Prof. Helen Meng
Chairperson
Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
My warmest congratulations to the Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages on your tenth anniversary! I feel most privileged to have the opportunity to write this congratulatory note in my capacity as a Category 2 Member of the Department Board. This young Department has trail-blazed its way to become one of the top ranking programs in linguistics as well as Modern Languages in Asia based on the QS World University rankings. The department excels in teaching and research, and continues to expand strategically in diverse challenging, interdisciplinary fields, including language acquisition, bilingualism, multilingualism, disordered speech and rehabilitation tools, extending the frontiers in our understanding of human cognition and health through language. As a researcher working on computational and engineering aspects of human speech and language, I have recruited several graduates from the Department into my research team in the Faculty of Engineering. I have been impressed with the quality of the graduates of this Department – not only in terms of their knowledge, but also their research abilities. I have also been very fortunate to have ongoing collaborations with several members of the Department’s high-caliber faculty. I look forward to expanding our collaborative efforts to address greater interdisciplinary research challenges that have higher societal impact, such as big data, digital learning and communicative aids. I thank Professor Virginia Yip, Chairman of the Department, for her wonderful leadership. I am confident that the Department will continue to shine with an even brighter future in its second decade! Happy 10th Anniversary!!