News

PolyU scientists harness quantum microprocessor chips for revolutionary molecular spectroscopy simulation

A team led by Prof. Liu Ai-Qun, member of RISUD, Chair Professor of Quantum Engineering and Science, Director of the Institute for Quantum Technology, Global STEM Scholar and Fellow of Singapore Academy Engineering, has developed the world’s first 16-qubit quantum microprocessor chip for molecular spectroscopy simulation of actual large-structured and complex molecules. This cutting-edge technology paves the way to solving complicated quantum chemistry problems, including quantum computational applications which are beyond the capabilities of classical computers.   Print news: Hong Kong Economic Times A15, Sing Tao Daily D01, The China Press A08   Press release: English - https://polyu.me/46ZLqji; Chinese - https://polyu.me/3WV8QBJ   Online coverage: The National Tribune - https://polyu.me/3MaKRt5 The Times - https://polyu.me/3yNBGfg Tech and Science Post - https://polyu.me/3YOm1a4 Tech World - https://polyu.me/4fSDMv6 Phys.org - https://polyu.me/3AExz5A Macau Business - https://polyu.me/4duvoA7 Viet Nam News - https://polyu.me/3yAyDqP Hong Kong Economic Times – https://polyu.me/46UOcGd (subscription required) Sing Tao Daily - https://polyu.me/3yTrhyv Headline Daily - https://polyu.me/3MbAPrL Hong Kong Commercial Daily - https://polyu.me/4dFThEU Hong Kong China News Agency - https://polyu.me/3YLahFn Dim Sum Daily - https://polyu.me/3M9l7O1 ETNet - https://polyu.me/3WPX37M Macau Times - https://polyu.me/4dM2ETm Singapore Yahoo Finance - https://polyu.me/3YLIbK9 KR Asia - https://polyu.me/3Mdlbwc Electronics for U - https://polyu.me/3WLtNyI Super Adrian Me - https://polyu.me/3AtJjId Global News - https://polyu.me/4dQNpZj International Daily News - https://polyu.me/3XbfsNt Jornal Cheng Pou - https://polyu.me/46SxuaC The China Press - https://polyu.me/3yJNfnK

Dr Ng Kam-hung shares on low-altitude economy

Dr Ng Kam-hung, member of the Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD) and Assistant Professor of the Department of Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering (AAE), was interviewed by Metro Radio’s programme “民生無小事” on the potential, development and challenge of low-altitude economy and PolyU’s research on this area.   Print news: Oriental Daily News A11 Online coverage: Metro Radio - https://polyu.me/3X3dWNG (0:08 - 40:46); https://polyu.me/3SLt1kf Oriental Daily News - https://polyu.me/3Aip6VR

Prof. ZHENG Zijian shares on Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One‑plus Scheme

Prof. ZHENG Zijian, Associate Director of the Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR), Management Committee Member of the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE), Member of the Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Things (RIAIoT), Photonics Research Institute (PRI) and Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD), and Chair Professor of Soft Materials, was interviewed in i-Cable’s HOY TV programme InnoAction, to share his views on the positive impacts of the “Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One‑plus Scheme” (RAISe+ Scheme) on young scientists, as well as his research projects in the field of soft materials and electronics and their applications and prospects for new energy, new materials, telemedicine, sports monitoring, etc.   Online coverage: i-Cable HOY TV - https://polyu.me/4evWVlH（00:10 – 12:33）   鄭子劍教授談「產學研1+計劃」 智能可穿戴系統研究院副院長、潘樂陶慈善基金智慧能源研究院管理委員會成員、人工智能物聯網研究院、光子技術研究院兼可持續城市發展研究院成員、應用生物及化學科技學系軟材料及器件講座教授鄭子劍，接受有線電視HOY TV「智．創未來」節目訪問，談「產學研1+計劃」對年輕科學家的積極影響，以及分享他在柔軟材料及器件方面的研究項目，及它們在新能源、新材料、遠程醫療、運動監測等領域的應用和前景。 網上報導： 有線電視HOY TV - https://polyu.me/4evWVlH（00:10 – 12:33）

Sr Prof. Charles WONG Man-sing appointed as Member of Energy Advisory Committee, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China

Sr Prof. Charles WONG Man-sing, Management Committee Member of the Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS), Associate Director of the Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD), Member of the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Smart Cities Research Institute (SCRI) and Associate Dean of the Faculty of Construction and Environment, was appointed as a Member of the Energy Advisory Committee of the Environment and Ecology Bureau by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, for a term of two years, with effect from 15 July 2024. The Committee advises the government on energy policy, including policy matters concerning energy supply and demand, energy conservation and efficiency, and other related matters. HKSAR Government press release: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202407/15/P2024071500801.htm

Ir Prof. Albert CHAN awarded Medal of Honour

Ir Prof. Albert CHAN awarded Medal of Honour Congratulations to Ir Prof. Albert CHAN Ping-chuen, Associate Director of the Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD), Dean of Students, Able Professor in Construction Health and Safety and Chair Professor of Construction Engineering and Management, for receiving the Medal of Honour from The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on 1 July 2024, in recognition of his contributions in the construction policy research and in nurturing young talents to join the construction industry. The Government of the HKSAR Press Release: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202407/01/P2024063000273.htm   陳炳泉教授獲頒榮譽勳章 熱烈恭賀可持續發展研究院副院長、學務長、安保建造業健康與安全教授兼建築工程及管理講座教授陳炳泉，於2024年7月1日獲香港特別行政區政府頒發榮譽勳章，以表揚其積極從事建造業政策研究，並致力培育建造業人才，貢獻良多。 香港特別行政區政府新聞公報： https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202407/01/P2024063000265.htm?fontSize=1   陈炳泉教授获颁荣誉勋章 热烈恭贺可持续发展研究院副院长、学务长、安保建造业健康与安全教授兼建筑工程及管理讲座教授陈炳泉，于2024年7月1日获香港特别行政区政府颁发荣誉勋章，以表扬其积极从事建造业政策研究，并致力培育建造业人才，贡献良多。 香港特别行政区政府新闻公报：https://sc.isd.gov.hk/TuniS//www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202407/01/P2024063000265.htm?fontSize=1

RISUD member received the 2024 Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize from ASCE

Prof. Zhen LENG, Member of RISUD and Professor of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 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. Congratulations to Prof. LENG.

The Workshop on Climate-resilient Coastal Cities and Rural Areas II was successfully held

The Workshop on Climate-resilient Coastal Cities and Rural Areas II was successfully held at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) on 19 June 2024. The workshop aims to provide a platform for in-depth exchanges on the development of climate-resilient coastal cities, and to serve as a catalyst for developing further collaborations on engineering adaptation of coastal cities to cater for the effects of extreme weather events. 6 leading researchers from local, Mainland, and overseas institutions were invited to share their perspectives and insights on key topics, covering both the current status and future challenges, to identify future research needs and collaboration opportunities. The workshop concluded with a round-table discussion session to consolidate the current understanding of key issues and to outline key research directions for the future.

RISUD member received the prestigious “Uichi Inouye - Asia International Award”

Prof. Jianlei NIU, Member of RISUD and Chair Professor of Building Environment and Energy of the Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering (BEEE), has been awarded the Uichi Inouye Memorial Award - Asian International Award 2024 by The Society of Heating, Air-Conditioning and Sanitary Engineers of Japan (SHASE). Prof. NIU received the award on 10 May 2024 in Tokyo in recognition of his milestone contributions to the development, design, research, and education in the field of air conditioning, heating, and environmental engineering. The Uichi Inouye Memorial Award was launched by SHASE in 2010 in memory of the late Prof. Uichi INOUYE, a pioneer of modern building services design in Japan. This prestigious award is presented to at most one recipient per year. Congratulations to Prof. NIU.

PolyU develops intelligent traffic monitoring system

Prof. Alan LAU, Management Committee Member of the Photonics Research Institute (PRI), Member of the Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD) and Associate Head of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and his team have developed an Intelligent Real-time Traffic Monitoring System (ITMS) that harnesses fiber optic sensing technology to monitor the traffic flow without any additional hardware.   Prof. Lau explained that the ITMS leverages deployed fibre optic network for telecommunications that covers major roads in Kowloon and Hong Kong to collect location-specific vibration signals generated by vehicles that drive through these busy areas in real time. He believes the real-time data collected by the system could be used to monitor and reduce traffic congestion as well as providing valuable information for road maintenance.   Online coverage: Oriental Daily News - https://polyu.me/4dM4qVf Hong Kong Economic Journal - https://polyu.me/44PfhtF (subscription required) am730 - https://polyu.me/3wKespc Wen Wei Po - https://polyu.me/4bJRVrx Quamnet - https://polyu.me/3ypWKYF Line Today - https://polyu.me/3wGphZB

PolyU study reveals effectiveness of GBGI infrastructure in mitigating urban heat

Prof. GUO Hai, Member of the Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD), Management Committee Member of the Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS), and Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, together with global researchers, have conducted a first-of-its-kind study on the effectiveness of green-blue-grey infrastructure (GBGI) in cooling urban heat across various regions. The study findings have been published in the international interdisciplinary journal The Innovation. The study revealed regional and city-specific variations in the effectiveness of GBGI for mitigating urban heat. In Europe, Asia, North America and Australia, the overall cooling effect of GBGI is up to 18.9°C, 17.7°C, 12°C and 9.63°C respectively. In addition, the implementation of green and blue infrastructures has proven to be highly effective in lowering air temperatures globally. While green infrastructures can regulate urban heat through evaporation, transpiration, shading and thermal insulation, blue infrastructures absorb heat and cool the surrounding area through evaporation. The study also showed notable effects of various GBGI features in mitigating urban heat in Mainland China cities. The most effective means include botanical gardens, wetlands, green walls and attenuation ponds which exhibited temperature reductions of up to 10°C, 9.27°C, 8°C and 7°C respectively. Although the cooling effect ranges are generally similar in the north and south of China, there is variability within the same region. For example, in Beijing, botanical garden could result in up to 10°C temperature decrease while that in Shaanxi province only contributed to 2.7°C. In Hong Kong, parks, green roofs and golf courses were found to play substantial roles in cooling urban heat, resulting in temperature reductions of 4.9°C, 4.9°C and 4.2°C respectively.   Press release: https://polyu.hk/BqOJh Read the full paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666675824000262?via%3Dihub Online coverage: Sing Tao Daily - https://polyu.me/4bbXhvP Sing Tao Headline - https://polyu.me/4bYufjt Ta Kung Pao - https://polyu.me/3K1bUGq Dot Dot News - https://polyu.me/3UIActC Xinhua Finance Agency - https://polyu.me/3K719Cg Hong Kong China News Agency - https://polyu.me/44HGhex Associated Press - https://polyu.me/3UHAC3v ETNet - https://polyu.me/3V3LgTw Macau Business - https://polyu.me/3UJ5CA7 Taiwan Business News - https://polyu.me/3V1UkZ5 Global News - https://polyu.me/4bIX8zF GBA Biz Tech Magazine - https://polyu.me/3V6Aj3O HXCJ - https://polyu.me/4biIXSo Cntechw.com - https://polyu.me/44J3mxq Scienmag - https://polyu.me/4bQn7p4 Science Daily - https://polyu.me/4avRaRS