UST a Dnvmg Force for Chma's Future
w
…
s rap…
rial-ization, there is a growing demand for well-trained industrial engineers and engineering managers. However, industrial engineering and management is new in China. In fact, in 1993 when the IEEM Department opened its door at UST, there were no such programs or departments in China. To bridge this gap, UST took the initiative to organize the first international IEEM conference in China. Four years later, there are 25 IEEM degree programs in mainland universities, many of which are supporting the 4th annual IEEM conference at UST in August.
“Our
work with ·colleagues in mainland universities is bearing fruit;’
said IEEM department head Prof Mitchell Tseng.“
We are making a difference in China:’
The benefits of collaboration are enjoyed by both sides at many levels. Perhaps the most important collaboration is occ.urring at the individual level-people working with people. Chines巴 Mainlandscholars and postgraduate students at UST contribute to our research and teaching. At the same time;
our international faculty is training China's future scientists, engineers and business leaders, exposing them to state-of-the-art techniques, equipment and ideas.
“
The viability of UST as a strong research university depends critically on the quantity and quality of graduate students.We need more· high-quality graduate stu-dents than Hong Kong can supply;’said Prof Louis Shen of the Planning and Coordina-tion Office.
“
The Chinese Mainland is our closest and largest source of excellent students.”
There are now 230 postgraduates, 101 researc;:h assistants and 36 visiting scholars here from the Chinese Mainland. Over 80% of UST's regular faculty are of Chinese descent with about 98 of them actually holding Chinese passports.“
This is a university with international visibility, a place where Chinese scholars from all ·over the world can gathe1: for long-term academic research to benefit Chin叫， explained Professor Nai-Teng Yu, the found-ing head of the Chemistry Department.“
Eventually we will be able to compete with any university to attract the best students from China, and they will be the major driving force for China's future.”
. .
Covering doing research, joint the map: UST is training programs and exchanges with universi-ties and academic insti -tutions (represented by the dots}in the Chinese Mainland, as well as with the Chinese Academy of Sc’
ences..
Prof Tongxi
Vu,
a Teacher and Cultural
Interpreter
stude的 no 叫 benefit 的mthe world-class research records of UST faculty
membe時， but 出eyare also enriched by the undocumented and unquantifiable-the individual life experiences of their teachers. Mechanical engineer Tongxi Yu is a case in point. Prof Yu's academic research-exemplified by his authorship of six books and more than 150 papers- more than qualifies him to teach solid mechanics and impact dynamics. His unique career path also enables him to interpret for both his students and his colleagues the different cultures that come together at UST.
~
ProfYu's story encompasses the history ofhis native China and the educational tr吋1tionsof both East and West. It begins with China’s 10-year-long Cultural Revolution.
Yu graduated from Peking University in 1964 and began his postgraduate work in applied mathematics and mechanics, a path that his lecturers were certain would end up in a professorship. It eventually did, but not as soon as his teachers had imagined, nor even in the expected sub}ect.
In 1968, with the Cultural Revolution in
progre鉤， Yuwas sent to an army farm in Guangdong for 18 months. He was then moved to a machine factory in Sichuan Province where he was told to design construction machinery.
“
I was trained as an applied mathemati cian;' Prof Yu said,“with no knowledge of engineering.'’
Yu, who had been at the top of his class at China’
s premier university, taught himself the basics of mechanical engineer ing on the factory floor, where he spent eight years.Afte口ugot a job as a research engineer in a machine building institute. When China continued on p3 、， ι 、， ι 、‘ JP 、 Jr 、 J r hυrhu ”” AM 呵， HH 刊
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15 I 川 ” lH 『 圳 U O LU 川心吧． HEeihi u M 山河 JU 間 L 叫刊 們 ιLA W 叫山川伽爪酬 － ha ’U U ︱ 『－ t 可 4 ．， nujd i3u － A 山 m －MA ． BmUHA 5tj 刊 noAE nhMOU 悶 mr AUnu 可 JA 仲 unuJK3muF 、， InUNU －－、 2Ft 們 UUW 川 2u2unHrHHUAU 剝削 nunrE 、 nHUn H VAHUHHHF E 、盤空1型叩 :a，，~些干ii
Radon Survey at UST
T
he heal fromrad…川……
HongKonge凶， sothe University's Safety and Environmental Protection Office has taken the initiative by studying campus
levels of this natural cancer-causing gas.
Those who work and live at UST can rest easy. SEPQ’s survey
found radon levels within international safety limits. Now the office hopes that other local organisations will follow their lead.
"Average radon levels in Hong Kong are approximately double those in the United States;’explained Dr Joe Kwan, SEPO Director.
“
Despite thi時， fewpeople know what radon is or does:
’
Average radon
levels in Hong Kong
are double those in
the United States.
Despite this, few
people know what
radon is or does.
Radon is all around us. Odorless and invisible, it is a by-product of the decay of naturally occuring uranium. When radon breaks down, it produces another series of byproducts, including polo
-nium which can cause cancer. Radon levels usually
depend on geology. The
、concentration of uranium
varies in different types of rocks, causing radon hot spots around the world. In Hong Kong however, it is the build-ing materials and methods that raise radon levels rather than the rocks below.
“
In Hong Kong, concreteis generally made from granite, a rock naturally high in uranium;' explained Dr
Paul Chan, SEPO's health
physicist, who led the survey.
“Combine buildings made
from this ffi¢ure wi出 closelypacked construction and you will findhigh radon levels.
The gooq news is that dealing with this ‘constructed radon' is simple-open a window.六Adequateventilation reduces radon to a safe level in most living and working situations:' said Dr Chan.
Between October 1996 and March this year, SEPO tested radon levels at 187 sites, covering the academic and administrative build-ings, staff quarters and sewage and utility tunnels. The survey found that the average radon level on campus was half that of the World Health Organisation's safety limit.
"A few sites were found where levels were slightly high;’said Dr Chan,“but most of those were instantly rectified by increased air
conditioning or advising people to open windows:'
Even in extreme situations, such as tunnel working, the risk can be managed by limiting the amount of time spent underground.The UST utility tunnel recorded the highest levels, not unusual for such an enclosed space.
“
Even there we can manage the s山ation sa台ly;' explained Dr Chan.“
No one can enter until the tunnel has been ventilated for several hours, and then we limit their‘ time underground.’,持 Ifyou want to learn more about radon, the US Environmental
Protection Agency homepage at 的中：／／epa.gov/iaq!radonlprovides
background information and li_nks to consumer guides. The US
Geological Survey homepage at http://sedwwH心r.usgs.gov:8080/ radon gives a more technical background as well as links to other
useful pages. Full details of the radon survey are available iii
Safetywise, SEPO's newsletter, which was published in June.
2
CAUGHT
花2踅Y
IN THE WEB
“
I hate tr正1vel 日gents. To ，ηe, an escor仿d戶 ur day tour to som tour i{st blackspot is no holi正1α91,yet th正It告 allthey seem to come u'P
with. Take my advice, ditch the travel commissars and get wise tocybe的·ave[,"says this issue's co，的ibuto1; Sal伊 Gre位 ofOPA.
. Fire up a search engine and type in
‘
travel'. You'll find pages of options, from ecotourism to children's holidays, but here's a small· selection of favorites.Know ,:Vhere you want to go? If not, then start with Fodor's and Lonely Planet. Better known for their guidebooks, both have impressive sites for the cybertraveller.
Fodor's (ht伊／／www.fodors.com/.)lets you build a detailed city mini.guide, although the selection in Asia is rather limited.
It also offers a resource center with links to weather, currency rates, health bulletins, phrase books and a wonderful list of toll-free numbers for airlines, hotels and car rental.
Lonely Planet (http://www!lonelyplanet.com/) offers a
similar service, although their travel guide covers far more 也an cities. Start with the interactive map, pick your continent and take it from there.
Once you
’
ve picked your destination, it's time to irritate the airlines. There’
S nothing they love more than filling up unwanted early morning flights with unwary cold callers, s 0do your homework first.
Try the Internet Travel Network (http://wwH，固itn固net)which has saved me many hour閉sin dreary departure lounges. Fill in your preferred itinerary and it
’
11 give you current availability and price your flights iri HK dollars.Travelocity (http:lwww.travelocity) offers a similar service
on flights, plus complete timetables. There's also a good hotei booking service, and the site is crammed with offers ai:id discount packages.
ITN and Travelocity also have destination guides which are
amazingly detailed. If they can find the telephone number for Iggs Restaurant in Edi_nburgh, they must be good.
Both ITN and Travelocity allow you to book over the Web, but if you like to preserve the anonymity of your credit card, you can check availability then book by phone.
What catches your attention on the Web? Share yo叫favoritesites with other Genesis readers. E-mail them to genesis and we'll try to include them in upcoming issues.
Michael Choi
'
s
Community
Chest Award
G凹的isinadvertently belittled Michael Choi's fund-raising efforts, featured in the June issue (p2). Michael raised a splen
-did $13,000 for tl1e Community Chest, and not $1,300 as
reported. Apologies to ivlichael and his sponsors for the error.
E-ma
i
ls to
Go
y
…
ere su刊e.meeting wasscheduled for 11 am. But it's 11 :20,
you
’
ve finished one cup of tea at theCoffee Shop and your appointment has
not shown. Instead of returning to your
sixth-floor office to check 出etime,why
not check your e mail at the CCST
Express Station in the Coffee Shop?
Sta缸， studentsand visitors from
anywhere in the world can access
their e-mails, check the UST
direc-tory or surf the vγeb at any CCST
Express Station on a Web-base
interface. CCST plans to set up
across campus 20 such computer
stations each housed in a
custom-built case.
'.''fl).ese stations are for the
convenience of staff and students
and are available 24 hours;' said
Theresa Lo of CCST.
ON THE LIGHT SIDE
Ups and Downs
I have been here eight years now, but I spent
the 50+ years before 出atin the US, and my
formative early years growing up in a white
middle class American suburb. So I am still
keenly aware of the di在erencesbetween the
local culture and the one I came here
equipped with. It occurred to me today,
under pressure to produce another of these
columns, that some of these differences
relate to elevators.
Indeed, the word
“
elevator’,reflects oneof the cultural differences一inthis case, the
diffe1:ence between the predominantly
British version ofEnglish (which those from
Britain tend to refer to as simply"English")
used in Hong Kong, and the variant
practiced in America. In Hong Kong an .
elevator is a "lift:' I have made this cultural
transition so thoroughly that I now often
confuse people in the States saying things
like "I'll me貝tyou in the lift lobby." Most of
them seem to think 出isis the German term
for air force, and wander around aimlessly
looking for people in uniform.
The other counter-(American)
revolu-tionary thing the British have done is to use the number one for the second floor of all
buildings. The first fk)Or, of course, is called
G for"ground.’,In Hong Kong, to add to the
GENES 時， 3July 1997
However, to ensure
availability, users are
asked to limit their
time on the computer
to 15 minutes during busy hours.
confusion ，出ereis sometimes a designation
for the floor jn Chinese next to the Western
one. Often as not, the Chinese character for
two is right next to the number one for the first ( or second) floor. If you ask someone
else to push two for you, and you are really
unlucky, they will be bilingual and the result
will be unpredictable.
But for us Westerners, the really big
cultural difference relating to lifts is the way
people behave in them; Apparently, for
peo-ple from cultures with roots in Northern
Europe, the size of one
’
s personal space israther large. An elevator or lift provides a
special challenge for us (for indeed I am
among those affected).
A lift has a limited amount of total space
and as it fills up, encroachment by the
occupants on each other's personal space
becomes inevitable. One way we cope with
this is to pretend ,that the other people are not really there, and ways by which we
achieve this include avoiding eye contact and
not talking to anyone. In Hong Kong, the lifts
are anything but examples of the sound of
silence. People here talk louder in lifts than
anywhere else-except restaurants, of
course. I have never visited another city
where you can easily hear the lift coming
from several floors awa于
Another Hong Kong lift tradition is the
competition to see who can press the Door
Close button fastest and most often. If you
are in an unfamiliar lift and have trouble
finding the Door Close button, just look for
the button with the lettering worn 。在 But
practice your technique before you try to push it yourself in a crowded elevator. Most
of the occupants could beat Wyatt Earp to
the draw.
Prof To，：耶iYu conti1111eri from pl
launched its Open Door Policy in 1978,
he jumped at the chance to study
overseas and sat the selection exam. His
top score earned him entry to
Cambridge, where in 1983 at age 41 he
rec.eived his PhD. He then went to
Brown University in the US to
collabo-rate on a three-mon由 researchproject.
In 1984, Yu returned to his alma
mater where he established a research
group in impact dynamics.“More 出an
10 scholars and postgraduates from the
whole of China c剖11eto work wiili me;’
he said.
“
There were very few peopleworking in iliis field before I came back,
but now it
’
s very active."In 1991, Yu returned to the UK for
four years，自rstat Cambridge, then at
the University of Manchester Institute
of Science and Technology. A brief visit
to UST in 1992 favorably impressed him
and altered a previously held belief that
Hong Kong was not interested in
research.
He joined UST in 1995.
“
I thought here I would have an opportunity to combine my knowledge of educationand research in the UK and China;’he
said.
His contacts wi出 leading
acadern-ics in the Chinese Mainland and his
understanding of the tertiary system
have proven valuable to his department.
“
My colleagues like to enroll good PhDor master
’
s candidates and they need toknow how to contact them:' Yu said.
“
Iknow influential professors in China
and can ask them to recommend
students.
”
As the department's PG coordina
-tor, Yu makes a· point of briefing new
students from the Chinese Mainland on
the differences in attitudes, styles and
pace of work they can expect to fmd.
With the reunification of Hong
Kong and China, Prof Yu believes UST's
international dimensions will be more
important than ever.
“
Without ourinternational connections, we wo叫dbe
an ordim叫 Chineseun附rsity."
STUDENT FOCUS·.
Splashing Ahead at Sai Kung
" w e ended up with two trophies and a pig:' That was how Clair Krider, captain of
· the UST ladies dragon boat team summed up a successful and fun day at the Sai Kung dragon boat races.
The student teams. were also successful,' with the eight-person boat claiming runner-up
spot in the Tseung Kwan O Men's Mini D1:agon Boat Race.
This was the first time that the University's new dragon boats had taken to the water in' anger since their eyes were officially dotted at
the start of June.
In the women's competition, the eight-person staff boat was third in the Ladies Mini Dragon race-after a very close second place in their heat-while the 20-person boat came in fourth. "We had a great time but next year we get really serious;' said Clair. "We'll start
practicing earlier and intend to have the winning eight-person boat next June:' Prospec-tive paddlers should mark their diaries now.
One potential recruit is VP-AA Paul Bolton, who attended his first dragon boat race to support the UST teams. "I was very impressed by their efforts;' he said. "So much so, I'm considering taking part next year.
"At the eye-dotting ceremony, you could see
that the student team was good and they
.delivered on the day;' said Mr Bolton. "The
ladies were real stars though, giving everything during their races."
One update-the student team followed up ·
with fourth place in the student championship
at the International Dragon Boat Races held at
Sha Tin one week later.
(clockwise from top left) Members of the eight-person student boat show off their muscle on the podium.
VP-AA Paul Bolton dots the eye of the dragon.
Staff members take the new 20-person boat for a trial run after the eye-dotting.
Wet but happy. The women's team collect their trophies-and their pig.
Living Language: French Students Off to France
T
wo UST graduates will be spending part of their summer putting a new skill to the test. They will be speaking French in France aswinners of Language Centre
short-To help Frarn;:oise cover the high travel costs, and as a show of support for French language study, Air France is offering her a half-price
return fare.
course scholarships for beginning students.
Tommy Chan Kwan Ting (BEng) won a two-week course of study in Tours, and Frarn;:oise Chan Sau Yue (BBA) won a month of intensive language study in Besarn;:on, where she
will live with a family and take five
hours of classes daily at the Centre de Linguistique Appliquee.
"Living with a family will be a great way to learn Fi-ench as I will be forced to speak;' said Francoise, who only began taking French in September.
4
Air
France
is making it
easier
for
Francoise
Chan
Sau
-
Yue
to
get to
France
this
summer with
a
half-price fare.
No doubt Fran
·
ce
will make it
hard for her to leave.
AIR FRANCE1/#'I
"While the· summer courses will be good for the
students, the most important
part of their stay will be to
share family life with typical
French families;' said Elisabeth Frochen, the UST French instructor, who organized the family stays for the students.
This is the second year for the Language Centre to offer
summer scholarships for
language instruction in France.
GENESIS, ::J July 1997
«A
Q~::~:~:
'---'
Q
Should the University, as my employer; be told about the state of my own health while I am not? In the pre-employment medical check, I was not told what I was being tested for, or offered access to the results.A
Alice Fok,.Director of Personnel: "Pre-employment medicalcheckup is part of the recruitment procedure. Our letters to
candi-dates now set out the nature of the tests that they are required to undergo. When an appointment is made, a copy of the medical report is kept on file and the employee can request to have access to the report, in accordance with the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance.
''As an employer, the University would not deny access by
employ-ees to information in its possession about its employees' health, unless ad-vised by the doctor that disclosure would be likely to cause serious harm to the physical or mental health of the person concerned. Exemption under
such circumstances is provided for under the Ordinance:'
GENESIS, 3 July 1997
Food Court Takes
.
Shape at
W
aist
li
ne
'
s Peril
With the opening of Wendy's and the Congee stall last month, the campus food court on LGS began operation. By the start of classes in the fall, the Beijing and Southeast Asian food stalls should be open.
The Students' Union Co-op also opened last month in its new LGS location.
. Meanwhile, the Staff Lounge at the University Center is open anq ·offers self-service coffee, tea, soft drinks and
sna_cks. The music and exercise rooms are open; no booking is required. Campus Services has produced an information leaflet on University Center facilities and booking proce-dures. Copies have been sent to department and office heads and IDLPs.
Q
With the completion of staff and postgraduate quarters at thesouthern end of campus, will any buses serve this part of
campus?
A
Alex.is Ngan (CSO): "We have been talking with the Government Transport Department about a bus service that would do a circularroute between N gau Tau Kok MTR station and campus, stopping just inside
the southern campus entrance. According to Ms Elly Tse of the Transport
Department, 'It is our plan to gazette the proposed new Green Minibus
serv-ice from HKUST to Kwun Tong together with other new GMB services in the territory, inviting tender applications in June. The vetting pr~cedure will take about six months to complete. Based on the current working timetable, the new GMB route would be introduced in early 1998."'
E-mail your questions to genesis or fax them to 2358-0537.
5
I
Campus Calendar
Until 7 July Catapulting Hong Kong
Into a New Age
UST
’
S exhibition to mark the TransitionExpo Hall Until 15 October
China in Maps：“th一 19thCentury
From the Special Collection of
the UST Library Until 4 July Technology for Tomorrow Exhibition of hi-tech in China
and Hong Kong
City Universi句F
8 31
]
ulyParent但ChildArt W drkshops Painting, drawing and craft with artist
Choi Yan-clii. Every Tuesday and
Thursday, in two age groups: ages 4-7,
11 am一12:30pm, ages 8-12, 2-3:30 pm.
Details from Center for the Ar 峙，x6149
17 July AstadDeboo Indian dance performance
University Center, 1 pm 18 July
Art and Culture in Shenzhen, Taipei and Hong Kong
Talk, Briefing Room, 2:30 pm !Sand 19July
Shenzhen, Taipei and Hong Kong Cultural Exchange Conference
Conference Room 7342, 9:30 am 1 pm 29 July
Pay Day 1-3 August Summer Literary Art Camp
With guests Zheng Chou-yu
and Thomas Ho.
Co-organized by UST
’
s Center for the Arts and RTHK. See leaflets for details.For details of other UST events
’
· remember to check the electronicnoticeboard and L叭rvwpages.
SOUVENIR （~連戰 INFORMATION
SHOP W馳”E CENTRE
最新貨品
New
Arrivals
有領純棉T恤，運動短褲 ，
多款T恤 ，真皮銀包及角子包
Summer Polo' Shirts, Athletic Shorts,
T-Shirts, Leather Wallets and Purses.
－噩噩
. .
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－過E星星ma話..
肉地學子
一→入炎夏 ，校園裡頓時清靜了許多。 對大學生來說 3暑假生活是令人激動而 豐富多彩的。有人去度假、有人去做工、有人 幢大覺直到日上三竿－ －林林總總 ，各適其 式。無論是忙是間 ，與學期中相比， 一定別有 滋味。 然而在研究生的字典裡，似乎已失落了 “暑假”這個詞彙。暑期當中，絕大部分研究生 都留在校園，習新知、做研究、寫論文，令校 園中依舊學風濃郁、儒雅飄香。 臨別依依 溫維佳，這位來自北京中科院的博士，今 夏要離開科大去美國繼續他的科研生涯，臨行 前 ，他仍沉迷於研究中新的突破，還在實驗室 中熬夜至凌晨。在他11＆中，那些經他親手製作 的電流髮流體小球（見 1997 年 4 月 2 日 《間 翁。） ，在電場、磁場作用下顯示出的款款造型 及色彩， 比世間一切風景都亮麗。 敵情依依 ，1且維佳忘不了 i且雅文明的科 大、忘不了良師的指導。在科大工作期間，他 與導師們一起申請了專利，又在世界一流的學 術雜誌上發表了數篇論文。這毆經歷 2 無疑為 他今後的專業發展莫下堅實的基礎。 ... 溫維﹛圭雖然快要到美圓繼續他的科研生涯，但 仍沉迷於研究，在實驗室中熬夜至凌晨。 寫論文不敢怠慢 苟建波人高碼文，一看就知來自北方。他 坦吉更喜歡夏天，因校園清靜、無需應付教與 學3是，做研究出論文的好時光。此外，夏天可 在泳池的碧波中暢泳 ，欣賞天水一色，人生一 樂也。 來科大前 3 這位憨厚l迪和的大哥型博士生 已在北京清華大學任教。他對科大的研究環 境、教研設施、師資、信息交流等方面都連連 稍好。樂夏尋蹤
人非草木，孰能無情。老茍並不掩飾對妻 女的思念 “信太慢，錢都用來打電話啦。”親 人ID!t遠 2 然友情處處。每逢週六的晚上，他們 十多位師兄、師弟、師姊、 師妹總要小~、．一 齊動手燒幾樣家鄉小菜，輕輕鬆鬆地談笑一 番。 來自古城西安的惠穎，是位愛好多樣、勤 奮能幹的女將。她當然喜歡夏天， 因為有更多 活動可以參與。不過這個夏天她不敢多玩，因 為她正在趕寫博士論文，準備年底答辯。 ... 這個夏天惠穎不敢多玩，因為她正在趕寫博士論 文，準（青年底答辯。 談起在科大已近四載的日子 ，她感慨萬 分： “這幾年對我的鍛煉真大！”從小學到大 學、直到在大學任教，她每日﹒的生活都有父母 呵護。隻身來到香江，無論生活學習，都得靠 自己。 “我真是學到好多。’， 她說。 這些研究生整天忙於做學悶的生活，在很 多人眼中，實在太單調、況悶 ，簡直浪費了大 好的夏日 。然而，對於改改學子，追尋高深的 知識，做出新的成果，就是對他們辛勞的最大 報賞。可以預見， 五年十年後 ，這tlt夏日苦讀 的研究生中，將會有不少人在各種行業中脫穎 而出 ，成為教授、專家、企業的主管、社團的 領仙。 1111111111111!1且直草mmlllllllllManaging Editor Paulette Flahavin
Editors Debby Choi Sally Greig Lisa Li Bosco Wong
Design & Production Timothy Ngan
Photography Henry Choi (COMP, 2) Genesis is published by the Office of Public Affairs and
P『intedby ETC on 『E【ycledpaper. 。 1997by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. All rights reserved.
The next issue of Genesis will be published on 6 August 1997.
Cont『ibutionsare welcome. Deadline for submission is
two weeks before publication date. Send to e-mail address genesis.
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遣傳工程進瘟神
1但L養豬業來說，“口蹄疫” (Foot and Mot仙
