News

Green and cool roofs reduce energy use substantially, PolyU study finds

Prof. WENG Qihao, Associate Director of the Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS), Member of the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Smart Cities Research Institute (SCRI) and Chair Professor of Geomatics and Artificial Intelligence, and his research team studied the energy-saving potential of green roofs and cool roofs in reducing building energy consumption. The paper was published in the journal npj Urban Sustainability. The study evaluated the green roof and cool roof strategies in six global cities, including Cairo, Hong Kong, Seoul, London, Los Angeles, and Sao Paulo, under current and future climate change scenarios. Results showed that in future climates, the implementation of these strategies at the city level can lead to up to 65.51% annual energy reduction and 71.72% reduction in Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) consumption by 2100. These findings can guide the implementation of these strategies in different climatic zones worldwide, informing the selection and design of suitable roof mitigation strategies for specific urban contexts. Read the full article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s42949-024-00159-8

PAIR featured on THE Campus

An article titled “Maximise your research impact through interdisciplinary collaboration” by Prof. CHEN Qingyan, Director of the PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR), was published on Times Higher Education Campus (THE Campus). In the article, Prof. Chen shared with readers how PolyU creates research impact through applied, interdisciplinary research. Read the article: THE Campus: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/maximise-your-research-impact-through-interdisciplinary-collaboration

Geomatics expert Prof. CHEN Jun delivers a distinguished lecture on spatial-temporal information for sustainable development

Prof. CHEN Jun, Chief Scientist at the National Geomatics Center of China and Fellow of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, delivered the 16th PAIR Distinguished Lecture titled “Spatial-temporal Information for High Quality Sustainable Development” on 27 March 2024. The hybrid lecture attracted over 200 participants joining in person and online from more than 20 countries and regions across Australia, Asia, Europe and North America. It was also broadcast live on multiple social media platforms, captivating an online viewing audience of over 10,700. The lecture commenced with a welcome speech and speaker introduction by Prof. WANG Zuankai, Associate Vice President (Research and Innovation). In his presentation, Prof. Chen first gave a brief introduction to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as the SDG monitoring practices in Mainland China. He pointed out that the Nation has adopted the high quality sustainable development concept, which emphasises harmonising the social, economic and environmental aspects in national development. Next, he elaborated on a pilot project that he led to measure Deqing County’s progress towards SDGs using geospatial and statistical information. The project was selected by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs as one of the first 16 good SDGs’ practices in 2020. After that, Prof. Chen shared that the achievement of sustainable development requires holistic and systematic research to build a digital governance system that can provide the basis for the scientific and orderly development of national territorial space. He also explained how territorial space sustainability studies can help unveil and analyse various patterns, such as the distributions of population, enterprises and public service facilities, and the relationships between them. To conclude, Prof. Chen introduced the national program on the development of the Realistic Geospatial Landscape Model (3dRGLm), which can generate digital description and representation of the real 3D geospatial spaces. This new geographic information system can support the Nation in achieving natural resources management and high quality sustainable development. A question-and-answer session moderated by Prof. DING Xiaoli, Director of the Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS) and Prof. WENG Qihao, Associate Director of RILS, followed. The online and on-site audience engaged in a productive discussion with Prof. Chen. Please click here for an online review.  

PolyU partners with Yangjiang Offshore Wind Energy Laboratory to establish joint research centre to drive development of offshore wind power technology

PolyU and Yangjiang Offshore Wind Energy Laboratory (the Laboratory) signed an agreement to jointly establish the PolyU–Yangjiang Laboratory Joint Research Centre for Offshore Wind Power (JRC) on 26 March 2024. The JRC will be operated and managed jointly by the Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS) and the Laboratory, signifying an increasingly close research collaboration between the two organisations in offshore wind power technology. Under the new partnership, PolyU and Yangjiang researchers will share resources and laboratory facilities, and join force in research projects on new technologies and materials for offshore wind power applications, as well as translating the research outcomes into practical solutions for industry. Read more: https://polyu.hk/Zlbnr

Prof. WENG Qihao wins double honours from American Association of Geographers

Congratulations to Prof. WENG Qihao, Associate Director of the Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS), Member of the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Smart Cities Research Institute (SCRI) and Chair Professor of Geomatics and Artificial Intelligence, for receiving the 2024 AAG Wilbanks Prize for Transformational Research in Geography from the American Association of Geographers (AAG), and the Lifetime Achievement Honor Award 2024 from the AAG Remote Sensing Specialty Group (RSSG), respectively. The dual recognitions are a testament to his remarkable contributions in the fields.  A prize presentation will be held and a special conference session in honour of Prof. Weng will take place at this year’s AAG Annual Meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii, 16–20 April 2024. Founded in 1904, the AAG is a non-profit scientific and educational society aimed at bringing advancements to geography and related fields. The AAG Wilbanks Prize for Transformational Research is awarded to geographers from the academic, public or private sectors whose research has made transformational research contributions to geography or geographic information science, or to science and society more broadly. The AAG RSSG Lifetime Achievement Honor Award is bestowed upon individuals who have made a unique and path-breaking impact on remote sensing and relevant disciplines through research, education and service engagement.

RIAM co-organises 3D scanning and printing demonstration for secondary and primary school students

The Research Institute for Advanced Manufacturing (RIAM) and the University Research Facility in 3D Printing (U3DP) successfully co-organised a 3D scanning and printing demonstration session for a group of students from Po Leung Kuk Laws Foundation College and Po Leung Kuk Luk Hing Too Primary School on 22 March 2024. Prior to the workshop, the U3DP had received an invitation from the College to help the school in reconstructing a dolphin skeleton which the school had received from Ocean Park using PolyU’s advanced manufacturing technologies. The 3D-printed replica of the dolphin skeleton will be used as an exhibit. RIAM and U3DP arranged a demonstration session for the students, demonstrating the replication of the dolphin skull using 3D scanning and printing technologies. The U3DP team employed specialised 3D structured light scanners, which capture the intricate details of the original dolphin skeleton from multiple angles, to generate a highly detailed and accurate digital 3D model of the skeleton. After the 3D scanning process, U3DP replicated the dolphin skeleton using Stereolithography (SLA) printing technology. This technology uses a liquid resin material that is selectively cured layer by layer using a laser. As each layer is cured, the replica of the dolphin skeleton gradually takes shape. The SLA printing process ensures that the replica closely resembles the original skeleton in terms of its geometry and surface characteristics. The level of detail and accuracy achieved through this technology allows for a faithful representation of the dolphin skeleton. The replicated dolphin skeleton can be used for various purposes, including educational displays, scientific research, museum exhibits, or even as a visual aid in veterinary or marine biology studies. It provides a tangible and accurate representation of the original skeleton without the need to handle or potentially damage the fragile original specimen. U3DP’s combination of 3D scanning and SLA printing technologies offers a practical and efficient solution for creating replicas of complex skeletal structures like the dolphin skeleton. Watch the video via Pinterest

Prof. TAO Xiaoming leads delegation visit to Jinjiang textile and apparel enterprises

Prof. TAO Xiaoming, Director of the Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR), led a delegation from PolyU to visit textile, apparel and sportswear enterprises in Jinjiang, China on 21 March 2024. The visit aims to explore collaborations with the industry for advancing translation of research outputs and promoting industry-university-research collaboration. The delegation visited 11 enterprises including Anta, Hengan, 361ﾟ, Kalmei, Qipai, Septwolves, Xintai Technology, Fengzhu Textile, Maotai Technology, Xiangxing Textile, and Longxinglong Dyeing & Weaving Co Ltd., for discussions and exchanges on innovative textile research technologies, intelligent textile fibres, regenerative biomaterials, green nanotechnology, wearable technology, bionic smart material innovations, bionic catalysis and sustainable energy, etc.    Online coverage: IJJ News - https://polyu.me/49ZyJWc Sina - https://polyu.me/3TL4a0G Toutiao - https://polyu.me/43uobvV

PolyU joins forces with Xingguo county to promote textile industry development

On 19 March 2024, Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU, attended the inaugural Ganzhou Graphene and Textile and Apparel New Material Industry Symposium held in Jiangxi, representing the University to sign a cooperation framework agreement on establishing a strategic partnership with the Government of Xingguo county of Jiangxi. The partnership aims to better gather quality resources to promote the development of textile and apparel industry. Prof. Chao also attended the inauguration ceremony of the Graphene Technology Centre in Xingguo, the first county-level centre of such kind in China. The centre aims to promote the organic integration of new graphene materials in the textile and apparel industry. In addition, Dr SHOU Dahua, Limin Endowed Young Scholar in Advanced Textiles Technologies and Assistant Professor in the School of Fashion and Textiles, delivered a keynote speech at the Symposium. Dr Shou is a member of various PAIR constituent research units, including the Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR), Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE), Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports), Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE), and Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF).   Online coverage: NetEase - https://polyu.me/4908T33, https://polyu.me/4a3oY9o Sohu - https://polyu.me/3IPFjT6 JX News - https://polyu.me/4cq2Nf8

Gut microbiome expert Prof. Eugene B. CHANG delivers PAIR Distinguished Lecture

Prof. Eugene B. CHANG, Martin Boyer Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Director of the Microbiome Medicine Program at The University of Chicago, USA, delivered the 15th PAIR Distinguished Lecture titled “What is a healthy gut microbiome and why is it important to know?” on 18 March 2024. The hybrid lecture attracted over 200 participants joining in person and online from more than 20 countries and regions across Australia, Asia, Europe and North America. It was also broadcast live on multiple social media platforms, captivating an online viewing audience of over 10,900. The lecture commenced with a welcome speech by Prof. CHEN Qingyan, Director of PAIR, followed by a brief speaker introduction by Prof. WONG Ka-hing, Director of the Research Institute for Future Food (RiFood). In his presentation, Prof. Chang first gave some fun facts about the human gut microbiome and explained that it is a vital organ of the body. Next, he elaborated on the importance of understanding a healthy gut microbiome and keeping it healthy. Prof. Chang stated that it is comparatively easy to determine the health of a vital organ through different tests but not the gut microbiome. He pointed out the limitations of the traditional 16S rDNA and metagenomics as metrics to assess the state of gut microbiota health. He then outlined the desirable features for assessing gut microbiome health and introduced the modified targeted mass spectrometry method. The technique combines 20 markers of gut microbial functions into a single score. This enables an understanding of the quantitative functional profiles of gut microbiome health and can be applied in clinical settings to help patients to restore gut microbiome health. Prof. Chang further explained how the assessment method can be used for maintaining the health of the gut microbiome, treating patients with dysbiosis, and making predictions about the clinical outcomes of therapies. To conclude, Prof. Chang shared that his team would join hands with research institutes, including RiFood, for research collaborations. A question-and-answer session moderated by Dr Amber CHIOU Jiachi, Associate Director of RiFood, followed. The online and on-site audience engaged in a productive discussion with Prof. Chang. Please click here for an online review.  

“Meet PolyU Academicians and Distinguished Scholars” video series | Prof. CHEN Qingyan, Director of PAIR

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) recently rolled out a new video series “Meet PolyU Academicians and Distinguished Scholars” to introduce outstanding research and innovations by PolyU scholars. Watch Episode 25 featuring Prof. CHEN Qingyan, Director of PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR), to learn more about his remarkable works on built environment and air-conditioning systems! Prof. Chen is a Chair Professor of Building Thermal Science in the Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering. The built environments he has worked with include: indoor environments of buildings, outdoor environment around buildings, and enclosed environments such as airplanes and cruise ships. Prof. Chen has developed various ventilation systems for reducing energy usage and mitigating the effect of airborne infectious diseases. He has also developed guidelines and handbooks to help building designers to design such ventilation systems. Prof. Chen ranked No. 13 in the “Building and Construction” field in the 2023 List of World’s Top 2% Scientists compiled by Stanford University. At PolyU, Prof. Chen is the Director of PAIR, providing overall leadership to PAIR to drive PolyU’s vision to be a world-leader in providing interdisciplinary solutions to address major societal challenges. Currently, PAIR has 11 research institutes and 7 research centres, bringing together over 500 senior researchers from various disciplines. PAIR researchers focus on three major areas: advanced technologies and manufacturing, good health and well-being, and smart and sustainable cities, and pursue interdisciplinary research and knowledge transfer that bring impactful solutions to major societal challenges, benefitting Hong Kong, the Nation, and the world.   Watch at: https://youtu.be/OPUrMvJ4zhI