News

FCE Dean’s Awards 2024

Eight exceptional CEE members have been recognized with the FCE Dean’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research Funding. This prestigious award acknowledges their remarkable success in securing external competitive research funding, a testament to their groundbreaking work and commitment to innovation. The achievement is a reflection of their dedication to pushing the boundaries of research and their unwavering commitment to excellence.   We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the award recipients. Their groundbreaking research will continue to shape the future of civil and environmental engineering.   Awardee Allocation Date Project Title (Funding Scheme) Prof. Zhen Leng 1 Jul 2023 Strength Formation Mechanism Characterization and Performance Optimization of Waterborne Epoxy Modified Asphalt Emulsion as A High-performance Low-carbon Paving Binder (RGC General Research Fund) 22 Dec 2023 Durable Low-carbon Asphalt Pavement Built with Recycled Waste Polyolefin Plastics through Reactive Extrusion (RGC Research Impact Fund) Prof. Yong Xia 1 Jul 2021 Temperature Behavior of Long-span Cable-stayed Bridges through the Integration of Field Monitoring and Advanced Computational Techniques (RGC General Research Fund) 22 Nov 2023 Digital Twin‒based Long-span Bridge Health Monitoring (Smart Traffic Fund) 22 Dec 2023 Enhancing energy harvesting and typhoon resilience of offshore wind turbines in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area under climate change (RGC Research Impact Fund – sub-project) Prof. Songye Zhu 1 Jul 2023 Self-centering Seismic-resistant Eccentrically Braced Frames with Superelastic Shape Memory Alloy Angles (RGC General Research Fund) 10 Nov 2023 Develop Next-generation Typhoon-resistant Deep-sea Offshore Floating Hybrid Wind-wave Energy Converters: From Coupling Load Mechanism to Vibration Mitigation Technology (NSFC/RGC Collaborative Research Scheme) Dr You Dong 1 Jul 2022 Dynamic Response and Vulnerability of Coastal Bridges Subjected to Wave Impacts using Coupled Simulation, Experiment, and Deep Learning (RGC General Research Fund) 13 Jul 2023 INTACT: Intelligent tropical-storm-resilient system for coastal cities (CEE-3) (RGC Theme-based Research Scheme – sub-project) 13 Oct 2023 Smart and Flexible Climate Change Adaptation of Coastal Infrastructure (SMACHA) (ANR/RGC Joint Research Scheme) Dr Huan-Feng Duan 1 Jul 2019 Development of a holistic transient-based method for characterizing and diagnosing different pipe anomalies in urban water supply pipeline systems (RGC General Research Fund) 5 Jan 2023 Coastal Urban Flooding under Climate Change: Evolution Mechanisms and Intelligent Analysis (RGC Young Collaborative Research Grant) Dr Shao-Yuan Leu 1 Jul 2019 Metabolites induced thermochemical lignin modification to facilitate cellulolysis of lignocellulosic substrate in anaerobic process (RGC General Research Fund) 20 Sept 2021 Reducing transmission of novel coronavirus and other infectious diseases using food waste-derived medical textiles via electrospinning for healthcare apparel and personal protective equipment (CEE) (RGC Collaborative Research Fund – sub-project) 4 Jan 2022 Study of Carbon Sequestration in Hong Kong’s Vegetation: from Present to Future Prediction under Climate Change (CEE) (RGC Collaborative Research Fund – sub-project) 1 Dec 2023 Study of Ammonia Pretreatment-Power Generation System toward Complete Valorization of Food Waste Digestate (Green Tech Fund) Dr Alessandro Stocchino 1 Jul 2022 Marine litter transport in the Pearl River Estuary and its impact on Hong Kong waters: formulation and application of a novel Lagrangian numerical model (RGC General Research Fund) 5 Jan 2023 Hong Kong Coastal HF-Radar Network (RGC Collaborative Research Fund) Dr Qi Zhao 1 Jul 2021 Direct Observation of the Evolution of Joint Surface Roughness and Associated Seismic Signatures (RGC Early Career Scheme) 1 Jul 2022 Hydromechanical fatigue of rock joints under fluctuating pore pressure: microscopic observation under micro-CT and constitutive modelling (RGC General Research Fund) 1 Jul 2023 Quantifying shear induced joint surface damage using acoustic emission and machine learning (RGC General Research Fund)

FCE Three-minute Thesis Competition 2024

The Three-minute Thesis (3MT®) Competition hosted by FCE was successfully held on 5 June 2024. Five CEE PhD students were nominated by the Department to showcase their research in three minutes and compete for the cash award on Faculty level and the opportunity to participate the competition on University level. Congratulations to Ms Xu Shujie, Ms Wang Zhuowei, and Mr Raffel Dharma Patria on their outstanding achievements. They will now advance to the University-wide 3MT® competition, where they will compete against other talented PolyU researchers for the chance to represent PolyU at the prestigious Asia-Pacific 3MT® Competition. We wish them the best of luck in the upcoming PolyU 3MT® competition. Name Presentation Title Chief Supervisor Award Xu Shujie Improving Surface Water Algal Bloom Management Efficiency with Tailored Algal Bloom Alert Models Dr Mark Hsu Champion Wang Zuowei Hydrogen Bus in Hong Kong: Driving Green Transit Alongside Electric Bus Prof. Anthony Chen First Runner-Up Raffel Dharma Patria Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Biomass to Produce Renewable Bioethanol and Bioplastics Dr Shao-Yuan Leu People’s Choice

Prof. Zhen Leng Received the 2024 Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize from ASCE

Congratulations to Prof. Zhen Leng, Professor of CEE, for being selected by American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Committee on Technical Advancement to receive the 2024 Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize for his innovative research in developing durable low-carbon cost-effective pavement materials and technologies. The Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize (Huber Award) is the highest-level mid-career research award in all areas of civil engineering. The award is annually given to individuals with notable achievements and contributions in research with respect to all disciplines of civil engineering. This award was first established by the ASCE board of direction in 1946 and was given for the first time in 1949.

PolyU CEE Webinar Series: Boosting Energy Harvesting Efficiency Through Novel Tri-hybrid Multi-stable Vibration-based Energy Harvesting Techniques: Mechanical Designs and Potential Applications

Dr SK Lai delivered a seminar with the topic of “Boosting energy harvesting efficiency through novel tri-hybrid multi-stable vibration-based energy harvesting techniques: Mechanical designs and potential applications” on 12 June 2024. It was co-organized with HKIE Civil Division. Find the full version of the webinar in the below link: https://youtu.be/aNmQQl_U6dM.   

Outstanding Alumni Award of PolyU CEE 2024

The Outstanding Alumni Award of PolyU CEE aims to honour outstanding CEE graduates who have made distinctive contributions to the alma mater and community and have attained exceptional professional, entrepreneurial, scholarly or community service achievements in their professions. We are proud to announce that Ir Ricky Wong, JP, a distinguished graduate of CEE, is the recipient of Outstanding Alumni Award in Professional Achievement of PolyU CEE 2024. Ir Wong’s remarkable contributions to the alma mater and the community, coupled with his exceptional professional accomplishments, have truly set him apart.  Ir Ricky Wong, JP, currently serves as the Head of Civil Engineering Office at the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) of the HKSAR Government. With over 30 years of experience in civil, coastal, and building engineering, Ir Wong's expertise and dedication have left a lasting impact on the engineering landscape in Hong Kong. As an active alumnus, Ir Wong has generously shared his knowledge and insights with current students. From participating as an interviewer in mock interview workshop to serving on the Departmental Advisory Committee (DAC), he has continuously supported and inspired the next generation of engineers.  We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Ir Ricky Wong for this well-deserved recognition. His achievements serve as a shining example of excellence and dedication, and we are proud to call him one of our own. 

CEE Member Received Best Presentation of Young Expert Award at the 15th International Conference on Hydroinformatics

Congratulations to Dr Bin Pan, CEE Postdoctoral Fellow supervised by Dr Huan-Feng Duan, whose presentation titled “Parallel Computing Strategy for Fast Transient Simulation and Analysis in Pipe Fluid Networks” for receiving the Best Presentation of Young Expert Award at the 15th International Conference on Hydroinformatics (HIC2024).  The conference was held on 27-30 May 2024 in Beijing, China with the aim to exchange the most recent developments in the hydroinformatics field and the urgent water related issues.

CEE South Korea Study Tour 2024

The CEE South Korea Study Tour, which took place from 27 May to 2 June 2024, was an extraordinary journey that offered our students a wealth of valuable experiences. During the tour, our students had the chance to visit and engage with peers at two prestigious universities renowned for their contributions to the civil engineering industry: Kyung Hee University (KHU) in Suwon and KAIST in Daejeon. They participated in student mixer events, where they shared insights on civil engineering advancements in both Hong Kong and South Korea. Additionally, our students were granted a valuable opportunity to explore a significant construction project managed by the Hyundai E&C Group – the first Han River underground road tunnel in Korea. This site is notable for its use of advanced Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) technology, from which our students gained considerable knowledge. We are sincerely thankful for the warm hospitality from the professors and students of KHU & KAIST. 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.  

CEE Student Received OSH Best Project Scholarship 2023

Congratulations to Ms Kwok Hoi Lamm, graduate of CEE, for being awarded the Merit Award in the OSH Best Project Scholarship 2023 by the Occupational Safety and Health Council (OSHC). Ms Kwok graduated from the BSc (Hons) in Environmental and Occupational Safety and Health (EOSH) and her final year project, titled “A Review on Occupational Health Impact on Machinery Operators’ Exposed Vibration”, was supervised by Dr Nicole Yiu, Lecturer of CEE. This award is a recognition to students with outstanding project work relating to occupational safety and hygiene, work ergonomics, accident prevention and loss control, construction safety, risk management, OSH for small and medium enterprises, safety and health projects design, work injury and rehabilitation etc.  Ms Kwok demonstrated her capability of implementing quality applied research related to OSH in her studies and we look forward to seeing her continue to make positive impact in the field of environmental and occupational safety and health.  

PolyU CEE Webinar Series: Shedding New Lights on Seismic Metamaterial Design from the Perspective of Multidirectional Wave Attenuation

Dr Kai Zhou delivered a seminar with the topic of “Shedding New Lights on Seismic Metamaterial Design from the Perspective of Multidirectional Wave Attenuation” on 29 May 2024. It was co-organized with HKIE Civil Division. Find the full version of the webinar in the below link: https://youtu.be/yKYfMj4yzxw.   

Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) Hong Kong Half-Day Seminar 2024

Co-organizing with Chartered Institute of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) Hong Kong, Half-Day Seminar 2024 - From Vision to Reality: Building Transportation Infrastructure with Innovation was successfully held on 25 May 2024 (Saturday), bringing together more than 160 participants to exchange insights in the development of transportation infrastructure. Distinguished speakers from the industry and government agencies including Highways Department, Transport Department, Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre, AECOM, Arup and WSP covered various topics on the recent development in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area (GBA). Their expertise and perspectives sparked engaging discussions and showcased innovative approaches to building smart and efficient transportation networks.    We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all participants, speakers, and organizers for contributing to a dynamic and insightful seminar. Let's continue working together to turn visions into reality and drive progress in transportation infrastructure development.  More information can be found at CIHK Hong Kong’s Facebook and IG pages.