According to the EPD, based on the experiences of countries like Portugal, the Netherlands, and the US, where rubber asphalt has been used, the addition of a small number of recycled tires rubber beads weighing less than 2% in total to the asphalt, combined with an appropriate asphalt design, can reduce traffic noise by about 2 decibels without affecting the durability of the asphalt.

The use of rubber asphalt will be on trial in 2 areas of the New Territories, namely Shatin and Yuen Long, in the first quarter of 2017. In the long term, the authorities are considering building screens or paving with materials that do not create a lot of noise to facilitate noise reduction on roads with noise levels that exceed 70 decibels.

Following a combined session discussing strategic and generic issues, 3 parallel sessions were conducted, one for each of the programmes. At each session, all the academic staff involved in teaching the programme under review were in attendance, together with the respective department head.

The HKIE accreditation team collected views from external stakeholders, including representatives of the Advisory Board members, external examiners, and employers of the graduates. In addition to a review of student outcomes for accreditation purposes, as evidenced by assignments, projects, laboratory reports etc., there was a tour of the Industrial Centre, where training common to the 3 departments was demonstrated before specific training for students from different departments was presented in separate locations. Accreditation team members also had a chance to visit departmental facilities like laboratories. Other campus facilities such as the library and the English Language Centre were visited by Ir Prof. Richard Yuen, Chairman of the visiting team, and one member of the Secretariat.

To get a better picture of the students and graduates of the HD programmes, 3 recent graduates and 6 current students (3 from each year) of each programme were interviewed by the accreditation team. The full day of accreditation activities concluded with an executive summary session with the Dean, Associate Dean, department heads, programme leaders and other key staff.

The Annual Partnership Meeting between the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and PolyU was held on 18 January 2017. It was attended by 4 representatives from RICS and several programme leaders from the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE). After a briefing by RICS on its current position and latest developments, PolyU responded with its own position, led by an overview from Prof. Geoffrey Shen, Associate Dean (Teaching). This was followed by reports from Dr Daniel Chan, Associate Head of the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE), Dr Lilian Pun, Associate Head of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI), and programme leaders concerned.

Subsequently, both sides reviewed course provision and course development, including an annual monitoring report, an external examiner’s report, threshold standards, research strategies, and the employability of graduates. They also reviewed their mutual aims and objectives, such as the development of collaborative programmes/ research in China, inclusion of relevant postgraduate level programmes, scholarships/ sponsorships etc.

The meeting concluded with the following 3 calls for proposals from the RICS Research Trust, which is a registered charity for the public benefit. The deadline is 30 March 2017. Details can be viewed at www.rics.org/researchtrust.

1. Improving early cost advice for potential construction and infrastructure projects;
2. Data, empowerment and the role of the future professional;
3. Natural capital and land management transactions.

The visit focused on programme development of LSGI, partnership matters, and further opportunities for collaboration, particularly with aspect to education for prospective international students from the Survey Department in Brunei. Possibilities for providing training opportunities to the Survey Department in the future were also explored. The visit was successful in promoting international recognition of the FCE and LSGI.

According to Prof. Hui, finding new land for development to address the problem of land scarcity is also feasible. At the same time, to strike a balance between the economy and the environment, plants and animals that have high ecological value should be preserved when new lands are being developed. With respect to location, the government should choose convenient sites with a range of amenities in place for citizens to be able to live comfortably.

The broadcast concluded with a hope by Prof. Hui for students to enter the real estate profession with a deep understanding of the issues involved and propose some constructive plans to solve the housing problem. The full broadcast can be found at http://programme.rthk.hk/channel/radio/player_popup.php?pid=1085&eid=413818&d=2017-01-21&player=mp3&type=archive&channel=radio1#

*To boost research capabilities of the University, the Distinguished Chair Professor Scheme recruits leading scholars with a proven track record of research and links to Hong Kong or PolyU to lead large research programmes involving a group of academic colleagues to conduct advanced research of high application and impact. They are usually appointed by an advisory committee of the President to serve a term of 2 years, with about a 2-month stay at PolyU each year.

Highly appreciated by the village government, the service-learning project was deemed a great success, thanks to the generous support and donations from LSGI and some of its alumni.

LSGI students serving the school children	LSGI students introducing themselves	The school children with their LSGI benefactors	Prof. Shi distributing gifts for the school children