7. Hong Kong Mathematical Analysis Conference
The Trustees received a proposal from Professor A.J. Ellis of the University of Hong Kong for a grant of HK$38,000 to support an East Asian regional conference on mathematical analysis. They considered that such a conference would be a valuable stimulus to mathe- matics in the area and agreed to make the sum of HK$38,000 available to Professor Ellis. They noted that the British Council and the French Government were contributing to the expenses of speakers from their respective countries.
8. Cooperative Research on Physical Activities, Quality of Life and Health in Densely Populated Areas
The Foundation received an application to support Phase II of a large-scale cooperative research project on the above general topic. The subject of the investigation is clearly of great interest and relevance to Hong Kong, and the Trustees were therefore sympathetic to the application which came from Professor Stuart Donnan, Head of the Department of Community Medicine (Principal Investigator) and Professor Cho-Yee To, School of Education (Project Director) both of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Phase I of the project (which also involves staff from the Hong Kong Polytechnic, the Hong Kong Education Department and the University of Michigan) has now been completed. In it 5,637 children and 216 schools in various parts of Hong Kong have been studied, and much information of great interest has been obtained about physical education facilities and their use, recreational activities and health, physical fitness etc. It is now time to follow up the progress
of the children examined in Phase I, to investigate a selection of traditional Chinese exercises in connection with physical fitness, and to investigate in depth the interrelationship of health, fitness, exercise, and environment, in the adult population of Hong Kong. The Trustees were impressed by the work already carried out and by the plans for the further studies proposed. They therefore agreed to make a grant of HK$540,000* in three annual instalments of HK$180,000 commencing in the academic year 1983-84 to carry out Phase II of this important project.
9. Grants for Needy Students
Reports from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Polytechnic on the utilisation of the grants made to them to be used at their discretion to help students in dire need were received. In each case the grant had been fully utilised during the academic year 1982-83 and it was clear that the Foundation had made a real contribution to an important problem. In the case of the Hong Kong Baptist College, it appeared that, due to initial difficulties, only a small part of the grant of $60,000 made to them to help needy students had been used, but it was clear that a substantial problem existed.
The Trustees therefore agreed to make available a further sum of HK$100,000 to each of the three institutions, Chinese University of Hong Kong, University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Polytechnic to be used in the same way for needy students in the academic year 1983-84 and to allow the Hong Kong Baptist College to carry forward into that year the outstanding portion of the grant made to it in the previous year.
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