The Symposium, a "Science in the Public Service" Campaign activity, was held on 27 April at the Science Museum. The event was well received by both the public and the academia. The number of applicants and participants both exceeded the capacity of the Lecture Hall there.

On that day, over 10 professionals from various government departments elaborated on how science and technology were used in the provision of public service. A wide range of topics was covered in the presentations, from weather, environment, architecture, to food, transport and immigration. Here are some examples that particularly impressed me:

(1) Go easy on soy sauce which contains chloropropanols. The Food, Environment and Health Department has tested 40 samples of popular brands of soy sauce using state-of-the-art equipment. What are the test results? How can soy sauce be used in healthy cooking?

(2) Town planning - how can one know the noise level at a flat before it is built? How to minimize the noise impact on the occupants? The Environmental Protection Department has mastered the latest 3-D technology to model the environment for different scenario testings and to create better living conditions.

(3) Cross-border traffic - with the heavy land traffic between the Mainland and Hong Kong, how would the SAR Government predict the passenger and traffic flows into and out of the territory? In order to cater for the developments in the Mainland and Hong Kong, the Planning Department has developed a complicated scientific method to predict the transportation demand in the future.

(4) While there is no national-level laboratory in chemical metrology in Hong Kong, the Government Laboratory has surpassed many of its local and overseas counterparts and acquired an internationally recognized status. Do you know how they have strived to achieve all these over the past few years despite tremendous difficulties?

(5) Quantum physics - how does the Innovation and Technology Commission make use of the research results of Nobel Prize winners to better serve the public and the business sector?

(6) Population By-census in August 2006 - how will the Census & Statistics Department make use of the Geographical Information System (GIS) technology to find out the shortest route for field visits to save an interviewer's traveling time? How will they employ this system to disseminate statistical results so that everyone can make reference to the most up-to-date population statistics when making decisions and performing analyses?

(7) Weather nowcasting - Do you know that the Hong Kong Observatory has already planned to use the most effective technology and practical methods to forecast the weather in Beijing during the Olympic Games 2008? Let us wait and see how they compare to the forecasting systems of other advanced countries.

Participants expressed immense interest in the presentations and were keen to raise questions that brought about enlightening discussions during the Q&A sessions. Discussions went on at the tea breaks. Some participants even exchanged contacts with the speakers for further communication.

The favourable public response proved that the Symposium was a success. To enhance the quality of government services, the Civil Service has been employing scientific methods and developing new technologies in the provision of service. In fact, our work in scientific research and applications is in no way lagged behind other advanced cities, but rather has attained world-class standard in many facets. As our work is closely related to the public, we hope that the "Science in the Public Service" Campaign will help enhance the public's awareness of our achievements in the application of science and technology, which in turn will facilitate them to better appreciate and be more supportive to our work. As revealed from the positive feedback of the participants, the Symposium has certainly not only helped showcase the application of science in the Government, but also succeeded in promoting knowledge and interest in scientific research and applications in the community.

Besides attending the Symposium on 27 April, I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to take part in the planning work of this meaningful "Science in the Public Service" campaign whereby that I can exchange my experience in scientific work with my colleagues from various partner departments apart from serving the public. And, through the various campaign activities, I am delighted to see that our work does receive quite a lot of recognitions. I firmly believe that my colleagues in the Civil Service will continue their enduring efforts in scientific research and development with a view to enhancing the quality of their public services.