HKUST Newsletter, Spring 1999

Abstract

[evdate 1999-03-15] Newsletter Spring 1999 Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China Artistic Delight for HKUST Campus The Center for the Arts and the University Library are working in synergy to imbue the campus with an ambiance of art and culture. 25 February saw the arrival of renowned Japanese installation artist Ichi Ikeda as the University's Artist-in-Residence. His masterpiece-Water Ark/Big Arrow-presented an imposing sight on the University lawn. In addition to this creation, he also ran an exhibit of installation art, a workshop on bamboo construction, and a talk about his artistic experience. The Center for the Arts organized more than 100 cultural activities last year. Besides the Artist-in-Residence program, the Center also hosted exhibits, a concert series (including instrument, vocal and dance), talks, seminars, arts festivals, arts camps, and film and video screenings. Danny Yung, the Center's Artistic Director, said, "Our key objectives are to pro-vide cultural enrichment for the campus, to bridge the arts on the one hand and science and technology on the other, and to firmly position the University on the cultural map of Hong Kong and Asia." The University Library Gallery has staged two to three important exhibits every year since 1992. The recent exhibit, entitled "All of us are related; each of us is unique", was held between 19 March and 16 April. This thought-provoking exhibit featured the latest findings in anthropology-that contrary to common belief, there are actually no racial boundaries among the peoples of the world, and that all human beings come from the same origin. Besides panel displays, the exhibit also ran a 30-minute film entitled Six Billion Races which showed that we all share the same ancestors and that the genetic diversity of contemporary human populations reflects the variety of paths followed by our ancestors in the course of their migrations over the past 100,000 years. On 22 April, the Library inaugurated an exhibit of watercolors by Zhinan Jiang. Trained at the Central College of Arts and Crafts in Beijing, Jiang is acclaimed as one of the most outstanding watercolor artists in China. "I hope that these exhibits in the Library Gallery will enrich the cultural life on campus. I also hope that through these exhibits, our students' interests in art will be elevated," said Min-min Chang, the University Librarian. Video Circle, a visual arts program organized by the Center for the Arts, provided a bridge between arts and science. The University Library Gallery's recent exhibit, entitled "All of us are related; each of us is unique" featured the latest findings in anthropology. The HKUST Arts Festival is a joint effort between the Center for the Arts and the University's student arts associations. The Center also maintains close relationships with the seven other local tertiary institutions and 450 secondary schools. Renowned Japanese installation artist Ichi Ikeda, the University's Artist-in-Residence, showcased his masterpiece-Water Ark/Big Arrow-on the campus. Nanjing University Chinese Orchestra performing at the Exposition Hall of the Center for the Arts 2 Spring 1999 During the past year or two, in positioning HKUST for the future, I have been saying: "To fulfill our mission to enhance the economic and social development of Hong Kong and its region, HKUST's role must be that of a leading national university with significant international impact, and with strong commitment to our home in the Hong Kong Bay Area." I have also written extensively on our vision for Hong Kong in HKUST's own publications and in the local press: "In the 21 st century, the Hong Kong Bay Area will be not only a place of scenic beauty but also a prominent center of culture, education, finance, high technology, science, telecommunications, tourism, transportation, and other advanced service and manufacturing industries-the nerve center of South China and a full-fledged international metropolis." Calling the Hong Kong Bay Area our "home" has two implications. On the one hand, we will continuously need Hong Kong's resources and logistical support, as we regard Hong Kong as the headquarters for our teaching and research activities. On the other hand, we will continuously create talent and knowledge for Hong Kong and propel Hong Kong towards its lofty vision. HKUST' s faculty members have made substantive and substantial contributions to Hong Kong through teaching, research, and service. Perhaps because we are not very good at telling our story to the public, the people of Hong Kong do not seem all that familiar with the University' s numerous activities in its direct service to the local community. In this report I would like to focus on what we do in that respect and, in bullet form, list a handful of concrete examples from 1997-98. Teaching and Training {????}More than 2,300 graduates per year in science, engineering, and business for local employers, 20% with advanced degrees {????}More than 95% employed or starting their own businesses soon after graduation-even during the economic downturn {????}New kinds of job opportunities for Hong Kong people provided by technology-based companies started up by faculty and students, and by multinationals brought from overseas by the University {????}High-level executive education operated by the School of Business & Management, e.g., the region's most prestigious Executive MBA program (jointly with Northwestern) and many custom-designed courses (for Daimler-Benz, MTR Corporation, etc) {????}Numerous open enrollment programs offered by the School of Business & Management to Hong Kong's executives and young professionals {????}46 Continuing & Professional Education Programs operated by the School of Engineering for local professionals {????}2,500 secondary school teachers from 330 schools given training in information technology as Hong Kong advances into the IT age {????}Teaching the teachers': numerous subject-based classes, teaching methods, open laboratories, workshops, short courses, and web pages offered to local schoolteachers {????}A number of teacher-training degree courses (through academic studies, professional studies, and field experience) soon to be launched in cooperation with the Hong Kong Institute of Education {????}Educational technologies, electronic library technologies, and classroom-based electronic learning tools offered to Hong Kong's universities and schools Research and Innovation {????}Engineering Industrial Consortium covering some 20 core technologies established by the School of Engineering, with over 30 fee-paying local companies {????}Up-to-date central facilities open to local industries, which previously had to go overseas for services and expertise {????}37 cooperative projects and contract research conducted for 36 local companies, valued at HK$16 million in 1998 {????}13 patents and 37 more pending (predominantly US) representing industrial technologies available to local companies for commercialization {????}More than 20 new technologies, some ready for second-stage development and some already commercialized, available to local industry and investors {????}Technology Center" on campus providing an active research environment for start-up companies currently under incubation by the Hong Kong Industrial Technology Center Corporation {????}Biotechnology studies on Traditional Chinese Medicine turning academic research results into constituents of a new industry in Hong Kong {????}The Hong Kong Supernet, an internet service provider, and the Operational Windshear Warning System, designed and commissioned for the new international airport, creating, respectively, a new industry and an exportable industry for Hong Kong {????}Numerous information and Internet technologies invented and developed at HKUST now available to Hong Kong's manufacturing and service industries, some of which on the way to fueling start-up companies DIRECT SERVICE TO THE LOCAL COMMUNITY President's Progress Report HKUST's faculty members have made substantive and substantial contributions to Hong Kong and the region through teaching, research, and service. We will continue to create talent and knowledge for Hong Kong and propel Hong Kong towards its lofty vision. Prof Chia-Wei WOO.3 Spring 1999 Social Service {????}Faculty and staff participating as experts in 300 government and other public advisory bodies {????}Faculty participation in Hong Kong's economic life as consultants and independent non-executive board directors {????}Active faculty and staff participation as volunteers in Hong Kong's community affairs and social services {????}Constructive comments and recommendations on public policies-in areas of expertise including economics and finance, technology, education, environment, and culture {????}Over 100 episodes in serial productions and individual appearances on Hong Kong's radio and television to popularize science and technology {????}Co-production of popular lecture programs at the Hong Kong Science Museum {????}Active and aggressive participation in all local exhibitions on higher education and industrial technology {????}Campus open houses, summer camps, and school visits to promote interest and opportunities in science and technology Tips from the Top: Business Celebrities Inspire MBA Students Last semester the HKUST MBA program introduced a new elective course entitled "Organization Leadership and Strategy". Initiated by the School of Business and Management (SBM), the pilot course is the first of its kind offered by a local business school. The course turned out to be very successful and very well received by students. "This is one of the most popular electives since we started our MBA course," said Dr Steve DeKrey, Associate Dean of SBM and Director of the MBA program. "Organization Leadership and Strategy", structured into four case workshops, was led by Adjunct Professor Paul Cheng, Chairman of N. M. Rothschild & Sons (HK) Ltd. He invited four guest speakers to share with students their business experiences: Augustine Chow, Chief Executive Officer of Harmony Asset, discussed his experiences in entering into joint ventures in the Chinese Mainland; William Fung, Managing Director of Li & Fung (Trading) Ltd, spoke on strategic acquisition; Roger Moss, Senior Advisor to Goldman Sachs (Asia) L.L.C. and former Finance Director of the Mass Transit Railway Corporation, talked about organization management; and Allan Zeman, Chairman of Lan Kwai Fong Holdings Ltd, unveiled the secrets of his entrepreneurial success in developing Lan Kwai Fong. "I am very grateful for the support from the guest speakers. They have done an outstanding job in presenting their case to their students," said Mr Cheng. "We are all excited by the quality of our interaction with our students, meeting face to face with them and understanding what they think." Prof Yuk-Shee Chan, Dean of SBM, said, "We sincerely thank Mr Paul Cheng for his support and his willingness to share his business knowledge and skills with our students. His success in conducting the program will hopefully encourage more business leaders to follow in his footsteps." Dr DeKrey also thinks that the elective course offers MBA students a great opportunity to learn the successful experience of local executives in solving business problems. He said, "In the business world, no two problems are identical and there are no simple solutions. Exposure to various problem-solving techniques will surely consolidate the students' management skills. In addition, Mr Cheng's course gives the students a chance to study real-life cases with the people directly involved-and this goes well beyond reading textbooks." This elective course is the latest successful SBM initiative. "The course enabled our students to learn directly from business leaders," said Dr DeKrey. "Business school education stresses the importance of interaction between various levels of people. In an MBA program, it is particularly important that students have interaction with top people in order to prepare themselves for a successful management career. Top business leaders involved in this course did a splendid job in helping prepare our students." to Hong Kong's young people {????}Student participation in local, national, and international competitions (science olympiads, "fun science", debate, innovation, management, information technology, and sports) to kindle competitive spirit and instill self-confidence in Hong Kong's youth {????}Numerous art exhibits, concerts, cultural workshops, and festivals-all open to the public-to enrich Hong Kong's cultural life {????}Research and public programs on sustainable development to enhance the local community's environmental awareness and social consciousness {????}A major new project by the School of Humanities and Social Science on "Hong Kong's History, Culture, and Society" (with lectures, conferences, a book fair, an exhibition, field trips, and a web site) to help Hong Kong people define their own identity with interest and pride. These are but a few examples, and this is just the beginning. "Organization Leadership and Strategy", structured into four case workshops, was led by Adjunct Professor Paul Cheng..4 Spring 1999 For example, when a cell is put into a dish containing a growth factor, some proteins inside the cell will be instructed to pass the new external information to the cell nucleus. Firstly, a specific protein located at the boundary of the cell reacts with the growth factor and forms a new chemical which then reacts with the corresponding protein nearby. A chain of interactions with various proteins from the cell boundary to the nucleus forms the track of message broadcasting. When the message reaches the cell nucleus, it is processed and a cell replication process corresponding to the external growth factor is invoked. The production and designation of proteins, and the tracks for proteins to transmit signals, form a very precise system. However, when normal genes mutate, the system may go awry. Aging and exposure to radiation or carcinogens are possible causes of mutation. Guardian Angels-Tumor Suppressor Genes When a cell is damaged, a tumor suppressor gene in the cell, known as p53, will be triggered to stop the process of cell replication and to instruct the cell to repair the damage. If the damage is beyond repair, the gene will instruct the cell to kill itself as a last resort to stop the cell from passing erroneous genetic information to the next generation of cells. However, what happens when this guardian angel goes astray? One of Dr Hsiao's research Cell Signal Processing Offers Hope for Cancer Prevention At the SME Exhibition held on 5 and 6 February 1999, the HKUST School of Science presented a group of research areas from which local SMEs (small and medium enterprises) could derive business opportunities. Among them are anti-cancer research projects spearheaded by Dr Wendy Hsiao, Lecturer in Biology. "Apart from finding effective cancer drugs, our research also aims at developing techniques that can diagnose and prevent the disease in its early stages," said Dr Hsiao. The Tracks of Cancer Development An important approach in studying the prevention and cure of cancer is to understand how a normal cell turns into a tumor cell. Most cancer studies focus on two categories of gene: oncogenes which cause cancer, and tumor suppressor genes which suppress cancer. Dr Hsiao said, "Oncogenes actually originate from normal genes before they mutate into destructive genes In a normal cell, various kinds of proteins are produced and designated to specific locations according to the genetic information stored in the cell nucleus. Proteins in different locations perform different specific functions, such as manufacturing hair and muscle. However, before a protein can perform its designated function, it must receive a corresponding signal. interests is to see what abnormal condition arises when tumor suppressor genes mutate. Dr Hsiao is particularly interested in p53 because researchers have already found mutated p53 genes in more than 50% of human tumors. "This fact immediately tells us out loud that the p53 gene plays a very important role in cancer development," she said. Dr Hsiao compares cells containing normal p53 with cells containing mutated p53 to identify the changes in the signal transmission process. Since p53 genes participate in many regulatory functions of the cell, it is likely to be related to a wide range of human tumors. "Cancer is not a single disease. Mutations of different kinds of gene can cause different kinds of cancers in different parts of the body. In addition, many factors can cause cancer and the disease usually develops in multiple stages. That's why it is not so easy to diagnose and cure cancer. Now, we know that p53 should exhibit signs of mutation in the course of cancer development," said Dr Hsiao. "Therefore, p53 is an important marker for cancer detection." New Ways to Prevent and Treat Cancers Knowing more about the changes in the signal transmission process after oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes have mutated not only helps us develop techniques for the early detection of cancer, but also offers hints for cancer prevention and the development of effective cancer drugs. Most cancer therapies today have side-effects- they kill not only the cancer cells but also the normal cells. If we better understand the cancer cell development mechanism, we can target our cure at the cancer-related genes. At the same time, some Chinese herbal medicines are believed to be able to suppress the development of cancer cells alone without damaging normal cells. "Our achievements in studying the signal transmission process inside a cell can help us identify those chemicals in the herbal medicines that can strengthen our resistance to tumor cell development," said Dr Hsiao. Her studies include lingzhi, a herb most Chinese are familiar with. Perhaps one day we will be taking lingzhi tablets to steer ourselves away from the threat of cancer! "Knowing the changes in the signal transmission process after tumor suppressor gene mutation offers hints for cancer prevention and the development of effective cancer drugs," said Dr Hsiao. Some Chinese herbal medicines, like lingzhi, are believed to be able to suppress the development of cancer cells alone without damaging normal cells. R esearch & Development.5 Spring 1999 HKUST's Novel Circuit Design Technique Showcased at Top International Conference Postgraduate Alex LEUNG from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at HKUST has successfully developed a circuit design technique that can improve the performance of compact-size electronic devices. His work was selected for presentation at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) in San Francisco on 16 February 1999. This is the second paper presented to the ISSCC by a researcher from Hong Kong (and the first from China after Hong Kong's Reunification), the first paper from Hong Kong being presented two years ago by Felix Cheung, also a postgraduate at the University. Known as the "Chip Olympics", ISSCC is the premier international event in the solid-state circuits field. Semiconductor industry leaders such as Fujitsu, Hitachi, Intel, Motorola, Philips, and Texas Instruments make use of this opportunity to showcase their latest r e s e a r c h a n d t e c h n o l o g i c a l breakthroughs. Thus, only those papers which generate a high level of industry interest will be accepted for presentation at the Conference. The technique that Alex Leung has developed is a frequency compensation technique for amplifiers (devices that increase the magnitude of the input to an electronic circuit). It allows engineers to design "perfect" amplifiers which have both broad bandwidth (the broader the bandwidth, the faster the operating speed of the amplifier) and high stability. Development of a "Perfect" Amplifier Most of today's amplifiers trade their operating speed for stability. Alex Leung points out that conventional design methods use capacitors (C 0 and C 1 as shown in fig. 1) to stabilize amplifier circuits. This increases the loading of the electronic circuit and thus dampens the operating speed of the amplifier. As capacitors tend to slow down amplifier operating speed, the most straightforward solution would have been to get rid of them. However, after a series of studies, Alex Leung found that removing the two capacitors resulted only in a drastic drop in stability. "In order to develop high speed and stable amplifiers, I began to consider ways of removing one of the two capacitors," said Leung. His first trial was to remove the outer capacitor (C 0 ) but this turned out to be unsuccessful-the amplifier circuit was still very unstable. He then tried to remove the inner capacitor (C 1 ). This time, he found that the circuit was much more stable and the operating speed improved. However, there were still instances where the amplifier became unstable. In order to ensure stable operation in all situations, Alex Leung added an active circuit (see fig. 2) to stabilize the amplifier. "The active circuit still consists of a capacitor (C A ). However, it is external to the core amplifier and thus it would not be governed by the constituents of the amplifier circuit. In fact, the capacitance of C A is far smaller than C 1 . As shown in fig. 3, the area that C A occupies on the wafer (a circular slice of silicon crystal for manufacturing integrated circuits chips) is far less than C 1 ," explained Leung. Dr Philip MOK, Leung' s Thesis Supervisor and Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, pointed out, "When the bandwidth of the amplifier is increased, we can reduce accordingly the size of other passive devices (such as capacitors and inductors) used in the electronic equipment. Therefore, the wafer area of the entire electronic circuit can be further reduced." Promising Industrial Prospects The "perfect" amplifier designed by Alex Leung's technique is important in designing compact and mobile electronic devices, such as mobile phones, with longer battery life and enhanced noise reduction. Dr Mok points out that many circuit designs require the use of amplifiers, and Alex's technique is able to improve the performance of amplifiers by 20 times. The new technique should therefore have very promising industrial future. Dr Mok and Alex Leung are now applying for a US Patent for the technique. Dr Mok said, "The technique we showcased at ISSCC is a basic research achievement and the Conference seldom accepts papers on basic research. The fact that they have selected our paper shows that the industry has a great interest in our research results." He added, "We are excited to have yet another student's paper selected by a top international conference. It confirms that the research work carried out at HKUST has reached international standards." Fig.3 Comparison between the amplifiers designed by the conventional method (Amp 0 ) and Alex Leung's method (Amp 1 ). Fig.1 Conventional amplifier circuit design Fig.2 Alex Leung's method for designing "perfect" amplifiers active circuit R esearch & Development.6 Spring 1999 Employee-Organization Relationship Study Wins Best Paper Award the organization provides a lot of rewards and long-term benefits to its employees but only expects employees to perform a well-specified set of job-focused activities. Civil services around the world are classic examples of this over-investment EOR. Government employees in many countries usually perform clearly defined duties, in the sense that they will do no more than what their job requires, and the government still gives them a guarantee of long-term employment. Prof Tsui thinks that over-investment is not an effective strategy because it does not represent the best use of the organization's financial resources. Balanced Approaches The under-investment and over-investment approaches are also termed as unbalanced relationships in which the expectations of the employers and the contributions of employees are not fairly matched. Prof Tsui and her colleagues identified two balanced approaches: quasi-spot- contract and mutual investment. A quasi-spot-contract relationship is based on an economic exchange in which the employer offers short-term economic benefits in exchange for well-specified contributions by the employees. Examples of quasi-spot-contract relationships can be found in many high-tech industries. Many companies in these industries tend to hire specialists on a contractual basis to work on development projects. The quasi-spot-contract approach can cause trouble when permanent employees are working with these contract employees. Since the contractors do not have a clear sense of belonging to the company and have no job security, they may not be able to work effectively and harmoniously as a team with permanent employees. In contrast, the mutual investment relationship involves a combination of Research & Development economic and social exchange that looks for unspecified, open-ended, and long-term obligations on both employers and employees. In this type of social-exchange relationship, the employers will consider the well-being of employees and the benefits they offer to employees to be more than just short-term monetary rewards. They may provide them with career development opportunities, job security, and other incentives. These investments in employees are expected to be reciprocated by a long-term commitment. Employees in a mutual investment relationship concentrate not only on their core job duties, but also on activities that can contribute to the future success and development of the organization. Prof Tsui found that employees under the mutual investment approach generally performed better and were more committed to the organization than others. As one might expect, under-investment is the least effective strategy, resulting in the worst employee performance and attitude. She stresses the importance of employee loyalty and commitment to the development of organizations. In today's business world, we may no longer need to build life-time employment organizational cultures like those in the "old" IBM and many Japanese companies. Instead, a more effective approach is to nurture employee loyalty through the building of some forms of mutual relationship. "As long as a company treats its employees well and fairly, it is entitled to expect a lot of returns from its employees," said Prof Tsui. Aresearch paper on employee-organization relationships (EOR), published by Prof Anne Tsui, Head of the Department of Management of Organizations at HKUST, and three overseas scholars, has won the 1998 Academy of Management Journal Award for the Best Paper. Prof Tsui's study was based on four types of EOR: under-investment, over-investment, quasi-spot-contract, and mutual investment. It collected data from some 1,000 employees in 10 companies operating in competitive industries (computer manufacturing, electronics and semiconductors, telecommunications, food and groceries, and apparel) in the US. It also included about 200 supervisors of these employees. These supervisors were asked to describe the EOR approach they adopted and rate the performance of the employees in those jobs. Under- and Over-investment In order to cope with today's difficult economic situation, many business organizations in Hong Kong are adopting the under-investment approach-the employers commit very little to their employees' long-term career development but still expect their employees to contribute a lot to the organization. An organization adopting the under-investment approach may lay off employees, cut their training budget, or reduce other kinds of employee benefit, in order to reduce their operating costs. "In the short run, the under-investment approach is a natural response, and in some cases a necessary response, to help ride the wave of financial difficulties," said Prof Tsui. "On the other hand, employees are generally smart enough to understand the company's situation and the industrial environment. They are usually willing to accept under-investment in the short run." Prof Tsui argued, however, that it was not a viable strategy for a company to maintain this EOR for a long time, particularly when its financial strength had recovered, because the organization would lose employee loyalty and commitment. With the over-investment approach, Prof Tsui (right) receives the 1998 Academy of Management Journal Award for the Best Paper. Photo by Camera's Eye.7 Spring 1999 Recently, the HKUST Newsletter interviewed Professor Leroy Chang, the University's new Vice-President for Academic Affairs, who took up his post last October. He shared his feelings about his new appointment and unveiled his plans for leading the academic units to greater success as the University moves from its infancy to maturity. "The University's founding phase has come to a successful close and everything is now on the right track," said Prof Chang. "We are very pleased with our team of committed faculty members and promising students." Prof Chang joined the HKUST in 1993 as Dean of Science and Professor of Physics. Last year, he was awarded the honorary title of "University Professor" in recognition of his outstanding contribution to scholarship and to the University itself. A world-renowned scientist, Prof Chang is the only academic in the world admitted to the following five national academies: the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Academia Sinica, the US National Academy of Sciences, the US National Academy of Engineering, and the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences. Consolidation with an Impact As the University gradually matures, it is now reviewing its positioning and directions. "At the University's inception, we adopted a department-based mode of strategic planning, which is the natural and obvious path to take as departments are the basic units of a university," said Prof Chang. "We reviewed and modified these plans every year, taking particular note of inter-disciplinary endeavors." Currently, the University is working on a strategic and comprehensive review of its academic planning. The review is being conducted in three stages. The first stage is a simple stock-taking process, aiming at a thorough inspection of how individual departments and the University as a whole utilize their resources (personnel, space, facilities, and funds). In the second stage, the University reviews its on-going academic projects to decide which need to Consolidation with an Eye to the Future Interview with Prof Leroy Chang, HKUST's New Vice-President for Academic Affairs be strengthened, added to, or modified. The final stage involves working out concrete plans for achieving the identified goals. The basic mission of our university remains the same. In our academic planning, we want to make sure that we continue to provide a research-oriented education with the aim of pursuing fundamental knowledge. Out of the Ivory Tower Prof Chang points out, however, the ever-changing role of the university; it has become an integral part of a tripartite infrastructure constituted by government, industry, and higher education. In the meantime, staggering advances in information technology have changed everything from how we communicate to how we conduct business. These changes have driven university faculty members out of their traditional confines to forge a solid link with the real world. They have to bear in mind in their teaching and research the needs of society as a whole. For students, the nature of university education is changing too. "In the old days, students could learn every detail of their chosen field and could hope to use their acquired knowledge for the rest of their lives," said Prof Chang. "But this is no longer possible with the fast-changing world. Many university graduates are now working in areas way beyond what they studied at university." Some would propose an even more complex curriculum of studies for university students. Prof Chang thinks otherwise. "You never have enough time to take all the courses to cover your lifetime needs," he said. "What you really need to learn is a wide spectrum of fundamental concepts-the skills that will allow you to continue learning, whatever the world hands you and however it develops." Top Quality Faculty is HKUST's Future Faculty must meet this challenge as well. In the founding phase, HKUST recruited a large group of eminent scholars to teach and research to world-class standards. These founding faculty members came with a pioneering spirit to build a university from the ground up. As the university grows to adulthood, it must refocus its energies to continue attracting dedicated scholars from around the world. "For top-class scholars, the primary motivating factor is a professional environment-a fertile ground for creativity," said Prof Chang. "Therefore, our objective is to make HKUST an ideal place where faculty members will enjoy teaching and research, and students will absorb that enjoyment and become more excited to learn." "This is certainly not a time for complacency," Prof Chang continued. "Over the past few years, we have risen to the challenge of laying a firm foundation for the University. But whether we will become a world-class institution of learning and research depends on whether we can continue to be pioneers even as we move forward. That is the real challenge, and it may prove even greater than the first one." "Our objective is to make HKUST an ideal place where faculty members will enjoy teaching and research, and students will absorb that enjoyment and become more excited to learn," said Prof Leroy Chang..8 Spring 1999 HKUST in Action OUDPA9904A Published by Office of University Development and Public Affairs. For information: tel (852) 2358-6302 or fax (852) 2358-0537.

The Department of Chemistry received a generous donation of DM200,000 (approximately HK$1 million) from Bayer AG. The donation will help the Department acquire state-of-the-art equipment and facilities. Dr Michael Portoff (fourth from right), Managing Director of Bayer China Co. Ltd, presented the donation to the University on 9 February. The South China Research Center of the Division of Humanities launched the "Understanding the History , Culture and Society of Hong Kong" program early this year. The program, consisting of nine talks and six field trips between January and November 1999, aims to give local secondary school teachers a better understanding of the latest developments in the study of Hong Kong history. Program materials will also be posted on the web site: http home.ust.hk/~hongkong. Prof David Faure, a world-renowned scholar in Chinese history, delivered the second talk in the series entitled "Traditional Chinese Social Organizations of Hong Kong" on 27 February. More than 70 undergraduates participated in the Helmsman Forum- Career Navigation for Young Leaders, co-organized by HKUST's Career Center and the Rotary Club of Hong Kong on 3 March. Rotary Club members, representing the banking, investment, fund management, telecommunications, and executive search industries, offered advice and first-hand job market information to students. Luke Wong, Director of the University' s Student Affairs Office, presented a souvenir to Beat Muller, the Club' s President-Elect (right). HKUST showcased the various services and support it can provide to local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) at the SME Exhibition held on 5 and 6 February 1999 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The HKUST booth was jointly staged by the School of Science, the School of Engineering, the School of Business and Management, and the Technology Transfer Center. The University's French Center was inaugurated on 27 February by Prof Claude All銶re (second from left), French Minister of Education, Research and Technology, and HKUST President Prof Chia-Wei Woo. A number of collaborative projects between HKUST and French universities and R&D organizations will be commissioned, including a joint research program with French corporate giant Vivendi on water management and waste treatment. Of the nine projects selected in the recent France/Hong Kong Joint Research Scheme, six were awarded to HKUST with its French partners. The Scheme is supported by Hong Kong's Research Grants Council, the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong, and the National Center for Scientific Research of France. The French government has committed itself to sponsoring French scholars who choose to pursue graduate degrees, post-doctorate studies, and joint research projects at HKUST, as well as providing like opportunities for HKUST students in France. ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING Siu Man Hung 1998 PhD Boston University (Electrical Engineering) 1998-99 Senior Scientist, BBN Technologies, GTE Research Interests Statistical pattern recognition; speech and speaker recognition; information extraction and neural network. ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF INFORMATION & SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT David Bodoff 1999 PhD New York University (Information Systems) 1998 Instructor, New York University Research Interests Information indexing and retrieval; information and library science; value addition for information products. VISITING ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF BIOLOGY Kim W. Chan 1993 PhD University of Arkansas (Biochemistry) 1997-98 Research Associate, Rockefeller University Research Interests Structural and functional studies of potassium and CFTR chloride channels. SENIOR LECTURER OF SOCIAL SCIENCE X. L. Ding 1992 PhD Harvard University (Sociology) 1996-98 Research Fellow, Australian National University Research Interests Comparative political sociology; comparative capitalisms; transition studies on China and former Soviet bloc; state-society relations. VISITING ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS Yongmiao Hong 1993 PhD University of California, San Diego (Economics) 1998-99 Associate Professor, Cornell University Research Interests Econometric theory; time series spectral analysis; transitional economics. OUDPA9904A Published by Office of University Development and Public Affairs. For information: tel (852) 2358-6302 or fax (852) 2358-0537.

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF FINANCE Kee-Hong Bae 1993 PhD Ohio State University (Finance) 1997-98 Assistant Professor, City University of Hong Kong Research Interests Asia Pacific finance; derivative securities; market microstructure. ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF PHYSICS Ophelia K. C. Tsui 1996 PhD Princeton University (Experimental Condensed Matter Physics) 1997-98 Postdoctoral Associate, University of Massachusetts Amherst Research Interests Dynamics and glass transition of polymer films; order-disorder phase transition of block copolymer thin films; coherent x-ray scattering; Josephson plasma resonance of anisotropic superconductors. VISITING ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Lo Sik-Cheung Robert 1986 PhD University of New South Wales (Geotechnical) 1986-99 Associate Professor, University of New South Wales Research Interests Geosynthetic reinforced soil system; piles; field monitoring; large deformation and strain softening behaviors of geomaterials; strain path testing; granular base materials; lightly-cemented soil. SPRING 1999