Hong Kong scientists have picked up three top prizes in the 2002 State Science & Technology Awards.

The prizes were won in the State Technological Invention Award and State Natural Science Award categories.

This is the first time local scientists have won the awards, which are based on significant technological achievements obtained in a project funded by the Innovation & Technology Fund.

The awarded project, entitled Piezoelectric & pyroelectric materials for sensor and mechatronic device applications, was carried out by Professor Helen Chan and Professor Choy Chung-loong of the Polytechnic University, with support of about $3 million from the Fund.

Starting in July 1998 and completed in June 2001, the project made use of the special characteristics of ceramic/polymer composite materials to perform sensing and actuating functions.

The Education & Manpower Bureau nominated them after assessment by the Research Grants Council.

Professor Huang Jing-song from the University of Science & Technology was awarded for his research project on Noncommutative harmonic analysis on semisimple lie groups.

Another award went to Professor Lee Shuit-tong of City University for his project on Nucleation & growth of diamond & new carbon materials. It has removed a major obstacle to further advances in diamond science and technology.