Newsletter No. 236

New Dean of Engineering Sets Out to Cultivate Engineering Happiness 'Ber e a l i s t i c . D e m a n d t he impossible,' so wrote a French student on a wall in Paris in 1968. And i n the spirit of that slogan, Prof. Peter Yum is realistic. As the new dean of the Faculty of Engineering, not only does he want his students to be excellent, he also wants them to be happy. Since assuming deanship on 1st January 2004, he has taken the lead i n creating a student-first culture i n the faculty. This includes encouraging well c o n s i d e r e d a p p l i c a t i o n s f o r d e p a r t me nt change regardless of whether they i nvo l ve departments w i t h in or outside the faculty. That is not to say that such applications were not a l l owed i n the past. They just weren't promoted, said Prof. Yum, and he wants to change that. He wants to give students the message that the faculty encourages them to exercise their right i n applying for department change. He also believes that such an approach w i l l make CUHK a more attractive choice in the eyes of potential applicants. Enhancing Students' Social Life A t y p i c a l day i n t he l i f e of an engineering student often consists of attending classes and wo r k i ng i n the H o S i n - Ha ng E n g i n e e r i ng Building until the stars come out and it is time to return to the hostel to sleep. Not t he m o s t c u l t u r a l l y d a z z l i n g b u t t h e n engineering students have little time for little else. Prof. Yum w i l l try to change this by mak i ng his students an offer they can't refuse. The faculty w i l l invite the four colleges to hold cultural activities i n the Ho S i n - Ha ng En g i n e e r i ng Building, such as photo exhibitions and talks by cultural notables. The faculty w i l l also j o i n forces w i t h the f i ve departmental student associations to organize regular leisure and sporting activities. Prof. Yum explained that in the past when everything was left to t he s t u d e n t s i n c h a r g e, s ome associations were active and some w e r e d e a d . N o w b y s t a g i n g interdepartmental events, the faculty hopes to generate more sustainable enthusiasm. Wh i le nano t echno l ogy may be dry at the nano level, its applications by Gucci and Shiseido are not. The faculty also intends to r un popu l ar engineering seminars for the benefit of a l l C U H K s t u d e n t s. ' I k n o w engineering can be very boring,' said Prof. Yum, but clearly it doesn't have to be. Academically, courses that have been r un at the expense of much of s t uden t s' free t ime and academic cho i ce ma y be r e p l a c e d, i f t he workload is judged to be unreasonable after careful review. I n any case, the quality of teaching and learning w i l l be rigorously monitored and students w i l l be encouraged to give detailed w r i t t en evaluations of courses they have taken. More Cultural and Academic Exposure Some CUHK graduates have described their year or semester as exchange students as life changing; all remember their time abroad w i th great fondness. However the University's policy of having an equal number of outgoing and i n c om i ng exchange s t uden ts means that not every study abroad d r e am gets f u l f i l l e d, un l ess the students' parents are willing to pay out of their own pocket. Prof. Yum w i l l maximize his students' opportunities for having this eye-opening experience by p r omo t i ng self-financed students abroad and p r o v i d i ng the Office of A c a d e m i c L i n k s w i t h a l i s t of universities that the faculty has had informal contacts with. P r o f . Y u m w a n t s t o g i v e engineering students more variety and freedom of choice by promoting multi- disciplinary engineering education. Students w i l l be encouraged to make the most of the flexible c r ed i t - un it system by taking a minor or a double minor programme in engineering. The faculty also has plans to propose a double major and a joint bachelor's and master's programme earliest by 2005, wh i ch w i l l a im at p r odu c i ng engineers steeped i n Shakespeare, engineer-sociologists, or engineers w i t h a journalist's instinct. A believer in keeping students longer in school to learn more, Prof. Yum w i l l let students go about their studies at their own pace. For its part, the faculty w i ll advise departments to assign each w i t h a career counsellor chosen from its pool of teaching staff. These counsellors w i ll be r e s p o n s i b le f o r d e s i g n i ng a curriculum tailored specifically to the student's needs and interest. Better English Engineers are not known to be the best writers and oral communicators. To help students negotiate the r o u gh corners of wr i t t en homework and in- class presentations, the f a c u l ty is wo r k i ng closely w i t h CLEAR (Centre f o r L e a r n i ng En h a n c eme nt a nd Research, f o r me r ly the Teach i ng Development Unit) to develop a three- year English training programme for all engineering students. The faculty w i l l h i re Eng l i sh t u t o rs to correct students' homework and improve their presentation skills so that language does not get i n the way of smoo th sailing i n the challenging waters of their specialty. Prof. Yum's other plans include extending the work-study programme, c u r r e n t l y a v a i l a b le o n l y at t he Department of Electronic Engineering and the Department of I n f o rma t i on Engineering, to all departments, and conduc t i ng a b i annual r ev i ew and update of all engineering curricula. ' I want engineering students to be happy,' said Prof. Yum. A nd under the keen eye and meticulousness of an engineer, happ i ness is no l onger elusive, but like a fountain clock, is a function of engineered coincidences — parts sliding into the right positions at the right moment. Piera Chen World Trade Centre Club Membership The University holds a membership of the World Trade Centre Club (WTCC). A staff nominated by the University to take up membership is eligible to use the Club's facilities including the function rooms, the sports facilities located at Park Lane Hotel, and the reciprocal arrangements that the Club has made with the Grand Royal Club, Shatin Race Course Private Box, and a number of Golf Clubs. Full-time Terms (A) or equivalent staff members are invited to bid for the privilege of being the University's nominee from 1st May 2004. The minimum bid, i.e. the monthly charge payable to the University, is HK$150. In case of identical bids, preference will be given to staff with longer service. Membership, subject to the nominee remaining a full-time Terms (A) or equivalent employee of the University, has a minimum term of two years and can be extended for another year at the member's request and with the University's agreement. The new member pays a transfer fee of $3,000 charged by the WTCC as well as a monthly membership fee of HK$880 (inclusive of spouse and children between 16 and 21 years of age). The transfer fee is refundable if the staff keeps his/her membership for over two years. No pro-rata refund w i ll be made. Eligible and interested staff members should submit their bids to the Tender Board, c/o Business Office, G/F, John Fulton Centre, in envelopes marked 'Application for World Trade Centre Club Membership' before 2.30 p.m. on 23rd March 2004. Applicants will be informed of the results in due course. Please contact Ms. Jacqueling Cho at Ext. 7887 for any further information and visit the Business Office's homepage at http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/bus/WTCCbidding.pdf to download the bidding form. Service to the Community and International Organizations • Prof. Kenneth Young, pro-vice-chancellor in his capacity as Chairman of Research Grants Council, has been appointed by the Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology as an ex- o f f i c i o member of the Steering Committee on Innovation and Technology. • Prof. Joseph Lau Tak-fai, director of Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, has been re-appointed by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food as a member of the Sub-committee on Public Education on Rehabilitation of the Rehabilitation Advisory Committee for two years from 1st January 2004. • Prof. Tam Man-kwan, professor in the Department of Educational Administration and Policy, has been invited by the Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation to serve as a panel member from 11th to 13th February 2004. He has also been invited by the Community Youth Club of the Education and Manpower Bureau to serve as a member of its Executive Committee since September 2003. • Prof. Anthony Yim, professor of surgery, has been appointed as an editorial board member of World Journal of Surgery from 26th January to 31st December 2004. (Information 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.) 3 No. 236 4th March 2004