Newsletter No. 121

Celebration of 35th Anniversary Begins T he University is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year and a working party has been formed to design a year- round celebration programme for the University. The programme kicked off with a photography contest last month. With 'Scenic Spots of The Chinese University of Hong Kong' as its theme, the competition is open to all CUHK and secondary school students. Posters and entry forms have already been sent out by the Office of Student Affairs and results are due in mid-1998. In February, another celebration event 一 an international conference on Restructuring the Knowledge Base of Education in Asia, organized by the Faculty of Education and the Hong Kong Institute of Educational Research, took place between 12th and 14th. Other celebration activities to follow include international conferences, symposiums, and public lectures on various themes, a Chinese drama festival, Founder's Day celebrations, and the launch of the CUHK alumni trail. Details of individual events will be covered in the CUHK Newsletter in due course. Chemist Reviews Two Decades of Research in Three Cities P rof. Henry N.C. Wong, professor of chemistry and recent winner of the Second Class National Natural Science Award of the People's Republic of China, delivered his professorial inaugural lecture on 23rd January 1998 at the auditorium o f the Ho Sin Hang Engineering Building. In his lecture entitled 'A Tale of Three Cities: Planar Dehydro[8]annulenes and Their Reverberations', Prof. Wong reviewed his research endeavours in planar dehydro[8]annulenes, which have led to the syntheses of several theoretically interesting compounds, and of polysubstituted five-membered non-natural and natural heterocycles. Prof. Wong discussed these research activities, carried out in London, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, in chronological order. Prof. Wong graduated from The Chinese University in 1973. He then pursued graduate studies at London University, receiving his doctorate in 1976. After working for some years there and also at Harvard University, Prof. Wong joined the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, as associate research fellow in 1980. He joined the Department of Chemistry of The Chinese University in 1983 and was appointed professor of chemistry in October 1996. OPENING OF NEW RESEACH SUPPORT CENTRE From left: Prof. Arthur K.C. Li, Mr. Lee Woo-sing and Dr. Lee Hon-chiu A new services centre was formally opened on campus last month to give service support to the University's research activities. The five-storey Shanghai Fraternity Association Research Services Centre, built with a generous donation from the Shanghai Fraternity Association (HK) Ltd., has a total floor area of 4,600 square metres and is equipped with laboratories and a technical services unit. The Faculties of Medicine, Engineering, and Science as well as other research units will benefit from the state-of- the-art facilities therein. Genetic, cancer, and immunology research is also given a great boost. The centre is located on the eastern part of the campus close to the KCRC University Station. Officiating at the opening ceremony held on 10th January 1998 were Dr. Lee Hon-chiu, chair of the University Council, Mr. Lee Woo-sing, chair of the Shanghai Fraternity Association (HK) Ltd., and Prof. Arthur K.C. Li, vice-chancellor of the University, who thanked the Shanghai Fraternity Association for its staunch support for the University's research activities. CUHK Accountancy Programme Receives Full HKSA Professional Accreditation Last December, the University's BBA programme in professional accountancy was granted unconditional accreditation by the Council of the Hong Kong Society of Accountants (HKSA). This means that graduates o f the programme are eligible to register as students of the HKSA Professional Programme. The HKSA established an Accountancy Accreditation Board (AAB) in early 1997 to accredit local academic qualifications for admission into its Professional Programme. The board conducted an accreditation exercise on the University's accountancy programme, which included the evaluation of a comprehensive information package submitted by the School of Accountancy and an accreditation visit by the assessment team to the School, during which they attended classes, surveyed the facilities, and spoke to teachers, subject coordinators, and students. They were favourably impressed. The HKSA w i l l adopt a new professional accreditation system from 1999 to replace the Joint Examination Scheme with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants in the UK, which will be terminated in 2001. To be admitted as amember of the HKSA under the new system, a candidate has to f u l f il the requirements o f obtaining pre-entry education (a recognized accounting degree), acquiring practical experience, undertaking the Professional Programme, and passing the Final Professional Examination.