News

Prof George LIU was Invited to Represent Hong Kong and Present Hong Kong (China)’s Region/Country Report at the 2024 ASAIHL Conference

(Hong Kong, 23 November 2024) At the recent 2024 ASAIHL Conference (Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning) held at the Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia on 19-22 November 2024, our RISE member Prof. George Zhizhao Liu was invited to represent Hong Kong and present Hong Kong (China)’s Region/Country Report at the conference. The theme of this year’s ASAIHL conference is “University’s Role in Advancing Climate Crises Reduction.” An the conference, Prof. Liu gave an invited talk titled “AI and Satellite Remote Sensing: the State-of-the-art Technology to Map the Most Abundant Atmospheric Greenhouse Gas –– Water Vapor”, which illustrated the importance of accurate water vapor observation in the climate change and extreme weather studies and showcased the research work conducted in Prof. Liu’s Micro-Laboratory of Atmospheric Research and Geomatics Engineering (Micro-LARGE) in the field of climate change. Water vapor, as the largest greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, plays a critically important role in climate change and extreme weather events. This might be against the orthodox opinion that usually believes the carbon dioxide (CO2) is the largest greenhouse gas. Water vapor accounts for approximately 50% atmospheric greenhouse gas, depending on the weather conditions. Nevertheless, the accurate observation of water vapor is still a global technical challenge. A large number of satellites have been launched and many have the capability to observe water vapor at different wavelength channels. Unfortunately the water vapor data accuracy of most of these satellite sensors is low and cannot meet the requirement for climate change and extreme weather studies. Prof. Liu’s Micro-LARGE Lab insightfully pinpointed this problem and has developed different AI-based novel algorithms to significantly improve the accuracy of water vapor observations of different satellite sensors. The Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning (ASAIHL), founded in Bangkok, Thailand in 1956, is a non-governmental organization starting with eight state universities in Southeast Asia but now with university memberships extending to Europe, North America, Africa, and Oceania. ASAIHL’s purpose is to assist member institutions to strengthen themselves through mutual self-help and to achieve international distinction in teaching, research and public service. In addition, Prof. Liu also recently gave a specially invited conference presentation at the 6th National Mesoscale Meteorology Conference hosted by the Sun Yat-sen University (Zhuhai) at Zhuhai, Mainland China on 7-10 November 2024.  

RISE Member Achievement: Professor George LIU appointed as the Chief Scientist of Meteorological Observation Center of the China Meteorological Administration

We are pleased to share with you that Professor George LIU, our RISE member has been appointed as the Chief Scientist of the Meteorological Observation Center, China Meteorological Administration (CMA)! The China Meteorological Administration is China’s national agency responsible for weather forecasting service and climate research in China and globally. The Meteorological Observation Center, one of the major organizations under CMA, is responsible for constructing China’s real-time meteorological observation platform and providing accurate, timely meteorological observations to support China’s national/global operational weather forecasting services as well as to share with the World Meteorological Organization. In addition, the Meteorological Observation Center also takes a leading role in the development of new meteorological observation techniques and equipment, such as China’s Meteorological GNSS Network. Prof. Liu is an internationally respected scholar with both industrial and academic experiences in academic research as well as applications of geomatics technologies. Over the years, Professor Liu’s Micro-Laboratory of Atmospheric Research and Geomatics Engineering (Micro-LARGE) has made significant contributions to the community through unique developments and innovations in various areas, including Global Positioning System (GPS)/Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) precise positioning algorithms and data quality analysis, ionosphere scintillation monitoring and 3D Total Electron Content (TEC) modeling, impact of space weather on satellite navigation and flight operation, monitoring of atmospheric water vapor and 3D modeling, retrieval and calibration of satellite remote sensing water vapor data, and assimilation of atmospheric water vapor in Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models. The NWP rainstorm forecasting scores are significantly improved after the assimilation of water vapor data. Prof. Liu is a technical authority in atmospheric water vapor observation using GPS/GNSS and remote sensing satellite techniques. He is the only China’s representative of the GNSS Water Vapor Working Group of the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) Upper-Air Network. His Micro-LARGE Lab is the first one in the world to calibrate all-weather (including cloudy condition) near-infrared (NIR) band satellite remote sensing water vapor data and also the first one to assimilate all-weather NIR band satellite remote sensing water vapor data into NWP. His Micro-LARGE Lab is the first one internationally to study and evaluate the impact of space weather on flight operation from an economic cost perspective and to propose response strategies, which was highly commended by senior scientist at the NASA JPL and was selected as a research highlight in the Nature Reviews Earth & Environment Journal (IF: 42.1). Multiple algorithms developed by the Micro-LARGE for GNSS data processing have been widely used by research groups in many universities, research institutions and industries worldwide. Prof. Liu’s appointment with the Meteorological Observation Center, CMA, will further enhance the collaboration between PolyU’s and Hong Kong’s scientists and the CMA as well as the Mainland China meteorological community. Big Congratulations to Professor Liu!

Professor Wai-Yeung Wong Raymond was elected as a Foreign Member of the European Academy of Sciences

We are pleased to announce that Professor Wai-Yeung WONG, Raymond, our RISE Associate Director has been elected as a Foreign Member of the European Academy of Sciences (EurASc). Recently, Professor Wong attended the official certificate presentation ceremony of membership of EurASc on 30 Oct 2024 in the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon. EurASc is an independent international association of distinguished scholars that aims to recognise and elect to its membership the best European scientists with a vision for Europe as a whole, transcending national borders both in elections and in actions, and with the aims of strengthening European science and scientific cooperation and of utilising the expertise of its members in advising other European bodies in the betterment of European research, technological application and social development. EurASc aims at promoting excellence in science and technology, fostering social and economic development and progress. It recognised Professor Wong’s significant contributions to the field of science and technologies, especially those to the European scientific community. Congratulations to Professor Wong and wish him every success in his research!!   Read more about EurASc: https://www.eurasc.eu/

35 RISE Scholars Ranked World’s Top 2% Scientists Released by Stanford University (Career-Long)

Stanford University has released an update for science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators in October 2024. According to the latest two rankings, 35 RISE scholars were included based on their career-long citation impact. Together with the scholars named for their single-year citation impact, 41 RISE scholars were recognised. It is prepared by a team of experts led by Professor John P.A. loannidis of Stanford University. The publicly available database provides standardized information on citations, h-index, co-authorship adjusted hm-index, citations to papers in different authorship positions and a composite indicator (c-score). The list can be downloaded from here. Congratulations to our RISE top scholars! Reference: Ioannidis, John P.A. (2024), “August 2024 data-update for "Updated science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators"”, Elsevier Data Repository, V7, doi: 10.17632/btchxktzyw.7   RISE Top 2% Scientists in the Global List  * 35 RISE scholars were included based on their career-long citation impact. Name(by alphabetical order of surname) Subject Field Dr AN Liang * Energy Dr BU Siqi Energy Prof. CAO Jiannong* Networking & Telecommunications Dr CAO Sunliang* Energy Prof. CHAI Yang * Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Dr DONG You * Civil Engineering Prof. HAO Jianhua * Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Dr HUANG Bolong * Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Prof. HUANG Haitao * Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Dr HUANG Xinyan * Energy Prof. LAU Shu Ping, Daniel * Applied Physics Dr LEE Yoon Suk, Lawrence Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Dr LEU Shao Yuan Biotechnology Prof. LI Gang * Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Dr LIU Junwei Energy Ir Prof. LU Lin, Vivien * Energy Ir Prof. MUI Kwok-wai Horace * Building & Construction Prof. NI Meng * Energy Ir Prof. NIU Jianlei * Building & Construction Dr SHOU Dahua * Materials Prof. TAO Xiaoming * Materials Ir Prof. WANG Shengwei * Energy Prof. WONG Yuhong * Building & Construction Ir Dr WONG Ling Tim * Building & Construction Prof. WONG Wai Yeung, Raymond * Organic Chemistry Dr WU Maochun Energy Prof. WU Tao, Tom * Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Prof. XIAO Fu, Linda * Building & Construction Prof. XU Bingang * Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Prof. XU Zhao* Energy Dr XU Zheng Long Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Prof. YAN Feng* Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Prof. Jinyue YAN Jerry * Energy Ir Prof. YANG Hongxing* Energy Dr YANG Xusheng Materials Dr YAO Haimin * Mechanical Engineering & Transports Dr ZHANG Biao * Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Prof. ZHANG Dan * Industrial Engineering & Automation Dr ZHANG Xiao * Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Dr ZHANG Xiaoge Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing Dr ZHENG Guangping* Materials Prof. ZHENG Zijian * Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Prof. ZHU Songye * Civil Engineering  

Dr Haimin YAO is recognized as The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Fellow

We are happy to share with you that Dr Haimin YAO, our RISE member is recognized as The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Fellow! ASME promotes the art, science and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences in the world. It is non-profit membership organisation that encourages collaboration, knowledge sharing and skills development across all engineering disciplines. The ASME Committee of Past Presidents confers the Fellow grade of membership on worthy candidates to recognize their outstanding engineering achievements. It is a great appreciation to Dr Yao for recognizing his continuously contributions in engineering research! Congratulations to Dr Yao and we wish him every success in his research! More detail about ASME: https://www.asme.org/about-asme/honors-awards/fellows

Prof. Vivien LU invents solar-powered coating to cool buildings by 3°C

We are delighted to share with all of you that our RISE Lead Investigator, Ir Professor Lin Lu Vivien, and her team had invented a solar-powered coating that can be applied to buildings and reduce their surface temperature by up to 25°C and lower indoor temperatures by two to three degrees Celsius. The coating is driven by carbon dots that convert solar power into light energy, and therefore the stronger the solar radiance, the better the cooling performance of the coating. According to Professor Lu, the coating can save 10 to 15% of air-conditioning electricity consumption for each household if it is used on the rooftops of residential buildings. Additionally, with the use of bifacial solar panels, the sunlight reflected by the coating can be used to generate electricity, increasing the power-generation capacity by up to 50% and reducing the carbon emission by 30%. It is a great success for Professor Lu and Congratulations to Professor Lu!   Online coverage: TVB - https://polyu.me/47AJQoi TVB Pearl - https://polyu.me/3THhRgR i-Cable - https://polyu.me/4e9SM6o RTHK - https://polyu.me/3MWU60I (English) CRHK - https://polyu.me/47B0vba The Standard - https://polyu.me/47KC1wf Ming Pao Daily News - https://polyu.me/3MTLDLw Hong Kong Economic Journal - https://polyu.me/3TEafMi Sing Tao Daily - https://polyu.me/3TDzi1K am730 - https://polyu.me/4eRdCYr Headline Daily - https://polyu.me/4e4hPI5 Ta Kung Pao - https://polyu.me/3zvGAhi Wen Wei Po - https://polyu.me/4gzuDb8; https://polyu.me/3TGo4tn Hong Kong Commercial Daily - https://polyu.me/3XRmMOQ Lion Rock Daily - https://polyu.me/3BgpeWb HK01 - https://polyu.me/3MVW7di Unwire - https://polyu.me/3XudM0E Orange News - https://polyu.me/47z9tG1 Hong Kong China News Agency - https://polyu.me/3zteSlj STNN.cc - https://polyu.me/3Xz5BjH China News Service - https://polyu.me/4gvUrEV ifeng.com - https://polyu.me/4dfSfhV East Money - https://polyu.me/3Xxw4OF Sina - https://polyu.me/3Xz5xAt 雷州半島新聞網 - https://polyu.me/4dmb7fg QQ.com - https://polyu.me/3ZAjfpt Sohu - https://polyu.me/3zqJ14N Tech Xplore - https://polyu.me/3BqHlbU Tech and Science Post - https://polyu.me/47H6ueP

RISE Activity: RMIT University Research Visit

Professors from RMIT University were invited for research visit to RISE in 26 September 2024. Through this research visit, we explored collaboration opportunities and built up a consolidate and close relationship and collaboration. Both teams have the same goal in developing the Smart Energy systems considering the collaboration and interaction from power grids and smart buildings, applying these innovative technologies solutions in both Hong Kong and Australia. RMIT University visitors also visited Intelligent Buildings Laboratory and Advanced Materials and Electronics Laboratory. It is a great opportunity for RISE and RMIT University teams to exchange updated research ideas and discuss for the future trend of Smart Energy.

RISE Member Activity: Professor George LIU co-organised Croucher Advanced Study Institute (ASI)

Professor George LIU, our RISE member as one of the Committee members, organised Croucher Advanced Study Institute (ASI) — Revolutionizing Weather Forecast and Climate Prediction Through Artificial Intelligence (AI) in 19-21 September 2024 at HKUST. Many Professors from Mainland China and HKUST joined this great event! Besides, The organiser also invited a lot of Professors from USA, Europe and Southeast Asia to share their innovative ideas towards the application of AI in Weather Forecast and Climate Prediction, such as: Prof. Christopher Bretherton from Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence in USA Prof. David Neelin from University of California, Los Angeles, USA Prof. Shuyi Chen, University of Washington, USA Prof. Tom Beucler, University of Lausanne, Switzerland Prof. Tapio Schneider, California Institute of Technology, USA Prof. Aditya Grover, University of California, Los Angeles, USA Dr Sirod Sirisup, National Electronics and Computer Technology Center, Thailand Dr Jeff Chun-Fung Lo and Dr. Chen Chen from Centre for Climate Research Singapore, Singapore Through this academic exchange, it creates a platform for Artificial Intelligence experts to exchange their ideas and research deliverables, which inspires a lot of young researchers to explore more about Artificial Intelligence. Congratulations to Professor Liu for the success of this great research event! Online coverage: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/yXjqHxjPisYBjRrn83LDEw

Professor Zijian ZHENG’s project receives funding from RAISe+ Scheme

We are delighted to share with you that the project of Professor Zijian ZHENG, our RISE Management Committee member receives funding from RAISe+ Scheme (Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus Scheme) ! Project Title: Pilot and Mass Production of Next-Generation Composite Current Collectors for Mobility and Energy Storage Batteries (New Materials and New Energy) RAISe+ Scheme is launched in October 2023 which aims at unleash potential of local universities in transformation and commercialization of R&D outcomes, and facilitate relevant collaboration among the Government, industries, universities, and research sectors. Inaugurated in 2023, the RAISe+ Scheme aims to provide funding, on a matching basis, for at least 100 research teams from universities funded by the University Grants Committee which demonstrate strong potential to evolve into successful startups. Each approved project will receive funding support ranging from HK$10 million to HK$100 million. Big Congratulations to Professor Zheng! Press Release: https://polyu.hk/qJTzK Online coverage: Mirage - https://polyu.me/4bUkSky Ming Pao Daily News - https://polyu.me/3yLIglU Hong Kong Economic Journal - https://polyu.me/4bBXAjA (subscription required) Ta Kung Pao - https://polyu.me/4aDQKsK Wen Wei Po - https://polyu.me/3R2LFTM Yahoo HK - https://polyu.me/3UUFSkm

RISE Research: Organic solar cell breakthrough from Prof. Gang Li’s team

We are delighted to announce that Prof. Gang LI and Dr Jiehao FU, our RISE members have a significant research finding regarding to solar cells. This paper is published Nature Communications on 28 February 2024, which reported a new efficiency breakthrough of organic solar cells. Title: Rational molecular and device design enables organic solar cells approaching 20% efficiency Ternary strategy that introduces a guest component into the benchmark host blend is a promising method further to improve the power conversion efficiency of organic solar cells, but how to design a suitable third component remains challenging. Here, the authors systematically investigated the design rules of guest molecules by theoretical simulations and successfully synthesized a new molecule, o-BTP-eC9, contributing to a record organic solar cell with 19.9% (19.5 certified) efficiency. For more detail, please refer to https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-46022-3