The 2019/20 application results for the RGC General Research Fund (GRF) and Early Career Scheme (ECS) were announced on 28 June 2019. Due to their similar nature, the application results for these 2 schemes have been combined in some of the following analysis:

The performance of FCE this year has been encouraging. Both BSE and LSGI achieved a success rate of 50% or higher. In terms of the number of grants per year, BSE and CEE led with 11 each, followed by LSGI and BRE respectively. As seen from Figure 1, the number of grants reached a peak of 36 over the past 10 years (since 2010/11), bringing the total funding to nearly $24 million (an increase of more than 13% as compared with last year).

Figure 1: Comparison of Number of Grants per Year between Departments over past 10 Years

In terms of the average funding amount per academic staff member (only counting those who are eligible), the rankings of our 4 departments in descending order are BSE, LSGI, CEE and BRE. As shown in Figure 2, the average funding received by FCE academic staff has shown a gradual increase in recent years (around 22% as compared with last year).

Figure 2: Comparison of Amount of RGC Competitive Funding per Eligible Staff Member between Departments over past 10 Years

In the Civil Engineering, Surveying, Building and Construction (CESBC) disciplines of the Engineering Panel, PolyU has led local universities in the GRF/ECS exercises since 1994/95 in both the number of GRF/ECS projects supported and the total grant value awarded, consistently winning around or over 40% of all GRF/ECS grants allocated in these disciplines. The distribution of the amount of GRF/ECS funding in 2019/20 among local universities is shown in Figure 3. We received 41% of the total available funding in the CESBC disciplines this year, with an average funding of HK$607K per project.

Figure 3: Distribution of GRF/ECS Funding in the CESBC Disciplines among Institutions in the 2019/20 Round

Of the 36 GRF/ECS grants awarded to the Faculty this year, 5 were awarded outside the CESBC disciplines. The Faculty won 31 grants (or 41%) totaling HK$19,218K out of 76 GRF/ECS grants awarded by RGC in the CESBC disciplines in the present round (i.e. 2019/20).

FCE colleagues are urged to work hard to ensure a greater share of GRF/ECS funding in the future, which also impacts the R-portion of the University as well as its departments.

The Areas of Excellence Committee of PolyU has recently approved funding for 2 FCE academics to purchase the following large equipment for their research:

In addition, the Areas of Excellence Committee also approved funding to purchase a large equipment for teaching purposes. Details are as follows:

Dr Xinyan Huang of the Department of Building Services Engineering (BSE) was recently honoured with a Grand Award (Research and Development) in the Fire Engineering Excellence Award 2019. Organized by the Fire Engineering Division of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE), the award gave recognition to his project entitled “Critical drip size and blue flame shedding of dripping ignition in fire.”

At the 4th National Quantitative Remote Sensing Forum held in Nanjing, China, from 15 to 16 June 2019, Dr Xiaolin Zhu of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) was honoured with the Li Xiaowen Remote Sensing Young Scholar Award. Prof. Li Xiaowen was a renowned scientist in remote sensing and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Established by the State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science, the Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, CAS & Beijing Normal University, the awards are presented to five young scholars in the field of remote sensing every two years.

In a 2-year project funded by the government, researchers at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and PolyU’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) have been testing eco-friendly concrete blocks and panels for sea walls in the New Territories. With grooves and ridges like rocks that have been eroded by weather and seawater, these eco-panels nurture organisms that are indispensable for a diverse ecosystem to survive. Attached to sea walls at Ma Liu Shui, Sai Kung, and Lung Kwu Tan, these blocks and tiles are made from concrete mixtures of sediment dredged from navigation channels and the ash of burned sludge from a wastewater treatment plant. Not only is waste recycled into eco-concrete, eco-shorelines also promote biodiversity and make reclamation a more sustainable alternative.

The inter-disciplinary project team consisted of 6 members, including Prof. Chi-Sun Poon, Head of Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

5 academics from the Faculty of Construction and Environment have been selected by the Hong Kong Scholars Programme (HKSP) 2019 to each engage a mainland scholar as a Postdoctoral Fellow in their research projects. Launched in December 2010 as a joint initiative between mainland authorities and the Society of Hong Kong Scholars, the HKSP promotes academic/ scientific exchanges and collaboration by matching outstanding mainland PhD graduates with leading academics of universities in Hong Kong, who will supervise the mainland scholars for 2 years in a research project. Following are the details:

To promote modular integrated construction (MiC) in Hong Kong, a technical seminar on the topic was held on 11 July 2019 at the InterContinental Grand Stanford Hotel. Jointly organized by the Chinese National Engineering Research Centre for Steel Construction (Hong Kong Branch) (CNERC) and the Hong Kong Constructional Metal Structures Association (HKCMSA), the seminar provided a platform for engineers and researchers to share the latest applications of MiC in both public and private buildings. Mr K. K. Chan, Chairman of the Construction Industry Council (CIC), officiated at the opening ceremony, where 2 Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) for research collaboration were signed between CNERC and the Centre for Advanced Manufacturing of Prefabricated Housing (CAMP.H), The University of Melbourne, on the one hand, and between CNERC and SenseTime Group Ltd. on the other.

Supported by the Construction Innovation and Technology Fund, the seminar featured 8 presentations from well-known scholars and practitioners, including one from Prof. Kwok-fai Chung, Director of the Hong Kong Branch of CNERC. About 350 participants attended the seminar, including Ir Eric Ma, former Secretary for Development of the Hong Kong Government, Ir Dr Richard Pang of the CIC, and Prof. Chi-sun Poon, Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE).

In connection with the re-accreditation of the MSc and BSc programmes in Geomatics, a panel from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) met with the programme team of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) on 5 July 2019. The 3-member panel was introduced to LSGI by its Department Head, Prof. John Shi. In attendance were Dr Lilian Pun, Associate Head in Teaching, Dr Wallace Lai, the BSc programme leader, and Dr Bo Wu, the MSc programme leader. In addition to meeting Mr Alan Kwong, Senior Manager of CLP Power HK Ltd. and an external member of the Departmental Advisory Committee, Mr Nick Inatey and Mr Thomson Lai of RICS met with 2 students in each of the programmes. Subsequently, the panel from RICS presented their summary and findings to the LSGI programme team, including its recommendation to re-accredit the two programmes for 5 more years.

To engage secondary students in its programmes of study, the departments of PolyU recently introduced various activities highlighting their respective programmes. The programme of the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE) was hosted by its Associate Head (Partnership) Prof. Eddie Hui. Prof. Albert Chan, Head of BRE, welcomed the secondary students, who were subsequently introduced to BRE programmes, the Smart Construction Laboratory, the Modular Integrated Construction Display Centre as well as the Construction Innovation and Technology Application Centre. Students also had the opportunity to engage in some games related to construction.

Participants of the BRE summer programme

The Department of Building Services Engineering (BSE) held its summer programme on 9 July 2019. 36 secondary students attended a briefing on the department and visited a lab to see a laboratory demonstration before going to Hong Kong Disneyland to learn about the centralized absorption chiller plant for 3 hotels near the theme park. They also visited the heat pump and boiler room as well as the emergency generator room at Hollywood Hotel.

Participants of the BSE summer programme

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) provided 2 days of training for 30 secondary students on 26 June 2019 and 50 students on 27 June 2019. In addition to introductions to some of its programmes and a mini lecture on the role of civil and environmental engineers to drive sustainable growth, students visited several departmental labs, toured the PolyU campus, and participated in a team-based competition to build a plastic stick bridge.

Participants of the CEE summer programme with some CEE academic staff

40 secondary students participated in the summer programme held by the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) on 8 July 2019. Besides learning about its undergraduate programmes, they also attended a workshop on satellite image processing, visited LSGI laboratories, the House of Innovation and the Smart Aging Hub.

Participants of the LSGI summer programme

On 5 July 2019, about 150 mainland students from secondary schools in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) who were participants in the GBA Drone Competition visited the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) to learn about the applications of innovative technology in a smart city. They were introduced to FCE and its undergraduate programmes before being led on a tour of some of its laboratories, including those with a specific focus such as transport, water, fire, smart city, and smart digital construction. It is hoped that some of these students from the GBA would be inspired by our programmes and facilities to pursue further studies at FCE.

GBA students with a few FCE staff (front)

The Postgraduate Scheme in Construction and Environment provides scholarships to outstanding applicants admitted to the taught MSc programmes. For 2019/20, 15 scholarships covering the tuition fees were given to the following applicants:

Sherif Mohamed Abdelmageed Mohamed BRE MSc in Construction and Real Estate	Joosang Yoo BRE MSc in Construction and Real Estate	Ka Ming Tang BRE MSc in Construction Law and Dispute Resolution	Wai Ming Wong BRE MSc in Construction Law and Dispute Resolution

Angulugaha Kanaththage Tharindu Darshana Abhayajeewa BRE MSc in Project Management	Jia Xi Kelvin Chen BRE MSc in Project Management	Kam Chuen Kwan BSE MSc in Building Services Engineering	Wing Yan Tong BSE MSc in Building Services Engineering

Chi Leuk Piu Chan BSE MSc in Facility Management	Chi Keung Yuen BSE MSc in Facility Management	Pik Han Christina Tang BSE MSc in High Performance Buildings	Lai Kan Wong CEE MSc in Civil Engineering

Ho Wang Chan CEE MSc in Environmental Management and Engineering	King Fung Chau LSGI MSc in Geomatics (Geographic Information Systems)	Jian Cheng FCE MSc in Sustainable Urban Development

From 15 to 17 July 2019, a group of research students from FCE visited Nanjing University (NJU) for the Young Scholar Symposium on Sustainable Urban Governance. Led by Prof. Geoffrey Shen, Associate Dean (Teaching), they presented their research and participated in a session on advancing governance ability for sustainable cities with some mainland researchers. They also visited Sponge City Park in the Qixia district of Nanjing, the Nanjing Museum, and the city’s Urban Planning Exhibition Hall. Funded by the Ministry of Education in China under its Ten Thousand Students’ Programme and hosted by the School of Government of Nanjing University, the exchange provided a great learning experience in sustainable urban development and governance for all who participated.

Participants of the academic exchange

More than 150 students from the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE) took the opportunity to participate in a 4 to 5-day study tour in 2018/19. 2 groups visited Tokyo in early January, 2 more groups visited Osaka in January and May respectively, while 1 group visited Taiwan in late May.

Accompanied by Dr Hongqin Fan and Dr Hsi-Hsien Wei, 25 building engineering and management students visited the Tokyo office of ARUP, Omotesando, Tokyo Institute of Technology, the Archi-Depot Museum, and CBRE, the leading global provider of comprehensive commercial real estate services in Japan. Another group of 31 students visited the Tokyo Institute of Technology with Prof. Eddie Hui and Ms Hebe How, in addition to Roppongi Hills, Nishimatsu Construction Co. Ltd., Japan Real Estate Institute, and a selected place of interest.

Students in front of Tokyo Tech Library		Students at the Tokyo office of ARUP

Among the places in Osaka visited by a group of students were the Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution, the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge Exhibition Centre, the Graduate School of Engineering of Osaka University, and the Japan Real Estate Institute. In particular, students studying property management went to the Hankyu Hanshin Department Store, the Umeda Sky Building, the Nankai Electric Railway, and Kansai University. All these landmarks provided excellent examples of the concepts and principles that students have learnt in their classes.

Students at the Graduate School of Engineering of Osaka University		Students at the Nankai Electric Railway

The 39 BRE students visiting Taiwan not only experienced its unique culture, but also learnt about its construction and real estate industry. The places they visited included Taipei 101, National Chiao Tung University, the National Centre for Traditional Arts, Fubon Life Tungnan Building, the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Beitou Park and Taipei Public Library. The study tours were unforgettable learning experiences for all the students.

Students at the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology