Newsletter No. 245

Funding Support for CUHK Research T he following five research and research-related projects undertaken by faculty members of the University have attracted funding support from different quarters: • DVD production of three episodes of Hong Kong's Cultural Heritage (香港古文化之旅） (HK$ 1,344,800) Sponsor: Lord Wilson Heritage Trust Principal investigator: Dr. Tang Chung (Centre for Chinese Archaeology and Art) • Parent-Child Reading in Hong Kong Bilingual Context (HK$300,000) Sponsor: Quality Education Fund Principal investigator: Prof. Catherine McBride (Department of Psychology) • Establishment of the Mobile Fall Risk Assessment Centre (HK$ 1,411,044) Sponsor: S.K. Yee Medical Foundation Principal investigator: Prof. Leung Kwok-sui (Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology) • Wholesome Development for Physically Disabled Children: Therapy Through Music and Arts (HK$239,000) Sponsor: S.K. Yee Medical Foundation Principal investigator: Prof. Hung Leung-kim (Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology) • Establishment of the Shanghai-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory in Chemical Synthesis (HK$1,100,000) Sponsor: CAS-Croucher Funding Scheme for Joint Laboratories Principal investigator: Prof. Henry N.C. Wong (Department of Chemistry) G r a d u a t e s in Quantitative F i n a n ce Much Sought After by Employe r s T he University's 2004 quantitative finance graduates have all found satisfactory employment, according to a recent survey conducted by the Quantitative Finance Programme. Apart from two graduates who chose to further their studies, all 27 other graduates have found employment, with most having received offers from multinational corporations by the end of June 2004. These included HSBC Asset Management, Standard Chartered Bank, the Bank of East Asia, the Bank of China, JP Morgan, Barclays Capital, Big 4 accounting firms, andMorgan Stanley. The average monthly salary of the graduates is HK$13,291 with the highest being HK$390,000 per annum. The survey shows that the University's quantitative finance graduates are highly competitive and much sought after by major employers. Prof. Chow Ying-foon (right), programme director, and some 2004 graduates of the Quantitative Finance Programme: (From left) Frank Lau of Morgan Stanley, Helen Lo of Accenture, Anthony Ngai of JP Morgan, Carly Tse of Hang Seng Bank, and Will Lam of Standard Chartered Bank. New Explanation for Variations in Childhood Asthma Prevalence A sthma, the most common chronic disorder in children, varies in prevalence worldwide but is generally on the rise. Factors relating to the increasing prevalence of asthma remain largely unknown. The University's Faculty of Medicine conducted a large- scale studyjointly with the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Disease and the Capital Institute of Paediatrics in Beijing. The study identified important factors affecting the variation in asthma prevalence in different regions. Close to 11,000 school children aged 10 years in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Guangzhou were studied. Randomly selected subgroups of children from each city underwent a skin prick test for sensitivity to eight common aeroallergens, such as pollen and dust. The association between current wheeze and environmental factors and diet was then evaluated. Children from Hong Kong were found to have a significantly higher prevalence of wheeze than those from mainland China. It was found that factors occurring in the first year of life and current factors that are significantly associated with wheeze are cooking by gas, foam pillows, and damp living surroundings. Protective factors against wheeze are cotton quilts, consumption of fruit more than once a day, and consumption of raw vegetables at least once a week. As the subjects have similar genetic background, it was concluded that variations in asthma prevalence among children from the three regions are explainable by the environment and diet. The findings were published in a recent issue of the British Medical Journal. (From left) Prof. Gary Wong, Prof. Fok Tai-fai, and Prof. Leung Ting-fan of the Department of Paediatrics E -NEWSLETTER A BSTRACT Volume 1 No. 4 Over 2 , 000 CUHK Freshmen A t t ended I naugu r a t i on Ceremony for Undergraduates At the inauguration ceremony for freshmen of The Chinese University held on 1 st September, over 2,000 new students were introduced to the defining characteristics of the University, campus life, and the essence of university education. Overall Champion for Third Consecutive Year at 2004 Inter- Universities Rowing Championships The Chinese University rowing team clinched the overall championship title for the third consecutive year at the Tenth Inter-Universities Rowing Championships held on 21st and 22nd August 2004. CUHK Students Clinch Gold and Silver Medals at National Universities Tennis Championships The Chinese University tennis team won first and second place respectively in the Division I men's singles and doubles of the Ninth National Universities Tennis Championships. The team was also elected by all participating universities for the Sports Ethics and Fair Play Prize and a team member was elected Sportsman of the Year. CUHK Badminton Team Wins Double Bronze in National College Badminton Championships Following the tennis team's recent success at the National Universities Tennis Championships, The Chinese University badminton team came away with bronze medals in the ladies' singles and the mixed doubles of the Eighth National College Badminton Championships. Ms. Fung Ying also won the Most Outstanding Lady Athlete Award. For details , please visit http:www.cuhk.edu.hk/enews/. 1 No. 245 19th September 2004