THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
Department of Physics
Hong Kong Observatory Summer Placement Programme 2011
What is it?
The Observatory plans to offer a summer internship programme for local university undergraduates
studying in physics or related disciplines. The programme aims at providing training opportunities
for students to gain experience in applying their academic knowledge to solve the problems in
working environment. Interns would work on projects for 2 months under the guidance of an
Observatory mentor during their summer vacations.
Who are eligible to apply?
If you are a PHY undergraduate in the year 2011-12, you are eligible to apply. You should also
have a good academic record and are interested in various areas of meteorology, for example,
numerical weather forecast.
How about stipends?
Successful applicants will be awarded a total stipend of about HK$13,000.
Participants’ responsibilities
1. Successful applicants may be required to complete a training program before the internship starts
under the supervision of the department advisors. Poor performance in the program may lead to
his/her disqualification.
2. At the completion of the internship, each student is required to give both an oral and a written
report on his/her project.
Schedule
March, 2011 Announcement
5:00 p.m., March 28, 2011 Deadline of application
May, 2011 Interview with applicants by the HKO
June - July, 2011 Work in the HKO
List of projects
Ref. No of project Project Title
A2 Computational fluid dynamics study of effects of buildings on low level winds
A3 Enhancement of automatic hourly temperature forecast for the Hong Kong
International Airport (HKIA)
D1 An index approach to access the impact of rainstorms in Hong Kong
D3 Long term trend of tropical cyclone activities in South China Sea and the
vicinity of Hong Kong
F1 Study of potential applications of wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) on
public weather services
F3 Probability of high winds affecting Hong Kong during tropical cyclones based
on Ensemble Prediction System (EPS) outputs
R3 Enhancement of automatic data quality control algorithms
R4 Study on the application of total lightning data in monitoring of rainstorm
development in Hong Kong
Enter the programme webpage: http://www.phy.cuhk.edu.hk/internship/ to download the job
description and specific knowledge skills required. (HKO_2011_SummerPlacement_Annex_II.pdf)
Briefing session
A briefing session will be held on March 18, 2011 (Friday) at 5:00 pm in SC L5.
Inquiry: CHU Ming-chung (2609 6364) mcchu@phy.cuhk.edu.hk
PANG Kam-moon (3163 4078) kmpang@phy.cuhk.edu.hk
Application
Application forms (.doc file) can be downloaded from the programme webpage. The completed
form(s) should be returned to Physics Department General Office (SC107).
FAQ
Q: Can I apply more than one project?
A: Yes, at most 3 projects. You are required to complete an application form for each project.
Q: Can a participant still do a final-year project?
A: This is up to your potential final-year project supervisor. It is your responsibility to tell your
potential supervisor that you plan to take up this internship.
Q: What is the training program about?
A: Participants will be asked to read some books about meteorology, so that they can acquire basic
knowledge before working in the Hong Kong Observatory.
Q: Is it possible to extend this summer project to a final-year project?
A: It is possible but depends on your performance and your potential supervisor in the Hong Kong
Observatory and the department.
Annex III
Application Form for
Hong Kong Observatory Summer Placement Programme 2011
Reference of Project Applied for :
Title of Project :
Personal Particulars of Applicant
Name of applicant (English) :
(Chinese) :
Sex :
Identity Card / Passport number :
Contact telephone number :
E-mail address :
University :
Department :
Year of Study :
Academic Results of Applicant
List of Courses Completed (please attach official transcript of studies):
First Year Courses :
(1) (2)
(3) (4)
(5) (6)
(7) (8)
(9) (10)
(11) (12)
Second Year Courses :
(1) (2)
(3) (4)
(5) (6)
(7) (8)
(9) (10)
(11) (12)
Working Experience of Applicant (including summer employment & part time jobs)
Period Name of Company Position Held Nature of Work
Technical Knowledge and strengths of Applicant (e.g. Visual Basic programming)
(1) (2)
(3) (4)
(5) (6)
(7) (8)
(9) (10)
Extra-curricular activities of Applicant (Optional)
(1) (2)
(3) (4)
(5) (6)
(7) (8)
(9) (10)
Date : Signature :