News

LSGI Scholar Receives Leader of the Year Award

In recognition of his achievement in lunar topographic mapping and geomorphological analysis for finding the best landing location on the far side of the Moon for the Chinese space mission of Chang’e 4, Prof. Bo Wu of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) was recently honoured by the Sing Tao News Corporation Ltd. with a Leader of the Year Award 2019 in its Education/Professions/ Technology & Innovation category. He shares the award with another recipient, Prof. Kai-leung Yung of the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, whose research on a camera pointing system enabled Chang’e-4 to capture stunning panoramic images of the lunar surface. Established since 1994, the award aims to provide role models for a younger generation and inspire the public to strive for the best in the development of Hong Kong.

CEE Scholar Coauthored Article in Nature Sustainability

Nature Sustainability has published an article coauthored by Dr Peng Wang of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) and 4 of his former colleagues at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia. Entitled “Photovoltaic panel cooling by atmospheric water sorption-evaporation cycle,” it proposes a sorption-based atmospheric water harvester as an effective component for a new and versatile photovoltaic panel cooling strategy. With little constraint in terms of its geographical application and the potential to improve the electricity production of existing and future photovoltaic plants, the cooling strategy can result in less CO2 emission or less land occupation by photovoltaic panels. More details can be found in the full article https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-020-0535-4. Contributing to global sustainability, the research has been highlighted by Science magazine at https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/05/new-solar-panels-suck-water-air-cool-themselves-down. Dr Wang also promoted this new technology in a blog post at https://sustainabilitycommunity.springernature.com/users/266280-peng-wang/posts/atmospheric-water-cools-photovoltaics-and-more.

HK PhD Fellowship Scheme 2020/21

PolyU was awarded 29 HK PhD Fellowships for 2020/21, a testimony of its strong research programmes. The Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) is pleased to have the above 10 winners (34.5% of PolyU total) for 2020/21.

Most Outstanding PolyU Student Award 2019

Miss Ching Tung Ip, a full-time final-year student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), has won the prestigious Most Outstanding PolyU Student Award 2019. She was chosen for her outstanding academic achievement, strong leadership ability, extensive involvement in extra-curricular activities, substantial community service, and good personal qualities. Prior to winning this award, Miss Ip first won the Outstanding Student Award of CEE, then a similar award from the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE), in addition to numerous scholarships. She believes that an outstanding student should be mature, responsible, and independent. She has certainly demonstrated those qualities with her commitment to serve others. She was a mental health ambassador in 2016/17 and a student ambassador for the university before serving as the Chairlady of the Student Chapter of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE) at PolyU in 2019/20. The Outstanding Students Award Scheme of PolyU is held each year to motivate students to excel in both academic and non-academic pursuits, cultivating a campus culture and public image that is congenial for the development of all-round graduates. Nominees for the award first compete at the departmental level, the winners of which then compete at the faculty level. The winner of the Most Outstanding PolyU Student Award is chosen from the 8 awardees of the Outstanding Student Award of Faculty/ School.

Endowed Professorships for FCE

The Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) is pleased that 2 of its academics have been rewarded with endowed professorships for their outstanding academic and research achievements. Prof. Xiangdong Li, Director of PolyU’s Research Institute of Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD), Associate Dean (Research), and Chair Professor of Environmental Science and Technology in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), has been appointed as Ko Jan Ming Professor in Sustainable Urban Development for a period of 5 years from 1 March 2020 to 28 February 2025. Prof. Li’s major research interests include regional pollution, urban environmental studies, and remediation of contaminated sites. He has published more than 200 papers in leading international journals, and is an author of 15 highly cited papers (top 1%) in Environment/Ecology in the Web of Science database. He was awarded an Outstanding Young Researcher (Overseas) Fund from the Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) in 2007. A past president (2011-2013) of the International Society of Environmental Geochemistry and Health, he is currently an associate editor for Environmental Science and Technology, a journal published by the American Chemical Society, and serves on the editorial board for several other international journals in related fields.     Prof. Shengwei Wang, Chair Professor of Building Services Engineering (BSE), has been appointed Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Professor in Smart Building from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2025. His research interests include building energy systems, smart and energy-efficient control, energy system optimal design and energy diagnosis, building demand response and grid-responsive buildings as well as building automation technologies. A highly cited scholar in the field of energy science and engineering, he has published over 300 papers in refereed journals. One of the most successful scholars at PolyU in integrating academic research with industrial applications, he has received about HKD 20 million from industry for applied energy research and application projects. He is an associate editor of the academic journal of ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers), Science and Technology for the Built Environment, and leads the Building Energy and Automation Research Laboratory at PolyU. With the above appointments in PolyU’s Endowed Professorship Scheme, there are now 5 endowed professorships in FCE.

LSGI Scholar’s Scientific Approach to Keep New Virus off Campus

As part of PolyU’s efforts to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, remote infrared body temperature measurement was implemented at various entrances of the university in early February 2020. This was done with the help of Dr Wallace Lai of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI), who converted prior work developed by Dr Steven Tsang in the Department of Building and Real Estate back in 2003 to fight SARS into feasible practice within a short period. Based on the scientific ground work done by Prof. Lung-Sang Chan and his team from the University of Hong Kong, Dr Lai elaborated on the science behind this preventive measure for the colleagues of the Facilities Management Office for their implementation.

Research Impact Fund 201920

PolyU has been awarded about 45% of the Research Impact Fund 2019/20, the largest share among the local universities. Of the 5 projects received by PolyU, one was led by Dr Bo Wu of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI), with co-principal investigators from the University of Hong Kong, collaborators from Europe, as well as partners from mainland China and local institutions. Entitled “Mapping and characterization for optimized evaluation of potential landing sites on the moon and Mars to support future missions,” the 4-year project will receive HK$4,469,360 from the Hong Kong Research Grants Council, which funds 70% of the project cost, with the remaining 30% from the university and other partners.

Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Processes and Control Launched

As one of the first ten joint laboratories in the Greater Bay Area (GBA), the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Processes and Control unveiled its plaque on 19 December 2019 in Guangzhou. The joint laboratory was a venture led by the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry (GIG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in collaboration with The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Guangdong Institute of Eco-environmental Science and Technology, with Prof. Ping’an PENG (Professor of GIG and CAS Academician) and Prof. Xiangdong LI (Chair Professor of CEE at PolyU and Associate Dean of FCE) as the co-directors. The establishment of the joint laboratory marks the further integration of research teams and resources in the GBA, and gives a big boost to the large-scale collaborative research to address pressing environmental issues in the region, such as air quality and human health, ecological risks of emerging contaminants in estuarine and coastal environments, environmental quality in city clusters, control and remediation of soil mixed contamination, and disposal of municipal waste and sewage treatment in rural areas.

FCE Academics Recognized as Highly Cited Researchers

3 academics of the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) are among the world's most influential researchers of the past decade according to a recent list compiled by the Web of Science. In the field of engineering, Prof. Hongxing Yang of the Department of Building Services Engineering (BSE) and Prof. Kwok Wing Chau of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) have been named. Another CEE colleague on the list is Prof. Shun Cheng Lee, who is being recognized in a cross field. All three of them are being recognized for having produced multiple highly-cited papers that rank in the top 1% by citations for their respective fields. The list can be found at https://recognition.webofsciencegroup.com/awards/highly-cited/2019/

Head of LSGI Elected to IEAS

For his outstanding achievements in geographic information science, remote sensing, urban informatics and smart cities, Prof. John Shi, Head of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI), has been elected to be an academician of the International Eurasian Academy of Sciences (IEAS), an organization established in 1996 to integrate the sciences, technology, and the economy for a harmonious society. Joining a worldwide community of renowned scientists and experts from the natural sciences, engineering, and social sciences, he will be honoured in a ceremony scheduled for 16 November in Beijing at the China Science Center of IEAS.