Nobel Laureate Charles Kao back "home" with medal

Charles Kao on Friday donated his Nobel Prize medal to the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) during his first trip to the city, where he lived for nearly 30 years, after winning the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Kao, internationally renowned as the "Father of Fiber Optics", made a two-month visit back to Hong Kong since Jan. 29 for the first time as a Nobel Laureate. He was the CUHK's vice-chancellor from 1987 to 1996.

Kao's wife quoted the response of Charles Kao towards the trip back to Hong Kong at the opening ceremony of a CUHK's exhibition to showcase Kao's lifetime achievement, including the Nobel Prize which triggered enthusiasm in the city.

"Professor Gao has been in Hong Kong all in all for a total of 30 years, I think we can say he is a Hong Kong belonger. So that Hong Kong has been so excited that we have a home grown engineer who was awarded a Nobel Prize in Physics 2009, is very understandable. And he rejoices with you all," she said.

Kao was awarded half of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics for " groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibers for optical communication."

Through message delivered by his wife, Kao also called upon more support for encouraging further development of scientific research and nurturing students with innovative ideas.

"Without optical fiber, we would not have the internet." she said, "The evolution has not ceased. Amongst our young students here in Hong Kong, some may well create yet more new designs beyond our dreams. We need to watch out and give them the room to develop."

The CUHK on Friday announced the establishment of "Charles K. Kao Scholarship Endowment Fund", which will support outstanding undergraduate students majoring in Physics and Engineering for overseas exchange and research internships.

Kao will also join a walkathon themed at "Walk with Professor Kao" on March 14 for the scholarship.