Dr Yingyu Ge, a visiting scholar to the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE), has been promoted to Associate Director of the Institute of Human Resources Development at the Jiangsu University of Technology’s business school. Dr Ge’s expertise is in human capital management and is especially interested in studying workers who have migrated from rural areas to urbanized cities and their employment issues. She is currently working with Dr Patrick Fong, Associate Head of BRE (Partnership), on a one-year project to improve the employability of a new generation of Chinese migrant workers, especially those who work in construction.

The Department of Building Services Engineering (BSE) welcomed Prof. Asif Sohail Usmani as its new Head on 18 August 2016. Prior to joining PolyU, Prof. Usmani was Head of the Division of Civil Engineering at Brunel University London, UK. Before that, he was Head of the Research Institute for Infrastructure and Environment and Professor of Structural Engineering and Computational Mechanics at the University of Edinburgh, UK.

Following a first degree in Civil Engineering, a master’s degree in Structural Engineering at Stanford University, USA, and four years of structural engineering design and construction in Saudi Arabia, Professor Usmani decided to pursue a research career. He developed finite element codes for the simulation of foundry casting processes at Swansea University, UK, for modelling of molten metal flow, heat transfer and solidification. His multidisciplinary background led him to develop structural fire safety engineering research at the University of Edinburgh following his appointment as Lecturer in 1995 and establish Edinburgh as an internationally leading research centre in this field.

His research focused on understanding the thermo-mechanical behaviour of structures in real fires using computational methods validated with experiments. Key achievements include: providing fresh insights to understand non-intuitive structural behaviour observed in fire; explaining the collapse of World Trade Centre Twin Towers; developing open-source software OpenSees for modelling structures in fire including multi-hazard response simulation. His research output consists of over 200 peer reviewed publications resulting from research funding in excess of seven million pounds sterling. This work will continue at PolyU with a renewed focus on real fires in tall buildings and resilience of communities in dense urban environments such as Hong Kong.

The Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) welcomed a new assistant professor on 8 August 2016. Dr Xintao Liu received his Bachelor of Engineering in Survey from Hohai University, China, in 1998, his Master of Science in Cartography & GIS from Nanjing Normal University in 2003, and his PhD in Geo-informatics from the Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, in 2012. In the same year, he joined the Department of Civil Engineering at Ryerson University in Canada and worked as a postdoc fellow in geographic information science (GIS) and transportation until 2016. His research interests include geographic information services, GIS in transportation, urban computing, urban mobility and sustainability. He has served as a co-investigator of several national projects of Sweden and Canada. His research goal is to apply state-of-the-art technologies to smart cities for a better urban life. He is also a reviewer for a series of major international journals in his field.

Another new assistant professor in LSGI joined the department on 17 August 2016. Dr Wenbin Xu obtained his BS in Geomatics and MSc degrees in Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing from Central South University in 2008 and 2011, respectively. He received his PhD degree in Earth Science from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia, in 2015.

Prior to joining the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, he worked as a postdoc researcher in the Department of Earth and Planetary Science at the University of California, Berkeley, USA.

Dr Xu’s principal research interests include the use of Remote Sensing and Radar Interferometry (RSRI) for studying ground deformation associated with a variety of geophysical and anthropogenic processes, such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and land subsidence. He is also interested in InSAR time series and InSAR atmospheric corrections. Dr Xu has authored and co-authored more than 10 peer-reviewed journal and conferences papers.

Students in the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE) have many choices when it comes to study tours to complement their learning. So far in 2016, over a hundred students in 3 different undergraduate programmes of BRE have participated in a study tour with funding from the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) for teaching and student development that is supported by a generous donation from Mr Yau Kwok Fai, Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Vantage International (Holdings) Ltd. Following are the details:

18 surveying students visited the Netherlands from 14 to 19 May 2016. Under the guidance of Dr Stanley Yeung and Mr Stephen Kong, the students visited the architecturally-unique cube houses in Rotterdam, the windmills in Zaanse Schans and its traditional crafts, the floating houses in Amsterdam, as well as the Delft University of Technology, where they learnt about the construction industry in the Netherlands from several staff of the Faculty of Architecture.

From 11 to 15 May, another group of 31 surveying students visited Kansai, Japan, in the company of Prof. Meng Ni and Prof. Yat-hung Chiang. They learnt about different ways of life in different periods of Japanese history from a visit to the Osaka Museum of Housing and Living. They also learnt about the business culture in Japan and valuation methods from an appraisal by a real estate company. Before returning to Hong Kong, they had a chance to visit Kiyomizu Temple, the Osaka Municipal Abeno Disaster Prevention Center, and the Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution.

Tokyo was the destination of choice for 28 surveying students from 4 to 8 January. Led by Prof. Meng Ni and Mr Stephen Kong, the students visited the Tokyo Science Museum, the Nisseki Surveying Co. Ltd., the Tokyo Rainbow Sewage Museum, and the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum, amongst other places. In addition to learning about traditional Japanese construction technology and modern urban development in Tokyo, they also learnt about the real estate market in Japan and the role of the Japan Constructive Inspect Association in maintaining building standards.

Furthermore, 34 building engineering and management students visited Osaka from 23 to 27 May with their supervisors Dr Johnny Wong and Dr Wadu Mesthrige. Not only did the students gained insights on the building and real estate industry in Japan, they also developed closer bonds with their classmates during the study tour, which included visits to Awaji Yumebutai, the Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution, Kinki University, Osaka Castle Park, and Osaka Museum of History.

20 property management students also visited Osaka from 16 to 20 May. Accompanied by Prof. Eddie Hui and Dr Milton Lau, students upgraded their knowledge with respect to heritage preservation, town planning for entertainment zones, facility management in terms of rubbish collection and parking spaces, as well as the real estate market in Japan generally and Osaka in particular.

Going on a study tour has been one of the best decisions these students ever made during their university years. It is highly recommended for those who would like to widen their perspectives and add an international dimension to their studies.

On 30 August 2016, the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) held orientations for its new undergraduates as part of the PolyU Orientation Programme 2016. Besides a session for students of the Broad Discipline of Construction and Environment (BDCE), each of its four departments held separate sessions as well. In the BDCE session, new BDCE students were welcomed by Prof. Geoffrey Shen, Associate Dean of FCE (Teaching), who introduced the Faculty and BDCE team. Prof. Yat Hung Chiang, the Broad Discipline leader, then briefed students on the BDCE curriculum and the role of academic advising in the students’ studies. Students had a chance to meet their academic advisors and familiarized themselves with the programmes of the four departments, namely, the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE), the Department of Building Services Engineering (BSE), the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), and the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI), which were introduced respectively by Dr Daniel Chan, Prof. Ya Ping Du, Prof. Kwok Fai Chung, and Dr Lilian Pun. The session concluded with a briefing by the Centre for Student Advancement and Resources (STARS).

New full-time postgraduates had their orientation on 1 September 2016. They were welcomed and introduced to FCE by its Dean, Prof. You-lin Xu, after which the Postgraduate Scheme in Construction and Environment was introduced to them by its Chairman, Prof. Geoffrey Shen. Following introductions by Prof. Albert Chan, Head of BRE; Prof. Patrick Du, Asso. Head of BSE; Prof. William Lam, Head of CEE; and Prof. John Shi, Head of LSGI, on their respective department, students went to one of 9 sessions on various taught programmes to meet their programme leaders. All the orientations gave students a better sense of what to expect in terms of resources and facilities available for them to support their chosen studies.

22nd Congregation and Faculty Prize Presentation Ceremony
Date: 1-2 November 2016
Venue: Jockey Club Auditorium, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University