Newsletter No. 220

Nine to Receive Vice-Chancellor's Exemplary Teaching Award N ine teacher s w i l l b e awarde d th e Vice-Chancellor' s Exemplary Teachin g Awar d 200 2 i n a presentatio n ceremony t o b e hel d o n 15t h May . The y ar e Prof . Ch u Hung-lam o f the Department o f History, Dr. Jos e Lai Cha n Sau-hing o f th e Englis h Languag e Teachin g Unit , Prof . Lee Ching-chy i o f th e Departmen t o f Decisio n Science s and Managerial Economics , Ms . Elea n Leung Fung-li n o f the Physica l Educatio n Unit , Prof . Young Fung-y u o f th e Department o f Compute r Scienc e an d Engineering , Prof . Fok Tai-fa i o f th e Departmen t o f Paediatrics , Prof . N g Kung-fu o f the Department o f Mathematics, Prof . Susann a Lee Sau-tue n of the Department o f Biochemistry, an d Prof. L am K i n - c h e o f th e Departmen t o f Geograph y an d Resource Management . Th e awar d wa s se t up i n 199 9 t o give ope n recognitio n t o outstandin g teacher s o f th e University an d to encourag e commitmen t t o teaching . CUHK Chemist Awarded Croucher Fellowship P r o f. X i e Z u o w e i o f th e C U H K De p a r t me n t o f Chemistry wa s on e o f fiv e scholar s i n Hong Kon g t o have bee n presente d th e prestigiou s senio r researc h f e l l ows h ip o f th e Crouche r Foundatio n thi s yea r i n recognition o f their outstanding research performance. Th e award presentatio n ceremon y too k plac e a t the Mandari n Oriental Hote l o n 27t h March . The US$ 100,000-fellowship is awarded to local academics who exce l i n scientifi c research . Th e amoun t enable s th e institution concerned to provide teaching relief for the fello w who ca n then devote mor e time t o researc h activities. Eac h winner wil l also receive a cash award of HK$40,000 . Prof. Xie's research focuses on organometallic chemistr y of f-block and early transition metal complexes; chemistry o f boron clusters, carboranes and metallacarboranes; homogenous catalysis an d coordinativ e unsaturation ; smal l molecul e activation and polymer synthesis . The honours and awards he received recently includ e the National Natural Scienc e Priz e (3rd class ) fro m th e Stat e Commissio n o n Scienc e an d Technology of China (1997), the Young Scholar Award (2000), the Outstanding Young Investigator Award (2001), and the K . C. Wong Education Foundation Lectureship (2002) . Six Teachers of Science Lauded for Excellence in Teaching S ix teacher s i n th e Facult y o f Scienc e receive d the Facult y Exemplar y Teachin g Award 200 2 at a n awar d presentatio n ceremon y hel d o n 18t h January 2003 . Th e winner s wer e (fro m left ) Prof . Poon Wai-yi n (Departmen t o f Statistics) , Prof . N g K u n g - fu (Departmen t o f Mathematics) , Prof . Norman Y.S . Wo o (Departmen t o f Biology) , Prof . Dominic T.W . Cha n (Departmen t o f Chemistry) , Prof. Hu i Pak-min g (Departmen t o f Physics) , an d Prof. Susann a Le e Sau-tue n ( Depa r tmen t o f Biochemistry). The Dean' s Honour s Lis t 2001 - 2 wa s als o announced o n the occasion . Chung Chi StudentsDo Themselves Proud in Toastmasters Contests T hree Chun g Ch i students , To Man-wui , La i Ming-fai , an d Cheun g Ho-sang, represente d the college' s Toastmaster s Clu b t o compet e in th e Toastmaster s Internationa l D i v i s i o n H A r e a H 2 an d V 3 International Speec h an d Table Topic Contest s o n 15t h March. Mr . La i was the first runner-u p i n the are a H2 Tabl e Topics Contest . Mr . T o an d Mr. Cheun g wer e th e secon d runner-u p i n th e Area H 2 Internationa l Speech Contes t an d the Table Topics Contes t respectively. Mr . Cheun g went o n to represen t th e college's Toastmaster s Clu b t o compet e i n th e Division H Tabl e Topic s Contes t o n 12t h April 2003 . The contestant s wer e cheere d on by a group o f 1 5 student s le d b y Mr. Jo r Chi-keun g o f th e Englis h Languag e Teachin g Uni t an d Dr . Linda Yun g Chor-win g o f th e Departmen t o f Economics . Mr. Lai Ming-fai receiving the prize from the judge Translation Awards T he result s o f th e 200 3 Stephe n C . Soon g Translatio n Studies Memoria l Award s wer e announce d o n 25t h March b y th e Researc h Centr e fo r Translation . The winners this year were Chang Nam Fung (Lingna n University), whos e submissio n i s title d 'Polysyste m Theory: It s prospec t a s a F r amewo r k fo r Translatio n Research', an d X u Jun ( Na n j i n g Un i v e r s i t y ) , whos e s ubm i s s i on i s t i t l e d ' I n t e g r a t i n g th e Emp a t h y an d Perspectives o f Author , Translato r an d Reade r fo r Tex t Recreation'. Wang Dongfen g (Sout h Chin a No rma l University ) received a n honourabl e men t i o n fo r hi s treatis e o n 'Mechanism for th e Acceptance o f Foreig n Concept s b y the Targe t Cultur e — A Hypothesis' . The panel of adjudicators consiste d of Dr. Mary Fung , Dr. Ev a Hung, Prof . Davi d Pollard, an d Prof. Wang Kefei . TheChines e Un i v e r s i t y o f H o n g K o n g enters it s 40t h anniversar y i n 2003 . It s h i s t o ry ove r th e cours e o f 4 0 years i s a magnificent stor y o f th e b i r t h , g r ow t h , ma t u r a t i o n, a n d b l o s s om i n g o f a n i n s t i t u t i o n o f h i g h er l e a r n i n g f o u n d e d b y th e Chinese , a s t o r y synchronous w i t h tha t o f H o n g Kong' s evolvemen t f r om a colonial cit y t o a n internationa l metropolis . Established i n 1963 , Th e Chines e Un i v e r s i t y i s the i n t e g r a t i o n o f thre e o r i g i n a l college s — N e w As i a, C h u n g Ch i , a n d U n i t e d — i n t o a mo d e r n , collegiate u n i v e r s i t y , th e f i r s t o f it s k i n d i n a n y Chinese society . D r . C h o h - M i n g L i , th e f o u n d i n g v i c e - c h a n c e l l o r, w a s a s c h o l a r Ch i n e s e i n h i s f ee l i ngs a n d g l o b a l i n h i s v i s i o n . H e a d v o c a t e d ' c o m b i n i ng t r a d i t i o n a n d m o d e r n i t y , b r i n g i n g together Ch i n a a n d th e West ' w h e n c h a r t i n g th e course o f th e Un i v e r s i t y ' s academi c de v e l opmen t . I n hi s i n a u g u r a l speech , h e reiterate d hi s i dea l o f b u i l d i ng a university o f international characte r w i t h roots i n H o n g K o n g an d ey e o n th e wo r l d . I t i s als o w o r t h y o f not e that , eve r sinc e it s i n c e p t i o n , th e Un i v e r s i ty ha s a d o p t e d a p o l i c y o f b i l i n g u a l i sm . U n d er B r i t i s h colonia l rule , thi s wa s b y n o mean s something tha t ca n be take n for granted ; an d i n th e m i d st o f g l oba l i z a t i o n o f h i g h e r edu c a t i o n t oda y , such a policy ha s p r o v e n t o be h i g h l y conduciv e t o the University' s developmen t an d competitiveness . The Un i v e r s i t y establishe d a Graduate Schoo l i n 1966 . I t wa s a milestone i n th e h i s t o r y o f h i ghe r e d u c a t i on i n H o n g K o n g , a n i n d i c a t i o n t ha t th e Un i v e r s i ty wa s d e t e rm i n e d r i g h t f r o m th e star t t o be c ome a researc h u n i v e r s i t y , on e w h i c h place s equal emphasi s o n t each i n g a n d research . Fo r 4 0 years, th e Un i v e r s i t y ha s c omm i t t e d itsel f a s m u c h t o t h e n u r t u r e o f t a l e n t a s t o t h e c r e a t i o n , d e v e l o p m e n t, a n d a p p l i c a t i o n o f k n o w l e d g e , ga i n i ng fo r itsel f increasin g i n t e r na t i ona l standin g over th e period. Today w h e n everybod y talk s abou t ' k n o w l e d ge e c onomy ' , w e canno t b u t a dm i r e th e v i s i on a n d a s p i r a t i o n o f o u r forefathers , w h o se t t he o v e r a l l d i r e c t i o n o f d e v e l o p m e n t f o r t h e Un i v e r s i ty earl y o n i n it s history . The g r o w t h o f th e Un i v e r s i t y ove r th e pas t fou r decades i s pe r hap s bes t reflecte d i n th e p h y s i c a l development o f it s campus . Th e onc e barren hilloc k i n M a L i u Shu i ha s n o w bee n t r a n s f o r me d i n t o a s t u n n i ng campu s w i t h ove r 13 0 bu i l d i ng s, f l an k e d on on e sid e b y th e hill s an d o n th e othe r b y th e sea . N o w h e r e i n H o n g K o n g i s s p r i n g ' s presenc e s o intensely fel t a s a t th e University , wh e r e b a u h i n i a trees and azale a clusters complemen t th e green w i t h their purple s an d pink s a r oun d March . Th e Chines e The Tienre n Hey i (meanin g 'Heave n an d Ma n ar e one' ) Pavillion an d its pool No. 220 19th April 2003