Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 2000

Appointment of University Officer Prof. Jack C.Y. Ch e ng of the De p a r t me n t of Orthopaedics and Traumatology wa s appointed by the University Council as University Dean of Students for a term of two years from 1st August 2000. Academic Linkage with France Reinforced Three de l ega t i on s f r om F r enc h institutions visited the Univeristy from March to May 2000. • A delegation led by Dr. Catherine Brechignac, director-general of the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), v i s i t ed the University on 28th March 2000 at the invitation of Prof. Arthur K.C. Li, vice-chancellor of the University. CNRS's ma n d a te as a pub l ic organization is to develop research and b r i ng t oge t her r e s e a r che r s f r om different disciplines to work o n a wide range of themes and projects. One of the main foci of the CNRS visit to the University is to follow up on discussion for c oop e r a t i on in research into biotechnology and natura l substances, in particular Chinese medicine. It is expected that the joint programme will enable scientists from different regions to work together and open gateways into n ew d oma i n s of scientific investigation as well as long-term academic exchange. • A delegation from the University of Louis Pasteur Strasbourg, one of the most impo r t a n t scientific, technological, and medical universities in France, led by its president Jean-Yves Me r i ndo l , visited the Un i v e r s i ty campus on 15th April 2000 and were introduced to members of the Institute of Chinese Medicine. Chinese medicine came to the forefront as a possibility for research collaboration. The delegation also visited the Faculty of Engineering, the Prince of Wales Hospital, and the Department of Chemistry. • Prof. Jean-Pierre Drege, director of ÉcoleFrançaise d ' Ex t r ême Orient (EFEO), visited the University from 28th to 30th Ma y to officiate at the centennial conference of EFEO and t o meet with faculty members to explore possibilities of further collaboration in the social sciences. Linkage between the University and EFEO began in 1994 and the focus of collaboration has been on Chinese regional history and local cultures. Since then a representative of EFEO has been resident at the Institute of Chinese Studies as honorary research fellow. Over the p a s t f ew years, bo th institutions have agreed on developing inter-disciplinary research projects that would extend to social science subjects. The CNRS delegation at the Chinese Medicines Museum News in Brief