News

PolyU Counsellors Days 2019

53 counsellors from secondary schools in over 20 countries visited PolyU on 22 March 2019 to learn more about the various undergraduate programmes offered by its Faculties and Schools. Representing the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) were Prof. Xiaoli Ding, Associate Dean (Partnership), Mr Wai Kei Kong of the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE), Prof. Shiu Keung Tang of the Department of Building Services Engineering (BSE), Prof. Anthony Chen of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), and Dr Wenbin Xu of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI). They were on hand to answer questions about the Faculty and its programmes from the counsellors, who also saw a few demonstrations of some experiments in a subsequent tour of some laboratories, including the Smart City Lab, the Fire Engineering Lab, the Concrete Materials Lab, and the Smart Construction Lab. A mini-fair staffed by some departmental staff provided further information for the counsellors.  

Outstanding Professional Services Awards 2018

A presentation ceremony for the Outstanding Professional Services Awards 2018 was held on 4 March 2019 at the Silverbox Ballroom in Hotel ICON. Dr Miranda Lou, Executive Vice President of PolyU and Chairman of its Technology and Consultancy (PTeC) Co. Ltd., delivered a speech and presented Departmental Awards to the Department of Building Services Engineering (BSE) for winning in the category of Maximum Staff Participation. Merit Awards in the same category were given to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) and the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI). In the last 3 years, one of the departments of the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) has always won for Maximum Staff Participation. Likewise, this is the fourth consecutive year that CEE has received a Merit Award for the Most Active Department with the second highest aggregate invoiced value during the financial year for consultancy projects undertaken via PTeC. Individual Awards were presented by Prof. Philip Chan, PolyU’s Interim President. Prof. Shengwei Wang of BSE received a Merit Award for Most Active Consultant, while Dr Charles Wong of LSGI received a Merit Award for Highest Growth Consultant. Prof. Wang also received a Merit Award for Most Active Consultant last year. The awards received by colleagues and departments of the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) are testimony of their research impact and efforts in knowledge/ technology transfer.

2018 State Science and Technology Awards

2 projects led by scholars from the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) have been honoured with the 2018 State Science and Technology Awards. Prof. Yong Xia of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) and his collaborators from Huazhong University of Science and Technology and China Railway Bridge Science Research Institute Ltd. were rewarded with a Technological Invention Award (second-class) for their work on safety assessment and precise local damage detection technologies for long-span bridges, while Prof. Xiaoli Ding, Associate Dean (Partnership), and his collaborators from Central South University, China University of Mining and Technology, Guangdong Institute of Geological Survey, and Chang’An University were rewarded with a State Scientific and Technological Progress Award (second-class) for their research on key InSAR technologies for millimetre-level ground deformation monitoring and their applications.  

Ceremony Marks Opening of GIGCAS and PolyU Joint Laboratory

On 28th January 2019, the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (GIGCAS) and PolyU Joint Laboratory of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area for the Environment was officially unveiled by representatives from both sides. A welcome speech was delivered by Prof. Philip Chan, PolyU's Interim President. Speeches were also delivered by Mr Jinghua Cao, Director General of CAS Bureau of International Cooperation, who spoke about the 22 CAS joint laboratories with Hong Kong, and Prof. Yigang Xu, Director General of the GIGCAS. Officiating guests also included Ir Prof. Alex Wai, PolyU’s Vice President (Research Development), Mr Xiaonian Zheng, Director General of CAS Bureau of Facility Support and Budget, Ms Fang Fang Li, Director of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office of CAS, Dr Gan Zhang, Deputy Director of GIGCAS, Ir Prof. You-lin Xu, Dean of the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) at PolyU, Prof. Xiangdong Li, Director of GIGCAS and Associate Dean (Research) of FCE, and Ir Prof. William Lam, Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at PolyU. The focus areas of research of the GIGCAS-PolyU Joint Laboratory of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area for the Environment will include air quality improvement, environment and health for city clusters, urban land integrated remediation measures for different types of pollution, municipal solid waste and sewage treatment in new rural areas, ecological management in estuary and coastal areas, etc. Harnessing the strengths of PolyU and GIGCAS, the joint laboratory will extend research frontiers, advance knowledge transfer and applications as well as cultivate talents in the field of environmental protection for the development of the Greater Bay Area.

PolyU Reaches Out to Employers

In the first employer engagement function of its kind, PolyU hosted about 220 leading employers of PolyU graduates in a luncheon at Hotel Icon on 18 January 2019. Organized by the Communications and Public Affairs Office and the Office of Careers & Placement Services, the luncheon’s theme was “Partnering with Employers – Shaping Tomorrow’s Talents.” The Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) was represented by Prof. Geoffrey Shen, Associate Dean (Teaching), who served as a host at one of the 4 tables reserved for FCE. VIP guests of FCE were Prof. G.H. Chen and Ir Dr Jonathan Chan. Also present was Ir Dr Anthony Lo of CLP Power Hong Kong Limited, the recipient of the Department of Building Services Engineering’s (BSE) Outstanding Alumni Award 2018, whose success story was featured in a video that was shown at the luncheon. Amongst the table hosts were Prof. Albert Chan, Head of the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE), Prof. Eddie Hui, Associate Head (Partnership) of BRE, Prof. Asif Usmani, Head of BSE, Prof. Shiu Keung Tang, Associate Head of BSE, Prof. Chi Sun Poon, Associate Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), Prof. Yong Xia, Prof. John Shi, Head of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI), and Dr Lilian Pun, Associate Head of LSGI.  

Head of LSGI Appointed in Endowed Professorship Scheme

Prof. John Shi, Head of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI), has been appointed Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Professor in Urban Informatics under the University’s Endowed Professorship Scheme for 5 years from 2019 to 2023. He is also the Director of the Laboratory for Smart City and Spatial Big Data Analytics at PolyU. He obtained his doctoral degree from the University of Osnabruck in Vechta, Germany in 1994. Prof. Shi’s current research interests are in the areas of geographic information science (GISci), remote sensing and urban informatics, with a focus on analytics and quality control for spatial big data, object extraction and change detection from satellite images and LiDAR data, integrated indoor mapping technology, 3D and dynamic GISci modelling, and Smart City applications. He has published more than 250 journal articles (with 190 SCI papers) and 15 books. He is a recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including an award from the International Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing and a Natural Science Award from the State Council of China. An initiative of PolyU to honour distinguished scholars for their outstanding academic and research achievements, the Endowed Professorship Scheme provides philanthropists with the unique opportunity to advance scholarly endeavours in a discipline of their choice for the benefit of the community.

The President’s Awards for Excellent Performance/ Achievement 2017/18

2 leading scholars of the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) were honoured with the President’s Awards for Excellent Performance/ Achievement 2017/18. Prof. Tao Wang of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) was rewarded for his outstanding research and scholarly activities, while Ir Prof. Shengwei Wang of the Department of Building Services Engineering (BSE) was rewarded for his services. Both of them had received Faculty Awards for Outstanding Performance/ Achievement in the same categories, Prof. Tao Wang in 2016/17 and Prof. Shengwei Wang in 2017/18. Most competitors for the biennial President’s Awards, the highest level of recognition for excellence, are Faculty Awards recipients.

US News Ranks PolyU 16th in Best Global Universities for Engineering

According to a recently released ranking by US News, PolyU is ranked 16th in a list of Best Global Universities for Engineering, which is largely based on research performance in a variety of engineering topics, including aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and civil engineering. Various bibliometric measures such as publications and citations were used, as well as indicators for global and regional reputation in each specific subject. The Faculty of Construction and Engineering (FCE) has been an important contributor within PolyU to this respectable ranking. It has some of the best minds in their respective fields, particularly for the subject of civil and structural engineering, for which PolyU was ranked 10th in the 2018 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subject.

Departmental Outstanding Alumni Award 2018

2 alumni from the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE) have been chosen for its Outstanding Alumni Award 2018. They are Mr Alex Lui, Project Director of Green Deck and Court member of PolyU, and Mr Augustine Wong, Executive Director and General Manager of the Property Development Department in Henderson Land Development Co. Ltd., respectively. Mr Alex Lui graduated from the Hong Kong Technical College, a predecessor of PolyU, in 1964 with a Higher Certificate in Building before continuing his studies in architecture at the University of Hong Kong and city planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He worked in the US for 12 years before engaging in private practice in Hong Kong. Involved in many development projects, he was a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong from 1998 to 2002. A member of the Hong Kong Institute of Planners and the Hong Kong Institute of Architects, he has long been active in public and community services. He was awarded the title of University Fellow by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2017. Mr Augustine Wong graduated from the then Hong Kong Polytechnic with a Diploma in Building Studies in 1980, a Higher Diploma in Surveying in 1982, and an Advanced Higher Diploma in General Practice Surveying in 1983. He has acquired a wealth of experience in land administration, town planning, valuation and marketing. A member of various advisory boards, he was appointed to serve as Justice of Peace in 2008. Mr Lui Mr Wong   The Department of Building Services Engineering (BSE) has chosen Ir Dr Anthony Lo for its Outstanding Alumni Award 2018. Ir Dr Anthony Lo is a registered professional engineer in the Building Services, Energy, Environmental and Fire disciplines of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers. He started his career in an international consulting firm, Parsons Brinckerhoff (Asia) Limited, where he gained extensive experience in building services, environment system design and project management in various buildings and infrastructural developments. Ir Dr Lo is currently Acting Director of Corporate Customer Experience of CLP Power. He is actively involved in formulating digital transformation business strategies, exploring new and innovative technology to develop value-added services for customers, and promoting energy conservation and renewable energy to combat climate change. Ir Dr Lo   The recipient of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) Outstanding Alumni Award 2018 is Ir Wing Chuen Francis Kung, who graduated from the Hong Kong Polytechnic in 1977 and has been a fellow of ICE, IStructE and HKIE since 1997. He has over 40 years of experience in planning and implementation of multi-disciplinary infrastructure projects in Hong Kong and the UK, including project management, feasibility study, design and construction supervision of major railway, highway and road improvement schemes in Hong Kong since the early 1980’s. He has been Project Director/Manager for many major infrastructural projects. An expert in design and assessment of railway and highway bridges in precast segments, Ir Kung is currently Managing Director of Meinhardt Infrastructure and Environment Ltd. and Meinhardt Global Board Director. Ir Kung   The awardee of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) Outstanding Alumni Award 2018 is Mr Ray Leung, JP, who was one of the first graduates to complete the 1-year certificate course in land surveying and the 2-year part-time higher certificate course in the same field at the then Hong Kong Polytechnic in 1981 and 1984 respectively. He received an MSc in Geo-Information Systems from PolyU in 1998. Mr Leung has served in various government departments, including the Civil Engineering and Development Department, the Highways Department, and the Lands Department. He has been the Assistant Director of the Survey and Mapping Office in the Lands Department since December 2015. He has also served on the Land Surveyors Registration Committee since 2015 and was appointed Justice of the Peace in 2017. Mr Leung   The Faculty Congregation and Prize Presentation Ceremony will honour all of them in November.

FCE Students Participate in Impactful Community Service Projects

In the summer of 2018, a group of over 130 students and staff from the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) engaged in various community service projects at the Ebenezer School for the Visual Impaired. While most of them were Higher Diploma (HD) students from the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE) and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) who were undergoing part of their training provided by PolyU’s Industrial Centre at the Ebenezer School, there were also BSc/BEng students from the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) and the Faculty of Engineering (FENG). Together, they learnt to build 6 shelters, revamp the assembly hall and renovate the Old People’s Home. To effectively implement the projects, students assumed one of various roles that are commonly found in real life construction projects, such as project manager, site engineer, quantity surveyor, BIM engineer, safety officer etc. With the help of advanced technologies and equipment, students produced the construction drawings using Autodesk Revits and planned the schedule for the construction project in Microsoft project. Not only were they exposed to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in the process, students also learnt about the importance of commitment, teamwork and empathy.     For their efforts and dedication, 8 of the FCE students were selected for Prize Awards from the Rotary Club of Wanchai, which they received in a sharing session organized by the Ebenezer School at its campus on 5 September 2018. After welcoming speeches from Dr Alice Yuk, CEO of Ebenezer School, and Prof. Xiaoli Ding, Associate Dean (Partnership), students from the Ebenezer School and PolyU took turns expressing their thoughts on the community service project “Touching is Touching.” The winning students were 5 HD students in the Building Technology and Management programme, an HD student in Civil Engineering, 2 BSc (Hons) students in Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, and 2 BEng (Hons) students in Electrical Engineering. They all welcomed the opportunity to serve the community in such a meaningful way. The HD students worked under the supervision of Mr Wai-Che Lee and Mr Stephen Lee of the Industrial Centre in the construction projects. The degree students from the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) produced a 3-dimensional computer model of the school for the visually impaired students of Ebenezer to touch and feel.     Led by Dr Matthew Pang and Mr Nelson Chan of LSGI, students from LSGI applied their knowledge of land surveying and spatial data processing. According to Mr King Wah Lau, a fourth-year student from LSGI, the project was mutually beneficial for both PolyU students and the Ebenezer community. On the one hand, LSGI students practised their technical skills in conducting a Global Positioning System (GPS) survey and piloting an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to take aerial photos as part of the modelling process. On the other hand, the sight-impaired students gain a better idea of their school through touching the 3D model. His classmate, Mr Gabbo Ching, agreed it was definitely a worthwhile project, even though it was not without its share of difficulties, such as processing the data from the many photos taken by the photogrammetry survey and operating the UAV in windy weather conditions.     Overcoming challenges was also part of the experience for Ms Ying Yiu Lai, a second-year HD student in Building Technology & Management, who had some big shoes to fill in her role as a project manager. Her anxiety about fulfilling her responsibilities made her appreciate all the guidance provided by her instructors and the importance of developing problem-solving skills. Two other HD students in Building Technology & Management worked as project managers. Ms Yuk Yu Cheung was encouraged by the unity of her team in renovating the home for the elderly. She hopes the Ebenezer students could feel the love and support from PolyU when they use the improved facilities. Understanding the needs of others was a key insight for Ms Cheung from having participated in this project. Her classmate Mr Chi Ho Yue agreed that it was necessary for the designs to be user-friendly and aspiring engineers to be mindful of the needs of underprivileged groups. He particularly cherished the opportunity to design a guiding path for Ebenezer students to feel their way around the campus through the sense of touch. Other HD students from the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE) who were rewarded for their leadership skills were Ms Kin Chi Chan and Ms Nga Sum. Ms Chan supervised her team to build one of the shelters at Ebenezer, while Ms Sum led her team to paint a shelter. According to Ms Sum, learning by doing was a golden opportunity for her to develop her communication skills.   One of the shelters at the school   The sole winner from the HD in Civil Engineering programme was Mr Ka Ho Lau, who was involved in the renovation work. Not only did he meet students from another department, he also learnt how to work effectively as a team.   Swimming pool with electronic shelters   Renovation of a home for the elderly   The winning students Back: Chi Ho Yue, Oscar Chow (FENG), King Wah Lau, Gabbo Ching, Ka Ho Lau Front: Chun Fai Kwan (FENG), Nga Sum, Kin Chi Chan, Yuk Yu Cheung, Ying Yiu Lai Serving the Ebenezer community was indeed a valuable experience for these students, who all exemplified PolyU’s motto of “To learn and to apply, for the benefit of mankind.”