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Our Patron - Prof Charles Kao
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| Prof. Kao, the officiating guest of
the 200th birthday ceremony of Hans Christian Andersen.
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Hans Andersen Club (HAC) has been serving
Hong Kong for almost 50 years. We sincerely congratulate Professor
Charles Kuen Kao, Patron of HAC, awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize
in Physics for 'groundbreaking achievements concerning the
transmission of light in fibers for optical communication'.
Professor Kao was born in 1933 in Shanghai,
China. He received a B.Sc. degree in 1957 in Electrical Engineering
from the University of London and a Ph.D. degree in Electrical
Engineering in 1965, also from the University of London.
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| Prof. Kao cares for the holistic development
of children |
He joined ITT in 1957 and started as
an engineer at Standard Telephones and Cables Ltd., a subsidiary
of ITT in UK. In 1960 he joined Standard Telecommunications
Laboratories Ltd., UK, ITT's central research facility in
Europe, and rose through the ranks from a research scientist
to a research manager during his 10 years of service there.
It was during this period that Prof. Kao made his pioneering
work to the field of optical fiber communications.
Recognized as the "Father of Fiber
Optics", Prof. Kao predicted the performance levels fiber
optics could attain, and prescribed the basic design and means
to make fiber optics a practical and significant communications/transmission
medium. He there after contributed significantly to the development
and subsequent commercialization of optical fiber communication
components and systems.
His research experience has included
theoretical and experimental studies of electromagnetic waves
at microwave and optical frequencies, as well as telecommunications
systems techniques and applications. As the first executive
scientist and subsequently the corporate director of research
at ITT, Prof. Kao launched in early 1980's a program addressing
the high frequency limits of signal processing known as "terabit
technology" to assist R&D managers to improve effectiveness
of materials and device research.
In October 1987, Prof. Kao took up
the position as the Vice Chancellor (President) of The Chinese
University of Hong Kong in Hong Kong. During this period he
was much involved with local businesses and Government policies.
This has entailed developing relationships in the rest of
South East Asia as well as in China. He retired from this
position in August 1996. He served as Chairman and CEO of
Transtech Services Ltd. from 1996 to early 2001. He was Chairman
and CEO of ITX Services Limited, specializing in technology
transfer and outlook projects. He remains as member of a number
of advisory committees of the HKSAR Government.
Prof. Kao has published and presented
well over 200 papers, and edited and authored several texts
on optical fibers and a book on the business of high technology.
He is Member of the National Academy of Engineering (USA),
Fellow of the Royal Society (UK), Fellow of the Academia Sinica,
Taiwan, Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,
Foreign Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering
Sciences IVA (Sweden) and Fellow of IEEE (USA), IEE (UK),
and The Royal Academy of Engineering (UK). He was a past President
of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences (HK).
Among his many international honours
and awards are the Stewart Ballantine Medal, Rank Prize, L.M.
Ericsson International Prize, Alexander Graham Bell Medal,
Marconi International Fellowship, Faraday Medal of IEE, the
Japan Prize, and the Charles Stark Draper Prize. Asiaweek
Magazine elected him as Asian of the Century in Science and
Technology in 1999. Prof. Kao set a good example of a citizen
that care for and reciprocate to the society by volunteering
in many charity works in Hong Kong.
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From left: Mr. Frank Wong, Chairperson of HAC, Prof.
Kao, Dr. Alice Chong, Vice-chairperson and Board Member
Mr. Tang Wai Hung.
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| Together with his wife,
Prof. Kao participated in many volunteer works of HAC |
Prof. Kao's sharing
Prof.
Kao's reading recommendation
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