • A Master o f Fine Arts Show, the second o f its kind i n th e University, was held from 19th June t o 2n d July a t Hui's Gallery at New Asia College. Entitled 'Cement, Falling, Games', th e exhibition comprised three sets o f 14 mixed-media pieces by Simon Wong See-man wh o i s graduating this year from the Master o f Fine Arts Programme. The exhibition serves as part o f Wong's thesis o n 'Impact o f New Materials on Contemporary Painting'. B y hanging up seven-feet cement boards mixed with other kinds of materials an d o n which different images appear, Wong attempts to study the different aspects of material culture. • The Art of Ju Chao and Ju Lian', an exhibition o f the works o f tw o Guangdongmasters Ju Chao (1811-1865) an d J u Lian (1828-1904), often known as th e Two Jus, wa s officially opened on 5th July. Two hundred and thirty-four exhibits featuring calligraphy and paintings of flowers, birds, insects, landscapes and figures, in colour and ink, are on display at th e Ar t Museum until 8t h September. Ju Lian and Ju Chiao were cousins wh o founded th e Geshan School that specialized in expressing sentiments towards life through extensive portrayals o f flowers an d insects. Their innovative techniques of infusing water and powder, 'zhuangshui' an d 'zhuangfen', gave rise t o a vividness o f colour and light which emits a strong southern aura. Ju Chao: Two Egrets