Newsletter No. 168

Gathering of Chinese Physicists on CUHK Campus Over 300 Chinese scientists the world over gathered on the University campus from 31st July to 4th August to take part in the Third Joint Meeting of Chinese Physicists Worldwide. Entitled 'Role of Physics i n the New M i l l e n n i um: Research, Education, and Society', the meeting was jointly organized by the Overseas Chinese Physics Association (OCPA) and the University. The meeting, the third in the series coorganized by OCPA and the first to be he ld i n Hong Ko n g, p r o v i d ed a n excellent platform for all ethnic Chinese physicists from different parts of the world to discuss problems of common interest, exchange research experience, and investigate possibilities for future collaboration. There were seven plenary sessions, of which three were dedicated to the memory of renowned Chinese physicists of the century, namely, Prof. T.Y. Wu, Prof. C.S. Wu, and Prof. Xie X i de. There were also 60 parallel sessions focussing on 12 different areas o f physics i nc l ud i ng astrophysics, biophysics, computational physics, condensed matter theory, and theoretical physics. Participants included internationally famous scientists such as C.N. Yang, T.D. Lee, Samuel C.C. Ting, S.T. Yau, Paul Chu, and Zhao Zhongxian. Officiating at the opening ceremony of the meeting were Mrs. Fanny Law, Secretary for Education and Manpower of the HKSAR, Prof. Arthur K.C. L i, vice-chancellor of the University, Dr. C. Y. Wong, chair of OCPA, Profs. N.P Chang and Kenneth Young, co-chairs of the international organizing committee, and Prof. Lai Hon-ming, chair of the local organizing committee. Patients to Benefit from New Method of Detecting Heart Attacks Diagnosis of a heart attack at the early stages has never been easy. Many sufferers experience a tight squeezing chest pain but this type of pain may occur with other conditions too, such as indigestion. For this reason, doctors a t accident and emergency departments have always been f aced w i t h t h e p r o b l em o f w r o n g l y sending home patients w i t h heart problems but admitting those without. Doctors at the University's Department of Medicine and Therapeutics and the Accident and Emergency Medicine Academic Unit have recently adopted a new bedside test for the speedy diagnosis of patients with a suspected acute heart attack o r angina. The test i s more sensitive and accurate than the standard tests and results can be obtained immediately. Unnecessary tests and treatment for those who don't actually have heart problems can now be avoided. The average length of hospital stay f or patients i s also s i g n i f i c a n t ly shortened. More importantly, the test can save lives. New Technolog y Centr e t oBoos t University-Industr y Cooperatio n A state-of-the-art technology centre was officially set up on 24th July 2000 by Elec & E l t ek Techno l ogy Center (Holdings) Ltd. (the 'JV Co.'), a joint venture between The Chinese University of Hong Kong Foundation Ltd. and Elec & Eltek Technology Investment Ltd. Named the 'CUHK-Elec & Eltek Technology Centre', it w i ll be operated by JV Co. to promote innovative and emerging technologies and invest in any viable ventures derived f r om such technologies. It w i ll act as a reciprocal channel enabling technology transfer from academia to industry as well as the f l ow of new ideas from industry t o academia. I t w i l l also serve as a preincubation and incubation centre for IT en t r ep r eneu r s, and a c o n t i n u i ng education centre o f f e r i ng f r on t i er professional t r a i n i ng t o practising engineers. The establishment of the centre will provide more opportunities for the University's projects to be commercialized, and w i ll enable the University to receive greater input from industry. Mrs. Carrie Yau (left 4), Secretary for Information Technology and Broadcasting of the HKSAR, Prof. Arthur K. C. L i (left 5), vice-chancellor of the University, and Mr. David So Cheung- sing ( l e ft 3), cha i rman and c h i ef managing director of Elec & Eltek International Holdings Ltd., officiated at the launch ceremony of the centre. Make Education a Lifelong Process, Said Old Hand in Educational Research Professor Emeritus of Education a t Stockholm University, Prof. Torsten Husen, spoke on 'Recurrent Education and Lifelong Learning — Reflections of an Old Educational Researcher' on 8th June at the University. The lecture was part of the Lee Hysan Lecture Series in Education. In his lecture, Prof. Husen, former director of the Institute of International Education, shared his experience i n lifelong education with the audience and explained how an educational institution has to instill in its students the awareness that the intellectual fare they receive will not last them for the rest of their lives; in short, they must be made to feel that education i s a lifelong process. He pointed out also that i t is necessary for educational institutions to impart a zeal for learning and a flexibility of mind. Asian-American Psychologist Reviews Interventions for Leading Medical Disorders In a public lecture delivered on 20th June by Prof. Richard M. Suinn, emeritus professor of psychology at Colorado State Un i ve r s i t y, the outcomes o f psychological interventions in primary health care for heart disease, cancer, and arthritis pain were reviewed. Specific techniques of intervention were also described. Prof. Suinn was president of the American Psychological Association in 1999 一 the first Asian-American to be elected in the association's 107 years. He was also the first Asian-American to be elected as the president of the Association for the Advancement of Behaviour Therapy, and to become mayor of the city of Ft. Collins in Colorado, head of the Psychology Department of Colorado State University, and team psychologist for four US Olympic teams.