1999 Chairman Report of IEEE HK Section Computer Chapter

First of all, I would like to thank you to the hard work of the Executive Committee members, the IEEE HK Section Computer Chapter could continue its success in 1998 & 1999.

First of all, our Chapter is proud to inform our members that our Chapter is selected as the Most Outstanding IEEE Computer Society Chapter in the World in 1998. We are awarded with a DVP seminar. With this award, jointly organized with the Department of Computer Science, the City University of Hong Kong, we invited Prof. Lotfi A. Zadeh, the Father of Fuzzy Logic, to come to Hong Kong on 15 October, 1999 to give us a DVP seminar on the topic "From Computing with Numbers to Computing with Words -- From Manipulation of Measurement to Manipulation of Perceptions." The seminar was well received. We are pleased and honored by the present of Prof. Charles Kao, the Father of Optical Communication, Prof. Tosiyasu L. Kunii, the Father of Computational Geometry, and Prof. Smalefield, field medallist in Mathematics, in the DVP seminar and dinner afterwards. We also thank Prof. Roderick Wong, Dean of Science and Engineering, Faculty of the City University of Hong Kong for chairing the seminar.

In additional to Prof. Zadeh’s seminar, we organize another DVP seminar by Prof. Meng Syan Chen on 14 December 1999 in our International Computer Congress 1999 and International Computer Science Conference 1999. We have also invited Prof. Carl Chang, Vice Chairman of IEEE Computer Society, to come to Hong Kong to give us a DVP seminar in year 2000.

Besides these two DVP seminars, we have organized a number of high quality technical seminars. These include a seminar in May on the topic "Streaming Voice and Video Over the Internet with Transformation-Based Error Concealment" by Prof. Benjamin Wah, the President of IEEE Computer Society; a seminar given by Prof. Paul Bailes, Chair Professor and Head of Department of Computer Science of Queensland University on the topic "Programming without data towards a totally functional programming style;" a seminar on "Legal Issues Affecting the Internet and E-commerce" by Mr. Peter Bullock, a layer famous in IT law in Hong Kong; and a seminar given by Prof. Jin Yun Yuen from Federal University of Parana on "Iterative Methods for Solving Indefinite Systems from Scientific Computing." On 19 November, we also organized a joint seminar with IEE on Software Quality. Four pioneers on software quality namely Mr. Roy Ko, Mr. John Goh, Mr. Alex Au-Yeung and Mr. Paul Pang (from HKSAR ITSD), shared their experience on implementing software quality assurance programme in Hong Kong with the delegates.

Another major events of our Chapter this year is the International Computer Congress 1999 (ICC) and the International Computer Science Conference 1999 (ICSC'99). The ICC is held on 13-17 December 1999. It consists of four international conferences, an IEEE CS DVP seminar, an IEEE CS Panel on Computer Science Curricula, an AEARU meeting and an industrial forum. Our Chapter’s flagship conference, the ICSC, is organized the five times this year as one of the conferences in ICC. Other conferences in the ICC’99 include the RTCSA'99, MDA’99 and PRDC’99. Researchers from industry and academic, industrialists and investors are invited to join the ICC which is a mean for them to meet, share their experience and discuss for future co-operation.

Incidentally, in total, we have sponsored ten conferences held in Hong Kong in 1999. We are also going to sponsor some major conferences to be held in Hong Kong. These include VLDB 2002, WISE 2000 and ICA3PP2000.

In additional to learned activities, we also put in more effort to help promoting and transferring innovation and high technology from academic to industry in Hong Kong. In January, together with other computer societies in Hong Kong, we organized a seminar by Prof. Tien Chang-Lin on his report of Innovation and Technology Development in Hong Kong. In the ICC, we organized an Industrial Forum. Prof. C.J. Tan, the Chief Architect of IBM "Deep Blue" project, is our keynote speaker. The purpose of this Industrial Forum is to provide an opportunity for the researchers, industrialists and investors to sit together to share their experience and the problems encountered in developing innovation and high technology in Hong Kong. In order to promote open source computing, also together with other computer societies in Hong Kong, we organized two colloquiums on Open Sources and Linux in June and September, respectively.

Connections between academic and industrialists are important for transferring innovation and high technology from research laboratories to industry. Jointly with the Hong Kong Productivity Council, we organized two Happy Hour Gathering for our members. In these gathering, not only our members, but also people from IT and other industries are invited. These provide good opportunities for people from different areas to meet each other.

Our students in Hong Kong have not forgotten by us. Besides they can join all our activities, we have organized two career talks for the final year undergraduate year students. We also run a Student Membership Drive in our International Computer Congress. In this drive, all student members can attend the four conferences of the ICC at the cost of HKD 500 only. For those students who have not joined IEEE, if they submit their membership application form at the ICC, they can enjoy the same benefit also.

Our Chapter has also paid much effort in protecting the interest of our members and helping in the IT professional development in Hong Kong. We have representatives in the Advisory Committee of the IT Legislator, Mr. Sin Chung Kai, to provide our professional advice on IT legislative matters. We are also a member of the Information Technology Joint Council, an entity which composed of major computer societies in Hong Kong. The Information Technology Joint Council plays advisory role to the Hong Kong SAR Government on making IT policies. We also had meeting with Mr. K. C Kwong, Secretary of the Information Technology & Broadcasting Bureaus, discussing IT development in Hong Kong with him and expressing our opinions and concerns on these issues.

Our Chapter is well recognized in Hong Kong. Representing our Chapter, our Chapter Chairman has been invited to attend many events such as the Spring Reception of the Chief Secretary of HK SAR Government, various important events organized by The University of Hong Kong, the City University of Hong Kong, the Open University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Society For the Blind, and other computer societies in Hong Kong such as the Hong Kong Computer Society and the Hong Kong Institute of Engineers. Our Chairman also represents our Chapter to join the IT National Day Celebration Banquet Chairman Group in organizing the banquet and serve as a judge in the Web Page Deign Competition of the Equal Opportunity Council organized by the Hong Kong Junior Chamber of Commerce.

As we are organizing and sponsoring so many activities, in order to protect our members, we have pleased that Ms Feder Shum, a CPA, has accepted our invitation to be our Chapter’s honorary auditor. She has helped us to audit our financial report this year.

At last, I would like to thank my colleagues of our Executive Committee again. Without their firm support and hard work, we sure cannot have these achievements.