Welcome to the seventh issue of the PAIR Newsletter. The 2023/24 academic year has just started as we release this issue, and it is exciting to see the PolyU campus so lively with students and staff again after a refreshing break.
This summer, PAIR hosted several large-scale activities. In July 2023, the Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD) organised its international symposium on the PolyU campus. The event had been paused for several years due to the pandemic, and it was a great pleasure to see international speakers and participants coming together and sharing their views on innovative technologies for urban sustainability. In August, the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Smart Cities Research Institute (SCRI) co-organised the Global Smart Cities Summit and 3rd International Conference on Urban Informatics. Next, this winter, the Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE) will hold an international conference. Our “News & Events” section provides more details about past and upcoming activities. Please stay tuned to our communication channels for the latest announcements.
The continued pursuit of interdisciplinary excellence propels us to engage the university community and beyond. Our “Feature Stories” section on Prof. Kathryn Ann MOLER from Stanford University will give you insights into interdisciplinary success from the perspectives of research, student learning and community engagement. In another two articles, the directors of two PAIR research institutes—Prof. SHI Wenzhong John, Director of SCRI, and Ir Prof. MAN Hau-chung, Director of the Research Institute for Advanced Manufacturing (RIAM)—share their perspectives on additive manufacturing and smart city development, as well as opportunities for Greater Bay Area development.
Meanwhile, the “Research Achievements” and “Knowledge Transfer” sections in this issue cover several scientific breakthroughs in alloy-making, battery technology and sensing technology.
A number of PAIR senior researchers have recently received prestigious awards and recognition in the fields of environmental science, engineering and physiotherapy. We heartily congratulate these researchers on their success and thank them for their outstanding and ongoing contributions to society. The “People” section covers them in greater detail, along with the funding success and important public appointments of other PAIR researchers.
I hope you enjoy reading our newsletter and learning more about the PolyImpact at PAIR!
Prof. CHEN Qingyan
Director of PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research
