Newsletter No. 102

CUHK Acquires High Energy Accelerator for Materials Research Prof. Ian Wilson, director of the Materials Technology Research Centre (right), and Jacco Meijers, the engineer who installed the accelerator, doing a trial run of the accelerator O wners of antiques can now have their artefacts analysed at the University without fear of damage. The Materials Technology Research Centre has recently acquired a tandem accelerator for ion beam analysis, and set up the Accelerator Laboratory to facilitate teaching and research. Ion beam analysis uses light ions, usually hydrogen and helium, for material analysis. The machine can perform a wide range of analytical techniques which are in high demand among local academic institutions. Researchers have already been queueing for analysis services. The techniques are also expected to have a very high market value since they can be used to study art objects and antiques without causing the slightest damage to the objects. The only one of its kind in Hong Kong and Southern China, the machine can also be used to fabricate new materials and structure by high energy ion implantation for microelectronic and optoelectronic devices. Its acquisition has given rise to numerous concrete plans for research in this field. The machine was purchased with funding from the Ho Sin Hang Education Endowment Fund, the CUHK Special Equipment Grant, the Department of Electronic Engineering, and the Interinstitutional Micro-electronics Consortium (MIC). MIC was formed in 1994 by the electrical and electronic engineering departments of five local universities: City University, HKU, HKUST, Polytechnic University, and CUHK. It was granted central allocation funding in 1994 by the Research Grants Council, of which HK$6 million was earmarked for purchasing the machine to support a large number of collaborative projects. Faculty of Medicine Promotes Healthy Eating O n 17th December 1996 over 200 parents and children attended a talk jointly organized by the Faculty of Medicine, the Sha Tin District Board, the parents' association of Baptist Lui Ming Choi Primary School, and the Hong Kong Home Economics Society. The purpose of the talk was to strengthen parents' knowledge of child nutrition and encourage good eating habits in children. Prof. Sophie Leung of the Department of Paediatrics acted as host of the function, while Prof. S. H. Lee, Prof. Suzanne Ho and Prof. Albert Lee of the Department of Community and Family Medicine gave talks on related topics. DISTINGUISHED MATERIALS SCIENTIST VISITS SHAW P rof. James Mayer, one of the world's foremost materials scientists, is the 1996-97 Sir Run Run Shaw Distinguished Visiting Scholar to Shaw College. In a public lecture delivered on 13th January entitled 'Revelations Beneath the Surface: The Science of Art', Prof. Mayer discussed new techniques using infrared or X-rays, and ion and neutron beams to analyse the material composition of works of art, such as paintings and other artefacts. Prof. Mayer has had an impressive career spanning the three disciplines of physics, materials science, and engineering. He was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society in the early 70s for his development of semiconductor nuclear particle detectors, and to the Fellowship of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineering for his achievements in the doping of semiconductors by ion implantation. The latter technique, which triggered the microelectronics revolution, is essential to the manufacture of integrated circuits. Prof. Mayer was also responsible for establishing the Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry, which uses ion beams to analyse solids. Fine Arts 40th Anniversary Faculty Show T o celebrate its 40th anniversary, the University's Department of Fine Arts has mounted an exhibition of the works of its studio course teachers at the west- wing galleries of the Art Museum. The opening ceremony of the exhibition was held on 31st January. Exhibits include oil and acrylic paintings, calligraphy, seal-engraving, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, and mixed media pieces. Ten teachers are involved: Cheung Yee, Lee Yun-woon, Cheng Ming, Lui Chung- kwong, Chan Yuk-keung, Tong Kam-tang, Chan Tak-hei, Chung Tai-fu, Caroline Cheng, and Wong Kai-yu. It is hoped that the exhibition wi ll demonstrate the balanced and comprehensive curriculum of the department's studio courses, and enhance communication between the Department and the public. The exhibition is coorganized by the Art Museum, and will be on until 9th March. Sports and Child Health Examined at Sports Medicine Congress T he World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Federation of Sports Medicine (FIMS) jointly announced a position statement on sports and children at the 1997 International Sports Medicine Congress held at the Hong Kong Sports Institute on 11th and 12th January. Regarded as the most important sports medicine forum in Asia, the two-day congress was coorganized by the Hong Kong Association of Sports Medicine and Sports Science, the Hong Kong Sports Institute, and the WHO Collaborating Centre for Sports Medicine and Health Promotion at the University. The statement, read at the opening ceremony of the congress, stresses the joint responsibility of parents, trainers, sports institutions, and doctors to ensure the health and safety of children and adolescents when planning sport programmes. Over a hundred world- renowned sports medicine experts shared their experiences in sports and child health. An exhibition of the latest health products and information on health care was held alongside, and there were demonstrations of proper exercises for children and adolescents.