HKUST Genesis = 同創, Volume 10, Number 7

Abstract

[evdate 1999-08-04] GENESIS, 4 August 1999 GENESIS, 4 August 1999 Vol.10 No.7 The Hong Kong University of Science and TechnologyVol.10 No.7 4 August 1999 Research Funding Competitions 2 A Letter from VP-RD 2 Chemical Exchange Program 3 Internship Opportunities 3 Facelift for ARR 4 Learning English in High Gear4 New Council Members4 INSIDE THIS ISSUE HKUST Annex Takes Shape STUDENT FOCUS A Letter from the VP-RD "I hope the University can make the route from university research to commercial success a little easier for our members and keep them company as they toil and sweat," said Prof Otto Lin.

Dear Friends at HKUST,

How are you enjoying the summer? I hope you are all ready for another exciting year to begin.

You must have heard a lot of talk recently about turning Hong Kong into a technology-based, high value-added economy. The final report of the Commission on Innovation and Technology has stimulated much discussion in the community, as have the Cyberport, silicon harbor, the Hong Kong Science Park, and the many "Ports" being discussed in the news media. If only half of these ventures materialize, the Hong Kong economy will have quite a different complexion in ten years. To me, it all sounds very encouraging!

If you want to be part of this effort in building a better future for Hong Kong, you can make a start right here at HKUST. As you may already know, the University has recently launched two new initiatives to stimulate closer university-industry collaboration and to assist members of the University when they want to venture into "hi-tech" business.

These are the HKUST Faculty Entrepreneurship Program (FEP) and the HKUST Venture Capital Fund (VCF).

The FEP is open to all members of the University: faculty, staff, and students. The program gives their "start-up" or "fledgling" technology-based company the University's blessing, assistance and support, and also makes the University a joint-venture partner in the company.

The VCF has been established to support initiatives having exceptional commercial potential. The fund can be used to assist in the development of mid-to down-stream industrial technology based on our research, or for direct participation in a commercialization project. Our fund is small, but it can be used to attract further external funding. The Innovation and Technology Fund to be set up by the HKSAR and other private venture capital funds are potential sources of support.

You may ask how you can gain access to these programs. All you need to do is to visit the RD homepage www.ust.hk/~webvprdo, under "Policies and Procedures". Not only that, Tony Eastham (AVP-RD), Keith White-Hunt (COO, RandD Corp), Matthew Yuen (DTTC), David Young (DATC) and myself will be happy to discuss any potential projects with you.

The road from university research to commercial success is long and tortuous. Every success that I know of involves a great deal more perspiration than inspiration. I hope the University can make the route a little bit easier for our members and keep them company as they toil and sweat.

Lastly, I should emphasize that, while we are offering these programs to assist our members in their efforts in applied research and technology transfer, the University remains as committed as ever to excellent teaching and research. It is through the combined efforts of teaching, research and interaction with the community that we can nurture world-class students and make our University world class. In a knowledge-based economy, technology creates wealth. And it is the people with the knowledge, aptitude, and the dedication that can generate and apply technology for the benefit of society.

Yours,

Otto C C Lin

Would you like to get the chemicals for your research projects free? The Chemical Exchange Program operated by the Safety and Environmental Protection Office (SEPO) offers HKUST researchers the opportunity of acquiring chemicals without spending a cent--an appealing offer in today's budget-cutting environment. "In addition to the direct opportunity to access a free stock of pure chemicals, HKUST researchers can also help minimize wastage," said Dr Peter Swearengen, SEPO's Environmental Protection Engineer.

How the Program Works HKUST researchers looking for free chemicals or who want to get rid of the reagents they no longer need, can access the Chemical Exchange Program through SEPO's web page (the link of the Program is http www.ab.ust.hk/sepo/chemhome.htm). There are two buttons on the Program's web page labeled "The List" and "Submit Chemicals". The first button brings to users a list of chemicals available free of charge. The other button enables researchers to post the chemicals they no longer need.

When the user clicks on the chemical on the list of available reagents, a request form will pop up. After filling out the form, the information will be sent to the Assistant Health and Safety Officer Edmond Cheng. He will check whether the person making the request has the right to acquire the chemical. Once confirmed, Edmond will contact the person who posted the chemical and arrange for the transfer.

"We deliberately prevent the two parties from contacting each other directly because some hazardous chemicals are restricted by law and not everybody is allowed to hold them," said Edmond Cheng.

Similarly, when a researcher fills out the submission form to post a chemical, Edmond will check if that chemical is allowed to be listed for public access before putting it on the web.

The Program was launched in mid-1997. In 1998, 148 items were posted on the Program's page and 45 of them (amounting to 167 liters and 16,000 grams of chemicals) were given away. In the first half of 1999, there were 124 items posted on the Program's page with 9 of them given away.

"The chemicals most actively exchanged through the program are common solvents," said Edmond.

If the person who has posted a chemical for exchange later decides not to wait for recipients, they can contact SEPO to arrange for disposal.

Chemical Exchange Program Helps Optimise Resources HKUST LETTER Summer Camps Delight Secondary School Students

Groups of secondary school students have been coming to HKUST to join various summer camps since early July. These camps included the Science Summer Camp held from 7 to 11 July, and the Engineering Summer Camp held from 15 to 19 July.

Science Summer Camp The Biology, Chemistry and Physics Departments have organized summer camps over the last few years. However, the Biochemistry and Mathematics Departments have been less active in this respect. So the Science School Students' Association decided to organize a Science Summer Camp encompassing all five departments of the School.

The Science Summer Camp Organizing Committee was formed by representatives from each departmental student society. Organizing Committee Chairman, second-year Physics student Lui Kwan-Lun, said, "Our Committee, which is responsible for running the Camp, has 14 members. In addition, we have 34 students serving as team leaders."

The theme of the Summer Camp is "science popularization." Lui said, "The theme is quite abstract and represents a goal which is not easy to achieve. Our primary aim is to arouse participants' interest in science subjects and encourage them to consider pursuing a science program at college."

The Committee sent invitation letters to all secondary schools in Hong Kong and asked each of them to nominate four students to join the Camp. Response was overwhelming and applications from more than 100 schools were received. They finally selected 200 participants at random.

Lui stated that, as this was the first time they had organized such a large camp, they did not have the benefit of any previous experience. In addition, since the Camp was organized by a student society, the resources were limited. He said, "Our budget was small. We had to rely on fees collected from participants and sponsorship offered by the Office of University Development and Public Affairs."

The Summer Camp turned out to be a great success. Lui was happy to see that the participants took part in every activity, particularly the group games. They followed the rules and played fairly.

"Many participants told us they made many friends in the Camp and they got a good taste of campus life," said Lui.

Engineering Summer Camp The objective of this year's Engineering Summer Camp was to offer Form 6 participants an opportunity to experience the wonder of information technology on HKUST's highly computerized campus.

The Engineering School received some 520 applications and 138 participants were selected. During their stay at HKUST, they competed for IT excellence in a design project. To win the contest, they had to surf the World Wide Web for clues, and produce a one-minute video on "love", "competitions in life" or "impressions about HKUST".

In order to give participants an exciting learning experience, the School installed the latest model of PCs in their hall room. Hands-on workshops on Internet tools and software were also provided.

Other Camps Besides these two camps, the Physics Department organized a new Summer School from 5 to 9 July. Forty-five top students received lectures from professors of that Department. Topics included astronomy, cosmology, chance and probability theory, Chinese Nobel laureates, quantum mechanics, classical mechanics, local research, special relativity and wave theory.

Meanwhile from 25 to 31 July, some 40 students from the Chinese Mainland, Taiwan, Japan and Korea came to HKUST for the "AEARU Student Camp", whose theme was centered on the development of IT in the new millennium.

Between 6 and 9 August, the Center for the Arts will organize the "Black Box Camp-- Art and Technology Camp 1999". About 100 Form 4 to Form 7 students and 30 teachers will together to examine the relationship between technology and the arts.

Looking Out For Internship Opportunities In this year's competition among local tertiary institutions for Research Grants Council (RGC) Competitive Earmarked Research Grants, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology has once again achieved the highest success rate of 57%. The University submitted 242 proposals, among which 138 proposals successfully received RGC funding. This is way above the average success rate (39%) among all local institutions, calculated on the basis of 578 successful proposals among a grand total of 1,496 submitted.

This year, the RGC awarded a total of HK$325 million, of which 24% (HK$76.6 million) was given to HKUST.

This HK$76.6 million represents 33% of the total amount HKUST applied for (HK$235.2 million).

On top of our success in RGC's Competitive Earmarked Research Grants, the University also received HK$66 million for 10 research and development proposals in the latest round of competitions for grants from the Industrial Support Fund (ISF) managed by the Industry Department.

To apply for the ISF, a tertiary institution must seek at least 10% matching funding from its partners in the corresponding industry. HKUST's success underpins its strong link with the industrial sector.

HKUST Wins Big in Research Funding Competitions 校園活動 黑箱作業 展期至8月9日 展覽廳

黑箱營-青年藝術與科技營1999 8月6日至9日 科大校園

Campus Calendar Until 9 August Black Box Exercise Exposition Hall

6-9 August Black Box Camp- Art and Technology Camp 1999 HKUST Campus

Facelift for ARR

From 19 to 30 July, a total of 188 students who have just completed either Form 4 or Form 6 benefitted from a two-week intensive English program in a university environment.

Called "English Plus Summer School", the program was designed and run by the HKUST Language Center to prepare students for their up-coming public examinations in English Language.

"While we made it explicit to everybody that the program is very much examination oriented, we also hoped that the participants will get a lot more out of it than just high marks," said Liza Wu, a coordinator for the program.

"Apart from giving classroom tuition, we also provided the students with full access to all the language learning facilities that we take pride in--such as our state-of-the-art language laboratories and Self Access Center. We also showed them English films, and encouraged them to make full use of the Language Center's AutoLANG program, as well as the Library and various sports facilities," Liza said.

Said sixth-former Joyce Lung, "The thing I particularly like about the course is the intimacy between the teachers and the students. As the class here is much smaller than my class in secondary school, there is much more opportunity for interaction."

Another student, Mandy Woo, said, "Apart from brushing up my skills in expressing myself in English, I also value the exposure to peers from other secondary schools. The broadening of my social horizon will be useful to my planned studies in communication and future career as a journalist."

Learning English in High Gear 五十多位來自中國內地、香港、台灣、日本、新加坡和美國的學者聚首科大校園，參加6月23至25日舉行的第六屆'閩方言國際研討會'，一起探討閩方言研究的發展，彼此交流研究心得。這一屆研討會是由科大人文社會科學學院與香港中文大學中國文化研究所合辦。

科大人文社會科學學院院長丁邦新教授指出，這一屆'閩方言國際研討會'最有意義的是促 成了兩岸關心閩語發展的學者共聚一堂，交流研究的成果，而科大能夠成為東道主，實在倍 感榮幸。他說：'雖然現代的通訊科技已經相當發達，兩岸從事閩語研究的學者都可以利用 資訊網絡互通音訊，但如果能夠讓他們面對面接觸，必定可以擦出更多火花。'這屆研討會 分別有29位來自內地和9位來自台灣的學者參加。

丁教授指出，內地學者所觀察的語言演變大都已經成型。例如，他們會探討閩方言和其他地 區的方言之間的關係、閩方言的聲韻和其他特徵、及考證本字的方法等。

台灣學者的研究重點之一是探討語言的層次，注意方言間的接觸，較著重於正在演化中的語 言特徵。

語言和方言會隨著時間、地理和社會文化環境的發展變化而不斷演變，例如從福建移居到香 港和北美的人，他們在當地居住了一段時間後，所說的閩語或多或少會受當地文化所影響； 另一方面，移居美國數十年的老華僑所說的閩語，也會與移居當地祇有數年的人有所不同。

丁教授說：'這次研討會讓兩地學者領會到不同的研究方法，相信一定會對日後的研究工作 帶來幫助。'

這一屆研討會的另一個特色是有關吳語(上海話)與閩語的關係。丁教授在柏克萊加州大學工 作期間，曾主持一個有關吳閩方言關係的研究小組，經過四年多的研究，有關的研究工作快 要結束，所以他們希望在這次研討會上向其他學者報告他們的研究成果。

今天的閩語和吳語顯得非常不同，但語言學者發現，兩種方言都是從古江東方語發展出來的 。不過，吳語後來接受了北方官話的影響，而閩語則保存若干南方方言的特色，兩種方言接 受了不同層次的演變後，差距越拉越大，成了今天表面上毫不相同的情況。

丁邦新教授說：'探討吳語和閩語的演變歷程，對我們了解兩地方言的發展有很大的幫助。 '

國際語言學者匯聚科大 研討閩方言發展 科大劍擊學會在7月3日及4日在校園舉辦首屆'聯校劍擊訓練營'，共有32位來自香港科技大學、香港大學、香港理工大學、香港城市大學、及嶺南學院的同學參加；其中15位是科大劍擊學會成員。

訓練營是為對劍擊已有基本認識的同學而設，目標是幫助他們進一步提高這項運動的技巧。 科大劍擊學會外務副會長杜綺紋說：'我們也希望通過這訓練營，促進各院校劍擊學會的友 誼。'

第一天的活動包括重劍和花劍訓練，晚上還舉行營火會和糖水會；第二天的活動則以花劍比 賽為主。杜綺紋指出，他們選擇祇進行花劍比賽，除了是因為時{????}陪迭A無法編排太多賽事 之外，還因為花劍涉及的技巧和要求比較多，例如劍手必須先取得主動權，才可以在剌中對 手後得分。因此，花劍較適合他們進行練習賽。

科大在比賽中取得很好的成績。男子花劍賽中，科大取得冠、亞、和殿軍，季軍則由理工大 學奪得；女子花劍賽的冠軍由理工大學奪得，科大則囊括亞、季、和殿軍。

杜綺紋說：'我們在第二天的比賽活動中尤其獲益良多。我們過去一年的練習可以說是閉門 造車，臨陣應變的技巧非常缺乏。今次是他們第一次與校外劍手交鋒；有機會觀摩其他院校 代表的技巧和招數，實在大開眼界。'

這訓練營也幫助參加者為七月底舉行的'港滬杯劍擊邀請賽'作好準備。這項賽事是科大劍 擊學會舉辦的最大型活動；屆時，參加這次訓練營的五所大專院校的劍手將會迎戰上海大學 和上海金融高等專科學校的過江猛將。

互相砥礪 - 五校劍手齊臨科大論劍 The Government Gazette issued on 16 July 1999 announced the appointments and re-appointments to the HKUST Council to a three-year term commencing on 1 August 1999.

Ms Ruth Kuok, Dr Lawrence T. Wong, and Mr Wilfred Wong Ying-wai were re-appointed. Dr Robin Chan Yau-hing, JP, the Honourable Christine Loh Kung-wai, and Professor the Honourable Ng Ching-fai were appointed new Council members.

Council News 校董會消息 香港特別行政區政府在1999年7月16日的《憲報》中，公佈委任及再委任六位人士為科大校董，由1999年8月1日起，任期3年。郭綺光女士、黃至剛博士、及王英偉先生獲再度委任；陳 有慶博士、陸恭蕙議員、及吳清輝議員則獲委任為校董會新成員。

Orientation for the Engineering Camp Active participation in group games From University Research to Commercial Success Dr Peter Swearengen (right) and Mr Edmond Cheng, masterminds behind the Chemical Exchange Program. 科大在訓練營的練習比賽中取得很好的成績。

The economic downturn in the last couple of years has put pressure on students looking for summer jobs, particularly if they are looking for something beyond financial reward, such as internship training in a profession that they wish to pursue after completing their university education. Professor Anne Tsui, Head of the Management of Organizations Department (MGTO), has tried out a new approach and successfully helped three students secure their internship.

She identified these opportunities through her personal network of corporate friends. "Many companies are willing to help local universities to train their students because they look at it as a kind of community service. However, they don't want to waste their time and resources on training summer jobbers who are actually not interested in the profession," said Prof Tsui.

That's why personal relationships works. When employers trust the faculty members they know, they can rely on their recommendations and therefore are willing to offer more internship opportunities to students of their university.

The three MGTO students obtained internship offers from The Walt Disney Studio Asia Pacific, Sun Microsystems of California, and Jardine Fleming.

"Although we could find only three internships this year, I think this is a good start. We start small, because we do not wish to sacrifice quality. If we recommend too many students to join the internship program without careful screening and matching, and it turns out that only a few of them perform well, then gradually we will lose our credibility," she said.

If they work well, summer interns can also help keep their employers enthusiastic about providing more internship offers in the future.

Prof Tsui suggested that they should show a high level of motivation in their job and should try to do their very best in every task assigned to them because at the end of the day every assignment has learning opportunities in it.

In addition, they should maintain a proactive mindset to observe how people interact with each other in their work, and how they make decisions.

"Internship is important to MGTO students because the value of a real working environment goes far beyond textbook learning," said Prof Tsui.

這一屆'閩方言國際研討會'最有意義的是促成了兩岸關心閩語發展的學者共聚一堂，交流研究的成果。

The curtain has been lifted to reveal exactly what has been going on in the area outside the entrance to the Academic Concourse. Admissions, Registration & Records Office (ARR) has had a delightful facelift.

"We are an office whose mission is to serve both the internal and external publics--the HKUST community and prospective students. Yet in the past, we were practically invisible to most people and we did not have a suitable public area to meet and serve those seeking information or service from us," said ARR Director Mr Robert Brashear.

"Now, ARR is very visible and, we hope, welcoming. Even visiting prospective students and their families, who are not at all familiar with the campus, should be able to find us easily."

"We will also have a suitable place to serve our customers," said Mr Brashear. "Those just needing forms or publications can walk in and get them without having to queue up behind other students. Students who have problems or issues that they would prefer to discuss in private can easily be taken to a quiet place away from the curious eyes of others."

From time to time, the ARR Office is visited by small groups of secondary school students who are interested in learning more about UST and its programs. The ARR staff had to look for an unoccupied classroom to entertain them. However, as the University classrooms are heavily utilized, it is often hard to find an available classroom. Now, there is an area in the new extension to serve small groups of students and visitors.

In order to minimize the disruption caused to the Office's daily operations and the University community, ARR has to meet a number of challenges. "While summer is the best time, from the point of view of the University community at large, for a construction project like this, it is just about ARR's busiest period Mr Brashear said. "ARR staff, who have had to work through their busiest period around the construction, have had a very hectic summer. I thank them for their patience and cooperation."

ARR has worked closely with the Estate Management Office to find ways of minimizing disturbance and inconvenience to others. The operations that would cause the biggest nuisance, such as demolishing the walls, were scheduled on weekends and most of the work was carried out shortly after the end of the spring semester. "For those who were inadvertently affected, we appreciate your forbearance. Fortunately, we have received remarkably few complaints through the course of the project," said Mr Brashear. "They say you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet, well, the eggs we broke required some pretty big equipment.

"I also want to express my gratitude to the Office of University Development and Public Affairs for sharing their reception area with us," he said. "It is hard to see how we could have completed this project without use of their reception area."

He believes that the renovation is not only good news for the ARR staff, students and visitors, but also a boost to the University as a whole. He said, "In most cases, ARR is the first official face that the University presents to prospective and new students. Our new face certainly is more inviting and open."

ARR can now present a more inviting and open face to prospective and new students. Mock oral exam in progress-videotaped for critque. 九九年八月四日出版 同創{????}一九九九年八月四日 科技新知 同創{????}一九九九年八月四日 GENESIS Salaries will be paid on Friday, 27 August 1999. Editors Ross Lai, Bosco Wong Design & Production Educational Technology Center Photography Jeff Lam ( Comp 1 ) Genesis is published by the Office of University Development and Public Affairs to keep members of the HKUST community in touch with University news and views.

The next issue of Genesis will be published on 1 September 1999. Contributions are welcome, but must be received at least two weeks before publication date either by fax at 2358-0537, or by email to genesis.

(c) 1999 by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. All rights reserved. 下期《同創》將於 1999 年 9 月 1 日出版。 《同創》園地公開，歡迎投稿。來稿請傳眞 2358-0537，或電郵 genesis。 截稿日期：出版前兩週。

Payday Home Affairs * Yeung Wan Lap (MECH) announces the birth of baby boy Yeung Sing Yu on 30 May 1999. 教職員消息 ．機械工程學系楊允立的兒子楊昇諭於1999年5月30日出生。 發薪日期 1999 年 8 月份薪金會於 8 月 27 日發放。 新項目 New Items *城市電訊電話咭現已有售，面値為$100及$50兩種。 *科大教職員及學生購買EUREKA產品可獲七折優惠。優惠期有限，欲購從速。 *CTI phone card ($100 and $50) are now available. *EUREKA's products are available at 30% discount for HKUST staff and students for a limited period only.

科大與德國拜耳化工公司(Bayer AG)經 過幾年的緊密合作，已成功開發一些具有潛質成為强力抗瘧疾藥的活躍化合物。一九九五年中，科大與拜耳公司簽訂協議，共同開發一種治療瘧疾的前線藥物。初步的工作重點是開發'青蒿素'的衍生品種。

青蒿素是從中國出產的植物'青蒿'中提煉出來的；這植物是一種用於治療發高燒的傳統中 藥。

瘧疾是世界上最活躍的熱帶寄生型疾病。除肺病外，它亦是傳染病中的頭號殺手。世界衛生 組織估計，世界上有三至五億人口〔佔全球人口百分之五以上〕受到瘧疾感染，而每年死於 瘧疾的人約有200萬人。

中西治療方法 一九三四年，拜耳公司首先合成了一種叫氯哇(chloroquine)的化合物。後來，更發展成一種預防和治療瘧疾最有效的藥物。很不幸，瘧疾寄生蟲逐漸對這藥物產生抗藥性。同時，世界上至今還未出現對付瘧疾的有效疫苗。

在中國，有一種沿用了二千年的傳統草藥，叫'青蒿'，可以治療瘧疾。七十年代初期，中 國醫藥界更從青蒿提煉出'青蒿素'，隨後更成立了'青蒿素研究小組'，並開發了兩種衍 生藥物青蒿琥酯(artesunate)及甲基還原青蒿素(artemether)。到目前為止，有超過200萬病人接受過這兩種藥物，而它們的功效暫時仍未逢敵手。

目前，由青蒿素衍生物製成的藥物仍有缺點。首先，它們在狗隻身上做的測試顯示，狗隻的 神經系統有中毒現象。雖然直至目前為止尚未發現任何病人有這種徵狀，但這些藥物在申請 註冊方面仍會遭遇困難。因此，任何開發的新藥必須在毒性測試中証明對人類神經系統沒有 不良影響。

現有的青蒿素衍生藥物的另一個缺點是它們都不夠穩定，並會在人體內迅速分解。因此，要 根治瘧疾，這些藥物必須長時間連續使用-通常要使用五至七天，而在治療後期一般要與另 一種藥物同時使用。可惜很多病人都不遵醫囑；當他們發覺初期症狀消失後，往往堅持出院 ，疏忽後期跟進。這情況尤以兒童為甚。

最新發展 世界各地的科學家都在努力開發青蒿素的衍生物或類似物，務使這些藥物更活躍、半壽命更 長，而對神經系統的毒性則更低。科大在這方面走在世界前沿。

科大的研究小組由化學系的韓利强教授〔Professor Richard Haynes〕領導。他在青蒿素的研究上是國際權威；他的小組目前正積極開發新的青蒿素衍生 品種，迎合商業市場的需要。

'自1995年9月以來，我們一直致力於改變青蒿素的化學結構。今天，我們已開發了新的衍生品種，並在老鼠身上進行測試。結果顯示這些新品種比測試中任何其他品種的抗瘧疾藥物要活躍得多。下一步我們須要將開發出來的化合物製成藥品。在這過程中，我們須要與拜耳公司合作，進行毒性測試以及藥性測試，看看藥物在身體內的分佈情況。毒性測試合格後，我們首先用靈長類動物測試，再在人類身體上測試，最後會與其他現有藥物作出比較。如果測試肯定地顯示新藥比較優勝，拜耳公司就會決定是否進行生產及推廣工作。

'在現階段，我們在澳洲一家與拜耳公司簽約的測試中心進行靈長類動物測試；初步結果令 人鼓舞，而為了保障我們的研究成果，我們正通過科大申請六項專利，'韓利强教授說。

另一方面，拜耳公司除了在金錢上進行資助外，更不斷提供專家意見。他們的科學家和行政 人員定期來科大協助研究，而我們開發的新品種亦不時運到拜耳公司測試。

同時拜耳亦資助我們翻新一個實驗室；這實驗室將命名為'拜耳實驗室'。 '科大與拜耳公司的合作，是大學與工業界之間建立長遠關係的典範。這種長遠承擔，締造 出豐碩成果，而這正是香港繁榮發展的基石，'韓利强教授說。

科大與拜耳化工攜手抗瘧疾 七月盛暑時節，一批接一批的中學生來到科大，參加不同主題的夏令營。其中在7月7日至11 日舉行的'理學院中學生夏令營'，是由理學院學生會首次主辦的夏令營；工學院主辦的' 榮譽學生工科夏令營'則在7月15日至19日舉行。

理學院中學生夏令營 理學院生物學系、化學系和物理學系往年暑假期間都曾舉辦中學生夏令營，但生物化學系及 數學系則沒有舉辦類似的活動。因此，理學院學生會希望統籌一個由五個學系合辦的夏令營 。

理學院中學生夏令營籌備委員會是由該院每個學系的學生會派出兩至三位代表組成。籌委會 主席、物理學系二年級(升三年級)呂君麟同學說：'籌備委員會共有14位成員，負責整個夏 令營的運作；另外，五個學系的學生會還派出共34位同學，負責領導夏令營各個分組。'

這屆夏令營的主題是'科學普及'。呂君麟說：'這個主題其實相當抽象，而要達到眞正的 科學普及並不容易；我們祇希望參加這個夏令營的中學生會對科學產生興趣，並在日後選修 理學院課程。'

所以他們希望夏令營不會過於學術性，祇想通過這次活動向參加者介紹一些有趣味的科學課 題，讓他們產生對科學研究的興趣。此外，他們也希望同學們能體驗大學的生活。

他們發信給香港所有中學，邀請他們推薦四位同學參加這次夏令營，結果有超過100間學校報名，由於人數太多，他們祇好用隨機方式，從四百多位報名的中學生中，抽出200位參加者 。

呂君麟表示，這是他們第一次舉辦這麼大規模的夏令營，可以{????}馴{????}S有經驗。另外，夏令 營是由理學院學生會自行舉辦，因此他們可用的資源相當有限。他說：'我們的經費並不多 ，主要來自參加者繳交的費用，以及由大學發展與公共事務處提供的撥款資助。'

夏令營順利舉行，是呂君麟和其他籌委們最感欣慰的事。另外，他們也很高興同學們非常投 入，尤其是在各項遊戲活動，他們都很守規矩，並公平地參與各項競賽。

'有不少參加者告訴我們，他們都在營中結識了不少朋友，並通過夏令營感受到大學的學習 環境。我想這是我們眞正成功的地方，'呂君麟說。

工學院榮譽學生工科夏令營 工學院舉辦的工科夏令營目標是要讓參加的中六學生在高度數碼化的科大校園裏，體驗和應 用資訊科技。

今年工學院共收到超過520份報名表，他們從中選出138位參加者。 工學院為參加者準備了一項資訊科技設計比賽，他們需要瀏覽萬維網頁，從中尋找答案以完 成一本資料小冊；又要以'情'、'人生競賽'或'科大印象'為題，製作一分鐘的錄像。

工學院為方便參加者上網及創作多媒體錄像，特別在他們的宿舍房間內，裝置了最新型號的 個人電腦；又為他們安排資訊科技工作坊，讓他們學習上網技巧及軟件應用。

其他夏令營 除了這兩個夏令營外，物理學系也在 7月5日至9日主辦'物理學暑期班'，指導45位中六學生探討天文學、宇宙學、機會及或然率理論、華人諾貝爾奬得主、量子力學、古典力學、狹義相對論及波動學等課題。

此外，四十多位來自內地、台灣、日本及南韓的大學生則在7月25日至31日，參加在科大舉行的'東亞研究型大學協會學生夏令營'，共同探討新紀元的資訊科技發展。

另外，8月6日至9日，科大藝術中心將舉辦'黑箱營-年藝術與科技營1999'。預計有100位 中四至中七同學及30位教師參加，探討科技與藝術的關係。

數百中學生參加科大夏令營 '青蒿'是一種沿用了二千年的中國傳統草藥。 韓利强教授〔右〕及他領導的小組成員陳浩懷〔中〕及曾慶和目前正積極開發新的青蒿素衍 生品種。

在7月7日，由香港中文大學、香港科技大學、香港大學和多家工商企業組成的'資訊科技企 業家協會'，推出'資訊科技企業家計劃'，資助有意在資訊科技領域上創業的人士(例如剛畢業的大學生)，在大學校園內把他們的構思落實成為可以商業化的服務或產品。有意參加 該計劃的創業人士已於7月下旬提交了申請書〔創業人士仍可以隨時提交申請書〕，入選者必須在8月中提交一份詳盡的計劃書，而獲選接受資助的人士預計可以在9月初開始在他們選定的大學內進行研究和開發工作。

'資訊科技企業家協會'發起人之一、科大計算機科學系主任錢大康教授指出，他們所推出 的計劃，可以說是一項'前培{????}pre-incubation)計劃，對象是那些祇有初步產品構思的 創業人士，如果他們在一年時間內，能夠發展出具有市場價値的服務或產品，便可以正式開 設公司，並尋求其他工業培育計劃的資助去發展他們的業務。

'很多國家根本不需要為有意創業的人士提供"前培育"計劃，因為他們的創業文化已相當 成熟。我們也聽過外國有人在自己的車房開發產品，'錢教授說。'但香港卻沒有這種氣候 。如果要促進這種創業的氣氛，便需要為有意創業的人士提供一定的支援，鼓勵他們把創業 意念付諸實行。'

錢教授進一步表示，他們通過這項資助計劃，讓有意在資訊科技領域上創業的大學畢業生在 沒有後顧之憂的大學校園環境下發展他們的創業構想；即使他們的嘗試失敗了，也是一次値 得學習的經驗。

'要培養創業文化，我們的社會必須能夠接受失敗，'錢教授勸勉有意參加這項計劃的創業 人士說。'就以美國矽谷來說，那裏每十家公司中，祇有一家最終可以成功發展他們的業務 ；而那些成功的企業，其創辦人其實也可能經歷了數次失敗。'

'資訊科技企業家協會'預計這計劃對應屆畢業同學最具吸引力，尤其是三年級學生及研究 生，因為不少三年級本科生的畢業研究習作，以及研究生的計劃都具有先進科技及商業價値 。

'資訊科技企業家計劃'所提供的資助包括每月大約港幣12,000元的生活津貼及醫療保險， 為期一年；另外還有港幣30,000元資助他們購置設備。參加這項計劃的人士必須找到一位在 本港大專院校工作的教師或研究人員，擔任他們的導師。

不過，錢教授强調，這項計劃著重考慮參加的項目是否具備商業價値。至於他們來自那一所 大學，以及他們選擇在那一所大學進行開發研究，都並不重要。

資訊科技企業家計劃 協助創業人士實現理想 200位中學生參加首屆'理學院中學生夏令營'。 參加者非常投入，尤其是在各項遊戲動，他們都很守規矩，並公平地參與各項競賽。 錢大康教授指出，他們所推出的是一項'前培育'計劃，對象是那些祇有初步產品構思的創 業人士。