News

RISA member reveals therapeutic music-with-movement programme improve dementia symptoms

Dr Daphne CHEUNG, Member of the Research Institute for Smart Ageing and Associate Professor of the School of Nursing, explained how therapeutic music-with-movement intervention helps improve cognition and psychosocial symptoms of patients with dementia on a TVB programme “Vital Lifeline”. According to Dr Cheung, patients with dementia participating in a 12-week therapeutic music-with-movement intervention demonstrated improvement in both social skill and mental health condition. Online review: TVB - https://polyu.me/3mJ3Txg (14:26 - 16:24)(Cantonese only)

RISE member granted 2023 Guangdong Natural Science Fund

The three-year project “Rational Design of Advanced Pd-based Electrocatalysts for Carbon Dioxide Reduction” by Dr Bolong HUANG, Member of the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE), was awarded a grant of RMB100,000 from the 2023 Guangdong Natural Science Fund (General Program) under the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Fund of the Guangdong Provincial Department of Science and Technology (GDST). The Fund encourages young researchers from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau regions to conduct basic research with a view to facilitating the development of an international innovation and technology hub in the Greater Bay Area (GBA).

MHRC Member named as Rising Star by Association for Psychological Science

Dr Bryant P. H. HUI, Member of the Mental Health Research Centre, has been selected as one of the 48 Rising Stars of the Association for Psychological Science (APS), among 200 candidates from 18 countries. This year, he is the only researcher in Hong Kong receiving the honour. The APS Rising Star designation recognises outstanding APS members in the earliest stages of their post-PhD research career. The Rising Stars are selected for their research excellence based on six criteria, including publications, recognitions, theoretical or empirical contributions, breadth of research impact, commitment to diversity in science, and demonstrated independence from mentors.  Dr Hui is dedicated to examining the key factors that underpin human prosocial behavior and well-being. His research findings have been published in internationally-renowned journals and cited extensively. Currently, Dr Hui is focusing on translational research that promotes societal development. He is now developing effective interventions to promote acts of kindness, along with several projects that are likely to transform into innovative practices that benefit humanity and bring positive social impacts. The full list of the APS 2023 Rising Stars is available at: https://www.psychologicalscience.org/members/awards-and-honors/aps-rising-stars/news-rising-stars

RIAIoT Leading Member speaks on edge AI at a science popularisation programme

Prof. GUO Song, Leading Member of Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Things (RIAIoT) and Professor in the Department of Computing (COMP), PolyU, presented a keynote speech on edge AI in an educational and science popularisation programme led by the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Hong Kong Institute of Science & Innovation, Chinese Academy of Sciences on 2 March 2023. Prof. Guo explained the indefinite potential of edge computing in driving the development of smart cities.   Online coverage: Ta Kung Pao - https://polyu.me/3J7mqMx Bauhinia - https://polyu.me/3JdQdDv

RISE member proposes Guangdong–Hong Kong collaboration on renewable energy development towards “double carbon” goals

Ir Prof. YANG Hongxing, Member of the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE) and Professor in the Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering (BEEE) of PolyU, suggested Hong Kong to collaborate with Guangdong on renewable energy development, including constructing offshore wind energy generator facilities and investing in photovoltaic power projects in Guangdong, at the 2nd Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao–Greater Bay Area New Energy Industry International Summit Forum held on 1 March 2023. Online coverage: Ta Kung Pao - https://polyu.me/3KPUG0q (Chinese Only) Wen Wei Po - https://polyu.me/3SMOxUr (Chinese Only) ifeng.com - https://polyu.me/3SEp7bD (Chinese Only) China News Service - https://polyu.me/3SDQ9Qx (Chinese Only)

Turing Award Laureate Professor Joseph Sifakis delivers lecture on AI and autonomous systems

The PAIR Distinguished Lecture delivered by Turing Award Laureate Professor Joseph Sifakis, Emeritus Senior CNRS Researcher at Verimag Laboratory, was successfully held on 3 March 2023. The webinar attracted about 800 participants from more than 50 countries and regions, including Australia, Belgium, China, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States. It was also broadcasted live on multiple social media platforms, including Bilibili and Weibo, and viewed by over 12,000 online audience in total. The webinar was kick-started by Prof. CHEN Qingyan, Director of PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR) and Chair Professor of Building Thermal Science in the Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering at PolyU, followed by a welcome speech by Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation) and Chair Professor of Thermal and Environmental Engineering at PolyU and a speaker introduction by Prof. CHEN Changwan, PAIR Management Committee Member and Chair Professor of Visual Computing at PolyU. Prof. Sifakis shared his major work on the formalisation of system design as a process leading from given requirements to trustworthy, optimised and correct-by-construction implementations. He first presented an analogy between human and machine intelligence, followed by a review of the transition from automation to autonomy in the development of trustworthy autonomous systems, and summarised the lecture by discussing the impacts of the artificial intelligent systems. A question-and-answer session moderated by Prof. Chen Qingyan and Prof. Chen Changwen followed. The audience was inspired to have a fruitful exchange with Prof. Sifakis. Online review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqxZ5Zu6-Co  

PAIR Newsletter ∙ Issue 5 ∙ March 2023 is now available online!

In this issue, we are delighted to share PAIR’s latest innovations and endeavours. A significant highlight of this issue includes a dialogue with Prof. David Cardwell, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Strategy and Planning), The University of Cambridge, about the future of global higher education. You can also read about feature stories with the Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD) and the Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE) to learn their contributions to sustainability challenges, our latest #research findings, knowledge transfer, award recognitions, and scholarly events. If you find any articles or links in our newsletter that are especially enlightening and applicable, please share the relevant content with your friends and colleagues. Happy reading! 

PolyU and MCMIA co-organise university-industry collaboration forum to drive Chinese medicine innovation in the GBA

PolyU and The Modernized Chinese Medicine International Association (MCMIA) co-organised the “University-Industry Collaboration on Chinese Medicine Innovation Forum”, bringing together over a hundred academic and industry leaders from the GBA to share insights on how to promote the development of Chinese medicine (CM) under the latest national plan and policies. Further reading: https://polyu.hk/dSade

Two MHRC Associate Directors receive over HK$3.2 million funding from the Health Bureau of the HKSAR Government

Two projects led by two Associate Directors of the Mental Health Research Centre (MHRC), Prof. Hector TSANG, Chair Professor and Head of Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, and Prof. Sylvia CHEN, Associate Dean of Faculty of Health and Social Sciences and Professor of the Department of Applied Social Sciences, received funding totaling HK$3.2 million in Phase 2 of the Mental Health Initiatives Funding Scheme of the Health Bureau. Launched in 2021 and coordinated by the Advisory Committee on Mental Health, the Scheme aims to fund projects that could help provide better support to those in need in the community and to raise public awareness on mental health. The two awarded projects devise sustainable solutions to address the mental health issues of different people, including the implementation of short-term certificate programmes for caregivers of persons with disabilities, and the application of virtual reality technology to support adolescents with special educational needs (SEN). Prof. David SHUM, Dean of the Faulty of Health and Social Sciences, member of MHRC, said, “Mental health is an imperative issue that we cannot ignore. Under the impact of the pandemic in recent years, different groups in the community are faced with urgent needs for mental health support. The Faculty of Health and Social Sciences has been committed to mental health research over the years. The funding support combined with our strengths in scientific research and practice will bring impactful solutions for the benefit of various community groups.” Two projects awarded under Phase 2 of the Mental Health Initiatives Funding Scheme: Principal Investigator: Prof. Hector TSANG Associate Director of MHRC, Chair Professor and Head of the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences Project Title: Enhancing the Mental Health of Carers of Persons with Disabilities with Support Services Delivered by Trained Carer Support Ambassadors Project Summary: The project aims to support carers of persons with disabilities. It will implement a short-term certificate programme for frontline workers such as occupational therapy assistants, rehabilitation assistants, patient care assistants and welfare workers to become Carer Support Ambassadors who will deliver mental health support to carers. This innovative approach is designed to address the shortage of manpower in mental health services and the growing support needs for carers. Funded Amount: HK$1.3 million   Principal Investigator: Prof. Sylvia CHEN Associate Director of MHRC, Associate Dean of Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Professor of the Department of Applied Social Sciences Project Title: Reducing Social Avoidance and Enhancing Prosocial Behaviour among Adolescents with Special Educational Needs Project Summary: The project aims to foster prosocial behaviour of adolescents with special educational needs (SEN) in transition with the use of virtual reality (VR) technology. It will implement social anxiety intervention based on a cognitive-behavioural approach with a virtual coach acting as the therapist and develop a gamified prosocial VR intervention for adolescents with SEN. This VR-assisted social avoidance and prosocial behaviour intervention would benefit individuals and society by cultivating psychological and socially healthy young people. Funded Amount: HK$1.9 million Co-PIs: Prof. Winnie Mak (Member of MHRC and Professor, Department of Psychology, CUHK) Dr Bryant Hui (Member of MHRC and Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Social Sciences, PolyU) Co-Is: Dr Jeffrey Ho (Assistant Professor, School of Design, PolyU) Dr Richard Li (Research Assistant Professor, Department of Computing, PolyU) Dr Rosetta Wong (Teaching Fellow, Department of Applied Social Sciences, PolyU)

RCSV and SO 45th Anniversary Joint Distinguished Lecture on 23 March

To celebrate the 45th Anniversary of the School of Optometry of PolyU, the School and the Research Centre for SHARP Vision (#RCSV) are co-organising a distinguished lecture "Insights from visual neuroscience on Developmental Dyslexia" delivered by Prof. Deborah Giaschi, Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences of The University of British Columbia, Canada, on 23 March (Thursday) from 9:00 to 10:30am via Zoom. More details and registration: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/rcsv/news-and-events/events/2023/03/20230323-distinguished-lecture/?sc_lang=en