News

International Symposium on Colour Imaging and Metaverse Draws Top Researchers and Industry Professionals to PolyU

The International Symposium on Colour Imaging and Metaverse was held at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) on 27-28 January 2023, where around 100 researchers and industry professionals gathered to exchange knowledge and insights on colour, imaging, and metaverse related technologies.  The event was a huge success, with distinguished international speakers sharing their works and ideas on various topics such as product design, next-generation display applications, fashion and textiles, and human skin colour in the virtual world. The symposium was attended by prominent technology companies such as Apple, ByteDance, Huawei, and SenseTime, as well as top universities such as Chiba University, Columbia University, and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. The launch ceremony of the Colour Imaging Metaverse and Research Centre (CIMRC) was held on the first day of the symposium. The research centre, which aims to carry out impactful research to better understand the human visual system and to develop innovative solutions for imaging and metaverse related technologies, was officiated by Prof Christopher Chao, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU, Hon Duncan Chiu, Legislative Council Member (Technology and Innovation) of HKSAR, Mr Andy Wong, Head of Innovation and Technology of Invest Hong Kong, Prof Li Ping, Dean of Faculty of Humanities of PolyU, Prof Li Xiangdong, Dean of Faculty of Construction and Environment of PolyU,  Prof Christina Wong, Director of Research and Innovation of PolyU and Dr Tommy Wei, Director of CIMRC. Dr Tommy Wei, Director of CIMRC, also participated in the symposium as the moderator for the panel discussion on "User Experience in Metaverse" and gave an invited talk on "Addressing Challenges Introduced by Advanced Imaging Systems". Dr Wei's expertise and contributions to the field of colour, imaging and metaverse were highly valued by the attendees. The Symposium was co-organized by the Research and Innovation Office (RIO) of PolyU, which is dedicated to promoting technology development and research within the university and fostering partnerships with industries, governments, and other organizations to benefit society. In conclusion, the International Symposium on Colour Imaging and Metaverse was a significant event that brought together international scholars and professionals to share their advancements in the field and inspire new ideas for future developments.  

New Assistant Professor -Dr Yuen Anthony Chun Yin

BEEE is pleased to announce a new Assistant Professor, Presidential Young Scholar, Dr Yuen Anthony Chun Yin, starting on 12 January 2023. Dr Yuen received his PhD degree in January 2015 from the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia.   Dr Yuen started his academic career as a Lecturer at UNSW in 2021 and was appointed as the Centre Manager in 2018 for the Australian Research Council-funded ARC Training Centre for Fire Retardant Materials and Safety Protection Technologies.   Throughout Dr Yuen’s research career, his total research funding sums up to AUD$11.62 million in external grants (ARC Discoveries, CRC-Ps, CRC Bushfire Tactical Research Fund, Innovation Connections, etc).   Dr Yuen's research focuses on the development of computational material science modelling techniques to deliver in-depth characterisations of the atomistic physiochemical behaviours of nanocomposites such as interfacial and surface science reactions between molecules. He has developed novel simulation approaches to enhance the reliability and capability of Molecular Dynamics (MD) and computational multiphase fluid dynamics (CMFD) models, which formulated a systematic, state-of-art numerical modelling platform to effectively and physically described the thermal degradation, chemical decomposition, thermo/electrical conductivity, charring and self-extinction behaviours of Advanced Materials (i.e. MXene, Graphene). Dr Yuen has published 110 journal articles and 2 book chapters with 3000 citations and 33 H-index on Google Scholar. Until Jan 2023, he has supervised 6 PhD and 4 MPhil candidates to completion. He serves as the guest editor for the journals Polymers, Molecules, Sensors, and Frontiers of Materials.

BEEE's Associate Professor was Elected as Vice President of the International CIE and Chairman of CIE Hong Kong

The Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering (BEEE) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is proud to announce that Dr Wei Minchen Tommy from BEEE has been elected as the Vice President of the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) and the Chairman of CIE Hong Kong.   CIE is the world's primary standardization body in the field of color science and illuminating engineering. Its Hong Kong chapter aims to provide a forum for the study and advancement of matters related to light, including interior and exterior illumination, light sources and radiation, vision, photometry, colorimetry, and comfort.   Dr Wei's election to this prestigious position is a recognition of his expertise and dedication in the field of lighting. His contribution to the advancement of light and related subjects, as well as his participation in international lighting standardization and recommendations, will be of great significance to the industry.   Under Dr Wei's leadership, CIE Hong Kong will continue to provide a platform for the exchange of information on lighting and participate in the formulation of international lighting standards.   We would like to extend our warmest congratulations to Dr Wei on this well-deserved recognition.

BEEE’s Professor was Elected as the Chairman of the Energy Institute (Hong Kong Branch) Session 2022/2023

The Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering (BEEE) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is proud to announce that Ir Professor Lu Lin Vivien from BEEE has been elected as the Chairman of the Energy Institute (Hong Kong Branch) Session 2022/2023. Ir Prof. Lu's extensive knowledge and experience in the energy-related field have made her the perfect candidate for this position.   The Energy Institute (EIHK) is a prominent professional organization for engineers and other professionals working in energy-related fields. EIHK is dedicated to advancing the knowledge of energy technology for the benefit of its members and society as a whole. Ir Prof. Lu's appointment as the Chairman of EIHK will allow her to lead the organization to new heights and make a significant impact in the energy-related field.   We would like to extend our warmest congratulations to Ir Prof. Lu on her well-deserved appointment. We are confident that she will lead EIHK to great success and positively impact the energy-related field.

Two BEEE Students Won 1st and 2nd Prize at BSOMES Research Prize 2022

The Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering (BEEE) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) would like to extend our warmest congratulations to To Pui Mei and Chan Tsz Chung, two BEEE students, for their outstanding performance in the BSOMES Research Prize 2022. To Pui Mei received 1st prize, while Chan Tsz Chung received 2nd prize in the individual awards category.   Their hard work and dedication to building services operation and maintenance research have been recognized and rewarded. This is a testament to the quality of education and training provided by PolyU.   We wish To Pui Mei and Chan Tsz Chung continued success in their academic and professional pursuits.  

Engineers of the future: BEEE Engineer Pop-up on 3 February 2023

The Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering (BEEE) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) was proud to host the “Engineers of the future: BEEE Engineer Pop-up” event on Friday, 3 February 2023. This event brought together five professional engineering societies:   ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) - HK chapter; BSOMES (Building Services Operation and Maintenance Executives Society); CIBSE (Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers) – HK Region; CIPHE (The Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering); and HKIE (Hong Kong Institution of Engineers) – Building Services Division.   The “Engineers of the future: BEEE Engineer Pop-up” was a valuable opportunity for our BEEE students interested in their future engineering careers to connect with the professional engineering societies closely related to their field.  Students had the chance to learn about the latest information and speak with the representatives from each professional body to discuss their professional status, engineering communities, express route to be qualified as a corporate member, registered professional engineers (RPE), and CEng, etc. The Department also sponsored the first-year membership fee of any society of students’ choice.   BEEE would like to extend our gratitude to all representatives for their voluntary participation in the “Engineers of the future: BEEE Engineer Pop-up”. BEEE believes that their sharing has deepened our BEEE students’ understanding of the roadmap of being a professional engineer in the field of Building Services Engineering, from academic level to professional level or even legal entity level.   The photo gallery can be found here.

BEEE’s PhD student awarded Champion and Favourite Team Award in the SMART@GWIN E&M IoT Application Challenge 2022

The Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering (BEEE) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is pleased to report that Mr WONG Ho Yin (BEEE PhD student, PolyU) and his teammates won the Champion and Favourite Team Award (Tertiary Category) in “Smart@Gwin” E&M IoT Application Challenge, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD). The “Smart@GWIN E&M IoT Application Challenge 2022" aims to increase public awareness and understanding of the "Government-Wide IoT Network" (GWIN), a wide area of remote monitoring systems that are used to provide near real-time monitoring of the E&M systems concerned and further improve the reliability of EMSD services. The competition also promotes its widespread application in daily life, optimises smart city management and enhances the quality of public life to maximise the value of public services for the community. Supervised by Dr Xinyan Huang, Mr WONG Ho Yin and two teammates proposed and developed a winning project titled "Alertech 急中新智系統", a system using wireless sensors to alleviate fire safety problems in old local buildings, which has earned recognition from the judging panels. Congratulations to Mr WONG Ho Yin for his achievement and the Department wishes Mr Wong every success.  

The 12th International Conference on Structures in Fire (SIF2022)

The 12th International Conference on Structures in Fire (SiF 2022) has been successfully held in PolyU campus from 29 November 2022 to 2 December 2022. The conference including a one-day workshop and three-day hybrid presentation sessions was organised by Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering (BEEE) with huge support from Faculty of Construction and Environment, Croucher Foundation and Hong Kong Institute of Engineers (HKIE). The main focus of the SiF series of conferences is to provide an opportunity for researchers, practitioners and engineers to share and discuss their research related to structures in fire with their peers in an open, international forum. SiF2022 adopted a hybrid mode including online and in-person presentation at PolyU for broader access. In SiF2022, 226 abstracts were received and 115 papers after the review were presented by more than 110 researchers from more than 20 different countries. More details of SiF2022 including the conference proceedings, photos, and follow-up updates can be found at the conference website: www.sif2022.org. After the conference, many delegates have highly praised the arrangement of SiF2022 to the chairs of local organising committee: Professor Asif USMANI (Head of BEEE) and Dr Liming JIANG (Assistant Professor of BEEE). On behalf of the organising committee, they would like to thank all the in-person and online delegates of SiF2022 and the enormous support from the SiF Steering Committee, SiF2022 Local Organising Committee, SiF2022 Scientific Committee and particularly the BEEE General Office, and all the SiF2022 volunteers!

13 BEEE Scholars Ranked World’s Top 2% Scientists Released by Stanford University

The Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering (BEEE) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is proud to announce that 13 BEEE academic staff are among the world’s top 2% of scientists in their main disciplines, according to the recently published index compiled by Stanford University.   The latest release of the Stanford University-led compilation of citation indicators is prepared by a team of experts led by Professor John loannidis of Stanford University. The selection is based on the top 100,000 scientists by a composite score or a percentile rank of 2% or above in 176 sub-fields of 22 scientific fields. 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. The list can be found here.   BEEE Top 2% Scientists in the Global List  Name Subject Field (Top-Ranked Science-Metrix Category (Subfield) for the Author) Professor Asif Sohail Usmani Civil Engineering Ir Professor Christopher Chao Building & Construction Professor Chen Qingyan Building & Construction Ir Professor Niu Jianlei Building & Construction Ir Professor Wang Shengwei Energy Professor Yan Jinyue Jerry Energy Ir Professor Lu Lin Vivien Energy Ir Professor Mak Cheuk Ming Acoustics Ir Professor Mui Kwok Wai Horace Building & Construction Professor Xiao Fu Building & Construction Ir Professor Yang Hongxing Energy Ir Dr Wong Ling Tim Building & Construction Dr Huang Xinyan Energy   Congratulations to our top scientists on their amazing achievements!

PolyU Info Day 2022 - BEEE Activities on 8 October 2022

The 2022 PolyU Info Day held on 8 October 2022 in hybrid mode was a huge success. The Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering (BEEE) actively participated in the Info Day to provide prospective undergraduates with the most up-to-date information of BEEE programmes and curriculum.   Head of Department, Professor Asif USMANI, and Associate Heads, Ir Dr LAI Hung Kit Joseph, Ir Professor MUI Kwok Wai Horace and Ir Dr WONG Ling Tim were more than happy to welcome the students, parents and members of the public.  The Senior Management’s Tour commenced in the morning.   The Info Day was featured by a wide variety of events including programme information seminars, exhibition booth and guided laboratory visits, which deepened visitors’ understanding of BEEE programmes.   The exhibition booth aimed to showcase BEEE programmes and the unique features in teaching and learning, invention of BEEE, student activities such as WIE and student exchange programme, and facilities in BEEE to the public.   Two information seminars were held in the morning and afternoon sessions. Interested parents and students were provided with in-depth idea of the Department, building sciences and engineering and our programme. The professionalism and career prospects were also highlighted in the presentation.   Following the BEEE introduction by Ir Dr LAI Hung Kit Joseph and Undergraduate Programme Leader Ir Dr WONG Ling Tim, our guest speakers Ir Dr Tsui Suk Chong Fiona and Ir YEE Kwong Fai were invited to share their perspectives on BEEE as department excellent graduates. They were keen to point out the challenging career prospects of BEEE and illustrate the excitement in university life. Information related to admission arrangements was provided to our visitors who were mostly secondary school students and their parents. Enquiries about admission were also addressed on the spot at the seminars.   Physical guided BEEE laboratory tours were also arranged to demonstrate laboratory equipment for the interest of the public.   We would like to express our greatest gratitude and appreciation to all colleagues, alumni, guests and student ambassadors for their enthusiastic participation in the Info Day. We believe that the PolyU Info Day has successfully facilitated prospective students’ understanding of our Department and academic programmes. We look forward to welcoming them to join our programme in the near future.