The 19th Congregation of the Faculty of Construction and Environment went underway at the Jockey Club Auditorium on 12 and 13 November 2013. Officiated by the Acting Dean of FCE, Prof. Albert Chan, it awarded degrees and diplomas to more than 1500 graduates, who were roundly congratulated by the Faculty as well as their friends and families. Guests of Honour addressing the Congregation included Ir Dr Otto Lok-To Poon, Ir Raymond K.S. Chan, and Mr Dominic Siu Wai Ching. There were also stirring valedictory speeches from student representatives of the four departments.

In his address to the Congregation, Prof. Albert Chan was optimistic about the opportunities for FCE graduates. Encouraging them to practise what they have learnt, he advised them not to be afraid of new challenges, and warmly invited them to be a part of PolyU’s alumni associations. It was a memorable occasion for all who attended.

Prof. Albert Chan	Ir Dr Otto Lok-To Poon	Ir Raymond K.S. Chan	Mr Dominic Siu Wai Ching

A 7-year project exemplifying innovative technologies for energy efficiency and environmental performance at the tallest building in Hong Kong, the International Commerce Centre (ICC) in West Kowloon, has won an honorable mention in the category of new commercial buildings for Prof. Shengwei Wang of the Department of Building Services Engineering and his team at the 2014 ASHRAE Technology Awards, which are one of the most prestigious honor in the Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, & Refrigeration industry.

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) honors only buildings and industrial facilities or processes that are outstanding in design innovation. Receiving a Technology Award is a recognition on an international scale of successful applications of innovative design with the highest standards.

As a result of Prof. Wang’s leadership in the design optimization and optimal operation and control of the building’s air-conditioning systems, substantial savings in energy have been made at the ICC, a prime model of energy efficiency, indoor air quality, sustainable and green features. For those who are interested in more details, Prof. Wang’s work will be featured in the March 2014 issue of the ASHRAE Journal.

At the 15th China International Industry Fair held in Shanghai from 5 to 9 Nov 2013, the Intelligent Ship-Bridge Anti-Collision Surveillance System developed by Professor Ni Yiqing of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering won an Innovation Award for its pioneering use of technology to warn ships of impending collisions. In the past, it was not easy to get an accurate assessment of the damages once a collision has occurred. Prof. Ni’s innovation has greatly remedied that, facilitating the future maintenance of bridges that span bodies of water. His work on the surveillance system to prevent collisions between ships and bridges also received top honors at another exhibition in Geneva earlier this year. Congratulations to Prof. Ni and his team.

A forum on the future of transportation systems, with respect to the latest technologies, applications and case studies, was held on 24 September 2013 on the campus of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Organized by the Intelligent Transportation Systems Hong Kong (ITS-HK) and jointly supported by The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport and two divisions of The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, the forum highlighted current initiatives to enhance road network operations, such as the capture and interpretation of data for improved capacity utilisation and operations in public transport to benefit all road users in Hong Kong.

About 180 professionals attended the forum, from academics to system integrators to technology providers to public transport operators. They were attracted by a panel of experts, who shared their wisdom on a range of related issues. These included Ir Prof. William Lam, Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Prof. Wu Chen of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics. The former introduced real-time traffic data collection and its application to the Journey Time Information System and the Speed Map Panel System, which are well known to local road users, while the latter provided a geo-informatics perspective on traffic data analysis. There were also speakers from government departments and private enterprises. The forum was well received by all the participants.

Front (L to R): Ir Andy Lam, Ir Kenneth Lam, Ms. Elaine Wang, Dr Xin Pei, Prof. Lilian Pun, Ir Prof. William Lam, Prof. Danya Yao, Mr Ben Lam, Ir Charles So, Ir Albert So, Mr Ray Lam, Mr Lawrence Wong.

Back (L to R): Mr Kent Lam, Mr Taurus Leung, Prof. Wu Chen; Ir Leon Sin, Ir Dr KF Tsang, Ir PF Wong, Mr Paul Cheng (President, ITS-HK), The Hon Frankie Yick, Ir Andrew Pickford, Mr Alfred Yuen, Mr Jugal Makwana.

The health of school children who ride on school buses may have been jeopardized by the high levels of pollutants on board the buses, according to a study led by Dr Hung Wing Tat and Prof. Lee Shun Cheng of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. They tracked 310 primary school students between the ages of 11 and 12 from a dozen schools located in various parts of Hong Kong beginning in 2011. While 48% of the participants walked to school, 24% took the school bus. It was found that those arriving by school bus had the weakest lungs, with as many as 10 schools’ children whose lungs functioned worse than expected. The level of pollutants in terms of particulate matter was also found to be highest in school buses, out of different modes of transportation.

Not only were children subjected to poor air quality on school buses, they were also exposed to high levels of carbon dioxide in the classrooms of 5 schools. To ameliorate this, Dr Hung suggested school authorities install air fresheners and filters in the air conditions of classrooms, as well as replace school buses that are outmoded. Prof. Lee also recommended more breaks for students to vacate the classrooms, thus allowing more circulation for the air there.

The concern for air quality will hopefully improve the learning environment for children, who should be able to concentrate better when they breathe in more oxygen rather than pollutants. The occurrence of nasal allergies would also be reduced, which was found to be prevalent among local school children. However, Dr Hung pointed out that allergic rhinitis could also be triggered by tobacco smoke, the burning of incense, and molds at home.

In an advanced training course on ocean remote sensing held during 21-26 October 2013 at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, 4 PhD students from the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) were honored with two Best Poster Paper Awards for the following work:

Title of paper	Authors
Evaluation of Spaceborne Sensors for Remote Sensing of Surface Visibility	Mr Muhammad Imran Shahzad, Dr Janet Elizabeth Nichol and Majid Nazeer
A Simplified high resolution MODIS Aerosol Retrieval Algorithm (SARA) for use over mixed surfaces	Muhammad Bilal, Janet E. Nichol, Max P. Bleiweiss, David Dubois and Sawaid Abbas

Muhammad Imran Shahzad

Majid Nazeer

Muhammad Bilal

Sawaid Abbas

Mr Shahzad, Nazeer, Bilal and Abbas are currently supervised by Prof. Janet Nichol of LSGI.

The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (HKIS) has encouraged the production of reference books relevant to the local practice of the surveying industry through its Book-Writing Sponsorship scheme. In 2010, one of the first academics to receive the HKIS sponsorship was Stephen D. Mau, Esq., Assistant Prof. in the Department of Building and Real Estate, for the publication of the second edition of Hong Kong Legal Principles: Important Topics for Students and Professionals.  Published in 2013, this edition is a useful and popular tool for non-legal professionals and students in Hong Kong. Following its success, the HKIS has decided to further sponsor the second editions of three more books by Mr Mau, namely Contract Law in Hong Kong: An Introductory Guide; Property Law in Hong Kong: An Introductory Guide; and Tort Law in Hong Kong: An Introductory Guide.  The publication of the updated series is anticipated within the next two years.

The following students have recently received funding from the One-year Top-up Studentship Scheme to pursue their PhD studies.

Name of PhD candidate	Department	Supervisor	Status
ZHAO Yanping	CEE	Prof. X.D. Li	Supported and allocated $96,250 from FCE
WEN Yong	CEE	Dr WANG Yuhong	Supported and allocated $96,250 from FCE
PENG Fan	LSGI	Prof. Janet Nichol	Supported and allocated $96,250 from FCE
LU Qiuyang	LSGI	Dr LIU Zhizhao	Supported and allocated $96,250 from FCE
YANG Jinxin	LSGI	Dr WONG Man Sing	Supported and allocated $96,250 from FCE
ZHANG Zhaoyang	LSGI	Dr WONG Man Sing	Supported and allocated $96,250 from FCE

On 6 November 2013, the PolyU CIB student chapter honored 2 undergraduates and 2 postgraduates with its 2013 Best Dissertation Awards, which come with a prize cheque of HK$1000 for the Distinction category and HK$500 for the Merit category. Following are the details:

Postgraduate

Name of student	Dissertation supervisor	Award
WANG Hao	Prof. Geoffrey Q.P.SHEN	Distinction
JAVED ARSHAD ALI	Dr Patrick LAM	Merit

Undergraduate

Two alumni of the Department of Building and Real Estate have recently made generous donations to boost its resources. Ir Prof. Tsui Tack Kong has injected HK$200,000 for bursaries, while Mr Mike Wong has allocated HK$600,000 for scholarship and research. The former is well known for his philanthropy in higher education, having graduated more than five decades ago with a Diploma in Building from the Hong Kong Technical College, a predecessor of PolyU. The latter graduated with Distinction from the MSc programme in International Real Estate in 2003 and has been a Deputy Managing Director of Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd. since July 2012. The generous support of these loyal alumni is highly appreciated.

FCE Public Lecture:
Mechanically-Fastened (MF) FRP strips for strengthening concrete structures
- A review of 15 years of research and applications
Date & Time: 9 December 2013 (Mon), 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Venue: Room FJ302, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Details: http://www.polyu.edu.hk/fce/events/20131209_lecture/

FCE Distinguished Lecture:
Novel Methods in SHM Technology
Date & Time: 12 December 2013 (Thu), 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Venue: Room Y302, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Details: http://www.polyu.edu.hk/fce/events/20131212_lecture/

FCE Public Lecture:
Energy Shift in Wastewater Industry: From Mega-Consumer to Energy-Gain Enterprise
Date & Time: 23 December 2013 (Mon), 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Venue: Room M1603, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Details: http://www.polyu.edu.hk/fce/events/20131223_lecture/

Postgraduate Scheme in Construction and Environment
Information Seminar: Click here to register
Date: 11 January 2014(Sat)
Time: 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm (Registration starts at 2:00 pm)
Venue: Room BC201, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University