Outstanding Alumni Award of PolyU Department of Mechanical Engineering 2022

Prof. Yuen is currently an executive of the Hospital Authority overseeing the design, construction and operation of the engineering infrastructure in public hospitals including the two mega-scale 10-year hospital development plan projects. Under his stewardship, the hospitals adopted a number of innovative engineering measures covering also energy savings to lower carbon emission and received the “Regional Energy Project of the Year Award” by the US Association of Energy Engineers for three consecutive years. He had been WHO and UNOPS advisor for constructing isolation facilities in the Republic of Indonesia, and provided voluntary engineering support to Szechuan Earthquake hospital reconstruction works.

A veteran hospital engineer and an expert in the specialized hospital ventilation system, Prof. Yuen Pak Leung is a well-known figure in the industry. During his 40 years of hospital engineering service, he had fought several battles against the pandemics encountered by both SARS and COVID. With his wit and expertise, he was able to overcome the challenges by devising isolation facilities in hospitals within a short period, thus keeping the spread of the virus in check.

During the outbreak of SARS in 2003, there was a serious shortage of isolation beds in hospitals. Prof. Yuen came up with a brilliant yet simple and fast track idea of adding exhaust fans strategically in general wards which serves to create inward airflow for installing isolation effect. After SARS, he did research and continued to steer the renovation of the ventilation system with a view to transforming general wards into isolation facilities with negative pressure functions. The number of isolation beds in hospitals thus significantly increased from 177 to over 1,000 within a short period. He also developed the world’s first-of-its-kind convertible design, which allows these isolation wards to be easily changed back into general wards under normal circumstances, which greatly enhances the flexibility in the deployment of wards. During COVID to timely cater for the rapid rise in infected, he made further inventions to swiftly turn general wards into Tier 2 isolation facilities, and converted exhibition halls into large scale Community Treatment Facilities (CTF), as well as the first high standard isolation ward in MiC form for immediate deployment in CTF. Appointed by the HKSAR Government, he is chairing the Working Group on Implementing the Requirement on Air Change or Air Purifiers in Dine-in Restaurants under Cap. 599F across over 18,000 eateries in Hong Kong. 

Internationally, he is current Deputy Chair of the Seoul Accord, Deputy Chair of the International Engineering Technologists Agreement (IETA), and the Vice President of CIBSE UK. Although Prof. Yuen has already stepped down from the post of the President of HKIE, he has insisted on realizing the ambition he had for HKIE during his tenure - “Believing is seeing - Innovation for transformation”. He firmly believes only with innovation we can find our way forward and ensure the sustainable development of Hong Kong.

Miss Winky Lui has been devoting to voluntary services at various professional institutions with an aspiration to uplift the image of engineers and draw an influx of the younger generation, especially women engineers, into the industry in the foreseeable future by actively promoting STEM/STEAM education and fostering innovation technology and knowledge exchange.

Winky was the Chairlady of the Organizing Committee of the Future Engineers Project (FEP) 2019, a half-year STEAM youth nurturing programme jointly organized by the Education Bureau of the HKSAR Government, PolyU Faculty of Engineering and 7 professional institutions (IMechE, ASHARE, IET, ASCE, IGEM, AES and HKIPE). She led the team of over 40 volunteers towards the successful completion of the programme. As an ambassador of the Women In Science & Engineering (WISE) Programme of IET Hong Kong and a member of the Ladies Engineering Team of HKIE MMNC Division, she acts as a role model to share her experience and vision in a number of career talks and workshops to inspire students, especially girls, that engineering is a prosperous career suitable for girls to pursuit. Furthermore, Ms. Winky Lui has spared no efforts in fostering the exchange of innovation technology both locally and globally, and facilitating the continuing professional development of engineers by organizing a wide range of conferences, symposiums, seminars, study tours and technical visits.

To recognize Winky’s personal achievements, contributions and commitment to the engineering community, she has been awarded the Young Woman Engineer of the Year 2019/2020 – Merit Award from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Hong Kong. Besides, she achieved the Trainee of the Year Award 2017 presented by The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE) as a recognition to her training achievements and contributions to HKIE and Hong Kong Society as a young engineer.

Dr Wang Lei started his undergraduate study in Mechanical Engineering with full-scholarship in 2006 and obtained his BEng with First Class Honors in 2010 from PolyU. Dr Wang has always been interested in renewable energy technologies. His interest and passion were strongly cultivated in the dynamic study environment in PolyU and drove him to continue his further study. He then completed his PhD research in new energy storage technologies in 2014 in HKU.

Dr Wang founded EcoFlow in 2017 and has been serving as the company’s CEO. Under his leadership, EcoFlow has developed into a national high-tech enterprise and is recognized as a unicorn company backed up by Sequoia and Hong Kong Foundation X with a valuation of over one billion USD in 2021. Dr Wang has obtained a total of 111 authorized patents and published 8 research papers in the field of batteries and energy storage. Since the foundation of EcoFlow, Dr Wang has led the team to carry out research and development with the mission to reinvent the way the average people and families access energy, and has been committed to building EcoFlow into a leading renewable energy solution provider across the globe.

EcoFlow is dedicated to the development of portable power and clean energy products, launching two product lines – RIVER and DELTA, to meet the power needs of various scenarios, including home backup, outdoor recreation, and professional work. In 2021, EcoFlow released the world’s first portable home battery – the EcoFlow DELTA Pro, which was named in TIME’s list of 100 Best Inventions of the year. Till now, EcoFlow has delivered clean energy solutions to over one million users in more than 100 markets. Today, through the constant commitment into developing innovative renewable energy ecosystem, EcoFlow has become an important participant in the world’s mission of carbon neutrality, endeavoring to foster a carbon-neutral lifestyle for every individual and household to participate in daily life.