Newsletter No. 128

INTEL VP DISCUSSES HI TECH FUTURE D r. Albert Y.C. Yu, senior vice- president of Intel Corporation, gave a Distinguished Lecture in Engineering at the auditorium of the Ho Sin-Hang Engineering Building on 13th May. The lecture, entitled 'Creating the Digital Future', was part of the University's 35th anniversary celebration programme. In his lecture, Dr. Yu discussed the history of microprocessors since its invention in 1971 as well as some of the key management principles in creating successful high technology products and businesses. He also anticipated future PC and microprocessor trends. Dr. Yu received his MS and Ph.D. degrees f r om Stanford University. A senior member of IEEE and the Computer Society, he currently serves on the advisory councils of the Stanford Center for Integrated Systems and the School of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at U.C. Berkeley. He has over 27 technical publications to his name and a book entitled Insider's ViewofIntel, written in Chinese. Shaw's 10th Anniversary Lecture Features Prof. Yang Chen Ning N obel laureate Prof. Yang Chen Ning was invited to give a lecture at Shaw College as part of the 10th anniversary celebration of the college. In the lecture 'Modern Science and Chinese Culture', delivered on 20th May, Prof. Yang critically assessed the development of modern science in China in the past centuries as well as in the contemporary era. Prior to the lecture Prof. Yang was presented the certificate of the honorary degree of Doctor of Science. The degree was already conferred on him in absentia at the University's 53rd Congregation last December, as he was unable to attend the function for health reasons. A winner of the Nobel prize for physics in 1957, Prof. Yang has been Albert Einstein Professor and director of the Institute of Theoretical Physics at New York State University in Stony Brook since 1966. He was appointed professor-at-large by the University in 1986. Update on Research and Patenting Another 'Excellent' Research Project A research project by Prof. Chou Kai-seng of the Mathematics Department, entitled 'Nonlinear Partial Differential Equations and Applications', was recently rated 'excellent' after assessment by the Research Grants Council (RGC). The project received a competitive earmarked grant of $370,000 from the RGC in 1991. To date, a total of 20 CUHK research projects have been rated excellent by the RGC. Sponsorship from Industrial Support Fund In the most recent allocation exercise of the Industrial Support Fund, six CUHK projects have been awarded research grants totalling HK$42.94 million. This amounts to some 43 per cent of the total $97.6 million allocated to 23 successful applicants from six local universities. The six projects proposed by staff of the University are: • Production of High Value Pharmaceutical Proteins in Transgenic Seeds (HK$5,290,000) Principal investigator. Prof. Samuel S.M. Sun • International Ginseng Conference '99 — Biotechnology, Medicinal Uses and Marketing of Ginseng (HK$560,000) Principal investigator. Prof. Paul But • Establishment of a Catalogue of Genes Expressed in Human Liver Cancer and Mental Diseases (HK$9,910,000) Principal investigator. Prof. Mary M.Y. Waye • ICL — Integrated Communications Laboratory (HK$11,990,000) Principal investigator. Prof. Cheung Kwok-wai • An Interactive Multimedia Exchange with Open Software Interfaces for Media Industry and Digital Library (HK$4,850,000) Principal investigator. Prof. Joseph Y.N. Hui • Development of Advanced Surface Analysis and Engineering Technologies for the Metal Finishing and Related Industries (HK$ 10,340,000) Principal investigator. Prof. Leo W.M. Lau Research Funding from Other Local Sources Three other research projects proposed by staff of the University have also attracted support from local sources: • Research on Effectiveness of Voluntary Residential Drug Abuse Treatment Programme in Hong Kong Sponsor. Narcotics Division (HK$498,000) Investigator: Prof. Lee Tak-shing • Development of Phonological Awareness and Its Relations to English Reading and Spelling Competence in Primary School Children Sponsor. Language Fund (HK$223,125) Investigators: Prof. Cheng Pui-wan and Prof. Shiu Ling-po • Effects of Rehydration on Recovery from Prolonged Running and Subsequent Exercise Performance Sponsor: Hong Kong Sports Development Board (HK$70,000) Investigators: Profs. Stephen H.S. Wong, Hong Youlian, Amy S.C. Ha, and Arumanayagam Manoharan HKIB Assumes Additional Role The Hong Kong Institute of Biotechnology Limited was recently appointed as an implementation agency of the newly established Patent Application Grant (PAG) administered by the Industry Department of the HKSAR. PAG is a scheme to assist local companies and individuals to apply for patent registration for their inventions. Conference Examines Chinese Ethnographical Field Studies C lose to 30 scholars from seven countries presented papers and reviews at 'Ethnography in China Today: A Critical Assessment of Methods and Results', an international conference organized by the Centre for the Study of Religion and Chinese Society at Chung Chi College and L'École Française d'Extrême-Orient (EFEO) from 14th to 16th May. The aim of the conference was to discuss the methodology and contents of field studies of Chinese religion and society published in the last decade, and to produce critical reviews of some of the more representative published works. Such materials may provide ample fresh evidence on the activities, values, and beliefs of different localities, and revolutionize understanding of traditional China. The participants hope to make their results more widely known, incorporate field studies of Chinese religion and society in the mainstream of Chinese studies, and form a consensus as regards the foci of future work.