Professor Samuel T. Chanson

I kept silent for a minute in front of Tin Ka Ping Hall of HKUST, in which the memorial tribute of Professor Samuel T. Chanson was held, before I attended the dinner of Engineering Mentorship Program last Friday. Fortunately I met another mentor who was the student of Professor Chanson in the dinner. We certainly talked a few about the time with Professor Chanson.

Professor Chanson is definitely the king. I was his student in lectures about Operating System and Computer Network. These two topics are known as most difficult topics for either students or lecturers because they involve very low level computations and numerous algorithms. Unless you have a clear map of the topics, you will lose your way. Professor Chanson was exception. He could explain the topics in such an organized way that students could easily follow them. You would find how differently between you interpreted before his lecture and you did after. His well organized thinking led his well organized presentation.

In addition, he was good at humor. He satirized some people who believed the analog more reliable than the digital. He laughed at their contradictory idea that they claimed to chase the perfect but needed some flaw within the perfect. This joke did not only show the importance of the digitalization, but also strengthened the confidence of students to the computer science.

He was also enthusiastic about discussion with students. We spent almost a whole lecture to clarify the selection of either TCP or UDP for a video game because we disagreed with each other about the stated selection. Being the professor of engineering, he was used to emphasizing the importance of Mathematics as the tool of solving problems. This idea has rooted into our minds.

However Professor Chanson was not hidden inside the ivory tower, but he proactively contributed to the society. He was a well-known participant and leader of various organizations to promote advanced electronic processing in governments and businesses. His good relations to enterprises did not only improve the enterprises' productivity, but also helped the laboratory products turning to practical as well as career of students.

His profession, sense of humor, enthusiasm and practicality shine the sundial of the young university. Although he has passed away, his values that have been shared with professors and students never cease.

May he rest in the peace.

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