The Review 2003

research benefits everyone in the community. The outbreak of SARS resul ted in significant research findings by the University’s medical and science faculties. But other, less obvious sources also produced important SARS-related research. The Faculty of Engineering investigated the unusual concentrat ion of cases at Amoy Gardens and concluded the building’s design and drainage system, weather conditions and residents’ cleaning habits contributed to the spread of the disease. The Facul ty of Architecture is now working on an index to determine the health and hygiene of buildings. 20 Dav id Ho, Chief Execut i ve of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Centre in New York wi th which the Uni versi ty set up a twin research centre in Hong Kong in 2002. None of these accomplishments would have been possible wi thout a dynamic academic staff and the funding and facilities to enable them to follow through with their ideas. The local community showed its support for our efforts through donations and positive coverage in the media. China’s Premier Wen Jiabao also expressed his appreciation of our achievements when he became the f i rst Mainland leader ever to visit the University, in June 2003. The spot l ight on SARS did not overshadow our other accompl ishments during the 2002-03 academic year, however. For example, the Department of Community Medicine and the Uni versi ty of London reported in the leading British medical journal The Lancet how anti-pollution measures can save l ives. They showed that death rates dropped following the introduction of a law in 1990 to cut sulphur dioxide in fuel in Hong Kong. The Depar tment of Ci v i l Engineer ing developed a more accurate drilling tool for the const ruct ion indust ry which has been approved for use in the United States. The Drilling Process Monitor involves inexpensive real-time monitoring of drilling – a process that until now has been done manually. It also provides feedback on ground conditions and design parameters, thus enabling both better quality control and safety. The monitor was developed in co-operation with the Hong Kong government and the const ruct ion industry. New evidence on how f lu viruses can become fatal was uncovered by the Department of Microbiology, which found the immune system could be thrown out of kilter to the extent that it produced a fatal reaction. The Lancet published the findings along with an independent commentary that this research “will help unravel the mystery surrounding a pathogen whose unpredictabi l i ty has fascinated for centuries”. Other highlights included the development by the Faculty of Dentistry of a new virtual real i ty system that enables dent ists and students to achieve greater accuracy, and a new drug therapy for liver transplant patients which substantially reduces post-operative costs. The latter was developed by the Faculty of Medicine and featured in the American medical journal Hepatology in 2003. As our researchers continue to perform to a high standard, our goal now is to maintain and further improve quality research output across the Uni versi ty. This requi res the community to keep investing in the University – in programmes and oppor tuni t ies for research that keep the best and brightest on our campus and in Hong Kong. As the SARS outbreak demonst rated, investment in The Review 2003 INVESTING IN RESEARCH From left: Joseph Lee, Li Yuguo and Dennis Leung of the Faculty of Engineering