Media Releases

PolyU appoints Professor Christopher Chao as Vice President (Research and Innovation)

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) today announced the appointment of Professor Christopher Yu-Hang CHAO to the post of Vice President (Research and Innovation) [VP(RI)] effective 1 September 2021.

PolyU and Huawei collaborate to nurture ICT talent with leading digital technologies

Deep learning has become a popular emerging technology in recent years. Many university students are eager to equip themselves with such knowledge and skills in order to capture the opportunities brought about by the development of innovation and technology in various industries.

PolyU presents “Dr Liza Wang, Legendary Diva Cantonese Opera: Beyond Tradition” Exhibition as the Finale event of the "Artist-in-Residence Programme 2020-2021"

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) established the "Artist-in-Residence Programme" in 1999. Renowned artists from various genres are invited to be the University’s Artist-in-Residence (AIR) every academic year. The AIR participates in the design of various art and cultural programmes on campus, and has fruitful exchanges with students regarding his or her artistic attainments and experiences. PolyU is honoured to have the famous artist Dr Liza Wang Ming-chun as the AIR this year. Dr Wang has been devoted to her performing career from 1967. In the past few decades, she has starred in many classic TV series, and the characters she has played are beloved by the audience. Dr Wang is not only a well-known actress but an award-winning singer who has presented many TV drama theme songs. In 1983, she started her journey in Cantonese opera by organising a Cantonese opera troupe. She soon became well-acquainted with Cantonese opera, and in addition to performing on stage, she also devoted herself to promoting Cantonese opera culture. Dr Wang has been elected as the chairman of the Chinese Artists Association of Hong Kong many times, leading the Association to promote the inheritance and education of Cantonese opera. Her remarkable contributions to performing arts and Cantonese opera are highly recognised and praised. Dr Wang was also awarded a PolyU University Fellowship in 2018.

PolyU develops a range of advanced patented technologies to expedite smart city development in Hong Kong

In the “Hong Kong Smart City Blueprint 2.0” released in 2020, the Hong Kong government put forward a number of measures to capitalise on innovation and technology (I&T) to build a world-famous Smart Hong Kong characterised by a strong economy and high quality of living. Under this backdrop, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) established the Smart Cities Research Institute (SCRI) in 2020. As Director of SCRI, Professor Wenzhong SHI led his team to develop a number of cutting-edge patented technologies that help address various societal issues, including the revitalisation of old buildings, slope safety, prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the construction of spatial data infrastructure, hoping to provide comprehensive solutions for smart city development in Hong Kong and the Nation. The project received a Gold Medal at this year’s Special Edition 2021 Inventions Geneva Evaluation Days – Virtual Event. The following three PolyU-developed smart city technologies by Professor Shi’s team are vital in promoting smart city development: Three-dimensional (3D) Mobile Mapping System: Providing accurate 3D maps to support wide smart city applications According to the statistics in 2019, more than 10,000 old residential buildings are at least 50 years old in Hong Kong. Most of these old buildings do not have 3D indoor Building Information Models (BIM), which creates many challenges when it comes to reconstruction or maintenance. In view of this, the PolyU team has developed a lightweight and reliable 3D mobile mapping system (mobile mapping backpack), which can easily measure cities and obtain 3D maps with centimeter-level accuracy. It can be used to build spatial data infrastructure and can thus support smart city applications in many fields. The system adopts advanced technologies such as Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping (SLAM), which is not restricted by the signal receiving area of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). It can carry out continuous data collection in different complex indoor and outdoor environments and is particularly suitable for high-density and complex urban environments, such as those in Hong Kong. Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) is a primary development direction of today’s construction industry. However, due to the large size of the modular components, the vehicles carrying these components have difficulties passing through some road sections in the urban areas of Hong Kong. To address the issue, the PolyU team worked in collaboration with the Hong Kong Construction Industry Council by making use of the mobile mapping backpack to conduct accurate 3D measurement of critical narrow road sections for identifying the location of obstacles, which could optimise the route for transporting oversized components without passing through narrow road sections. In addition, mobile mapping backpacks can be used to help obtain detailed indoor 3D models to support firefighting and provide evacuation routes for personnel at the fire scene. AI-based Landslide Recognition: Reporting landslide and facilitating disaster control Accurate and timely acquisition and update of spatial data infrastructure from remotely sensed big data is a long-standing challenge for smart city construction. Despite the increasingly widespread use of cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) technology in remote sensing object recognition, the accuracy and reliability of AI-based remote sensing object recognition still needs to be improved. The PolyU team has developed a series of AI-based algorithms to recognise various ground objects from remotely sensed data with higher accuracy and reliability, which supports the work of smart government in many areas such as urban planning and disaster mitigation. The PolyU team developed a software system that integrates these AI algorithms to assist the Hong Kong Civil Engineering and Development Department to recognise landslides, a major natural disaster in Hong Kong. The software system can automatically and quickly recognise and locate landslides with an accuracy up to over 90%. It can also extract rich information such as the shape, area, height, and trail of the landslides. This provides important technical support for landslide control in Hong Kong. Spatiotemporal Prediction of COVID-19 Onset Risk: To help public health agencies formulate more precise prevention and control strategies The use of I&T in combating COVID-19 is a key Smart Living initiative in the Hong Kong Smart City Blueprint 2.0. Based on its long-term advantage in the field of spatiotemporal big data analytics, the team led by Professor Shi developed the extended Weighted Kernel Density Model for predicting the COVID-19 symptom onset risk. The model can be used to predict the spatiotemporal onset risk continuously. The prediction accuracy in the next three days can reach more than 85%. Focusing on predicting the risk of the symptom onset of cases, this model can predict the development trend of the epidemic in a timelier manner and support the public health department to formulate more precise prevention and control strategies. Based on the self-developed Spatiotemporal Big Data Platform, Professor Shi and his team have developed a visualization platform for COVID-19 onset risk to showcase the latest developments and short-term forecasts of the epidemic. Professor John Shi said, “Smart cities is one of the key research focuses of the University. PolyU’s multidisciplinary research capabilities in the fields of urban informatics, artificial intelligence, robotics and data science will help us further enhance the research of smart city technology. Looking ahead, the PolyU Smart City Research Institute will concentrate its research on a range of smart cities applications such as transportation, the environment, and ageing issues, so as to expedite the development of smart cities in Hong Kong and the Nation.”   ***End***

PolyU honours ten outstanding alumni

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is pleased to announce that it has bestowed the "Outstanding Alumni Award 2021" to ten alumni in recognition of their distinguished professional accomplishments and significant contributions to the community and their alma mater. The award recipients, in alphabetical order of last name, are: Mr Jack CHAN Hoi, EY China Chairman, Greater China Regional Managing Partner and Global Executive Member, Ernst & Young Ms Janet CHEN Lijuan, Chairman, Shenzhen Ebeca Beauty Technology Investment Company Limited Mr Tino KWAN Wing-kuen, Founder and Principal Consultant, Tino Kwan Lighting Consultants Limited Ir Dr Kelvin LEUNG Kai-yuen, CEO, Asia Pacific, DHL Global Forwarding (Hong Kong) Limited Mr Michael ROSS, Vice Chairman, Charoen Pokphand Group and Co-chairman, CP Commercial Real Estate The Hon. Alfred SIT Wing-hang, JP, Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Innovation and Technology Bureau, HKSAR Government The Hon. Tony TSE Wai-chuen, BBS, JP, Member, Legislative Council (Architectural, Surveying, Planning & Landscape), HKSAR Government Sr Augustine WONG Ho-ming, JP, Executive Director and General Manager of the Property Development Department, Henderson Land Development Company Limited Dr Alex WONG Siu-wah, Chairman and CEO, King’s Flair International (Holdings) Limited Ms Mary YU Wah, Founder, Mary Yu Design (Please refer to the Appendix for the biodata of the recipients.) Jointly organised by PolyU and the Federation of PolyU Alumni Associations, the biennial Outstanding PolyU Alumni Award aims at honouring outstanding graduates of PolyU and its forerunner institutions – the Government Trade School, the Hong Kong Technical College and the Hong Kong Polytechnic – for their remarkable professional achievements and contributions to the community and their alma mater. The Outstanding PolyU Alumni Award was first launched in 1996 and this year marks the 13th award presentation. So far, more than 80 distinguished alumni in various professions have been honoured and they are a great testament to PolyU's accomplishments in nurturing professional talents for the community. The eight-member Panel of Judges is chaired by Dr Katherine NGAN Ng Yu-ying, MH, JP, Chairman, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Court. Members, in alphabetical order of last name, include: Ms Dee Dee CHAN, Director, Seal of Love Charitable Foundation Limited; Dr Christopher CHENG Wai-chee, GBS, OBE, JP, Chairman, Wing Tai Properties Limited; Ms Doris LIAN Shaodong, Chairman, Chinese Asset Management Associate of Hong Kong; Ir Eric MA Siu-cheung, GBS, JP, President, Outstanding PolyU Alumni Association; Dr David NG Kin-ching, President, Federation of PolyU Alumni Associations; Professor Jin-Guang TENG, President, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University; and Dr Daniel YIP, Chairman, Federation of Hong Kong Industries.   *****

Statement by the Heads of Universities Committee (HUCOM)

In response to the new grading system for the revised Liberal Studies subject of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) with only two grades: “Attained (A)” and “Not Attained (NA)”, HUCOM has decided that the General Entrance Requirements of the four core subjects for HKDSE applicants will be revised from “3322” to “332A”, i.e. “332” and “Attained (A)”, beginning from the admission of the 2024/25 intake.   ***** END *****

PolyU and You Online Lecture Series 2021

Chinese version only

PolyU develops a highly permeable superelastic conductor which can be used for wearable electronic applications

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has developed a highly permeable and superelastic conductor which can be used for wearable electronic devices that can withstand long-time wearing. This novel conductor is fabricated by coating or printing liquid-metal onto an electrospun elastomeric fibre mat, which offers high permeability, stretchability, conductivity and electrical stability so as to be employed in various applications including health monitoring devices, soft robotics and on-skin electronics. This research, titled “Permeable superelastic liquid-metal fibre mat enables biocompatible and monolithic stretchable electronics” (link), was recently published in Nature Materials.

PolyU wins six prizes at 2021 Inventions Geneva Evaluation Days

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has excelled in this year’s online special edition of the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva (Geneva Inventions Expo) - Special Edition 2021 Inventions Geneva Evaluation Days – Virtual Event. The exhibition is regarded as one of the important annual events in the world devoted exclusively to inventions. PolyU garnered a total of six awards this year, including three Gold Medals and three Silver Medals. Numerous activities around the globe have been disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the daunting challenges, PolyU’s researchers have continued their efforts in research and development as well as in translating research into impactful innovations and applications. Among the six projects the University presented to the judges, two have already been commercialised through PolyU-supported start-ups led by our researchers. The awards won by the University at this event not only demonstrate the professionalism and strength of PolyU’s researchers, but also motivate them to further excel in their academic and scientific pursuits, enabling PolyU to push the boundaries of technological innovation and to generate a far-reaching impact on our community and the world. The winning projects of PolyU cover a wide range of applications, including healthcare, environmental monitoring, smart cities, and automotive safety, thus showcasing the University’s distinguished capabilities and accomplishments in innovation and technology. The six projects are (project details in Appendix):   Project Principal Investigator Awards CareCoatexTM: A Biomaterial-based Core-Shell Particles for Safe and Effective Antibacterial and Antiviral Applications Prof. Pauline Pei LI, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, Co-founder of Grand Rise Technology Limited (a PolyU-supported startup) Gold Medal Smart City Platform: A Comprehensive System for Spatial Data Infrastructure Prof. John Wenzhong SHI, Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics Gold Medal Smart Monitoring System for Urban Tree Management Sr Dr Charles Man-sing WONG, Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics Gold Medal Liverscan: Palm-sized Real-time B-mode Ultrasound Imaging Guided System for Liver Fibrosis Assessment Ir Prof. Yongping ZHENG, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Founder of Eieling Technology Limited (a PolyU-supported startup) Silver Medal A Smart All-electric Antilock Braking System (ABS) Prof. Eric Ka-wai CHENG, Department of Electrical Engineering Silver Medal Biomimicking Photocrosslinkable Nanocomposite Bone Graft Dr Xin ZHAO, Department of Biomedical Engineering Silver Medal   The Inventions Geneva Evaluation Days – Virtual Event, held from 10 to 14 March, attracted about 600 exhibitors from more than 20 countries/regions. It was organised under the patronage of the Swiss Federal Government, the State and the City of Geneva as well as the World Intellectual Property Organisation. For details, please visit the event organiser’s official website: www.inventions-geneva.ch.   ***End***

PolyU School of Nursing launches first Youth Quitline run by nursing students

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) announced the launch of a student-run “Youth Quitline” service from the School of Nursing (SN), and a kick-off ceremony was held recently. The service provides free telephone counselling for young people who want to quit smoking, while nursing students are also given clinical placement opportunities to serve the youth under the pandemic, where they can learn to work in a community setting to benefit people in need. The "Youth Quitline" is funded by the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office of the Department of Health. Trained nursing students from PolyU are responsible for providing essential information to young people aged 25 or below, educating them about the health hazards and misconceptions associated with smoking (including emerging tobacco products), as well as offering assessments of nicotine dependence, formulating smoking cessation plans, suggesting various methods to control smoking addiction and providing free auricular cessation services, so as to help young people develop good lifestyle habits. Referrals can also be made for other appropriate smoking cessation services when needed. “Currently, training on smoking cessation counselling is not covered in most undergraduate nursing curricula. In view of this, PolyU's School of Nursing decided to train students in smoking cessation counselling skills and help them put their learning into practice. They will thus not only be equipped with professional knowledge, but also with essential hands-on experience,” said Professor David Shum, Yeung Tsang Wing Yee and Tsang Wing Hing Professor in Neuropsychology, Chair Professor of Neuropsychology and Dean of the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences of PolyU. He added that due to the pandemic situation, many clinical placements originally planned at various hospitals have been suspended. With the launch of the “Youth Quitline”, the School of Nursing will provide training to its Year 3 students to serve as peer counsellors, preparing them to offer smoking cessation counselling and health education to the public in their future capacity as professional nurses. The “Youth Quitline” has successfully served over 70 young smokers since its launch. Professor Alex Molasiotis, Angel S.P. Chan Lau Professor in Health and Longevity, Chair Professor of Nursing and Head of the School of Nursing, said, “By February next year, PolyU's School of Nursing is expected to have trained nearly 300 nursing students who are able to provide smoking cessation counselling. This will ensure sufficient manpower in expanding clinical and community-based services to quit smoking and hence better promote the benefits of quitting smoking to the general public.” To learn more about the “Youth Quitline” operated by PolyU, please visit: https://www.polyuyql.com/ Youth Quitline Telephone  :  3400 3799 or 1833-183 (press 5) WhatsApp  :  6126 5616 Address  :  Room AG102, Integrative Health Clinic, School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Service Hours  :  Monday to Friday from 10 am to 10 pm; Saturday from 10 am to 8 pm. Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays   ***End***