Newsletter No. 280

EYE ON CAMPUS Environmentally Friendly Biopesticide S ynthetic Insecticide contains chemicals which have adverse effects on human health and the natural environment. The lush Chinese University campus has a great demand for insecticide. The Landscaping Section uses natural 'home-made' pesticide which is both easy to make and environmentally friendly — Rotenone, an extract from the root of the plant Derris elliptica. Belonging to the Fabaceae (pea) family, the Derris elliptica is a large climber originating In India, Burma and Thailand and other tropical regions. It is also grown in Guangdong, Guangxi and Halnan in China. The plant's roots contain Rotenone which can be made into insecticidal formulations in the form of dust or aerosol. The Landscaping Section buys dried Derris elliptica from an old-fashioned feed store in Yuen Long (1). It is soaked in water for a day, then when soft, is pounded (2) to loosen up the fibres. It is then returned to the water to soak for another three or four hours. The sap from the roots will turn the water into a milky-white fluid (3). This is then mixed with 50 or 100 parts water and sprayed on plants and grass. Mr. Cheng Siu-bun of the Landscaping Section said, 'We generally spray Rotenone on campus once every three months. In pest-Infested areas or during the mosquito breeding months of April and May, this may be Increased to once a month. Few people make insecticide this way now because the process is tedious and it is expensive. A can of synthetic insecticide may cost you a little over HK$ 10 but a catty of Derris elliptica would set you back by over HK$40. However it is natural and safe for the human body. Well worth the trouble, I must say.' Encouraging Figures in CUHK 2005 Employment Survey Average $143K Highest $70K A ccording to an employment survey conducted by the University released on 18th May, both the employment rate and salary level of CUHK graduates in 2005 are highly satisfactory. The survey shows, as at the end of 2005, 97.9% of graduates are either employed or pursuing further studies. The average monthly salary for those employed is HK$14,263. Among the graduates, the highest salary earner is a medical graduate who earned HK$70,000 per month. On average, every individual graduate has received 2.4 job offers. The survey was conducted by the Career Planning and Development Centre of the Office of Student Affairs of the University from November to December 2005 by means of questionnaires and telephone interviews. It covered full-time first-degree graduates of 2005 and M.B. Ch.B. graduates of 2004. 95.9% of respondents were given their first job offers by the end of September 2005, showing a 0.3% increase from 2004. Most graduates joined the commerce and industry sector (73.5%), f o l l owed by social and pub l ic organizations (13.3%), education (10.9%), and government (2.4%). The top seven career fields of CUHK graduates are: computer engineering and information technology (10.6%), accounting/auditing (9.9%), administration/ management (8.6%), sales and marketing (8.2%), medical and health care (8.1%), teaching (6.7%), and banking and finance (6.3%). In terms of job satisfaction, up to 94.1 % indicates satisfaction with their current jobs. CUHK Commends Young Researchers T he Chinese University of Hong Kong is a distinguished comprehensive research university in the region. The 'Young Researcher Award' and the 'Award for the Best Research Ou t p ut by Research Postgraduate Students' have been established to further promote research development and nurture the next generation of research talents. These annual awards recognize academic staff under 40 and postgraduate s t uden ts w i t h e x emp l a ry research achievements, encouraging originality and innovation as they strive to create new knowledge and contribute to society. Recipients of the Young Researcher Award 2005 are Prof. Tsang Hon Ki (Department of Electronic Engineering), Prof. Rossa Chiu Wai Kwun (Department of Chemical Pathology), Prof. Dennis Ng Kee Pui (Department of Chemistry), and Prof. Wong Kam Chau (Department of Economics). Recipients of the Award for the Best Research Output by Research Postgraduate Students 2005 are Mr. Yang Xiang Yin (Department of History), Mr. Joe Wenjie Jiang (Department of Computer Science and Engineering), Dr. Petti Pang (Department of Physiology), Mr. Deng Liang (Department of Chemistry), and Miss Chow Wi ng Yin (Department of Psychology). Presenting the prizes to the winners on 8th May, Prof. Lawrence J. Lau, vice- chancellor of the University, said, 'Their resourcefulness and enthusiasm are truly impressive and their dedication is what is required to perpetuate the fine research tradition on our campus. Their success is an inspiration to us all.' CUHK Students Create Social Ventures with Promise for Business and Community C orporate social responsibility is increasingly on the mission statements of companies in Hong Kong and worldwide. Since 2004, Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH) has joined forces with The Chinese University to run the first social venture business plan competition in Hong Kong. The purpose is to instil in students the spirit of social responsibility and the capacity for entrepreneurial action. The students have to solve social problems in the real world using an entrepreneurial approach. Unlike other events where corporate sponsorship is about advertising and promotion, the BAH Social Venture Challenge invites businesses and community organizations to be involved in a unique and meaningful programme with constructive outcomes for the community. This year, five teams of 23 full-time MBA and social sciences students presented their business plans to help the needy. The winning business plan, 'Kids Tour', builds on the work of the Salvation Army in the Tai Po by coordinating and expanding community-based tourism, and adding a framework of Multiple Intelligence Training for participants. Team members Benny Zhong, Peter Liu, Caly Xiao, Phoebus Ng and Map Tang received a certificate and HK$8,000 from Dr. Edward Tse, managing director of Greater China, BAH. 'Kids Tour' also took the award for 'Outstanding Presentation'. 'Dr. Radio', a plan to deliver highly targeted therapeutic 'edutainment' to hospital patients, won the second prize and HK$3,000. Overcoming c ommu n i c a t i on and cultural challenges, the team comprised students exclusively from mainland China: two MBA candidates Rain Wang and Andrew Zhang, and a student from the Social Wo r k D e p a r t me n t, Wendy Wu. The Ou t s t and i ng Written Plan award went to 'Bridge Garden', a venture designed to recapture society's investment in retired teachers and add value to existing children's programmes. It was presented by Victor Leung, Billy Ma, Allen Shen, Grace Wu and Isabella Zhang. The judges were representatives from industry, finance and government sectors. Dr. Radio team members: (from left) Rain Wang, Wendy Wu, and Andrew Zhang S u p p o rt f o r f i ve projects T he following five research projects undertaken by faculty members of the University have succeeded in attracting funding support: • Modernization of Chinese Medicine: From Clinical Efficacy to Drug Production—Two Innovative Formulae for Comprehensive Research (HK$10,000,000) Sponsor: Innovation and Technology Fund Principal investigator: Prof. Leung Ping Chung (Institute of Chinese Medicine) CUHK investigator: Prof. Fung Kwok-pui • Texture Synthesis and Image Completion on Programmable Graphics Hardware (GPU) (HK$120,000) Sponsor: Microsoft Research Asia Principal investigator: Prof. Jia Jiaya (Department of Computer Science and Engineering) • On the Security Issues of Network Coding (HK$120,000) Sponsor: Microsoft Research Asia Principal investigators: Prof. John Lui (Department of Computer Science and Engineering), and Prof. Chiu Dah Ming (Department of Information Engineering) • Genetic Modulation of HbF in Beta Thalassemia (US$26,751.06) Sponsor: National Institutes of Health, USA CUHK investigator: Dr. Li Chi K o ng • Functional Bowel Disorders in Chinese Medicine (US$403,079) Sponsor: National Institutes of Health, USA CUHK investigators: Prof. Che Chun Tao, Prof. Joseph Sung, and Prof. Justin Wu 2 No. 280 4th June 2006