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FCE Proudly Debuts PolyU’s First Faculty-based Education and Research Fund |
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 The Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) is delighted to announce the official launch of the FCE Education and Research Fund (FCE Fund), the first faculty-based platform in PolyU that solicits concerted and sustainable support of the community for the advancement of education and research development of the Faculty. An online launch ceremony was hosted on 26 March 2022. Prof. Jin-Guang Teng, President of PolyU, expressed his joy to witness a milestone in the University’s 85th Anniversary in his welcome speech. Prof. Teng reiterated the University’s commitment to academic and research excellence. The establishment of the FCE Fund, with the backing of the University, provides sustainable resources to the Faculty to accelerate its research and education efforts, with the ultimate goal of benefiting our society and the wider world. Prof. Xiang-dong Li, Dean of Faculty of Construction and Environment, emphasized that FCE, as a world-leading faculty in civil and structural engineering, as well as architecture and built environment disciplines, is determined to create innovative solutions for sustainable urban development, building smart cities and improving people’s lives. The FCE Fund will serve as a key fundraising platform in supporting the strategic initiatives and the holistic development of the Faculty and its academic departments across disciplines. The Faculty has been engaging its alumni, industry stakeholders, partners and friends in its establishment of the FCE Fund, and has so far raised over HK$10 million donations. Prof. Li particularly expressed his gratitude to the Fund’s donors and supporters, whose contributions, together with fundings from the PolyU Donation Matching Scheme and the UGC Research Matching Grant Scheme, laid a solid foundation of over HK$20 million for the FCE Fund to inaugurate. The donation will enable FCE to materialise its ambitious plans and initiatives set out under the Fund, in supporting the emergence of new knowledge and innovative ideas, grooming talents, and accelerating high-impact research projects with societal impact. Prof. Li concluded his speech by calling upon the audience to support the Fund and introducing the new online donation platform. It was highlighted that PolyU will match $1 for every $2 donation to the FCE Fund, thereby multiplying the donation for greater impact. Ms Belinda Chow, Director of Alumni Affairs and Development, shed light on the role of the Alumni Affairs and Development Office (AADO) in significant initiatives like the FCE Fund. Ms Chow shared ways of engaging alumni and maintaining the bond between the University and the alumni community. The online ceremony ended on a high note with an inspiring speech from Ir Yau Kwok-fai, an alumnus of PolyU and the President of the Federation of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Alumni Associations. Ir Yau shared his vision with the audience and illustrated how the FCE Fund sets a good example of alumni contributing and involving in the alma mater’s development. Ir Yau emphasized the Alumni Associations’ support for PolyU in its pursuit of education and research excellence. For more details of the FCE Fund, please refer to the Fund homepage. |
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FCE Scholars Secure Over $6.5 Million Funding from Environment and Conservation Fund |
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Six impactful research projects led by FCE scholars have been supported by the Environment and Conservation Fund (ECF), with a total funding of over HK$6.5 million. Among the HK$10 million funding received by the thirteen projects from PolyU, FCE composes the largest share in both number of projects and amount of funding granted. These projects aim at developing green technologies to address environmental issues as well as to achieve decarbonisation in our society.
Established by the Government in 1994, the ECF supports local non-profit-making organisations like universities, schools, community bodies and green groups, by funding their educational and research projects on environmental and conservation initiatives in Hong Kong. |
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FCE Sharing Session on Teaching Excellence to Promote Innovative Pedagogy |
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To enhance professional development of teaching staff and quality of student learning, an online sharing session on teaching excellence was held on 22 March 2022. Prof. Xiang-dong Li, Dean of Faculty of Construction and Environment, gave an opening address to kick off the sharing session. Speakers shared their insights and experiences on pedagogy to the audience, covering topics from incorporating creative elements to boost student motivation, facilitating interaction among students through online classes, to fostering internationalisation of classes during the pandemic. Prof. Charles Wong, Associate Dean (Teaching), thanked all speakers and emphasised the importance of quality teaching in his closing remark.
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Findings on Flash Droughts Published in Nature Communications |
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In recent years, flash droughts have occurred worldwide even in humid regions like southern China, making it an emerging hot topic. As its name suggests, flash droughts develop much faster than traditional droughts. In the past two decades, more than one third of flash droughts developed within 5 days. Giving very few early warnings, flash droughts leave human beings unprepared for the severe impacts they bring, e.g., imbalance of ecosystems and agricultural systems. The study by Dr Shuo Wang of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) and his team was published in Nature Communications on 3 March 2022. While existing studies and papers mostly focus on the occurrence and importance of flash droughts, and how to detect them, Dr Wang and his team’s study revealed the mechanism causing flash droughts. For the first time, there is an answer to the scientific question “how fast flash droughts evolve and why”. The new study helps to develop early warning systems and forecast flash droughts, allowing policymakers and stakeholders to formulate mitigation plans and risk management strategies. The complete article “Accelerating Flash Droughts Induced by the Joint Influence of Soil Moisture Depletion and Atmospheric Aridity” is available at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28752-4 |
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Research on Nighttime Light Remote Sensing Awarded in AAG Student Honors Paper Competition |
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Xiaoyue Tan, a PhD student of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI), won the first-place in the 2022 RSSG Student Honors Paper Competition held by the Remote Sensing Specialty Group (RSSG) of the American Association of Geographers (AAG). Supervised by Dr Xiaolin Zhu from LSGI, the winning paper “Modeling the Direction and Magnitude of Angular Effects in Nighttime Light Remote Sensing” investigated the uncertainties caused by angular effect in nighttime light (NTL) daily time series, and proposed a conceptual model to explain the mechanism of NTL angular effect. The research facilitates the development of technologies for reconstructing high-quality daily NTL time series, to better monitor high-frequency socioeconomic activities. The paper is published in Remote Sensing of Environment, one of the top journals in the discipline. |
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CEE Scholar Appointed to the Environment Bureau’s Air Science and Health Task Force |
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Prof. Wang Tao, Chair Professor of Atmospheric Environment of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), is appointed by the HKSAR Government’s Environment Bureau as a member of the Air Science and Health Task Force for the Review of the Air Quality Objectives (AQOs) 2030, to contribute his expertise in air pollution control for safeguarding public health. The Task Force undertakes a series of reviews to evaluate the air quality improvement and health benefits under different control scenarios with implementation of possible new measures, and also advises the AQOs Review Working Group on the methodologies on air science and health and economic impact assessments. |
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LSGI Scholar Elected Fellow of American Association of Geographers 2021 |
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Prof. Qihao Weng, Chair Professor and Global STEM Scholar of Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI), was elected 2021 American Association of Geographers (AAG) Fellow for his significant contributions to advancing geography. Prof. Weng is a global leading figure in the development of the field of urban remote sensing. His methodology for estimating land surface temperatures is widely applied and cited in a range of other disciplines “He has helped lead the field of remote sensing at the AAG and beyond.”, remarked the renowned association. The AAG Fellowship is a recognition programme established in 2018 by the century-old association. Prof. Weng was among the ten awardees elected worldwide. |
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Welcome New Staff to FCE |
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Dr Wen Yi joined the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE) as an Assistant Professor in January 2022. She obtained her PhD from the BRE and had more than two years’ postdoctoral experiences in Hong Kong and Australia. Before joining the BRE this year, Dr Yi was a Senior Lecturer at Massey University, New Zealand. Her research covers optimization in construction management, construction safety and health, and construction engineering and management. |
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FORTHCOMING |
Details: to be announced |
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Date: May to October 2022 Details: to be announced |
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INVITATION FOR |
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Applications are invited for the following programmes. |
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