A gift from Dr K. K. Wong from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China will enable IAHR to create a new distinguished lectureship, the Donald R. F. Harleman Lectureship, to be given during IAHR’s next World Congress and subsequent congresses. The lectureship recognizes the early contributions to engineering hydraulics by Professor Harleman, and focuses on two areas of IAHR endeavor: artificial intelligence in the context of water science and engineering, and ecohydraulics.

Dr Wong’s gift also will support IAHR’s Arthur T. Ippen Award and John F. Kennedy-YPN (Young Professional Network) Award. Both the Ippen and Kennedy-YPN Awards emphasize the activities of IAHR’s younger members, and express IAHR’s ongoing interest in promoting research and education related to water science and engineering.

His gift of USD 100,000 gives IAHR a substantial boost in advancing its activities to stimulate and support growing interest in hydro-environment engineering and research, encouraging investigation of new and emerging areas, and attracting young people to engage in these efforts.  It is the largest single gift ever received by IAHR.

Dr Wong graduated from the Department of Civil Engineering of the University of Hong Kong in 1959 and pursued postgraduate studies at the Hydrodynamics Laboratory of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he obtained the doctorate degree in 1963 under the supervision of Professors Harleman and Ippen.  After graduation from MIT he worked for Hydronautics Inc. in Maryland and then joined the engineering faculty at The Cooper Union, New York City.  In 1979, he returned to Hong Kong to be a faculty member of Hong Kong Polytechnic University and rose quickly to be head of the Department of Civil and Structural Engineering.  He left academia in 1987 to join his family business in property development and stock trading in Hong Kong.

His gift to IAHR expresses his strong advocacy for the importance of engineering education and research.  Throughout his career, Dr Wong has been an ardent advocate of close cooperation in matters of education and research affecting mainland China and Hong Kong.  In particular, he has remained deeply appreciative of his own experiences in hydraulic research, with a fond memory of the mentorship and guidance he received at MIT. He is especially keen to promote innovative approaches to research and education in water and environment engineering.  His generous gift to IAHR is a fitting expression of his dedication and vison of engineering for a better world.