https://www.scmp.com/rss/40163/feed Charles Kao was a pioneer in the development and use of fibre optics in telecommunications. Born on November 4, 1933 and based in Hong Kong, Kao was co-awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics for "groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibres for optical communication". He died on September 23, 2018. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com In 1993, Lo Sze-ping faced expulsion from the Chinese University of Hong Kong for orchestrating a protest at an open-day ceremony on campus. But the student, who would later become a prominent environmentalist, was spared thanks to the leniency of then vice chancellor Professor Charles Kao Kuen, who believed Lo should have the freedom to express his views. Lo went on to be named a Young Global Leader in 2012 by the World Economic Forum, but till today, he has not forgotten the magnanimity and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/2166296/prominent-hong-kong-environmentalist-remembers-vision-and-magnanimity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/2166296/prominent-hong-kong-environmentalist-remembers-vision-and-magnanimity?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Sep 2018 08:03:10 +0000 The funeral of late Nobel laureate Charles Kao Kuen will be held on October 7 or 8, his foundation has said. And two more areas for public condolences would be set up on Thursday and Saturday, a spokeswoman for the Charles K. Kao Foundation for Alzheimer’s Disease said on Wednesday. Gwen Kao Wong Mei-wan, Kao’s widow and the foundation’s chairwoman, said in a statement on Wednesday: “In lieu of flowers, contributions to the Charles K. Kao Foundation for Alzheimer’s Disease Limited or The Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2165886/plans-come-together-funeral-late-hong-kong-nobel-laureate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2165886/plans-come-together-funeral-late-hong-kong-nobel-laureate?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Sep 2018 15:58:14 +0000 Charles Kao Kuen was the pride of Hong Kong. A Nobel Prize winner in physics, he was a scientist, an educator and an inspiration. He was so stricken with dementia in his dying days that he could not recognise his family. But the world will never forget his work with fibre-optics, which made the internet possible. Kao, who died in hospice care in Hong Kong on Sunday at the age of 84, was universally acclaimed as the “father of fibre-optic communications”. His achievement came from asking what... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2165586/charles-kao-true-inspiration-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2165586/charles-kao-true-inspiration-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Sep 2018 12:25:42 +0000 A committee met at the Chinese University of Hong Kong on Monday to discuss funeral arrangements for physics Nobel laureate and former vice chancellor Professor Charles Kao Kuen, as tributes continued to pour in for the late scientist, who died on Sunday at the age of 84. Committee members said they would follow the wishes of Kao’s wife of 60 years, Gwen Kao Wong May-wan. Chemistry professor Jimmy Yu Chai-mei said Gwen Kao had shared with him several ideas for a memorial service. “When a person... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2165571/he-made-you-feel-great-man-room-was-you-colleagues-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2165571/he-made-you-feel-great-man-room-was-you-colleagues-and?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Sep 2018 11:19:35 +0000 Hong Kong on Sunday mourned the passing of the city’s Nobel Prize winner in physics, Professor Charles Kao Kuen, whose seminal work on fibre optics laid the groundwork for the development of modern communications. He had battled Alzheimer’s for over a decade before death claimed him at 84. Tributes flowed with chief executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor among the first to offer her public condolences. She hailed Kao as the “pride of Hong Kong” for his tremendous contributions to the city and the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2165405/nobel-prize-winner-and-hong-kong-native-charles-kao-dies-84?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2165405/nobel-prize-winner-and-hong-kong-native-charles-kao-dies-84?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Sep 2018 10:15:45 +0000 “Once the dementia deteriorates, the person you love is no longer there inside.” Gwen Kao Wong May-wan, 81, wife of Nobel Prize laureate Professor Charles Kao Kuen, has spent more than half of their 57 years of married life caring for her ailing husband. “He is not there. You have to accept it, and face it bravely.” Nobel winner wants to die in peace at home, wife says, as she urges Hong Kong to change culture on end-of-life care She says she is speaking out now to encourage other caregivers and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1991045/educate-hong-kong-public-surge-dementia-cases?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1991045/educate-hong-kong-public-surge-dementia-cases?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Jul 2016 14:00:29 +0000 By the time Dr Charles Kao Kuen won the 2009 Nobel prize in physics, five years had passed since his diagnosis with Alzheimer's disease. Kao, considered the father of fibre optics, may not have been able to enjoy some of the usual perks that come with being a Nobel laureate, but his fame helped him and his wife Gwen Kao Wong May-wan raise awareness of the disease in Hong Kong. Yesterday, to mark International Alzheimer's Day, she told an audience at the Woman Extraordinaire Forum in Wan Chai... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1042591/charles-kao-kuens-wife-we-must-banish-stigma-alzheimers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1042591/charles-kao-kuens-wife-we-must-banish-stigma-alzheimers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Sep 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Charles Kao Kuen and his wife opened an exhibition at the Science Park yesterday that highlights the Nobel Prize-winning physicist's achievements. The exhibition explains the important role Kao played in finding a way to communicate using optical fibre - hair-thin glass threads that can carry light signals. The internet relies on this technology. Speaking on behalf of her husband, who has Alzheimer's disease, Gwen Kao Wong May-wan said she hoped his 'contribution to technology can help inspire... https://www.scmp.com/article/736171/kaos-work-showcased?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/736171/kaos-work-showcased?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Jan 2011 16:00:00 +0000 The wife of Alzheimer's-afflicted Nobel physics laureate Charles Kao Kuen is setting up a charity to raise awareness of the disease and promote better support for people who care for sufferers. Gwen Kao Wong May-wan will chair the Charles K. Kao Foundation for Alzheimer's Disease, a non-profit organisation she hopes will help find a cure for the condition. Kao, known as the father of fibre optics, was diagnosed with the disease in 2004. Wong, who earlier this year publicly urged the government... https://www.scmp.com/article/725073/gwen-kao-starts-alzheimers-charity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/725073/gwen-kao-starts-alzheimers-charity?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Sep 2010 16:00:00 +0000 Nobel physics laureate Dr Charles Kao Kuen and his wife Gwen Kao Wong May-wan led about 3,000 Chinese University staff, students, alumni and friends in yesterday's mini-walkathon on the university campus at Sha Tin. About HK$3 million was raised to support the Charles K. Kao Scholarship Endowment Fund and an online training programme for family caregivers of people with brain disorders. The walk took from 45 to 90 minutes to complete. https://www.scmp.com/article/708677/walkathon-raises-hk3m-family-caregivers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/708677/walkathon-raises-hk3m-family-caregivers?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Mar 2010 16:00:00 +0000 Nobel physics laureate Dr Charles Kao Kuen got a hero's welcome at Chinese University yesterday. The 'Father of Fibre Optics', a key technology underlying the internet, was held up as an inspiration for Hong Kong's youthful innovators. 'His achievements and commitment have inspired young scientists to dedicate themselves to pushing the boundaries of scientific research,' Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said at the launch of an exhibition honouring Kao. 'I encourage young people to consider... https://www.scmp.com/article/705568/kao-lauded-role-model-hks-youth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/705568/kao-lauded-role-model-hks-youth?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:00:00 +0000 A minor planet in the solar system has been named after Professor Charles Kuen Kao, former vice-chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong in recognition of his work in optic fibre communication and contribution to Hong Kong's scientific development and exchanges with China. This is the first time the name of a Hong Kong scientist and educationist has been given to a star. The 'Kao Kuen Star', originally numbered as 3463, was discovered on December 3, 1981 by the Purple Mountain... https://www.scmp.com/article/170025/academic-made-star-his-field?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/170025/academic-made-star-his-field?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Aug 1996 16:00:00 +0000 Professor Charles Kuen Kao retires next month from his post as Vice-Chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong after nine years in charge. The university council has appointed Professor Kao, who in 1966 published a paper on the revolutionary use of optical fibre for communications, as honorary professor of engineering. Professor Kao is known as 'the father of fibre optics'. The university is setting up the Charles Kuen Kao Fund for the promotion of research, overseas links and... https://www.scmp.com/article/168232/father-fibre-optics-retire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/168232/father-fibre-optics-retire?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Jul 1996 16:00:00 +0000 CHINESE University Vice-Chancellor Charles Kao Kuen has been awarded a top Japanese science prize for his work on fibre-optics. https://www.scmp.com/article/146643/science-prize?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/146643/science-prize?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Jan 1996 16:00:00 +0000