HKUST Genesis = 同創, Volume 1, Number 2

Abstract

[evdate 1990-01-15] HKUST Genesis January 1990 Vol.1 Number 2 Message from the Vice-Chancellor As we step into the decade of the 90's , we are taking a step nearer the day when our first students will walk through the entrance at the campus* Piazza. This

crescent shaped section will be the main gateway to our campus. Through it, students, staff and visitors will pass to go to their classrooms, laboratories, offices, conference rooms and gymnasia.

Since the Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony on 8 November 1989, most of you probably have not had the chance to visit the site. It may be of interest to you to hear a layman's update on progress at our future home, which I visit as often as I can, about once every two to three weeks.

The profile of the Piazza is now clearly visible, as the superstructure emerges from the ground at two levels. Two floors of the Library Wing are already standing, protruding gently towards the ocean. Foundation work seems completed for the

Residential Blocks. The same goes for the Northern Access Road Bridge, across which all traffic leading to the Piazza will pass. If everything continues to move along smoothly, dream will become reality (Phase I) by June 1991, when all of us will be able to enjoy fresh air and light breezes straight from the ocean.

My very warm wishes for a healthy and fruitful Year of the Horse! The Library under construction, courtesy of Steven Wong, Estates Office Welcome to 1990 and another issue of HKUST Genesis! As everyone knows, the University is expanding rapidly. Many new and exciting things happen each month. The staff of Genesis will work hard this new year to keep you updated on important events and issues in the HKUST family.

The success of this publication depends on contributions from the whole University community. Deadline for contributions to the next issue will be February 6th. Please send articles to the Office of Public Affairs: attention of Steve Kong or

Mary Lau. The Lunar New Year is just a few days away. We wish everyone a happy holiday and a successful year ahead!

January 1990 STAFF INTRODUCTION SYSTEM PROGRAMMERS, COMPUTER SERVICES Michael Chan, System Programmer; born Dee 24 in HK; married; graduated from King's College and the University of Hong Kong; formerly of Citibank, N.A.; favourite sports: volleyball and basketball; favourite season: autumn.

Lau Fai Ha Sylvia, Administrative Systems Program-mer; born Ott 20 in China; single; graduated from St Paul's Secondary School; formerly of City Polytechnic; favourite sports: tennis and golf; favourite pastime: family gathering.

Ophelia Yao, Administrative Systems Programmer; born Nov 26 in China; married; graduated from Maryknoll Convent School and Oregon State University; formerly of

HK Polytechnic; favourite sport: swimming; favourite colours: black and red. News in Brief A press conference was held at the 12/F Conference Room on 12th January to introduce recently appointed academic staff. A ceremony to commemorate the Inauguration of the Biotechnology Research Institute was held on 16th January in Hong Kong Hotel. Sir S Y Chung, GBE, JP, and

Vice-Chancellor Prof Chia-Wei Woo presided over the ceremony. Staff Movement Welcome Aboard, new staff! Admissions. Registration & Records: Mr G G O's rien; Computer Centre: Mr Mak Lai-ming,

Donald, Mrs Wong Poon Kit-Chun, Letty; Estates: Mr Lam Kin-lai; Finance: Mr Cheng Kit-ming, Ms Lam Yau-fung, Ms Fu Miu-lan; General Administration & Committees: Miss Lo Hoi-lin, Gloria; Personnel: Miss Fung Mun-wah, Mabel, Mrs Wat Tsang Kwai-thing, Alice; Planning & Coordination: Ms Cheung Yin-ping, Agnes.

Resignation: Personnel: Miss Yuen Chau-kuen, Anita. DAY I 1lth January. 1990 HEART vs HEAD In thanking Mr Michael Gale of the Hongkong Telecom for hosting a dinner for the

academics, Prof Chih-Yung Chien said, "people use their heads to make rational decisions. However, the really important decisions are usually made with their hearts in an irrational way. Eighteen months ago when my wife and I first came to Hong Kong, we had an opportunity to get together with some of the council members including Mr Gale and Mr Poon. Each spoke about his support for the dream of HKUST. It was very clear that their decisions were from their hearts. Many of our academics made

agonizing decisions to come to HKUST because they listened to their hearts instead of their heads. It is these illogical decisions that will produce magics. We at the university and you from the community are of the same heart.

Together we shall succeed." RESEARCH vs DEVELOPMENT "The primary mission of a university is to create and disseminate knowledge. The research we do must be relevant to this mission, i.e., it should be both basic and applied re-search. However, it requires strong financial support to do credible research. If part of the support is to come from the private sector, it is

understandable that we should help the private sector to solve their problems because we have the staff with the ability to solve difficult problems.

The issues related to these problems may or may not be suitable for postgraduate thesis research since they are quite developmental in nature. However, we should convince the private sector that in order for us to help solve problems, we also need their support for our basic and applied research related to the creation of knowledge since that is the only way to assure that our faculty will stay in the leading edge of science and technology. In other words, we should support the local private sector's needs and in turn seek their support for our academic research. This should be the principle, although the actual implementation remains to be thought through. At the same time, we must not lose our focus in our mission on education, in the creation and dissemination of knowledge. HKUST will indeed be a special university with great challenges. We will take up many types of work to assist the economic development of Hong Kong as indicated by the HKUST mandate and we may set up organisations to perform these as

signments. However, I would like to assure you, our first and foremost mission is education and research."

Concluding remarks by Prof Chien BIOLOGY vs CHEMISTRY The following terminologies are used quite frequently in the curriculum planning discussion but are not necessarily interchargeable.

-_ biochemistry, chemical biology, chemical behaviour of biological systems, biological effects in chemical systems, physical biochemistry, physical chemistry in biological systems, etc. --

DAY 2 12th January, 1990 1997 and BRAIN DRAIN In a press conference in which recently appointed senior academics were introduced, some questions and answers went like this :

Reporter: Because of 1997, many Hong Kong people are seeking immigration abroad, why do you give up what you have and come to Hong Kong?

Professor: If it were not for the 1997, some of us would not be here. Reporter: What do you think of the brain drain in Hong Kong? DAY 4 14th January, 1990 It is time that we begin to do something about the brain drain instead of just worrying about it. What you are seeing now is the reverse brain drain. Perhaps, one may conclude that there are actions which can be taken to reverse the tide.

Professor: Sunday, no meetings! A boat trip was planned to sail from Tsimshatsui to Clear Water

Bay. Then, a landing from the sea to the HKUST campus would be attempted to plant a flag. Soon after we cast off, it became apparent that the sailing would not be smooth and a few professors were obviously having hard times.

Vice Chancellor then ordered a retreat and we spent the day somewhere else. Although the trip was quite pleasant, our first attempt to claim the campus was a total failure.

SONG and DINNER Another dinner was given with added ingredients-- songs. One of them went like this, "remember when we were young, you loved to talk and I loved to smile. One day we were sitting under a peach tree, the breeze brushed the branches and birds were singing. Somehow we went to sleep while flower petals were falling in the dream.*

13th January, 1990 Very very brief descriptions of the activity: Campus site visit: Fantastic Meeting with Transport Branch: Ground work Library: The best in the world Computer Service: Almost the best in the world Research lnstitutes: Tough School of Business & Management: Milton Freidman running wild DAY 5 15th January, 1990 I Reality sank in and we began to face problems. Desperation was everywhere. 16th January, 1990 BIOTECHNOLOGY The Biotechnology Research Institute was inaugurated at the Hong Kong hotel. Presentations by the scholars and experts included the following:

A monkey with its blood completely drained eating bananas after injection of artificial blood.

The colon cancer of a white male before and after "biotechnology" treatment. How to open holes in the membrane of your cells. Vegetable oil and toxic waste eating bacteria. Looking for fishes using satellites. Making "super fish" more tasteful. Biomedical engineers - repairmen of your body. 17th January, 1990 Are we going to be friends any more? Farewell. January1990 Graphically Speaking: This month: organisation chart Type 1: The Typical Top Down Type 2: To Serve the People Type 3: Centralisation Type 4: The Wheel and Deal Type 5: The Localisation Scheme -The Hong Kong Subway Syslem ON THE LIGHT SIDE Easy as Pie During the half year 1 have been at HKUST, I have had the good fortune to learn just a tiny bit about the policies and methods used by government in Hong Kong for budgeting. Norman NGAI, Director of Finance, explained it all to me. It is really quite simple, just like cutting up a pie.

First, there is a recurrent budget. This covers all the things we need money for on a yearly basis. There is also a capital budget. This is also money we need to spend every year, but on things we can put in the recurrent budget. These two budgets bear an important relationship to one another: when we are asking for funding in the recurrent budget, we are told it belongs in the capital budget; when we ask for the same thing in the capital budget, we are told it should have been included in the recurrent budget. This is known as fiscal responsibility.'

To get any money at all for next year, we had to prepare a five-year estimate for government. Actually one of the five years is the current year, for which government has already foolishly given us some money, so we can estimate pretty darned well how much money we have for that one. The second year in the estimate is how much we want next year. Each of the remaining three years is what the financial experts call a wild guess.

To get money the year after next, we have to produce a triennium (three-year) estimate for UPGG. So far, for two years worth of funding, we will have done eight years of estimating (or guessing, if you insist on the technical term). But, as I said earlier, it's really very simple.

For example, the capital budget will cover furniture and equipment. That's simple enough. Of course, we have a separate budget for specialist equipment, but that's only a minor complication. And government asked us break down our request into basic teaching equipment vs furniture and general equipment. Wait a minute, the furniture also had to be broken down into building-dependent furniture and loose furniture. Of course, most of the loose furniture depends on the building to keep it out of the weather, and some of the building-dependent furniture is loose (or can be pried loose). But never mind, it's really very simple.

January1990 Jay: Look at this wonderful product of biotechnology. C Y: This is how we share the pie And the winner of the grand prize is Mecell Lee! The third meeting of the adhoc Management Committee, chaired by the Director of Administration, was held on 17January. The Committee finalised and draft constitution which will be presented in March 1990 for final adoption for the Social Club. It also decided to kick off a membership drive for the Social Club. In the next few weeks, Committee members from various offices wi11 go around to talk to everybody about joining the Club.