Newsletter No. 107

2 No. 107 4th May 1997 CUHK Newsletter Chal lenges of Basic Educat ion T he Facu l ty o f Educa t i on, th e University's Hong Kong Institute of Educational Research, and the Hong Ko ng P r ima ry Educa t i on Research As soc i a t i on j o i n t l y organized a conference on primary education on Chung Chi campus on 5th April. This year's theme was 'Basic Education i n Transition — Challenges and Renewal'. Compulsory education, language education, teacher education, education quality, curriculum development, and counselling and guidance were among the topics addressed. Prof. Tan Song-hua, Deputy Director General of the National Center f or Education Development Research in mainland China, and Prof. Chen L i - j u o f Na t i onal Kaohs i ung Normal University in Taiwan delivered the keynote speeches on the allocation of resources to education in the two places respectively. Croucher Sponsors Three Conferences The Croucher Foundation has approved grants of HK$ 100,000 each to sponsor the following scientific conferences proposed by the University: Conference title: New Developments in Acinetobacter — Speciation, Epidemiology and International Digital Networking (27th and 28th August 1998) Organizer: Department of Microbiology Conference title: The Ninth International Symposium on Novel Aromatic Compounds [ISNA-9] (2nd to 7th August 1998) Organizer: Department of Chemistry Conference title: The Second Medical Education Conference for China, Taiwan and Hong Kong Regions (31 st July to 3rd August 1997) Organizer. Faculty of Medicine Servic e t othe Communit y and Internationa l Organization s • Prof. Yeung Yue-man, head of Shaw College, has been appointed by HE the Governor as chairman of the Land and Building Advisory Committee for two years from 1st April 1997. He has also been invited as a member o f the International Editorial Advisory Board of Regional D evelopment Studies with immediate effect and as a member of the International Advisory Panel of the Malaysian Journal of Tropical Geography for a three-year term from 1st April 1997. • Prof. Helen F. H. Siu, visiting professor of anthropology, has been reappointed as a member of the University Grants Committee for two years from 1st April 1997. • Prof. Richard Ho, University Registrar, has been reappointed as an adjudicator of the Immigration Tribunal for two years from 1st March 1997. • Prof. Stephen Tang Lung-wai, associate professor i n the Department o f Sociology, has been reappointed as an adjudicator of the Immigration Tribunal for two years from 1st March 1997. • Prof. Rance Lee, head of Chung Chi College, has been invited to be a member of the advisory board for the faculty of social sciences of Lingnan College for the academic years o f 1997-99. • Prof. Joyce Ma, associate professor in the Department of Social Work, has been reappointed by the Hospital Authority as a member of the Hospital Governing Committee of Bradbury Hospice for two years from 1st April 1997. • Prof. C. S. Cockram, professor o f medicine, has been invited to be a member o f the Health Services Research Committee's Expert Subcommittee on Grant Applications and Awards. He has been re-elected as c h a i rman o f the I n t e r n a t i o n al Diabetes Federation, Western Pacific Region, for a three-year period from July 1997. Prof. Cockram has also been invited as visiting professor of endocrinology and metabolism at the Sun Yat Sen University of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou. • Prof. Helen Chiu, associate professor in the Department o f Psychiatry, has been invited to be a member of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Panel of the Alzheimer's Disease International. • Dr. Joseph Lau, director of the Centre for Clinical Trials and Epidemiological Research, has been invited to serve as an examiner for the Joint Fellowship Examination o f the Hong Kong College of Radiologists 1997. • Mr. Peter S. F. Chan, senior lecturer in the Department of Surgery, has been invited to be a council member of the Chinese Society of Urology in Beijing from March 1997. • Prof. Henry N. C. Wong, professor of chemistry, was awarded the title of Honorary Professor by the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, on 2nd April 1997. ( I n f o r m a t i o n in this section is provided by the Information and Public Relations Office. Contributions should be sent direct to that office for registration and verification before publication.) Promoting Laser Excimer Techniques T he University has successfully applied Phototherapeutic Keratectomy (PTK), an excimer laser technique, to treat patients with corneal diseases. The technique can be used to remove vision-impairing superficial corneal opacities and smoothen the corneal surface. I t is especially effective for treating corneal scars and corneal degeneration such as calcific-band keratopathy, granular dystrophy, and painful recurrent epithelial erosion. Another major development in excimer laser technology being studied at the University is Laser-Assisted In-situ Keratomileusis ( LAS I K), the state-of-the-art surgery for treating severe short-sightedness. To promote exchanges in research, education, and clinical services related to excimer laser technology and surgery, the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences held the 'International Symposium and Mi n i - f e l l owsh ip on Mo d em Challenges of LAS IK and PTK' on 12th and 13th April at the Prince of Wales Hospital. Hands-on courses w i ll also be conducted to teach these techniques to local medical personnel interested in excimer laser technology. Chung Chi Students Visit Tanghai to Deepen Understanding of Taiwan Youths Chung Chi students on the campus of Tunghai University T en students f r om Chung Chi College, accompanied by Prof. Kitty Young of the Department of International Business, paid an eight-day visit to Tunghai Un i v e r s i ty i n Taiwan last month, the first such o f a student visitor programme between the t wo i ns t i t u t i ons. Th e programme is supported by the College Boa rd o f Trustees. The theme of the visit being the role o f young people in the two communities, students from both institutions held discussions to explore the self-development and self-recognition of youths, the learning of adult roles, and young people's responsibilities towards society and social problems. Chung Chi delegates also visited relevant institutions to enrich their understanding of youth-related issues in Taiwan. An exhibition on the highlights of the visit will be held at the Chung Chi Tang student lounge from 15th May. Students from Tunghai University w i ll pay a return visit to Chung Chi College in July. N e w P u b l i c a t i o n b y H K I A P S 56th Occasional Paper World City Futures — The Role of Urban and Regional Policies in the Asia-Pacific Region Written by John Friedmann, the paper discusses the responses of public policies of Asian world cities to the dynamics of urban growth and expansion. Six policy issues are discussed in particular: spatial organization; regional governance; environmental and social sustainability; the social integration of migrant workers and their families; the new relations between state, economy, and civil society; and the formation of intercity networks. The paper proposes that the future of these world cities depends to a large extent on the response of their public policies to the challenges posed by rapid expansion. It concludes by proposing a strategic alliance among major cities on the Pacific Rim 一 an Asian League of Cities — to promote public policies. ISBN 962-441-056-9, 36 pages, HK$30.