Contents Chairman's Report (128k PDF file) President's Report (Part1: 438k PDF file) (Part2: 350k PDF file) (Part3: 179k PDF file) People ● Honours and Achivements (640k PDF file) ● University Court, Council, and Senate (223k PDF file) ● University Staff (111k PDF file) ● Students and Alumni (178k PDF file) Teaching (156k PDF file) Research (84k PDF file) ● Academic Research (154k PDF file) ● Applied Research and Technology Transfer (171k PDF file) ● Research Funding (168k PDF file) Campus Development (166k PDF file) Finance ● Donation (149k PDF file) Calendar of Events (Selected) (Part1: 242k PDF file) (Part2: 240k PDF file) (Part3: 329k PDF file) Appendices Appendix A ● University Court, Council, and Senate (165k PDF file) Appendix B ● Academic Advisory Committees (54k PDF file) Appendix C ● Balance Sheet (46k PDF file) ● Income & Expenditure Statement (69k PDF file) ● General Expenditure per Student (78k PDF file) CHAIRMAN’ S FOREWORD he University’s academic year in 1996-97, covering the period from 1 July 1996 to 30 TJune 1997, coincided with the final year of British rule in Hong Kong. This provides an opportune moment to review HKUST’s development during the years of British administration. The planning of the University started in September 1986 and the first Univer- sity Council was formed in April 1988. The found- ing President (called Vice-Chancellor initially) was in post in September 1988. The University opened for classes in October 1991, producing the first batch of graduates in June 1993. By the start of this academic year, the Univer- sity had reached its designated target of 7,000 student population. The actual numbers as of 30 June 1997 were 5,550 undergraduate and 1,338 postgraduate students. Following the opening of the University, the student body was built up gradually, and as expected, the cost per student in the formative years was relatively high. None- theless, the annual cost has come down signifi- cantly over the years from HK$420,794 at the outset to HK$260,801 per student this year. Despite its very brief history, the University prides itself on being the most research-oriented tertiary institution in Hong Kong and, according to a recent survey by Asiaweek, one of the top 10 universities in Asia. Much of this achievement is due to the high quality and hard work of the aca- demic staff, most of whom have come from top- class institutions in North America. 2 ANNUAL REPORT 96–97 C HAIRMAN’ S FOREWORD Sir Sze-yuen CHUNG, GBE, JP BSc(Eng)(Hons), PhD, DSc(Hon), LLD(Hon), DEng(Hon), DBA(Hon), FEng, HonFIMechE, HonFHKIE, FIEE, CBIM, Order of the Sacred Treasure (Japan). Former Senior Member of the Executive and Legislative Councils President, Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences With the unification of Hong Kong and China Chairman, University Council on 1 July 1997, the former constraints imposed by both the 1997 deadline and the border between Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland have gone. The University is beginning to explore new op- portunities and extend its activities northwards, particularly in the Pearl River Delta, which the University’s President prefers to refer to as the “Hong Kong Bay Area”. This annual report therefore marks the end of the British chapter and I would like to take this opportunity to put on record our appreciation to the former Governors the late Sir Edward Youde, who created this University, and Lord Wilson, who provided much encouragement during the early years. I would also like to express my grate- ful thanks to all my colleagues, both past and present, on the Court, Council, Senate and their Committees, as well as all the former and incum- bent academic and administrative staff, for their contribution to the success of the University since its establishment in April 1988. ANNUAL REPORT 96–97 3 PP RESIDENTRESIDENT’ S REPORT ’ S REPORT Professor Chia-Wei WOO BS, MA, PhD President of the University or the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the year from 1 July 1996 to 30 FJune 1997 was framed by two major events extending across our fall and spring semesters. Celebrations of HKUST’s Fifth Anniversary— marking completion of the University’s first five years—were held throughout the fall semester, focusing attention not only on how the Univer- sity began, but on what it had accomplished during a period of extremely rapid growth. As in any anniversary celebration, however, the purpose in looking back was not to dwell on past achieve- ments per se—instead, it was to extend congratu- lations to all the members of the University who had contributed to its early success, and to renew the vision that continues to propel the Univer- sity forward, towards the many milestones and accomplishments yet to come. 6 ANNUAL REPORT 96–97 P RESIDENT’ S REPORT In the spring, all eyes in the University, as well as the wider community, looked ahead to 1 July 1997 and the return of Hong Kong to China. At HKUST, the transition period was marked by a number of special exhibitions highlighting the University’s achievements in teaching, research, and technology transfer, as well as by heightened attention to our growing collaborations with Mainland academic and research institutions. For Hong Kong, the task of building a new • reality, and identity, as a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China includes efforts by the University to define for itself its own role and contributions in the new era. I will re- turn to this theme at the end of this report, but before considering future directions, let me high- light some of the noteworthy developments of the past year. NOTEWORTHY DEVELOPMENTS • With the admission of a class of 1,898 new undergraduates and 561 new postgraduates in the fall semester, the University reached full size with only a modest increase in postgradu- ate enrollment still to come. At the close of the year in June, total student enrollment • numbered 6,888, consisting of 5,550 under- graduates and 1,338 full-time and part-time postgraduate students. • A successful introduction of credit-bearing summer courses in the School of Engineering during the summer of 1996 led to expansion of the program in the 1997 summer session, with courses offered in all four Schools and the Language Centre. Undergraduates, and some postgraduates as well, have found it advantageous to be able to spread out their ANNUAL REPORT 96–97 7 P RESIDENT’ S REPORT study load with summer courses. They were • again joined on campus by a contingent of university-bound secondary school students who had been selected to receive a headstart on their college education. • A milestone in the University’s campus devel- opment was reached with the completion of senior staff quarters, postgraduate housing, and a multi-purpose social and recreational facility—all built without cost to the Government. In • new development, construction be- gan on a central research facility housing a 60-meter wind tunnel and a 4-meter centrifuge, designed to provide the University and profes- sional community with environmental and • geotechnical test capabilities previously una- vailable in the region. • Internally, the University reformed its admin- istrative systems to incorporate common terms of service for local and expatriate staff, and to streamline academic ranks and titles, all in the interest of promoting long-term equity, clar- • ity, quality, and cost effectiveness. • In competitive research funding awarded by the Research Grants Council, HKUST laid claim to a position of preeminence by again leading all Hong Kong tertiary institutions with the highest total funding, the highest number of grants awarded, and the highest • success rate. In terms of total research fund- ing per faculty member, the University’s lead is even greater. • New research facilities were inaugurated to focus interdisciplinary efforts in several im- portant fields of applied research—the Ad- vanced Materials Research Institute is expected 8 ANNUAL REPORT 96–97 P RESIDENT’ S REPORT to lead the way in developing new materials for local industry; the Cyberspace Center will assist Hong Kong’s software industry in use of the Internet; and the Hong Kong Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Center will de- velop new health food products in collabora- tion with the Lee Kum Kee Group. • Technology transfer and industrial interaction continued to grow substantially during the year. About 80 new research agreements and contracts worth more than $17 million were signed with regional and international firms in the electronics, multimedia, plastics, bio- technology, manufacturing, and service indus- tries, among others. • In a major boost for international business edu- • cation in Asia, HKUST’s School of Business and Management formed a partnership with the J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management of Northwestern University to offer a new Execu- tive MBA program answering to the needs of businesses and multinational companies oper- ating in the region. As a cooperative venture, the program will culminate in an EMBA degree jointly awarded by the two schools. • International recognition of the University’s • leadership role in the region has come from many different quarters. In international devel- opments, HKUST has been invited to join the elite Association of Pacific Rim Universities— the only Hong Kong university so invited. HKUST was also the only university in Asia, along with five other universities and several prominent think tanks around the world, to be provided facilities by the World Economic Forum linking them through a sophisticated video conferencing network to the chief execu- tives of 1,000 multinational companies. ANNUAL REPORT 96–97 9 P RESIDENT’ S REPORT TEACHING AND LEARNING Amidst these and other exciting develop- ments, the University found ample occasion during a unique and absorbing year to reflect on its fundamental three-fold mission of teaching, research, and service.