News

CEE/CSE 50th Anniversary Symposium – Inaugural J.M. Ko Award Ceremony & International Symposium on Advances in Structural Engineering

The inaugural J.M. Ko Award Ceremony & International Symposium on Advances in Structural Engineering was successfully held at Li Ka Shing Tower, PolyU, on 19 January 2024. This event, organized by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at PolyU and supported by various industry and academic partners, focused on the outstanding contributions and latest advancements in structural engineering. The Inaugural J.M. Ko Award Ceremony honours two exceptional young researchers, Prof. E. Chatzi from ETH Zürich and Prof. X.Z. Lu from Tsinghua University, for their outstanding contributions to the science and technology of Structural Engineering. The event started with a welcome speech by Prof. Jin-Guang Teng, President of PolyU and an opening speech by Ms Lillian Cheong, Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the Hong Kong SAR Government, followed by the Award ceremony and technical lectures/presentations by the two awardees (i.e., J.M. Ko distinguished lectures) and six esteemed scholars in the structural engineering field from China, Japan, the United States and Australia. Attracting over 140 participants, the symposium fostered a vibrant exchange of ideas and set a new benchmark for future structural engineering symposia.  

Dr Tony Sze Appointed as a Member of the Committee on Taxi Service Quality

Dr Tony Sze, Associate Professor of CEE, was appointed as a Member of the Committee on Taxi Service Quality (的士服務質素委員會) of HKSAR Government for a period of three years from February 2024 to January 2027, given his profound experience and professional knowledge on transportation and safety. The Committee aims to advise the Government on strategies to enhance taxi service quality including updating standards and guidelines for taxi driver, and improving taxi services through the use of technology. More information can be found at https://www.ctsq.org.hk/chi/index.html.   

International Symposium on Reclamations Using Local Dredged Sediments

International Symposium on Reclamations Using Local Dredged Sediments has been successfully organized at Chiang Chen Studio Theatre at PolyU on 26 January 2024, with the great effort of the Co-Organizers, the Geotechnical Division of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of PolyU. The symposium was also supported by ASCE Greater China Section, Hong Kong Geotechnical Society, Institution of Civil Engineering Hong Kong, RILS and RISUD of PolyU.  Three opening speeches, six keynote talks and six invited talks were delivered by the distinguished guests from government, universities and industries across Chinese Mainland, Singapore, Japan, Macau and Hong Kong. The symposium attracted more than 150 local participants and 90 participants outside of Hong Kong. The presentations and discussions have effectively demonstrated how the use of local dredged sediments can offer a practical and eco-friendly solution to land scarcity issues in various regions.   

CEE Departmental Visit – Hohai University (25 Jan)

CEE has long been maintaining strong alliances and partnerships with different renowned institutions. To further introduce the achievement of the Department and to share recent research progress of the Hydraulic Engineering Unit, Dr Huan-Feng Duan, Associate Professor, Dr Jing-Hua Wang, Assistant Professor, and Dr Tong-Chuan Che, Research Assistant Professor, hosted a Departmental visit for Hohai University, Mainland China on 25 January 2024. A group of 25 undergraduate students joined the visit and participated in the briefing and exchange session. During the visit, the students had the opportunity to explore the University’s Pao Yue-kong Library and the Hydraulics Laboratory in CEE, they were able to witness demonstrations of the latest equipment and experiments by CEE PhD. students, Shimeng Liu and Yuanheng Zhang. The students actively engaged in discussions and found the visit enjoyable and informative.   

CEE Departmental Visit - Aberdeen Baptist Lui Ming Choi College (18 Jan)

A group of 27 students from Aberdeen Baptist Lui Ming Choi College joined PolyU school tour and visited CEE department on 18 January 2024 (Thursday). The recent developments of the civil engineering industry, together with the admission information of BEng(Hons) Scheme in Civil Engineering and Sustainable Development were introduced to students.  The students also had the opportunity to visit our Water and Waste Teaching Laboratory, the latest technology and typical water treatment process was explained to them. The students found the visit fruitful and interesting.  

New joiner - Dr Ruiwei FENG

Dr Ruiwei Feng obtained his Ph.D. degree from Tongji University in 2021. He completed his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Southwest Jiaotong University, in 2016 and 2013, respectively. Prior to joining PolyU as a Research Assistant Professor, Dr Feng worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at PolyU from 2021-2024. Dr Feng’s current research interests include seismic design and performance assessment of civil infrastructure, shake table testing and analysis, and multi-hazard risk and resilience assessment of infrastructural systems. Dr Feng has joined us on 22 January 2024.  

CEE Thailand Study Tour 2024

The CEE Thailand Study Tour to Bangkok was an immersive and enriching experience for our UG students. By interacting with the professors and students at King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), our students gain insights into the civil engineering advancements in Thailand, particularly the swift progression of the country's transport systems and highways during the 5-day visit. The group also visited One Bangkok, Rama IX Bridge, Ancient City and some signature cultural sites.  My study tour in Bangkok was an eye-opening experience. One of the highlights was visiting the Grand Palace, where I was in awe of the intricate architecture and beautiful design. Besides, I was able to gain a deeper understanding of Thai culture through interacting with students from KMUTT. With engaging in meaningful discussions with professionals, the study tour broadened my knowledge on civil engineering. Overall, the study tour in Bangkok was a valuable and unforgettable experience! (Crement Leung / EESD Year 4 Student) My trip to Thailand provided an valuable experience that far surpassed what I could have learned in a classroom setting. Being able to explore the country first-hand allowed me to appreciate the buildings and temples that are deeply rooted in its cultural heritage. Moreover, witnessing the rapid development of Thailand's transport systems and highways was equally remarkable. The bustling streets and markets revealed the colorful enjoyment of the society. Looking back on it, exploring a foreign country by self-proposed itinerary and navigating through different situations was challenging. But what truly made this journey special were the friendships I made along the way. This experience has left an indelible mark on me, and undeniably etched itself into the pages of my most unforgettable memories. (John ENRIQUEZ / XAS Year 2 Student) We are sincerely thankful for the warm hospitality from the professors and students of KMUTT. Their kindness and welcoming nature greatly enriched our experience, making our study tour both enjoyable and informative. We believe that this study tour will inspire our students for their understanding in civil engineering.   

Dr Shao-Yuan Leu Secures HK$6.87 Million from Green Tech Fund

Congratulations to Dr Shao-Yuan Leu, Associate Professor of CEE, whose project titled “Study of Ammonia Pretreatment - Power Generation System toward Complete Valorization of Food Waste Digestate” has been awarded HK$6.87 million funding by Green Tech Fund (GTF). The project aims at enabling an efficient mitigation of greenhouse gas emission, supporting the Hong Kong government to realize carbon neutrality, and providing model strategic solutions for anaerobic digestion (AD) technology related ammonia management. The Green Tech Fund was established in 2020 to provide better and more focused funding support to research and development projects which can help Hong Kong decarbonize and enhance environmental protection. A total of HK$400 million has been allocated to the GTF and it has so far approved 30 projects among 180 applications, involving a total grant of around HK$130 million.  

Prof. Yong Xia Received Science and Technology Award from the Chinese Society for Vibration Engineering (CSVE)

Congratulations to Prof. Yong Xia, Professor of CEE, and his team, whose project titled “Machine Learning Methods for Structural Health Diagnosis and Operation Maintenance of Bridges” (橋樑結構健康診斷與運維決策的機器學習方法) has been awarded Science and Technology Award (First Class) (中國振動工程學會科學技術獎 — 一等獎) from the Chinese Society for Vibration Engineering (CSVE) in 2023. The award recognizes outstanding researchers who adhere to promoting and accelerating scientific and technological innovation in the field of vibration engineering.    For more details of the award, please refer to https://www.csve.org.cn/35/202401/697.html.    

Two CEE Projects Awarded RGC Collaborative Research Fund (CRF)

Congratulations to Prof. Yong Xia and Prof. Yuhong Wang, Professors of CEE, whose projects were supported by RGC Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) among the 76 proposals submitted by PolyU. The project details are as follows: Ref. No.: R5004-23 R5033-23GF Name of PC: Prof. Yong Xia Prof. Yuhong Wang Proposal Title: Towards Future Climate-resilient sea-crossing Bridges via Intelligent Learning of Long-term Real Monitoring Data Improving the Health and Stability of Roadside Trees in Compact Urban Development through Novel Road Systems and Tree Root “Training” RGC Amount Awarded: HK$5,056,919 HK$5,407,780 In 2023/24 CRF Exercise, the RGC received a total of 312 preliminary proposals and shortlisted 98 submission of full proposals, of which 55 were selected for interview. Finally, 37 proposals with a total amount of HK$232.5 million (exclusive of on-costs) were supported by the RGC.