Newsletter No. 327

No. 327, 19.11.2008 十 方 吐 露 TEN QUESTIONS FOR NEWS & EVENTS 聯合書院五十二周年院慶及校友日 United College 52nd Anniversary Celebrations and Alumni Day • 聯 合書院五十二周年院慶活動已於10月17日圓滿結 束。書院及學生會舉行的活動包括10日的「聯合 起跑」、15日的「大笪地」，以及17日於邵逸夫堂舉行、有 逾千名嘉賓及學生出席的院慶典禮。 慶祝活動的高潮為17日晚上的千人宴。晚會節目豐富，除了 樂隊、舞蹈、花式跳繩等表演及幸運抽獎外，還有農夫樂 隊及江若琳小姐演出，全場盡歡。 10月25日的校友日，有逾百位校友及家人參加，並邀得聯 合校友葉少康先生為特別嘉賓，分享參加殘疾人士奧運會 馬術比賽的經驗。校友還親身試用張煊昌體育館和走讀生 舍堂的設施、參觀校友徑等。 當天晚上，書院假張祝珊師生康樂大樓文怡閣舉行校友聚 餐，特別邀請畢業五十年或以上（包括聯合書院成立前五 所成員書院畢業校友）及畢業二十五周年的校友參加。逾 百位1958年或以前畢業及1983年畢業的校友出席，與同 屆同學於母校敘舊，度過一個溫馨的晚上。 W eeks of celebration, including an opening ceremony, UC Fun Run, Open Bazaar, concluded on 17 October 2008 with over a thousand students and guests of United College attending the 52nd anniversary ceremony at Sir Run Run Shaw Hall. The highlight of the activities was the ‘feast-for-a-thousand’ held on the evening of 17 October. The fun-packed event, featuring a variety show by students and performance by pop singers FAMA and Miss Elanne Kwong, attracted over 1,000 College staff, students, alumni and guests. On 25 October the College invited all alumni to UC Alumni Day 2008 to celebrate the College’s 52nd anniversary with staff and students. Over 100 alumni and their family members came. Mr. Nelson Yip, a UC alumnus and Hong Kong’s only participant in the Paralympic Equestrian Events 2008, shared his experiences with other alumni on that occasion. After that, the alumni split up to join different group activities, such as sports at the Thomas Cheung sustained and significant among institutions in Hong Kong. CUHK has a special role to play in Hong Kong and Asia— that of integrating Eastern and Western cultures. 7 數學科學研究所有些甚麼計劃？ What plans do you have for the Institute of Mathematical Sciences? 打從開始我們便希望成為世界一流的研究所，我有信心可 以做得到，只是經費和人手要加強。 We started off aiming to become one of the top mathematical institutes in the world. I am confident that we will succeed. We only need to reinforce our financial and human resources. 8 數學天分會否受文化左右？ Are there cultural determinants of mathematical talent? 純以人種來劃分是沒有分別的，但是孩子在不同的地方長 大，吸收不同的文化，到了大學，表現是會不同的。每一個 國家，如果在某個知識領域裏出現了領袖，孩子便會對那 個領域有興趣，敢於探索，有決心取得成功。有時候，只需 有這些大師在旁便足夠，並不需要他們直接教導。印度的 代數研究超越了中國，他們便是有幾個這樣的榜樣。五十 年代後期，楊振寧和李政道兩位教授獲得諾貝爾獎，也激 勵了很多香港和台灣的學生唸物理和基礎科學，現在便較 少了。 If you’re talking about race, no. But kids growing up in different places, absorbing different cultures, perform differently at university. In every country, if there are leaders of knowledge in a certain area, the young will be interested in that area and have the courage and the will to succeed. Sometimes the masters don’t even have to be teaching them. They just have to be there. In India where accomplishments in algebra surpass those of China, there are quite a few role models in algebra. After Prof. Yang Chen-ning and Prof. Lee Tsung-dao won the Nobel Prize in the late 1950s, many students in Hong Kong and Taiwan studied physics and the basic sciences. Now the numbers have dropped. 9 培育數學家的理想環境是怎樣的？ What is the ideal environment for nurturing mathematicians? 跟培養所有其他科學技術的人才差不多—絕對自由，能 發揮所長的空間，配合足夠經費。當然，還要有這方面的 榜樣。中學教育也很重要。一般來說，中國的孩子在創新 和原創方面比不上外國，西方國家一開始便鼓勵孩子創 新，自由不覊。中國人往往有師徒制的觀念，師傅怎麼說 怎麼辦。在中國的家庭和學校裏，過於離師叛道的想法是 得不到鼓勵的，但是我覺得應給予鼓勵，而且，在科學和 學術面前，人人平等。 It’s the same as that for science. Absolute freedom, the space to develop their areas of strength, and adequate financial resources. And of course, role models. Secondary school education is important too. The Chinese tend not to be as innovative and original as Westerners. Western kids are brought up to be creative, to be rebellious, to be free. The Chinese are bound by the mentor-disciple system. Your mentor tells you what to do and you do it. In Chinese families and schools, radical thinking is not encouraged. But I think it should be. Before science and knowledge, everyone is equal. 10 理想中賞心稱意的一天是怎樣的？ Your idea of a perfect day? 視乎心情吧，上星期在新罕布什爾，我跟太太去了新英倫 爬山賞紅葉，非常愜意。我也喜歡看小說，中英文甚麼小說 都看。 Depends on my mood. Last Sunday, my wife and I went hiking in New Hampshire to see the red autumn leaves of New England. It was very enjoyable. I also like reading novels. I read all kinds, Chinese and English. Gymnasium, games in Non-residential Hall, a campus tour. A reunion dinner was organized on 25 October for alumni who have graduated for 25 years or multiples of 25 years. Over 100 alumni of the 1958, 1983 graduating classes or before were in attendance at the United College Staff Common Room at Cheung Chuk Shan Amenities Building.