HKUST Genesis = 同創, Volume 9, Number 2

Abstract

[evdate 1998-02-18] Genesis The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology vol.9 no.2 18 February 1998

Students Honor Faculty Favorites Vertex house II students association Dr Wei-Ping Li of Mathematics Prof Shiu-Yuen Cheng Drs Chih0Chen Chang and Lambros Katafygiotis Dr Yongli Mi

The top ten lecturers poll 1998

Executive MBA welcomes inaugural class Kellogg Dean Donald Jacobs with SBM Dean Yuk-Shee Chan and Dr Steve De Krey director of the EMBA Program

Dean jacobs chats with the EMBA participants Morgan Stanley, Federal Express, Kodak and Cathay Pacific Han Lung Development and Saint Honore Cake Shop

Students turn teacher Eddie Chua Fung chun Eric Yeung Siu Kai Jacky Chiu Ka Lok

Student @michigan Michigan Boris Fung Tsz Ho University of Michigan at Ann Arbor

Guess Our Research Results UST Civil and Structural Engineering Department Dr Charles Ng

Deans List

Social Club talk supports Charity Michael Tang Chairman of the social club Dr Edwin Yu chairman of the Hong Kong Alzheimer's Disease and Brain Failure Association

University Women's Group Barclays Global Investors Ltd

student focus Stretching the mind Student Affairs Office , Carmen Leung , Eugene Chow chin Yu

Q&A Questions? Answers! Pandora Yuen , Student Affairs Office Roger Davies , Estates Manager

IEEM Projects win prizes Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE) Dr Neville Lee (IEEM) Judy Tong Hong Fa and Matthew Cheung Man Fai Kam Lung Leatherware Company based in Shenzhen

Adrian Chan Ming Hon and Kinson Lam Yuen Tong Dr Vincent Duffy (IEEM) Toyota Escalators Potter Leadership Resource BMW

Students Honor Faculty Favorites This year's Top Ten Lecturers poll saw five first-time winners joining five previous recipients to take the honors in the annual student-run survey. Nearly 40% of UST students voted in the poll, the highest number ever. The poll was organized by Vertex, the House II Students Association. Among this year's top ten, four faculty members received their second award and Dr Wei-Ping Li of Mathematics has been selected for the third time. "I'm putting more effort into teaching year on year." Dr Li said. "Last semester, I was teaching 120 students of varying abilities. I have to work hard to make the course

challenging but still understandable. According to Dr Li, a good teacher should know his or her audience. As well as coping with different levels of student ability, he also teaches students from science, engineering and business, all with different

needs and expectations. This point was reinforced by Dr Li's department head, Prof Shiu-Yuen Cheng. "The students should be as pleased with the poll results as I am," he said. " As we teach mathematics across the schools, it's important that we have such good and dedicated

teachers, like Drs Li and Fung." Civil and Structural Engineering appeared for the first time this year, through Drs Chih-Chen Chang and Lambros Katafygiotis, while Dr Yongli Mi was Chemical Engineering's first winner. "I'm very happy about the poll," Dr Chang said. "My approach to teaching is simple-to be considerate and sincere." Like Mathematics, the Accounting Department has appeared in the poll every year since it began in 1996. This year, the department's winners are all appearing for the second time.

"I am extremely proud of Drs Chan, Ramaswamy and Stice for being elected this year," said Prof Gary Biddle, Head of the Accounting Department. "With their efforts, the department has received nearly one third of the awards for the entire University during the past three years." When asked for the secret of Accounting's success, Prof Biddle pointed to three key ingredients: "I dedicated faculty, a (above, l-r) Dr Andrew CHAN Hong Tak, Accounting (2) Dr Chih-Chen CHANG, Civil and Structural Engineering Dr Xiao-Ping CHEN, Management of Organisations (2) Dr Jimmy Chi-Hung FUNG, Mathematics Dr Lambros KATAFYGIOTIS, Civil and Structural Engineering (below, l-r) Dr Wei-Ping LI, Mathematics (3) Dr Yongli MI,Chemical Engineering Dr K. P. RAMASWAMY, Accounting (2) Dr Mike Ka-Pui So, Information and Systems Management Dr Earl K. STICE, Accounting (2) (2) indicates second-time winner, (3) third-time winner culture of teaching excellence, and great students," Prof Biddle said. " We appreciate the support and initiative of vertex in organizing the awards and are pleased to be able

to contribute to teaching excellence at UST." "I'm happy to have won, although I don't worry too much about prizes and awards," said Dr K. P. Ramaswamy (ACCT). " simply do my job as well as I can, and if I win an

award that's very nice, but incidental." Dr Ramaswamy would like to see the poll taken later in the year to benefit faculty members teaching third-year and second- semester classes. "I don't know if they are getting the same chance as the rest of us," Dr Ramaswamy said. "Perhaps Vertex could hold the poll at the end of the spring semester." Two further faculty members merit special mention. Dr Kin Yin Li (MATH), a previous winner in the student poll and recipient of the University's Michael G. Gale Medal for Distinguished Teaching in 1995 declined the Vertex award this year, and Prof Susan Ashford (MGTO) had already left UST when the results were compiled. Students were able to vote by Internet or in person. The first six places were awarded to lecturers scoring the highest number of votes on the first count. The remaining four places were then allocated to the winners of a weighting exercise designed to ensure that those teach- ing small classes were not unfairly excluded.

Inside this issue EMBA Launches 2 . Guessing Research 3 . Get in Gear.. 4 . Questions? Answers! 4 i Campus Calendar . 4

Executive MBA Welcomes Inaugural Class

The Kellogg-HKUST Executive MBA program kicked off in January with a live-in study week for the 35 participants. The EMBA's inaugural class has attracted CEOs, managing directors and vice presidents from prestigious Asian and multinational companies such as

Morgan Stanley, Federal Express, Kodak and Cathay Pacific, and local companies like Hang Lung Development and Saint Honore Cake Shop. The first week of classes was taught by senior Kellogg faculty members, including Dean Donald Jacobs. The intensive program introduced the participants to the latest thinking in operating strategies, economic and other social goals, and analytical approaches to uncertainty. The week culminated in a cocktail reception for participants and an inauguration dinner for the sponsoring companies attended by UST and Kellogg faculty members, and board members from both schools. The EMBA is jointly offered by UST's School of Business and Management and the J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management of Northwestern University, Chicago.

Students Turn Teacher 0n a cold Saturday morning, Eddie Chua Fung-chun was up to his elbows in circuit boards, performing a mechanical autopsy of a computer for the benefit of his attentive class. Not an unusual happening on campus - except that Eddie is a third-year CPEG student and his pupils that day were 15 Hong Kong school teachers. Eddie and fellow students Eric Yeung Siu Kai and Jacky Chiu Ka Lok planned and taught the course as part of their final year project. In two full-day sessions, the teachers learned how to make use of computer and multimedia technology in their classrooms. The students were remarkably confi- dent, fielding question after question while coping with technical hitches along the way. A Kellogg Dean Donald Jacobs (middle) with SBM Dean Yuk-Shee Chan (left) and Dr Steve De Krey, director of the EMBA program. 4 Below, Dean participants. Jacobs chats with the EMBA On top of software and Web training, the students prepared a course book, full of tips for those buying a computer. CPU speed, RAM, ROM, display chips and disc caches were all explained-useful for deciphering those computer flyers that seem to offer Deep Thought for a couple of thousand dollars. As well as valuable experience for the UST students, the course provides free, effective training for the teachers. "In some schools with advanced PC rooms, teachers are still relying on hand-written, photocopied notes," Eddie said. "We wanted to introduce them to the potential

for using computers in their teaching." The students hope to repeat the course later in the year. The teachers were impressed by the content and their tutors for the day. "I'm delighted that they now know more than us," said Mr Y. C. Fung, the principal of Tuen Mun Government Secondary School. "It is the greatest reward for a teacher to see young people that you have nurtured grow and develop so well."

Details of the training course are available at http ibsl.ust.hk/-teaching. GENESIS, 18 February 1998

Student @Michigan My first impression of Michigan was of a big, quiet and beautiful place. The campus is so big that I had to use a map for the first few days. Michigan is a university with a long history and around 36,000 current students. The university campus is like a town, with lots of shops and even its own police force. Students here are proud to belong to Michigan. Ann Arbor is not big compared with Hong Kong. With a population of about 115,000 in an area of about 26 square miles, you don't feel crowded-unless there is an American football match. The city's stadium is the biggest in the US, with a capacity of 102,501 seats. People in Michigan are nice and eager tohelp, even if they don't know you. Learning about different cultures was one of my objectives this year, so we tried to make friends from dif- ferent countries. Most of my friends come from Asia, includ- ing students from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, India and Pakistan. Since UST is US-styled, it wasn't too difficult to adapt to the studies. However, the workload in Michigan is much heavier. I am taking five electronic engineering courses, including two 400-level courses to match the credits and curriculum at UST. Those 400-level courses are really hard as half of the class are graduate students. Before coming, I thought that American students were not hardworking. However, most Michigan students are smart and work very hard. There are still a lot of students working in the library late at night or at weekends. I felt a little strange when I first walked into an undergrad- uate classroom to find people in their thirties sitting there. At first, I wondered what they were doing there, but found they were undergraduate students just like me. Although most have worked for many years, and some are married with children, they have decided to study for a degree, which might have been impossible when they were younger. Their eagerness to learn has impressed me a lot.

Boris Fung Tsz Ho is a second-year electronic engineering student currently on exchange at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

The Dean's List for Fall Semester 1997 will appear in the next issue of Genesis on 4 March 1998.

Guess Our Research Results

Ask a civil engineer how much weight can be carried by a construction pile, and you can expect a wide range of theoretical answers, That was the result of an unusual event, a prediction sympo- sium, organized by UST's Civil and Structural Engineering Department. The symposium challenged industry, academic and government engineers to predict the Department's research results. More than 80 professional engineers from 25 companies and consultancies, five government departments and two universities took up the challenge, gathering at UST in January to see how close they came. Over 20 group predictions were made for a research pile sunk by the Department in Kowloon Bay. The calculations showed wide variation, with loads of between 300 and 3,000 tons predicted. The actual measured load was 900 tons. Another six predictions for a pile in the new Central Station construction site were closer in range, including one exact match. Prediction symposiums are common in many countries, but rare in Hong Kong. This was the first such event organized by a local university. it is a great way to share ideas, technical expertise and experience," said Prof Wilson Tang, head of the Department. "Pile design and construction are of great importance to industry and I hope this event will stimulate more research in this area," Prof Tang said. our Department plays a major role in this area and the project has been widely supported by industry and government departments." Dr Charles Ng, organizer of the symposium, added: piling is a controversial and costly issue in Hong Kong. In many areas, the bedrock is too deep to allow traditional piles to be drilled economi- cally so barrettes-floating piles that do not reach the rock-are used instead." The Department's research project aims to chart barrette perform- ance and produce reliable design guidelines for construction projects.

Social Club Talk Supports Charity Michael Tang, chairman of the Social Club, presents a check to Dr Edwin Yu, chairman of the Hong Kong Alzheimer's Disease and Brain Failure. Association. Over $11,000 was raised for the Association during a fund- raising investment talk organized by the Social Club and the University Women's Group last October. A major portion of the money was raised through a donation by Barclays Global Investors Ltd. The presentation ceremony was also attended by execu- tive committee members of the Social Club and representa- tives of Barclays.

GENESIS, 18 February 1998 3

Stretching the Mind Genesis challenged two students to describe their experience of the Get in Gear personal development program, run by the Student Affairs Ofice Last issue, Carmen Leung shared her experiences. Now it is the turn of Eugene Chow Chin

Yu (below), who joined GIG while at UST as a visiting student in management from the University of British Columbia, Canada. I can describe SAO's get In Gear" (GIG) program in just a couple of words- well-rounded. First of all, it is very practical. You learn useful things, essential for a successful life but not

found in a textbook. GIG is a well-rounded program of eight different workshops, on subjects from table manners to leadership. After I finished GIG, I knew how to balance my life by applying the nutrition, fitness, and relaxation techniques learned from the program. GIG has prepared me to overcome future challenges and obstacles. I also improved my presentation skills by attending the presentation workshop. GIG takes you outside school too. The leadership workshop was held at the breakthrough Camp in Sha Tin while the grooming

workshops were held at cosmetic company training centers in Tsim Sha Tsui. On the other hand, if you need to expand your persond contacts, joining the GIG program is also a good idea. It gave me the chance to make friends with students from the other

UST schools. Through the team-building workshop and the preparations for the GIG graduation dinner, we became good partners and good friends. If you want to develop into a well-rounded person, I suggest you take part in the program next fall. I was impressed by GIG and am certain that you will be too.

Questions? Answers! Q I am a HKUST hall resident. Recently, the theft problem has become serious, especially in the laundry room. Items stolen include jeans, a mobile phone and face cream. Why doesn't the University take some meas- ures to minimize theft? A Pandora Yuen, Student Affairs Office: security and protection of residents' property has always been a major concern of hall management. Unfortunately, we do have cases of loss of personal belongings. Most are either petty theft or the result of mischievous deeds. In the Fall Semester, there were 1 S reported cases, with two patterns worth noting. "The first is loss of clothing in the laundry rooms. There are several cases every semester but no one has ever been caught. Although the lost items were of little monetary value, such losses can be annoying. It is a nuisance rather than simply an act of theft-four cases (25% of the total) last semester belong in this category. "The second is the loss of valuables from bedrooms-60% of reported cases last semester. Very often, the lost items were left visible and unattended in rooms with the door unlocked or 4 open. Previous cases mainly involved wallets and cash, but recently two mobile phones left in unlocked rooms went missing. "The best way to prevent petty theft is to take care of your belongings and residents have been briefed on how to protect their valuables. We also believe that when people know each other well, there will be fewer of these unsociable acts. With the help of the house students' associations and the floor committees, efforts are being made to strengthen community life in the halls." Q My car was scratched recently while parked in the area close to Lift 19. Talking with colleagues, I find that many have had the same experience in the same place. Can something be done about this situation, and what action can be taken against those caught damaging vehicles? A Roger Davies, Estates Manager: if the car was parked in the area by Lift 19, then it has to be at the writer's own risk. This yard is clearly marked as a no-parking zone, the reason being that this is a service and delivery area. Private cars parked there are vulnerable toaccidental damage when goods and materials are

being moved in and out. Deliberate damage or vandalism on campus is, fortunately, very rare but when it does occur it is treated very seriously. The only previous incident of damage to a private car reported to Security in this area was more than two years ago and was, again, probably the result of accidental damage in the course of deliveries. We are well provided with designated car parks on campus, they are patrolled and in man) cases covered by security video. Campus park- ing restrictions have a practical reason behind them, it is not just a matter of bureaucracy." E-mail your questions to genesis orfax to 2358-0537.

Campus Calendar Until 29 March Journey to the East 98: Installation Art Exhibition Exposition Hall 17 Feb Body Movement Lab Workshop series by Arthur Chiang Every Tuesday, 17 Feb - 3 1 March ,7 pm Univeristy Center Activities Room 21 Feb Chinese Classical Dance Class Instructor: Yeung Chi Kuk Every Saturday, 21 Feb - 16 May, 11 am- 12:30 pm (adults) , 2-3:30 pm (children) University Center Activities Room 23 Feb Tsai Ming Liang Screening Program A New Friend of Mind (1995) 7:30 pm LTE 23-27 Feb Arts Festival 98 Enquiries to Center for the Arts, x6 149 24 & 25 Feb Pipa and Zhongyuan Recital Fang Jin Long 1 pm,8pm Exposition Hall 25 Feb-Payday 26 Feb Electra-Acoustic Music Concert UST Quartet-in-Residence 8 pm, Exposition Hall 27 Feb Percussion Concert Pun Tak Shu 1 pm, Exposition Hall 2 March Tsai Ming Liang Screening Program Rebels of-the Neon God (1992) 7:30 pm LTE 13 March Annual Performance of Dance Society 7:30 pm, Ko Shan Theatre

GENESIS, 18 February 1998

IEEM Projects Win Prizes

Final-year projects by UST industrial engineering and engineering management students have won top awards from the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE).

Supervised by Dr Neville Lee (IEEM), Judy Tong Hong Fa and Matthew Cheung Man Fai analyzed manufacturing and business processes of the Kam Lung Leatherware Company based in Shenzhen for their project, which the HKIE judged 1997's best industrial engineering student project. Adrian Chan Ming Hon and Kinson Lam Yuen Tong created a program that simulates factory lay- outs in a virtual reality environment, accessible through the Web. Their project was supervised by Dr Vincent Duffy(IEEM) and was judged the most innovative. Judy has returned to UST as an MPhil candidate, Matthew now works for Toyota Escalators, Adrian works for consultants Potter Leadership Resource, and Kinson is an engineering trainee with BMW.

(l-r) Kinson,Adrian,Matthew and Judy collect their HKIE awards.

GENESIS, 18 February 1998 5

Home Affairs Xiao-Ping Wang (, (MATH) announces the birth of Harry Y. Wang, on 1 January 1998 Brad W. C. LAU (CHEM) announces his marriage to Daisy Mur Wan Yu on 27 December 1997 SOUVENIR SHOP INFORMATION CENTRE Managing Editors Sally Greig Jacky Tsang Editor Lisa Li Design & Production Timothy Ngan Photography Jeff Lam (EEE,Z) Printing ETC Genesis is published by the Office of Public Affairs to keep members of the UST community in touch with University news and views. The next issue of Genesis will be published on 4 March 1998. Contributions are welcome, but must be received at least two weeks before publication date. Email your contribution to genesis. 1998 by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. All rights reserved. Printed on recycled paper. 6

校園活動 《中國旅程98：裝置藝術展》 展期至3月29日 展覽廳 鄭志銳身體工作坊 2月17日至3月31日逢星期二晚上七時 大學中心活動室 中國民族舞蹈班 楊志穀主教 2月21日至5月16日逢星期六 上午11時至下午時半〔成人〕及 121 時 下午二時至三結半 (小童〕 大學中心活動宦 蔡明亮電現電影作品展 《我新認識的朋友》95年作品〕 2月23日晚上七時半 《青少年哪吒》〔92年作品〕 3月2日晚上上時半 E 講堂 科大藝術節98 2月23日至27臼 查詢請電科大藝術中心〔x6149〕 方錦龍琵琶及中阮演奏會 2月24及 25日 下午一時及晚上八時 展覽廳 2月25日 一發工資日 電日四重美音樂會 科大駐校四重奏 2月26日晚上八時 展覽廳 五行欠打敲擊音樂會 潘德恕 2月2了日下午一時 展覽廳 舞蹈學會周年表演 3月 13 日晚上七時半 高山劇場 科大人的聲音 一年多前．五名同學有著一個共同的理想 - 在本港創立第一個網上校園電台；一年後的 今天，科大校園人民廣播電台正慶賀一歲生辰。 創辦人之一、資訊系統管理學系三年級的李 亞越說：'電腦發展日新月異，多媒體技術漸趨流 行，我們希望抓住這個機會、提供一條全新的管 道，讓同學發表意見，交換心得。' 這塊屬於科大每一份子的天地，至今聽眾已 達二萬多人次。電台節日計有評論時事的'科大透 視'，如訪問經濟學系的鄭國漢教授及雷鼎鳴博士 談金融風暴；有針貶時弊的處境廣播劇，最新一 輯題為'雞無寧日'；有談天{????}a的'來吧！科大吹 水兵團'；也有最受同學歡迎的愛情小品。 同學可在電台大發偉論"表達對節目的看 法，或只是胡扯一番都可以。開台至今，李亞越 卻不無遺憾：'我希望同學更主動在電自發表意 見，激發討論，而不單就節目做回應。電台是屬 於大家的，不是我們一小撮人。' 枓大電台已準備〕'一系列節目，慶祝成立一 周年。二月十日，適値元宵佳節前夕，電合會舉 辦有奬燈謎遊戲，與眾共度中國情人 節；訪問吳家瑋校長，請他談談對同學 的期望及科大的發展；也會邀請兩個學 系的同學，談情論性；還會創作諷刺時 弊的處境廣播劇。 既要兼顧三年級繁重的學業，又要 為節目搜集資料、寫稿及錄音，這些業 餘 DJ 也會感到透不過氣來。資訊系統 管理學系三年級的郭詠雯說，大家都忙 於應付繁重的功課、新節目'出街'需 要較長的時間。不過，與志同道合的同 學一起編寫節目，為廣播劇錄音，做節 能得到聽眾的回應、往忙碌中也自有 樂趣。 科大電台期望得到更多同學的參與 及支持。李亞越說，如果大學能為他們提供錄音 室及專業設備，那就最好不過了：目前，他們多 借用大學房間或在同學家中錄音，當然不及擁有 自己的錄音室那麼方便。 科大校同人民廣播電台網址 為 http home.ust.hk/campusradio/。 聘請兼職攝影記者 ．如果你掌握基本攝影技巧，有敏銳的觸覺 ．如果你喜歡拿著攝影機走遍校園 ．如果你是一年級同學或研究生 ．如果你星期能騰出數小時來 ．如果你想賺點外快 請電郵 pawin 或致電2358-6313與粱小姐聯絡 公共事務處

虎年祝願

化學系三年級黃達基 世界和平，經濟繁榮。香 港近朝經濟不景氣，低收 入人士的生計大受影響． 希望香港經濟盡快復甦。 生物學系三年級梁冬 夏〔左〕及譚雅儀 今年市道不好，最希望畢 業後能找到工作。 保安{????}飌磪{????}新年願望當然是發財啦！ 我更希望能身體健康，因 為財富始終是其次．身體 才是最重要的。 司機楊錦棠 新年大家好。最近身邊有不少朋 友、同事生病，希望大家身體健 康．工作愉快。大學一年比一年 好。新飯堂的東西像舊飯堂一樣 好吃，價錢自然不要大貴。 副校長林垂宙教授 我在虎年出生，是名副其實 的'老'虎。今年是充滿活 力、挑戰及行動的一年。面 對經濟困境，香港需要重整 方向，我相信高科技發展可 增加香港的競爭能力，大學 將為此作出不懈的努力， 學生事務處陸翠晶 新年希望可以加人工．飯 堂的東西更好吃，如果提 洪送外資服務．那就最好 不過了！ 教職員消息 數學系王筱平的兒子 Harry Y. Wang 於 元旦日(1998 年 1 月1 日)出生。 化學系劉永銓博士於 1997 年12 月27 日與 梅韻如結婚。 冬季大減價 冬季毛衣及衛衣套裝 一律八折 下期《同劊》將於1998年3月4日出版。 《同創》園地公開，歡迎投稿。來稿請傳眞 2358-0537或交公共事務處《同創》編輯收。 截稿日期：出版前兩週。 同創一九九八年二月十八日 科技新知 高科技水泥助你夢想成眞

你幻想過嗎把家中的隔牆減薄，從而享 有更大的生活空間；讓房屋的外牆自動 調溫，冬暖夏涼？工學院的一項研究正在為你 圓夢。 你見過淺灰色粉末狀的水泥嗎？它是一種 應用廣泛的建築材料。把它同沙漿、石子等混 合就製得香港人俗稱"石屎"的混凝土。像混凝 土這類以水泥為主要成份的材料稱為水泥基材 料。 現實生{????}i訴我們，傳統水泥基材料毛病 太多：小至屋宇樓房的石屎剝落，大至世人皆 知的烏克蘭境內核電站的泄漏，都與混凝土構 件有關。 高科技水泥基材料 在科大土木及結構工程學系的一間實驗室 裏，實驗人員將一國混合好的原料放進機器的 物料斗中，按下啓動按鈕，壓得平平整整的薄 片就從機器的出口輸送出來。看花了眼，還以 為這是一個壓麵機，如果不是它那灰黑的色 澤，人們似乎要產生錯覺：以為可以拿個平底 鍋來攤煎餅了。 這是正在進行的高性能水泥材料的試製。 由於在水泥中加入了短纖維和其他原料，因而 它又被稱為短纖維增强水泥基複合材料。 據項目負責人李宗津博士介紹，用擠壓方 法製備的水泥基複合材料，其孔隙度小，原料 中的纖維與基體的界面結合得更加緊固，因此 它比起目前在建築工業中使用的混凝土來，具 有强度高、韌性好、延展性高等優點。 擠壓成型的方 法雖然早已廣泛地 用於陶瓷及塑料工 業，但很少被用在 水泥工業上。在整 個東南亞地區，科 大進行的這項研究 據說是'只此一 家、則無分店'。 不過，這種材料最 吸引人的是它所具 有的高品質。該研究組根據用途而設計的不同 配方，以及根據配方'而改進的機械{????}韝~是此 項研究的核心。 品種繁多用途廣泛 用這種複合水泥製品壓成的板材，具有 薄、輕、强度高的優點，如果用它來代替目前 住宅中使用的隔牆、立即就可以為我們節省下 許多寶貴的使用面積來；聽說這個研究小組正 嘗試在隔牆中加入特殊的添加材料，令其不僅 有更好的隔音性能，還可能冬暖夏涼呢 用這種複合水泥製品壓成的板材來取代傳 統的石膏隔牆可防水，而且它在950C時都不 會燃燒，遠比鋼材、木材 及石膏的耐火性能好。 這種材料可用於高寒 地區，也可作建築物的外 牆裝飾〕用作地磚尤其合 適。 這種板材對中國內地 的建築業也意義重大。由 於中國內地多用紅磚作隔 牆，據統計，僅燒製紅磚 所用黏士一項，就今中國 內地每年損失幾乎一個縣的農田面積！為此， 有關當局對使用紅磚連房課以重稅。如果改用 這種水泥材料代替紅磚，那眞是一舉兩得。 李宗津博士說，擠壓的方法非常適用於大 量生產，可以將一些難加工的材料連續不斷地 擠壓成所需要的形狀，再加上投資少、成本 低、產品多樣化，因而很有推廣的價値。 用擠壓方法生產水泥基複合材料 答問 問 我住在學生宿舍。最近，宿舍偷竊越來越嚴重，洗衣房的 問題尤為突出。被偷的東西包括牛仔褲、手提電話及面霜。大學為 甚麼沒有採取措施減少偷竊案的發生？ 答學生事務處阮溫曼紅覆：'在管理宿舍的時候，我們高度關 注宿舍的保安及住客的財物保管。不幸的是，個人財物損失仍不時 發生。大{????}鱄荇蚹{????}O小偷小摸的行為或惡作劇。在上學期，一共 有15宗偷竊個案，詳{????}p下： 地點 懷疑惡作劇小偷小摸總數 公眾地方 4 -- 4 睡房 1 9 10 不明 -- 1 1 總數 5 10 l5 兩種情況値得關注。一是洗衣房的衣物不翼而飛。這類個案每 一個學期{????}頃⑨v，但至今仍未抓到疑犯。雖然失物不是很値殘， 但這種損失是很惱人的。這不單是偷竊，更是滋擾的行為。上學期 四宗個案(佔總數四分之一〕便屬於這種情況。 二為在房間失去貴重物品，佔上學期報失個案的六成。失物多 放於沒上鎖或關好的房間，沒人看管。過去的個案多涉及錢包和現 金，但最近，兩具放在未上鎖房間的無線電話也丟失了。 防範小偷小摸行為的最佳辦法是保管好自己的財物。我們已通 過不同的管道，提點住客保管貴重物品。我們相信，如住客彼此熟 識，關係更為密切，這種妄顧他人感受的行為就會減少。在宿舍及 各樓層學生會的協助下，我們正努力加强舍堂的群體生活。 問 我的車最近泊在19號升降機附近時遭刮花了。與同事提起 這件事時發現很多人在該處也有類似的遭遇。能否採取甚麼措施減 少這種情況的發生？大學如何處理破壞車輛的人士？ 答校產管理處戴偉樂覆：'如果該{????}恕l是泊在19號升降機 附近的話，那只能說後果應由提問人自負，因為該處已清楚劃為非 泊車區，以供貨車運送交收貨物。在搬運貨物進出的過程中，泊在 該處的汽車很容易會意外受損。恣意破壞的行為可幸在校園是絕無 僅有的；一旦發生，我們會嚴正處理。保安{????}洧鴘漲b該處破壞汽 車的個案已經是兩年多前的事情，而且，正如我剛才所說的，是運 送過程中的意外。 校園有大量指定的泊車位，保安人員會不時巡邏，很多也在保 安錄影機的監察範圍內。校園泊車限制有實際的需要，不能簡單地 諉於官僚作風。' 同創 九八年二月十八日出版 GENSIS 我最喜愛的老師 1,114位同學投票選出他們眼中的最佳 老師。 二月五日，氣溫降到九度，在凜洌的寒 風中，這些老師出席了頒奬典禮。第一次獲 奬的化學工程學系弭永利博士特別感動的 是，雖然天氣是那麼的冷，同學卻付出很大 的努力，把頒奬禮搞好。他笑說：'我以前 覺得學生是不太能吃苦的，現在要另眼相看 '十大傑出講師選舉'由舍二翱峰籌辦， 今年已經踏入第三年。主席劉崐濠說：'這 是科大唯一一項以學生為主的教師選舉活 動。我們希望藉此向老師表達謝意。雖然每 一個學期終，同學都會填寫評估科目的問 卷，但官方色彩畢竟太濃 已是三度獲奬的數學系李衛平博士說： '很高興，這代表了同學對我工作的肯定。 好老師的定義很難講，我只是想把書教好。 學生的基礎很參差，迫使我多花點時間，多 下點功夫，設計課程，準備講義，讓程度一 般的同學基本上能聽懂，也叫水平較高的同 學覺得上課有意思。' 會計學系陳航德博士連續兩年都得到同 學的支持。他謙虛地說：'我的教學方法並 沒有其麼特別的地方，我只是盡我的能力教 書，鼓勵同學下課後找我，加强溝通，了解 同學的疑難，從而改進教學。這是老師份內 的工作。'陳博士親自批改作業考卷，又與 同學直接對話，只要想想有150人上他的 課，便知道這絕不是一件輕鬆的事情。 弭永利博士喜歡有挑戰性的教學。他 說：'教與學就像競技場上的比賽，平淡無 奇的教學培養平淡無奇的學生。更豐富更有 挑戰式的教學能讓師生得到更大的{????}{????}他每次上課總會留下一兩條'尾巴'問 題，有些連他自己也沒有答案，刺激同學思 考，在下次上課時師生辯論，培養同學對學 習的興趣。 為了鼓勵投票，今年同學除在網上投票 外，更可到學術廊的投票站投票。投票人數 因而倍增，票數更達2579〔每人最多可投三 票〕哩！ 過去兩年，計分方法{????}H老師獲得的票 數除以教授學生數目，今年籌委會先選出六 名票數最高的老師，然後在從來沒有老師得 過奬的學系，挑出最高票數的老師，每人各 獲加分〔數目為第六名老師票數的三成〕，最 後選出其餘四名得奬者。籌委會主席梁秉裕 解釋說：'這是為了照顧學生人數比較少的 老師，也希望更多學系的老師獲奬。' 曾獲祁敖卓越教學服務奬章的數學系李 健賢博士雖已三度獲奬，但選擇不再接受十 大講師榮譽。組織管理學系客座教授 ProfSusan Ashford因已離開科大，未能出 席頒奬典禮。 馮志雄博士 數學系 李衛平博士 數學系 張志成博士 土木及結構工程學系 簡達福博士 土木及結構工程學系 〔Dr Lambros KATAFYGIOTIS〕 弭永利博士 化學工程學系 陳航德博士 會計學系 華萬思博士 會計學系 Dr K.P. RAMASWAMY 史岱雲博士 會計學系 Dr Earl K. Stice 蘇家培博士 資訊與系統管理學系 陳曉萍博士 組織管理學系