A team of researchers from the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) was honoured with two Hong Kong Smart City Awards on 11 June 2018. Prof. Wu Chen, Prof. Xiaoli Ding, and Dr Zhizhao Liu were the members of the winning team in the categories of Smart Mobility: “Differential GPS for Outdoor Positioning” and Smart Environment: “DGNSS for Tracking System.” The awards were based on the research outputs from their Innovation and Technology Commission-funded projects. The research for both projects was conducted in collaboration with the Logistics and Supply Chain Management Research Centre and the Lands Department of the Hong Kong Government.

The Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) is pleased that the following academics have been selected for the annual Dean’s Awards for Highly-Cited Papers:

In addition, 7 academics were selected for the Dean’s Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Research Funding because of their success in securing external competitive research funding (by securing at least 1 RGC GRF/ECS grant and achieving a total score of not less than 3 from the funding schemes recognized for the Award in the past 3 calendar years, or a total score of not less than 4 in the past 5 calendar years).

A ceremony to launch the Jockey Club Smart City Tree Management Project was held on 14 June 2018 at PolyU. Officiating guests were PolyU’s Executive Vice President, Dr Miranda Lou, the Permanent Secretary for Development (Works) of the HKSAR Development Bureau, Ir Chi-keung Hon, JP, and the Head of Charities (Grant Making – Elderly, Rehabilitation, Medical, Environment & Family) of The Hong Kong Jockey Club, Ms Imelda Chan. Each of them gave a well-received speech at the ceremony.

The collaborative project was subsequently introduced by Dr Charles Wong of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI), who is leading a team to monitor the stability of around 8,000 trees in Hong Kong with Smart Sensing Technology and Geographic Information System. Since February 2018, the team has been designing and testing sensors for installation at the lower trunks of selected trees in various areas of Hong Kong. It is also in the process of developing a tree monitoring system that will indicate the geographical locations and changing conditions of different trees with respect to their stability and tilt angles.

With the widespread support of relevant government departments including the Greening, Landscape and Tree Management Section of the Development Bureau, the Energizing Kowloon East Office of the Development Bureau, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, the Architectural Services Department, the Highways Department, and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the 3-year project aims to enhance the efficiency of tree management and sustain the lives of trees. Community engagement programmes will also be launched at a later stage of the project to promote public awareness of tree management.

Collaborating in the project are partners from the University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and Friends of the Earth (Hong Kong). Widely reported by the local media, the project is supported by $32.28 million in funding from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. The kick-off ceremony ended with closing remarks from Prof. You-Lin Xu, Dean of the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE).

At the kick-off ceremony for the project

On 26 June 2018, a delegation from the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics Committee visited PolyU to discuss collaboration on uniform design and slope maintenance with the Faculty of Applied Science and Textiles (FAST) and the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) respectively. Representatives of PolyU welcoming them included Executive Vice President Dr Miranda Lou, Interim Vice President (Student Affairs) Prof. Geoffrey Shen, and Director of the Chinese Mainland Affairs Office (CMAO) Dr Laura Lo. The delegation also met with Prof. Xiaoli Ding, Associate Dean of FCE (Partnership), Prof. Kwok-fai Chung, Director of the Hong Kong branch of the Chinese National Engineering Research Centre (CNERC) for Steel Construction, and Prof. John Shi, Head of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI). They had a chance to visit several laboratories, including the newly established Laboratory for Smart City and Spatial Big Data Analytics. It was a mutually rewarding visit for all concerned.

The visitors with some of their hosts		Touring a lab

An Engineering Forum on the design of buildings and structures in low to moderate seismicity regions was held at PolyU on 4 June 2018. Jointly organized by the Hong Kong branch of the Chinese National Engineering Research Centre (CNERC) for Steel Construction and the Hong Kong Constructional Metal Structures Association, the Forum was supported by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. After a welcoming address from Prof. You-Lin Xu, Dean of the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE), an opening address was delivered by Mr W.K. Pun, J.P., Head of the Geotechnical Engineering Office of the Hong Kong Government. Three internationally renowned experts in earthquake engineering shared their perspectives respectively, including Mr Edmund Booth from the UK, Prof. Nelson Lam of the University of Melbourne, and Prof. John Wilson of the Swinburne University of Technology in Australia. Their presentations were followed by an interactive discussion. Closing remarks were delivered by Prof. K.F. Chung, Director of CNERC. It was a well-received Forum, with over 70 participants. The occasion was marked by the launch of a new Professional Guide entitled “Design of Buildings and Structures in Low to Moderate Seismicity Regions.”

A summer course on GPS/ Beidou/ GNSS Satellite Positioning and Navigation and Earth Observation was held from 11 to 17 June 2018 at PolyU. Organized by Dr George Liu of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) and financially supported by the Croucher Foundation, the course featured 9 invited lecturers from across the globe. A welcome speech was delivered by Prof. You-Lin Xu, Dean of the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) on the first day. He noted the importance of keeping up with the latest advances in global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), which were one of the most rapidly growing technologies in modern society. Prof. John Shi, Head of LSGI, also introduced his department to the 30 participants, who included engineers, postdocs, MSc and PhD students from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Canada. The week-long course provided a great opportunity for the participants to network and learn from some leading lecturers.

Participants of the summer course

Ir Prof. Albert Chan, Head of the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE), led a technical seminar on the evening of 31 May 2018 for the continuing professional development (CPD) of more than 130 industrial practitioners, students and graduates of BRE. Jointly organized by the Hong Kong Institute of Construction Managers (HKICM), the Hong Kong Institute of Project Management (HKIPM), BRE, and supported by the Australian Institute of Building (Hong Kong Chapter), the Hong Kong Institution of Engineering Surveyors (HKIES) and the Hong Kong Institute of Planning Engineers (HKIPE), the seminar was entitled “Steel Frame Construction in Hong Kong: Threats and Opportunities.” In addition to highlighting the current work practices of structural steelwork in Hong Kong, Prof. Chan also pointed out the driving factors and barriers affecting the future development of the local steel construction industry.

A delegation from the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) visited Kazakhstan from 20 to 24 April 2018 to promote the department and its programmes. Led by Prof. John Shi, Head of LSGI, the delegation gave presentations on PolyU, the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) and LSGI to some staff and students at the Nazarbayev University, the Kazakh Agro Technical University, and the International Science Complex – Astana. An interest in research collaboration and academic exchanges with LSGI was expressed by these Kazakhstan institutions as a result.

The LSGI delegation with some of their hosts in Kazakhstan

On 28 June 2018, a farewell tea gathering was held for the Faculty Secretary, Ms Carmen Lee, who was retiring after 24 years with the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE). In attendance were Prof. You-Lin Xu, Dean of FCE, former Deans Prof. Jan-Ming Ko and Prof. Jin-Guang Teng, Associate Dean (Partnership) Prof. Xiaoli Ding, Associate Dean (Research) Prof. Xiang-dong Li, former Associate Dean (Teaching) Prof. Geoffrey Shen, former Interim Dean and Head of the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE) Prof. Albert Chan, Head of the Department of Building Services Engineering (BSE) Prof. Asif Usmani, Head of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) Prof. John Shi, and all the staff of the Faculty Office. Speeches of thanks from the current and former senior management of FCE for the dedicated service of Ms Lee were made before the next Faculty Secretary-designate, Ms YoYo Tsui, was introduced. It was a convivial gathering for all concerned.

At the farewell gathering

3 FCE academics have been selected for Faculty Awards for Outstanding Performance/Achievement for 2017/18. Individual awards went to Dr Xiaolin Zhu of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) for his outstanding teaching, Dr Lin Lu of the Department of Building Services Engineering (BSE) for her outstanding research and scholarly activities, and Prof. Shengwei Wang of BSE for his outstanding services. Each of them will receive a cash prize of HK$10,000. A Teaching Grant of HK$100,000 will also be given to Dr Zhu.

The Faculty Awards were established to motivate staff members to excel in their work performance and give recognition to those with distinguished achievements in the areas of Teaching, Research and Scholarly Activities, and Services. The awardees will also be honoured at the Faculty Congregation and Prize Presentation Ceremony in November.

The Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) is pleased that the following academics have been promoted in July 2018. Following are the details:

Prof. Mingli Chen, BSE
Prof. Chen got his BSc in Physics from Lanzhou University, China, in 1985, MSc in Atmospheric Science from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1988, and PhD in Electrical & Electronic Information Systems from Gifu University in Japan in 2000. He embarked on his academic career at the Lanzhou Institute of Plateau Atmospheric Physics of CAS in 1988, moving to the Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering of Gifu University in late 1996 before joining PolyU’s Department of Building Services Engineering (BSE) in January 2002.

Prof. Chen is an active researcher in the area of lightning physics and its effects, having engaged in 41 research projects funded by the CAS, the National Science Foundation, the General Research Fund (GRF) of the Hong Kong Government and PolyU. In particular, he has won 10 GRFs in the last ten years.

He has 65 refereed journal papers, 106 conference papers and 4 patented/patentable items to his credit. A paper reviewer for many journals, he has received numerous academic awards/prizes, including the Dean’s Awards (2011, 2014 and 2017). In addition to supervising postgraduate students, he has also served as a member of the PolyU Senate, the Faculty Research Committee, the Appeal Tribunal Panel under the Buildings Ordinance of the HKSAR, and the Administrative Appeals Board etc.

Prof. Lin Lu, BSE
Prof. Lu has made a major and lasting impact on building science research and industry, with a focus on renewable energy technologies in buildings, fluid mechanics and heat/mass transfer related to building engineering, and green building nanomaterial development. Prof. Lu has published over 140 SCI journal papers, resulting in an H-index of 31 in the Web of Science Core Collection and 10 highly cited papers by Web of Science. Her prolific research output has contributed significantly to PolyU’s leading ranking in built environment engineering research. Her research findings have been adopted by researchers in over 60 countries and by the local government in its policy guidelines for renewable energy.

Since joining PolyU in 2006, Prof. Lu has successfully secured over 30 research grants (with the total amount of HK$ 17 million) as PI, including over HK$12 million in competitive external research funds. She has been the recipient of many prestigious awards, such as The Faculty Awards for Excellent Performance/Achievement 2017/2018 (Research and Scholarly Activities), the 2017 Hong Kong Green Innovations Award (HKGIA), the TechConnect 2017 Global Innovation Award (USA), a Special Merit Award (R. Alekseev Award) and a Gold Medal in 2017 from the 44th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, the 2014 PolyU FCE Dean’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research Funding, the Hong Kong Green Building Award 2014, a Silver Medal in 2012 from the 40th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, the 2010 PolyU FCE Dean’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research Funding, etc.

Prof. Jianguo Dai, CEE
Prof. Dai received his PhD in Structural Engineering from the Dalian University of Technology in 2000. He has another PhD in Socio-Environmental Engineering from Hokkaido University. After several years of industry experience in Japan, he joined PolyU in June 2008, becoming an associate professor in July 2013 and then professor in July 2018.

Prof. Dai’s main research area is innovative materials and structural systems for sustainable construction. Since joining PolyU, his research has attracted total funding of over HK$24 million from the Research Grants Council General Research Fund, the National Science Foundation of China (NSFC), the Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF), the Environment and Conservation Fund (ECF), the Construction Industry Council (CIC) and other sources. He has authored more than 240 papers in academic journals and international conferences. His research has been recognized by a number of awards, including the Best Basic Research Paper Award from ASCE, Journal of Composites for Construction.

Prof. Dai is active in international research communities. At present, he is Chair of the Technical Board of Asian Concrete Federation (ACF), Vice President of the International Institution of FRP Composites for Construction (IIFC) and Vice Chair of FRP Application Committee of the China Society of Civil Engineering. He is editor of the SCI journal Advances in Structural Engineering and serves a few journals as an editorial board member and more than 50 journals as a referee.

Dr Henry Lee, CEE
Dr Po-Heng (Henry) Lee obtained his PhD from the Dept. of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering from the Iowa State University, USA, in 2010. He received his MSc and BSc in Environmental Engineering from National Chiao Tung University and National Ilan University in Taiwan in 2003 and 2001 respectively. Prior to joining the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2012, Dr Lee served as a full-time lecturer in the Dept. of Environmental Engineering at the Inha University, South Korea, from 2010 to 2012. His research emphasizes the biochemical processes for mining resources from wastewaters using computational thermodynamics and meta-omic approaches, especially in relation to fermentation, anaerobic digestion, and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox)-based processes.

Dr Zhen Leng, CEE
Dr Leng received his BEng in Traffic and Civil Engineering and MEng in Highway and Railway Engineering from Southeast University, China, and a PhD degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA. Before he joined the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2012, he worked as a postdoctoral research associate at the Illinois Center for Transportation in the USA for one year. Dr Leng’s research aims to improve the sustainability and cost effectiveness of pavement systems through material characterization and testing, numerical modeling, and application of nondestructive evaluation technologies. He has received several research awards, including the 1st Runner Up of 2017 HKIE Environmental Paper Award, the Sweet 16 High Value Research Award from the American Association of Highways and Transportation Officials in 2013, and the Innovative Research Award at the 52nd Annual Illinois Bituminous Paving Conference in the USA in 2011. His research has been supported by the Hong Kong Research Grants Council, the Environment and Conservation Fund, the Construction Industry Council, the Highways Department and the Environment Protection Department of the Hong Kong government. He currently serves as an associate editor for the Journal of Cleaner Production and ASCE Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part B: Pavements, and an editorial board member for Road Materials and Pavement Design, Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, and the International Journal of Pavement Research and Technology. He is also a director of the ASCE Hong Kong Section, and a board member of the Hong Kong Society for Transportation Studies.

Dr Wallace Lai, LSGI
Dr Lai is the leader of the BSc (Hons) Geomatics programme in the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI), a visiting scientist of the Federal Institute of Material Research and Testing (BAM) in Berlin, Germany, and a technical assessor of the Hong Kong Accreditation Service of the government of Hong Kong. Trained as an engineer and with six years of practical experience in contracting and consulting, he has been teaching, researching and promoting the rationale ‘Image before Diagnosis,’ from medical imaging of human bodies to a city’s man-made structures, in particular underground utilities. He uses a range of electromagnetic geophysical and nondestructive imaging methods, in particular ground penetrating radar and infrared thermography, and develops methodology, algorithms and inverse models. In his last six years at LSGI, he has established the first underground utility survey lab in the world, hosted the 16th International Conference on Ground Penetrating Radar in Hong Kong and was selected by the University Grants Committee as a finalist of its teaching award (early career). He will continue to embed the rationale of ‘Image before Diagnosis’ in his teaching, research and service to the community.

Dr Charles Wong, LSGI
Dr Wong received both his PhD and MPhil in Remote Sensing and GIS in 2009 and 2005 respectively from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). He started his career at PolyU as an Assistant Professor in 2012 and became Associate Professor in 2018. He was a Fulbright scholar at the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center of the University of Maryland in College Park from 2006 to 2007. He received the Faculty Award for Outstanding Performance in Teaching (Team Award) in 2014/15 and 2016/17; and the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research Funding in 2016. He has broad research interests related to the use of remote sensing in urban heat island effect, urban environmental quality, landslides, vegetation and ecosystems, spectral mixture analysis, aerosol retrieval and monitoring. He is the project leader of two inter-institutional projects, namely the Jockey Club Smart City Tree Management Project, and Augmenting Physical Learning Spaces with Location-based Services using iBeacon Technology for Engaging Learning Experiences, with a funding of HK$32,280,000 and HK$12,321,533 respectively.

53 BEng students from the Department of Building Services Engineering (BSE) visited Seoul from 15 to 21 May 2018 for their study tour, which was sponsored by Kings View Contracting and Technical Services Limited, Krueger Engineering (Asia) Limited, and a donation from Mr Yau Kwok Fai of Vantage International (Holdings) Ltd. Led by 5 of its academic/ research staff, the students visited Yonsei University, one of the most well-known universities in South Korea. After sharing sessions with their Korean counterparts to learn about their respective cultures, the BSE students toured the POSCO Green Building, where various green technologies had been adopted to optimize its energy performance. They also visited Seonyudo Park, an ecological park that used to be the facilities of a water purification plant, and the Seoul Energy Dream Center, a net-zero energy building that promotes energy independent urban development. In addition, they toured 2 revitalization developments and some tourists’ hot spots, including Dongdaemun, the Gyeong Bok Gung Palace, and Seoullo 7017, a pedestrian walkway transformed from a closed elevated highway. The study tour was a fun and meaningful experience for all of the students.

BSE students in Seoul

Seven Master of Science students who received Entry Scholarships recently completed their studies with Distinction in the second semester of 2017/18. Following are some of their thoughts on their experiences at the Faculty of Construction and Environment.

The most memorable experience for Mr Lai Kwok Wai, an MSc graduate in Building Services Engineering, was when he met his fiancee at PolyU, besides making many friends from different cultural backgrounds. He advises students to be curious and always ask why. Understanding the reasons for something facilitates learning. He plans to further his knowledge in building services engineering and become a chartered engineer in the future.

Being a scholarship awardee and finishing the part-time MSc programme in one academic year were the most memorable experiences for Mr Wong Ho Ching, an MSc graduate in Fire and Safety Engineering. He advises students to be ‘hungry’ for knowledge/ intellectual growth, be humble, and strive for excellence. He plans to become a professional engineer in fire and safety, using his skills and knowledge to innovate the profession.

With his MSc degree in High Performance Buildings, Mr Wan Wing Kit has broadened his perspectives. He suggests that students should make more use of the library and departmental resources. He is confident that his MSc study has enabled him to make a better contribution to society and industry.

Ms Wong Kwan Ting, an MSc graduate in High Performance Buildings, has also forged valuable friendships with her classmates and enjoyed the moments studying with them. She thinks time management is especially important for students studying in the part-time mode. Being more focused and taking more notes during lectures can help students study more efficiently to prepare for examinations.

Another MSc graduate in High Performance Buildings, Mr Chong Wai Tung, feels his views of building services engineering and its relevant industry have broadened. He suggests that other students make good use of departmental resources. He plans to contribute his talents to industry.

Ms Tsang Hoi Ting, an MSc graduate in Civil Engineering, encountered different experts from various professions, which have inspired her to think out of the box. She thinks that discussions with professors and peers are effective for learning. Not only do students gain various perspectives from studying with their peers, but learning itself becomes more enjoyable. She plans to get some practical work experience and become a technically competent engineer.

Mr Tsang Cheuk Nam, an MSc graduate in Environmental Management and Engineering, thinks his degree has given him the technical and theoretical knowledge to lay a foundation for his career in the environmental field. The group project was a heavy workload, but it was a great time for him to work with others and learn from them. He has also expanded his social network. It is difficult for part-time students to strike a balance between work and study. Knowing one’s strengths and weaknesses is important.

A dozen of representatives of the 25th Faculty of Construction and Environment Students’ Association (FCESA) met with Prof. Michael Yam, Acting Associate Dean (Teaching), on 12 June 2018 to present their plans and budget for the year ahead. In addition to orientation activities for new students in mid and late August, there will be various sales events, a sports competition, an annual dinner with speakers from various professional bodies, a joint-university Christmas party, and a singing contest for its members. Participating in these activities will give students a chance to mingle and network with their peers. It is hoped their university lives will be enriched by membership in the FCESA, which has chosen the word “Enkindle” as its alias this time.

At the FCESA meeting

In May 2018, a 2013 PhD graduate of the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE), Dr Yi Peng, was appointed Distinguished Professor of “Qianjiang Scholar” of Zhejiang province, as part of a programme to attract high-level academic leaders across the world to accelerate the development of higher education in Zhejiang province. Dr Yi Peng has been working at the Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics since the end of 2014. His research interests include disaster management and sustainable urbanization. His PhD supervisor at BRE was Prof. Geoffrey Shen, Interim Vice President (Student Affairs).