The landing of Chinese spacecraft Tianwen-1 on Mars in mid-May 2021 has made aerospace history. It was the first time in the world that a spacecraft has completed orbiting, landing and roving in one single mission. Two PolyU research teams had supported the successful mission. One was led by Prof. Bo Wu of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-informatics (LSGI).

With buildings consuming more than a third of the world’s energy use, it is imperative that more cost-effective ways are adopted to manage them more efficiently. The Intergovernmental International Cooperation on Scientific and Technological Innovation Scheme of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (MOST) National Key R&D Programmes has awarded RMB 4,120,000 to Prof. Fu Xiao of the Department of Building Services Engineering (BSE) to conduct research on smart energy management technologies for complex building energy systems in high-density cities.

A research project led by Prof. Wu Chen, Head of Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, and funded by the Innovation and Technology Fund and the Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre (LSCM) was awarded a Silver Medal in the Special Edition 2021 Inventions Geneva Evaluation Days.

Two scholars in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) have recently been supported by the PolyU Areas of Excellence Committee (AoEC) for their projects of strategic importance.

The Board of Education of the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (HKIS) has supported a book proposal by Dr Daniel Chan of the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE) and his former PhD student, Dr Timothy Olawumi.

In the fourth round of the PolyU Postdoc Matching Fund Scheme 2020/21, 18 academics in the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) have been supported with funding to each engage a postdoc fellow (PDF) in their research for 2 years.

The senior management of the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) had a meeting with PolyU President Prof. Jin-guang Teng on 11 May 2021. Accompanying the President were Deputy President and Provost Prof. Wing-tak Wong, Executive Vice President Dr Miranda Lou, Vice President (Education) Prof. Kwok-yin Wong, and Vice President (Student and International Affairs) Prof. Ben Young.

In appreciation of the funding support from the Jockey Club Charities Trust for the Smart City Tree Management Project, Dr Charles Man Sing Wong, Associate Professor and Associate Head (Academic) of LSGI, hosted a visit on campus for the voting members of the Jockey Club on 14 May 2021. The visitors learnt about the development and achievement of the Smart Tree Monitoring System.