Newsletter No. 266

CUHK Launches Satellite Remote Sensing Receiving Station on Campus O n 5th October, the University launched the Satellite Remote Sensing Receiving Station, an important facility of its newly established Institute of Space and Earth Information Science, on campus. The station collects information useful to Hong Kong, South China, and neighbouring regions in monitoring natural disasters, including landslides, subsidence, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and typhoons, by capturing and processing satellite- sourced remote sensing data. The first phase of the station is established with the support of the 863 H i gh Te c h n o l o gy Research and De v e l opment Programme of the Ministry of Science and Technology of the PRC and the Innovation and Technology Commission of the HKSAR government. The second phase is supported by the Fok Ying Tung Foundation with a generous donation of HK$40 million. A press conference was held on 5th October in which Prof. Lin Hui, director of the Institute of Space and Earth I n f o r m a t i o n Science, introduced the features and impact of the station. Taking place in the afternoon were the inauguration of Minister Xu Guanhua, Minister of Science and Technology of China, as honorary professor of the CUHK Faculty of Engineering, a ceremony to thank the donation of the Fok Ying Tung Foundation, and the inauguration of the first phase of the station and the institute. Guests in a t t e n d a n ce i n c l u d ed D r. t he Honourable Henry Fok Ying-tung, Prof. Xu Guanhua, Mr. Yang Wenchang, commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC in HKSAR, Dr. He Changchui, assistant director-general of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, Prof. Lawrence J. Lau, vice-chancellor of CUHK, Prof. Yue On- ching, science adviser to the Innovation and Technology Commission, and Prof. Chen Shupeng, cha i rman of the academic committee of the Institute of Space and Earth Information Science. The ceremonies were followed by a distinguished lecture by M i n i s t er Xu Guanhua entitled 'The Future of S c i e n c e a n d T e c h n o l o g y De v e l o pme nt in Ch i na and the Ro le of H o n g Kong'. Orientat ion D ay A bout 25,000 students, parents and teachers attended the Orientation Day for Undergraduate Admissions of the Chinese University on 24th September 2005 despite the issuance of strong wind signal no. 3. Exhibitions, admission talks, lab visits, and programme introductions were organized by the seven faculties, the new School of Law, and all academic departments and programmes. The School of Law also staged a mock trial starring magistrate Kevin Browne, and faculty of the school, Prof. Stephen Hall, Prof. Satnam Choongh, and Prof. Michael Pendleton. Furthermore introductions to exchange programmes, exhibitions, open houses and guided tours were organized by the four colleges. A special programme of the day was an admissions talk by Mrs. Grace Chow, director of admissions and financial aid, who outlined the various channels of admission to CUHK. Her talk was supplemented by experience sharing by local, mainland and non-local students of the University. Light Thrown on Attention Deficit Disorder P rof. Thomas E. Brown, associate director of the Yale Clinic for Attention and Related Disorders of the Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Med i c i ne, delivered a public lecture on attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on 4th October in the Ho Tim Building. The event is a 40th Anniversary Lecture of the CUHK Faculty of Education. In his l ec t u r e, Prof. Brown discussed new understandings of ADHD. He also dealt with certain fears and prejudices patients and the public may have towards the condition and its medication such as thinking that ADHD is only a matter of will power and that medication will turn patients into 'zombies'. He believes that patient education about ADHD and medication are essential. For young sufferers, the school and home should work with medical professionals to provide therapy and support. Prof. Brown is a clinical psychologist who received his Ph.D. from Yale University and maintains a private practice in Connecticut, specializing in assessment and treatment of high-IQ children, adolescents and adults with attention deficit disorder (ADD) and related problems. 1 No. 266 19th October 2005