News

PolyU CEE Webinar Series: Application of optical fiber sensing technology in geotechnical health monitoring

Dr Tao-Yuan TAN delivered a seminar with the topic of “Application of optical fiber sensing technology in geotechnical health monitoring” on 17 February 2022. It was co-organized with HKIE Civil Division (CVD).   The next seminar will be held on 23 February 2022, Dr Mark S.C. HSU will bring up the topic “Life-cycle Thinking and Environmental Policy in Urban Infrastructure Development”, please stay tuned!

CEE Researchers Discovered Smog-aggravating Chemical in Hong Kong’s Air

In a field study at coastal site in Hong Kong, a team of CEE researchers discovered unprecedented concentrations of molecular chlorine (Cl2) during autumn when ozone pollution reaches its annual peak. In collaboration of international scientists, the study team found that the high Cl2 is produced by interaction of man-made pollutants (NOx and acidic chemicals) with natural sea-spay particles. This pollution pathway is important not only for Hong Kong but also other coastal cities. The findings can help to adjust or refine measures to reduce ozone pollution. The study results were published on 17 Feb 2022 in Nature Communications. The first author is Dr Xiang Peng who was a PhD student at the time of this study, and the corresponding author is Prof. Tao Wang of CEE. Other contributing authors included Prof. Hai Guo, Prof. Shuncheng Lee, and additional PhD students and researchers from CEE, personnel from Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department, and scientists from the US, France, Spain, Sweden, Germany and mainland China. The study received funding support from the Hong Kong Research Grants Council, the Agence Nationale de la Recherche, the Swedish Research Council, and the European Research Council.

New joiner - Dr Shen Peiliang

Dr Shen Peiliang obtained his B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Wuhan University of technology (2010), and got his Ph.D. degree (2018) in Mechanics and Engineering from Wuhan University of technology. Before joining PolyU as a Research Assistant Professor, Dr Shen worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at PolyU from 2019 to 2022. Dr Shen’s main research interests include development and characterization of sustainable building materials, ultra-high performance concrete and its structural application, CO2 capture and sequestration and waste recycling and management. Dr Shen has joined us on 4 February 2022.

Modular Rail Particle Damper Technology Won 3rd Prize in Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition

A team from the National Rail Transit Electrification and Automation Engineering Technology Research Center (CNERC-Rail) Hong Kong Branch developed a modular rail particle damper (MRPD) for rail corrugation control and broadband vibration and noise mitigation in railways.   The MRPD won the 3rd prize in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition of National Innovation Center of High Speed Train and was implemented in Shenzhen Metro Lines.   For more details, please refer to https://polyu.hk/THuNI.

Chinese New Year Greetings from CEE, PolyU

We wish you a resilient, stronger and prosperous New Year of the Tiger! The animated version is available here: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/cee/docdrive/CNY2022/CNY2022.html

PolyU CEE Webinar Series: Effective use of high strength S690 steels in buildings and bridges

Prof. K.F. Chung delivered a seminar with the topic of “Effective use of high strength S690 steels in buildings and bridges” on 19 January 2022. It was co-organized with HKIE Civil Division (CVD).   The next seminar will be held on 17 February 2022, Dr Tan Daoyuan will bring up the topic “Application of optical fiber sensing technology in geotechnical health monitoring”, please stay tuned!

International Symposium of Soft Ground and Smart Geotechnology on 7 Jan 2022

International Symposium of Soft Ground and Smart Geotechnology, organized by CEE and the Research Institute of Land and Space (RILS) of PolyU, was successfully held online on 7 January 2022. Prof. Jian-Hua Yin and Dr Zhen-Yu Yin were the Chairs of the symposium. 11 well-known world-leading scholars were invited to give online keynote speeches on the topic of soft ground and smart geotechnology. Over 500 logins (one login may have more than one participant) joined the symposium online and 60 participants joined it physically.

PolyU Info Day for Taught Postgraduate Programmes

The online PolyU Info Day for Taught Postgraduate Programmes was successfully held on 8 Jan 2022 (Sat).   The Programme Leaders, Prof. Anthony Chen and Prof. Daniel Tsang, introduced the programme details and admission information of MSc in Civil Engineering and MSc in Environmental Management and Engineering respectively.   Participants were also able to ask questions during the Q&A session.

New joiner - Dr Ling Leng

Dr Ling Leng obtained his B.S. in Water Science and Engineering from Chongqing University (2012), M.S. (with Distinction, 2013) and Ph.D. (2018) in Environmental Engineering from PolyU. Before joining PolyU as Research Assistant Professor, Dr Leng was a Postdoctoral Researcher and JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Hawaii, US (2018) and National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan (2018-2021) respectively. Dr Leng’s research focuses on microbial process and technology for the degradation of recalcitrant environmental contaminants and synthesis of biorenewable products from waste streams. His specialties include applying molecular biology, bioinformatics and machine learning tools to discover complex microbial processes in both environmental and engineered ecosystems and further improve our biotechnology for achieving environmental sustainability. Dr Leng has joined us on 10 Jan 2022.

Prof. Yin Jian-hua Hosted a Clay Reclamation Model Test Demonstration during DAC Meeting

Prof. Yin Jian-hua, Chair Professor of Soil Mechanics, hosted a demonstration of clay reclamation model test in Hydraulic Laboratory during the Departmental Advisory Committee (DAC) meeting on 5 Jan 2022.