Charles K. Kao

Sir Charles Kao Kuen (Template:Lang-zh) (November 4, 1933 – September 23, 2018) was a Chinese physicist and Nobel laureate who contributed to the development and use of fibre optics in telecommunications. In the 1960s, Kao created various methods to combine glass fibres with lasers in order to transmit digital data, which laid the groundwork for the evolution of the Internet and the eventual creation of the World Wide Web.

Kao was born in Shanghai. His family settled in Hong Kong in 1949. He graduated from St. Joseph's College in Hong Kong in 1952 and went to London to study electrical engineering. In the 1960s, Kao worked at Standard Telecommunication Laboratories, the research center of Standard Telephones and Cables (STC) in Harlow, and it was here in 1966 that he laid the groundwork for fibre optics in communication.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Known as the "godfather of broadband",<ref name="Kao MV">Template:Cite web</ref> the "father of fibre optics",<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=networkchinese>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Asiaweek Kao">Template:Cite magazine</ref> and the "father of fibre optic communications",<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> he continued his work in Hong Kong at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and in the United States at ITT (the parent corporation for STC) and Yale University. Kao was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for "groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibres for optical communication".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In 2010, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for "services to fibre optic communications".<ref name="Kao KBE">Template:London Gazette</ref>

Kao was a permanent resident of Hong Kong,<ref>Template:Cite video</ref> and a citizen of the United Kingdom and the United States.<ref name="nobelpress" />

Early life and education

Charles Kao was born in Shanghai in 1933 and lived with his parents in the Shanghai French Concession.<ref name=auto/>Template:Rp He studied Chinese classics at home with his brother, under a tutor.<ref name=eastday>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=auto/>Template:Rp He also studied English and French at the Shanghai World School (Template:Lang-zh)<ref>Template:Cite video</ref> that was founded by a number of progressive Chinese educators, including Cai Yuanpei.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

After the Communist revolution, Kao's family settled in Hong Kong in 1949. Much of his mother's siblings moved to Hong Kong in the late 1930s, among them, his mother's youngest brother took good care of him.<ref name=auto>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Kao's family lived in Lau Sin Street, at the edge of the North Point, a neighbourhood of Shanghai immigrants.<ref name="auto" /> During Kao's time in Hong Kong, he studied at St. Joseph's College for 5 years and graduated in 1952.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Kao obtained high score in the Hong Kong School Certificate Examination, which at the time was the territory's matriculation examination, qualifying him for admission to the University of Hong Kong. However, at the time electrical engineering wasn't a programme available at the University of Hong Kong, the territory's then only teritary education institute.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":0" />

Hence in 1953, Kao went to London to continue his studies in secondary school and obtained his A-Level in 1955. He was later admitted to Woolwich Polytechnic (now the University of Greenwich) and obtained his Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree.<ref name="Woolwich">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="auto" />Template:Rp<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> He then pursued research and received his PhD in electrical engineering in 1965 from the University of London, under Professor Harold Barlow of University College London as an external student while working at Standard Telecommunication Laboratories (STL) in Harlow, England, the research center of Standard Telephones and Cables.<ref name="UCL">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":0" />

Ancestry and family

Kao's father Template:Ill (Template:Lang-zh),<ref name=auto/>Template:Rp originally from Jinshan City (now a district of Shanghai City), obtained his Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School in 1925.<ref>University of Michigan Law School: Alphabetical List with Year of Law School Graduates Template:Webarchive</ref> He was a judge at the Shanghai Concession and later a professor at Soochow University (then in Shanghai) Comparative Law School of China.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

His grandfather Kao Hsieh was a scholar, poet and artist,<ref name=eastday/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Several writers including Kao Hsü, Template:Ill (Template:Lang-zh), and Template:Ill (Template:Lang-zh) were also Kao's close relatives.Template:Citation needed

His father's cousin was astronomer Kao Ping-tse<ref name=eastday/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Kao crater is named after him<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>). Kao's younger brother Timothy Wu Kao (Template:Lang-zh) is a civil engineer and Professor Emeritus at the Catholic University of America. His research is in hydrodynamics.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Kao met his future wife Gwen May-Wan Kao (née Wong; Template:Lang-zh) in London after graduation, when they worked together as engineers at Standard Telephones and Cables. She was British Chinese. They were married in 1959 in London, and had a son and a daughter, both of whom reside and work in Silicon Valley, California.<ref>Template:Cite video</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> According to Kao's autobiography, Kao was a Catholic who attended Catholic Church while his wife attended the Anglican Communion.<ref name=auto/>Template:Rp

Academic career

Fibre optics and communications

File:Fibreoptic.jpg

A bundle of silica glass fibres for optical communication, which are the de facto worldwide standard. Kao also first publicly suggested that silica glass of high purity is an ideal material for long range optical communication.<ref name="Kao Draper Prize">Template:Cite web "Charles Kao is credited for first publicly proposing the possibility of practical telecommunications using fibers in the 1960s."</ref>

In the 1960s at Standard Telecommunication Laboratories (STL) based in Harlow, Essex, England, Kao and his coworkers did their pioneering work in creating fibre optics as a telecommunications medium, by demonstrating that the high-loss of existing fibre optics arose from impurities in the glass, rather than from an underlying problem with the technology itself.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In 1963, when Kao first joined the optical communications research team he made notes summarising the background<ref name="opticalfibrehistory.co.uk">Template:Cite web</ref> situation and available technology at the time, and identifying the key individuals<ref name="opticalfibrehistory.co.uk"/> involved. Initially Kao worked in the team of Antoni E. Karbowiak (Toni Karbowiak), who was working under Alec Reeves to study optical waveguides for communications. Kao's task was to investigate fibre attenuation, for which he collected samples from different fibre manufacturers and also investigated the properties of bulk glasses carefully. Kao's study primarily convinced him that the impurities in material caused the high light losses of those fibres.<ref name="Fiber Optic History">Template:Cite web</ref> Later that year, Kao was appointed head of the electro-optics research group at STL.<ref name="IET">Template:Cite web</ref> He took over the optical communication program of STL in December 1964, because his supervisor, Karbowiak, left to take the chair in Communications in the School of Electrical Engineering at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, Australia.<ref name="Fiber Types" >Template:Cite web</ref>

Although Kao succeeded Karbowiak as manager of optical communications research, he immediately decided to abandon Karbowiak's plan (thin-film waveguide) and overall change research direction with his colleague George Hockham.<ref name="Fiber Optic History" /><ref name="Fiber Types" /> They not only considered optical physics but also the material properties. The results were first presented by Kao to the IEE in January 1966 in London, and further published in July with George Hockham (1964–1965 worked with Kao).<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>Template:Cref This study proposed the use of glass fibres for optical communication. The concepts described, especially the electromagnetic theory and performance parameters, are the basis of today's optical fibre communications.<ref name="r551">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="c316">Template:Cite web</ref>

Template:Quote box In 1965,<ref name="IET" /><ref>Template:Cite book Page 2</ref>Template:Cref Kao with Hockham concluded that the fundamental limitation for glass light attenuation is below 20 dB/km (decibels per kilometer, is a measure of the attenuation of a signal over a distance), which is a key threshold value for optical communications.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, at the time of this determination, optical fibres commonly exhibited light loss as high as 1,000 dB/km and even more. This conclusion opened the intense race to find low-loss materials and suitable fibres for reaching such criteria.Template:Citation needed

Kao, together with his new team (members including T. W. Davies, M. W. Jones and C. R. Wright), pursued this goal by testing various materials. They precisely measured the attenuation of light with different wavelengths in glasses and other materials. During this period, Kao pointed out that the high purity of fused silica (SiO₂) made it an ideal candidate for optical communication. Kao also stated that the impurity of glass material is the main cause for the dramatic decay of light transmission inside glass fibre, rather than fundamental physical effects such as scattering as many physicists thought at that time, and such impurity could be removed. This led to a worldwide study and production of high-purity glass fibres.<ref name="phyadv09">Template:Cite web</ref> When Kao first proposed that such glass fibre could be used for long-distance information transfer and could replace copper wires which were used for telecommunication during that era, his ideas were widely disbelieved; later people realized that Kao's ideas revolutionized the whole communication technology and industry.<ref>1999 Charles Stark Draper Award Presented Template:Webarchive "Kao, who was working at ITT's Standard Telecommunications Laboratories in the 1960s, theorized about how to use light for communication instead of bulky copper wire and was the first to publicly propose the possibility of a practical application for fiber-optic telecommunication."</ref>

He also played a leading role in the early stage of engineering and commercial realization of optical communication.<ref name="Charles Kuen Kao" /> In spring 1966, Kao traveled to the U.S. but failed to interest Bell Labs, which was a competitor of STL in communication technology at that time.<ref name="A Fiber-Optic Chronology">Template:Cite web</ref> He subsequently traveled to Japan and gained support.<ref name="A Fiber-Optic Chronology" /> Kao visited many glass and polymer factories, discussed with various people including engineers, scientists, businessmen about the techniques and improvement of glass fibre manufacture. In 1969, Kao with M. W. Jones measured the intrinsic loss of bulk-fused silica at 4 dB/km, which is the first evidence of ultra-transparent glass. Bell Labs started considering fibre optics seriously.<ref name="A Fiber-Optic Chronology" /> As of 2017, fibre optic losses (from both bulk and intrinsic sources) are as low as 0.1419 dB/km at the 1.56 μm wavelength.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Kao developed important techniques and configurations for glass fibre waveguides, and contributed to the development of different fibre types and system devices which met both civil and militaryTemplate:Cref application requirements, and peripheral supporting systems for optical fibre communication.<ref name="Charles Kuen Kao">Template:Cite web</ref> In mid-1970s, he did seminal work on glass fibre fatigue strength.<ref name="Charles Kuen Kao" /> When named the first ITT Executive Scientist, Kao launched the "Terabit Technology" program in addressing the high frequency limits of signal processing, so Kao is also known as the "father of the terabit technology concept".<ref name="Charles Kuen Kao" /><ref>Technology of Our Times: People and Innovation in Optics and Optoelectronics (SPIE Press Monograph Vol. PM04), by Frederick Su; SPIE Publications (July 1, 1990); Template:ISBN, Template:ISBN. Page 82–86, Terabit Technology, by Charles K. Kao.</ref> Kao has published more than 100 papers and was granted over 30 patents,<ref name="Charles Kuen Kao" /> including the water-resistant high-strength fibres (with M. S. Maklad).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

At an early stage of developing optic fibres, Kao already strongly preferred single-mode for long-distance optical communication, instead of using multi-mode systems. His vision later was followed and now is applied almost exclusively.<ref name="phyadv09" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Kao was also a visionary of modern submarine communications cables and largely promoted this idea. He predicted in 1983 that world's seas would be littered with fibre optics, five years ahead of the time that such a trans-oceanic fibre-optic cable first became serviceable.<ref>Template:Cite bookTemplate:Dead link</ref>

Ali Javan's introduction of a steady helium–neon laser and Kao's discovery of fibre light-loss properties now are recognized as the two essential milestones for the development of fibre-optic communications.<ref name="Fiber Types" />

Later work

Kao joined the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) in 1970 to found the Department of Electronics, which later became the Department of Electronic Engineering. During this period, Kao was the reader and then the chair Professor of Electronics at CUHK; he built up both undergraduate and graduate study programs of electronics and oversaw the graduation of his first students. Under his leadership, the School of Education and other new research institutes were established. He returned to ITT Corporation in 1974 (the parent corporation of STC at that time) in the United States and worked in Roanoke, Virginia, first as Chief Scientist and later as Director of Engineering. In 1982, he became the first ITT Executive Scientist and was stationed mainly at the Advanced Technology Center in Connecticut.<ref name="networkchinese" /> While there, he served as an adjunct professor and Fellow of Trumbull College at Yale University. In 1985, Kao spent one year in West Germany, at the SEL Research Center. In 1986, Kao was the Corporate Director of Research at ITT.

He was one of the earliest to study the environmental effects of land reclamation in Hong Kong, and presented one of his first related studies at the conference of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) in Edinburgh in 1972.<ref name="Kao cisoc">Template:Cite web</ref>

Kao was the vice-chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong from 1987 to 1996.<ref>CUHK Handbook Template:Webarchive</ref> From 1991, Kao was an Independent Non-Executive Director and a member of the Audit Committee of the Varitronix International Limited in Hong Kong.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> From 1993 to 1994, he was the President of the Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning (ASAIHL).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1996, Kao donated to Yale University, and the Charles Kao Fund Research Grants was established to support Yale's studies, research and creative projects in Asia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The fund currently is managed by Yale University Councils on East Asian and Southeast Asian Studies.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After his retirement from CUHK in 1996, Kao spent his six-month sabbatical leave at the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering of Imperial College London; from 1997 to 2002, he also served as visiting professor in the same department.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Kao was chairman and member of the Energy Advisory Committee (EAC) of Hong Kong for two years, and retired from the position on July 15, 2000.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Kao was a member of the Council of Advisors on Innovation and Technology of Hong Kong, appointed on April 20, 2000.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2000, Kao co-founded the Independent Schools Foundation Academy, which is located in Cyberport, Hong Kong.<ref name="ISF Kao">Template:Cite web</ref> He was its founding chairman in 2000, and stepped down from the board of the ISF in December 2008.<ref name="ISF Kao"/> Kao was the keynote speaker at IEEE GLOBECOM 2002 in Taipei, Taiwan.<ref name="Kao Taiwan">Template:Cite web</ref> In 2003, Kao was named a Chair Professor by special appointment at the Electronics Institute of the College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, National Taiwan University.<ref name="Kao Taiwan" /> Kao then worked as the chairman and CEO of Transtech Services Ltd., a telecommunication consultancy in Hong Kong. He was the founder, chairman and CEO of ITX Services Limited. From 2003 to January 30, 2009, Kao was an independent non-executive director and member of the audit committee of Next Media.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Awards

Kao received numerous awards such as the Nobel Prize in Physics,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Grand Bauhinia Medal, Marconi Prize, Prince Philip Medal, Charles Stark Draper Prize, Bell Award, SPIE Gold Medal, Japan International Award, Faraday Medal, and the James C. McGroddy Prize for New Materials.

Honours

• 1993: A Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE)<ref name="Kao Medals CUHK" />
• 2010: A Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE)<ref name="Kao KBE"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2010: The Grand Bauhinia Medal (GBM), Hong Kong<ref name="Kao GBM">Template:Cite web Template:Dead link</ref>

Society and academy recognition

Country/Territory	Year	Institute	Member Type	Elected or Appointed	Source
Template:Flag		European Academy of Sciences and Arts	Member
Template:Flag		Institution of Engineering and Technology	Fellow
Template:Flag		Trumbull College of Yale University	Fellow and Former Adjunct Professor		<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Flag		Optical Society of America	Member		<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Flag	1979	Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers	Life Fellow	Elected	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Flag	1985	Marconi Society	Fellow	Elected
Template:Flag	1988	Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences	Foreign Member	Elected
Template:Flag	1989	Hong Kong Computer Society	Distinguished Fellow	Elected	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Flag	1989	Royal Academy of Engineering	Fellow (FREng)	Elected	<ref name="List of Fellows" />
Template:Flag	1990	National Academy of Engineering	Member	Elected	<ref name="NAE Kao">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Cref
Template:Flag	1992	Academia Sinica	Academician	Elected	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flag	1994	Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences	Honorary Fellow and Former President	Elected	<ref name="Kao HKIE">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Kao HKAES">Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Flag	1994	Hong Kong Institute of Engineers	Honorary Fellow	Elected	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Flag	1995	Peking University	Honorary Professor	Appointed
Template:Flag	1995	Tsinghua University	Honorary Professor	Appointed
Template:Flag	1995	Beijing University of International Business and Economics	Honorary Professor	Appointed
Template:Flag	1995	Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications	Honorary Professor	Appointed
Template:Flag	1996	Chinese Academy of Sciences	Foreign Member	Elected
Template:Flag	1996	Chinese University of Hong Kong	Honorary Professor	Appointed	<ref name="榮休">Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Flag	1997	Department of Electronic Engineering, City University of Hong Kong	Honorary Professor	Appointed	<ref name="Kao CityU">Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Flag	1997	Royal Society	Fellow (FRS)	Elected	<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="frs">Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Flag	2002	City University of Hong Kong	Lifetime Honorary Professor	Appointed
Template:Flag	2003	National Taiwan University	Chair Professor	Appointed	<ref name="Kao Taiwan" />
Template:Flag	2008	Queen Mary, University of London	Honorary Fellow	Appointed	<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref>

Honorary degrees

File:Alexander Graham Bell.jpg

Alexander Graham Bell, pioneer of telecommunication and an alumnus of University College London (UCL), was awarded the first U.S. patent for telephone in 1876. After 90 years in 1966, Kao and Hockham published their groundbreaking article in fibre-optic communication. Kao is also an alumnus of UCL, and was awarded the prestigious Alexander Graham Bell Medal of IEEE in 1985. Kao was awarded an honorary doctorate by UCL in 2010.

Country/Territory	Year	University	Honour	Source
Template:Flag	1985	Chinese University of Hong Kong	Doctor of Science honoris causa.	<ref name="CUHKCV">Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Flag	1990	University of Sussex	Doctor of Science honoris causa.	<ref name="CUHKCV" />
Template:Flag	1990	National Chiao Tung University	Doctor of Engineering honoris causa.	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Flag	1991	Soka University	Degree of Honorary Doctor	<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Flag	1992	University of Glasgow	Doctor of Engineering honoris causa.	<ref name=":2" />
Template:Flag	1994	Durham University	Honorary DCL	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Flag	1995	Griffith University	Doctor of the university	<ref name=":2" />
Template:Flag	1996	University of Padua	Doctor of Telecommunications Engineering honoris causa.	<ref>Università degli Studi di Padova – Honoris causa degrees Template:Webarchive</ref>
Template:Flag	1998	University of Hull	Doctor of Science honoris causa.	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Flag	1999	Yale University	Doctor of Science honoris causa.	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":1" />
Template:Flag	2002	University of Greenwich	Doctor of Science honoris causa.	<ref name="Woolwich" />
Template:Flag	2004	Princeton University	Doctor of Science honoris causa.	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Flag	2005	University of Toronto	Doctor of Laws honoris causa.	<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref>
Template:Flag	2007	Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications	Honorary Doctor
Template:Flag	2010	University College London	Doctor of Science	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Flag	2010	University of Strathclyde	Honorary Degree	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Flag	2011	University of Hong Kong	Doctor of Science honoris causa.	<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

Awards

File:Guglielmo Marconi.jpg

Guglielmo Marconi, pioneer of wireless telecommunication, was awarded half of the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics. In 2009, the century anniversary of Marconi's Nobel, Kao was awarded half of the same prize for his pioneer work on optical fibre which has "rewired the world". Kao was also awarded the Marconi Prize in 1985, and is a Fellow of the Marconi Society.

Kao donated most of his prize medals to the Chinese University of Hong Kong.<ref name="Kao Medals CUHK">Template:Cite web</ref>

Country/Territory	Year	Institute	Award	Source and Citation
Template:Flag	1976	American Ceramic Society	Morey Award
Template:Flag	1977	Franklin Institute	Stuart Ballantine Medal	<ref name="Kao Medals CUHK" />
Template:Flag	1978	The Rank Prize Funds	Rank Prize in Optoelectronics
Template:Flag	1978	Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers	IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award.
Template:Flag	1979	Ericsson	L. M. Ericsson International Prize	<ref name="Kao Medals CUHK" />Template:Cref
Template:Flag	1980	Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association International	Gold Medal
Template:Flag	1981	Chinese-American Engineers and Scientists Association of Southern California	CESASC Achievement Award
Template:Flag	1983	US-Asia Institute	USAI Achievement Award	<ref name="Kao Medals CUHK" />
Template:Flag	1985	Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers	IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal	<ref name="Kao Medals CUHK" />
Template:Flag	1985	Marconi Foundation	Marconi International Scientist Award
Template:Flag	1985	City of Genoa	Columbus Medal
Template:Flag	1986	CIE-USA Annual Awards	CIE Achievement Award	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Flag	1987	Foundation for Communication and Computer Promotion	C & C Prize
Template:Flag	1989	Institution of Electrical Engineers	Faraday Medal	<ref name="Kao Medals CUHK" />
Template:Flag	1989	American Physical Society	James C. McGroddy Prize for New Materials	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Cref
Template:Flag	1992	Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers	Gold Medal of the Society	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Flag	1995	World Federation of Engineering Organizations	Gold Medal for Engineering Excellence	<ref name="Kao Medals CUHK" />
Template:Flag	1996	Royal Academy of Engineering	Prince Philip Medal	Template:Cref
Template:Flag	1996		la Citta di Padova	<ref name="Kao Medals CUHK" />
Template:Flag	1996	Japan Prize Foundation	12th Japan Prize	<ref name="Kao Medals CUHK" />Template:Cref
Template:Flag	1998	Institution of Electrical Engineers	International Lecture Medal	<ref name="Kao Medals CUHK" />
Template:Flag	1999	National Academy of Engineering	Charles Stark Draper Prize	<ref name="Kao Medals CUHK" />Template:Cref
Template:Flag	2001		Millennium Outstanding Engineer Award	<ref name="Kao Medals CUHK" />
Template:Flag	2006	Hong Kong Institute of Engineers	HKIE Gold Medal Award	<ref name="Kao HKIE" /><ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref>
Template:Flag	2009	Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences	Nobel Prize in Physics	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Cref
Template:Flag	2009	IEEE Photonics Society	IEEE Photonics Society Plaque	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Flag	2010	Asian American Engineer of the Year Award	Distinguished Science & Technology Award	<ref name="AAEOY 2010 Kao">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Cref
Template:Flag	2010	Phoenix Television	2009/2010 World Chinese Grand Prize	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Kao Ifeng">Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Flag	2010		Chinese American Distinction Award	<ref name="Kao Committee100">Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Flag	2014	FTTH Council Europe	FTTH Operators Award and Individual Award	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Namesakes

File:HK SciencePark Auditorium.JPG

The landmark auditorium in the Hong Kong Science Park was named after Kao on December 30, 2009.

• The minor planet 3463 Kaokuen, discovered in 1981, was named after Kao in 1996.
• 1996 (November 7): The north wing of the Chinese University of Hong Kong Science Center was named the Charles Kuen Kao Building.<ref name="榮休"/>
• 2009 (December 30): The landmark auditorium in the Hong Kong Science Park was named after Kao – the Charles K. Kao Auditorium.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2010 (March 18): Professor Charles Kao Square, a square of the Independent Schools Foundation Academy<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2014 (September): Sir Charles Kao UTC (now known as BMAT STEM Academy) was opened.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2014: Kao Data, a data center operator based on the former site of Sir Charles Kao's work on fibre optics cables, was founded.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Others

• Featured in Science Museum London
• Hong Kong Affairs Adviser (May 1994 – June 30, 1997)<ref>A chat with vice-chancellor Kao Template:Webarchive, by Midori Hiraga</ref><ref>The Standard: The day Nobel winner lost mic Template:Webarchive</ref>
• Advisor of the Macao Science and Technology Council<ref>XinhuaNet News: Macao chief congratulates Nobel Prize winner Charles Kao Template:Webarchive</ref>
• 1999: Asian of the Century, Science and Technology<ref name="Asiaweek Kao" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
• 2002: Leader of the Year – Innovation Technology Category, Sing Tao, Hong Kong<ref name="Kao Medals CUHK" />
• October 21, 2002: Inducted into the Engineering Hall of Fame, the 50th Anniversary Issue, Electronic Design<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• January 3, 2008: Inducted into the Celebration 60, British Council's 60th anniversary in Hong Kong<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• November 4, 2009: Honorary citizenship, and the "Dr. Charles Kao Day" in Mountain View, California, U.S.A.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2009: Hong Kong's Person of the Year<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• The Top 10 Asian Achievements of 2009 – No. 7<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2010 (February): Honoree, Committee of 100, U.S.A.<ref name="Kao Committee100" />
• The 2010 OFC/NFOEC ConferencesTemplate:Cref were dedicated to Kao, March 23–25, San Diego, California, U.S.A.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Dead link</ref><ref name="OFC/NFOEC Kao">Template:Cite web</ref>
• May 14–15, 2010: Two sessions were dedicated to Kao at the 19th Annual Wireless and Optical Communications Conference (WOCC 2010), Shanghai, P.R. China.<ref name="Kao WOCC2010">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Kao Corning">Template:Cite web</ref>
• May 22, 2010: Inducted into the memento archive of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo<ref name="Kao Expo 2010">Template:Cite news</ref>
• Mid-2010: Hong Kong Definitive Stamp Sheetlet (No. 1), Hong Kong<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• March 25, 2011: Blue plaque unveiled in Harlow, Essex, U.K.<ref name="Kao Plaque - Harlow">Template:Cite web</ref>
• November 4, 2014: Gimme Fibre Day on Kao's birthday, FTTH Councils Global Alliance<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• November 4, 2021, Google celebrated Kao's birthday with a Google Doodle. The binary output in the graphic spells out 'KAO' when converted to ASCII.

Later life and death

Kao's international travels led him to opine that he belonged to the world instead of any country.<ref>Template:Cite video</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> An open letter published by Kao and his wife in 2010 later clarified that "Charles studied in Hong Kong for his high schooling, he has taught here, he was the Vice-Chancellor of CUHK and retired here too. So he is a Hong Kong belonger."<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

Pottery making was a hobby of Kao's. Kao also enjoyed reading Wuxia (Chinese martial fantasy) novels.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Kao suffered from Alzheimer's disease from early 2004 and had speech difficulty, but had no problem recognising people or addresses.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His father suffered from the same disease. Beginning in 2008, he resided in Mountain View, California, United States, where he moved from Hong Kong in order to live near his children and grandchild.<ref name="Kao MV"/>

On October 6, 2009, when Kao was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his contributions to the study of the transmission of light in optical fibres and for fibre communication,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> he said, "I am absolutely speechless and never expected such an honor."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Kao's wife Gwen told the press that the prize will primarily be used for Charles's medical expenses.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2010 Charles and Gwen Kao founded the Charles K. Kao Foundation for Alzheimer's Disease to raise public awareness about the disease and provide support for the patients.

In 2016, Kao lost the ability to maintain his balance. At the end-stage of his dementia he was cared for by his wife and intended not to be kept alive with life support or have CPR performed on him.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Kao passed away at Bradbury Hospice in Hong Kong on September 23, 2018, at the age of 84.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Works

• Optical Fiber Technology; by Charles K. Kao. IEEE Press, New York, U.S.A.; 1981.
• Optical Fiber Technology, II; by Charles K. Kao. IEEE Press, New York, U.S.A.; 1981, 343 pages. Template:ISBN Template:ISBN.
• Optical Fiber Systems: Technology, Design, and Applications; by Charles K. Kao. McGraw-Hill, U.S.A.; 1982; 204 pages. Template:ISBN Template:ISBN.
• Optical Fibre (IEE materials & devices series, Volume 6); by Charles K. Kao. Palgrave Macmillan on behalf of IEEE; 1988; University of Michigan; 158 pages. Template:ISBN Template:ISBN
• A Choice Fulfilled: the Business of High Technology; by Charles K. Kao. The Chinese University Press/ Palgrave Macmillan; 1991, 203 pages. Template:ISBN Template:ISBN
• Tackling the Millennium Bug Together: Public Conferences; by Charles K. Kao. Central Policy Unit, Hong Kong; 48 pages, 1998.
• Technology Road Maps for Hong Kong: a Preliminary Study; by Charles K. Kao. Office of Industrial and Business Development, The Chinese University of Hong Kong; 126 pages, 1990.
• Nonlinear Photonics: Nonlinearities in Optics, Optoelectronics and fibre Communications; by Yili Guo, Kin S. Chiang, E. Herbert Li, and Charles K. Kao. The Chinese University Press, Hong Kong; 2002, 600 pages.

Further reading

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• K. C. Kao (June 1986), "1012 bit/s Optoelectronics Technology", IEE Proceedings 133, Pt.J, No 3, 230–236. Template:Doi
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External links

• Optical Fibre History at STL
• Template:Nobelprize including the Nobel Lecture 8 December 2009 Sand from centuries past; Send future voices fast
• BBC: Lighting the way to a revolution
• Mountain View Voice: The legacy of Charles Kao Template:Webarchive
• Man who lit up the world – Professor Charles Kao CBE FREng Ingenia, Issue 43, June 2010