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| Chamber in Review 活 動 重 溫 |Innovation at HKUST科 大 的 創 新 成 就Chamber members explore technological innovationin construction, multimedia, and healthcare總 商 會 會 員 探 索 建 築 、 多 媒 體 和 醫 療 方 面 的 技 術 創 新Innovation and technology are seen askey areas for any economy to raise itscompetitiveness and development.In 2009, Chief Executive Donald Tsangannounced in his Policy Address supportfor six new pillar industries to strengthenHong Kong’s economy. Two of whichwere innovation & technology, and cultural& creative industries. On the surfaceof things, it could be argued not a greatdeal is being done. But at the Hong KongUniversity of Science and Technology,researchers and students are pushing theboundaries of innovation and technology.To see what commercial applicationsits technology could have, 22 Chambermembers visited HKUST on May 3.Led by Industry and Technology ChairmanEdmond Yue, members visited theuniversity’s Materials Research Lab,Controlled Environment Test Facility,Multimedia Technology Research Centre,and its Hair Drug Testing Lab.Yue said it is vital for Hong Kongto build up its expertise in innovationand technology, and cited HKUST asa driving force in honing our futurecompetitiveness.The Root of Your History尋 「 根 」 究 底Testing hair to detect illicit drug use, a procedure growingin popularity to screen employees, has been adopted bydrug rehabilitation centers, and some schools. Unlike thetraditional urine test, which can detect substances taken inthe past one or two days, hair tests can detect when andwhat someone took for as long has the hair has beengrowing on their head.While the jury is still out on the right to privacy – albeitpeople have to agree to be tested – there are widerapplications for the technology. Dr Annie Ting, TechnicalAdvisor for Wah Kin Holdings Limited, which conductsresearch at the Hong Kong University of Science andTechnology, 80 June 2012 explained The Bulletin that 工 商 hair 月 刊 can be used to test if a personhas ingested any harmful substances, such as heavy metals.“There is a growing concern about chemicals and biotoxinsin food, and also the global phenomenon of increaseddrug abuse. With our technology, a woman who is planningto have a baby, for example, can check that there are noheavy metals or toxins in her body. Or if someone is planningon hiring a driver, they can check to see if a job applicant hastaken drugs or drinks,” she explained.Like the rings on a tree, the length of hair tells the historyof how a person has lived in the past, with each centimeterrepresenting roughly one month. To increase the sensitivityof hair tests, Wah Kin has developed a chip-massspectrometer which is 1,000 times more sensitive than