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Prof. Charles K. Kao, former Vice-Chancellor of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), celebrates his 80^th birthday today (4 November).  Prof. and Mrs. Charles K. Kao have had an enjoyable morning at a birthday party held on CUHK campus, meeting many old friends and colleagues at CUHK who conveyed their best wishes and respect to the great man.  

Prof. Joseph J.Y. Sung, Vice-Chancellor of CUHK, said, ‘We are most delighted to celebrate Professor Kao’s birthday today with our greatest love and respect for Prof Kao.  Professor Kao’s contributions to CUHK are tremendous.  His wisdom and vision have inspired numerous young people and his great innovation has changed the world.  Let us wish him good health and a lot of happiness in many many years to come.’ 

Mrs. Gwen Kao thanked CUHK members for their kindness, ‘Professor Kao and I are very happy to meet so many old friends on his 80^th birthday today.  I am truly grateful for all your love and care for Professor Kao.’ 

Professor Kao joined CUHK in 1970 to set up the Department of Electronic Engineering, and served as the founding Chairman of the department.  In 1987, he became the third Vice-Chancellor of CUHK and held office until 1996.  During his term of service, he launched a number of new undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, and he set up the Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Education and a number of research institutes, laying a solid foundation for CUHK to develop into a world-class comprehensive, research-led university.  Professor Kao guided the Faculty of Engineering to concentrate resources on computer science, electronic engineering and information technology.  In these 20 or more years, the directions that he laid down for the Faculty have gone well with Hong Kong’s overall development.  For his study on fibre optics application in communication, Professor Kao was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2009.  He donated his medal and certificate to the University as a momento.  Under the leadership of Professor Kao, CUHK was the first organization to introduce optical fibre in Hong Kong, connecting Hong Kong to the global internet. 

Mrs. Gwen Kao has in recent years founded The Charles K. Kao Foundation for Alzheimer’s Disease Limited to enhance care and support to Alzheimer’s patients, their families and caregivers.  In future, Mrs. Kao will continue to lead the Foundation to raise the public awareness of Alzheimer’s disease, educating the general public on brain healthcare strategies. 

For more photos, please visit:
https://www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk/en/events_recap_detail.php?1=1&1=1&id=148&s=