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PolyU is dedicated to enhancing sports technology research and nurturing talents

By Ir Prof. Ming ZHANG Head of Department, Chair Professor of Biomechanics, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Director of Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology   Athletes from China Mainland and Hong Kong have achieved remarkable success at the Paris Olympic Games. The achievement is not only due to the athletes’ relentless dedication but also a result of the advancement in sports science and technology. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has long been committed to enhancing research in sports technology and nurturing talents in related fields, aiming to elevate Hong Kong’s standing on the global sports stage and meet the growing demands for sports development on both social and professional levels. To this end, PolyU has established an interdisciplinary research institute—the Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports). The institute seeks to integrate the university’s research output, academic resources, and industry network to contribute to sporting events, athlete development, and consolidating Hong Kong’s reputation and performance on the international sports scene. RISports will inject new vitality into the sports technology industry, benefiting not only Hong Kong but also broader regions, and providing critical technical support to the field. PolyU places great emphasis on cultivating talents in sports technology. As a result, RISports will collaborate with the Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) to launch a new program MSc in Sports Technology and Management (Programme Code: 47005) next year. Additionally, the existing BSc Scheme in Biomedical Engineering (Programme Code: JS3150) will incorporate a new stream in Sports Science and Technology. The curriculum not only covers cutting-edge sports technology theories and the fundamentals of human biomechanics but also emphasizes practical application. PolyU strives to provide students with a comprehensive professional education that will enable them to excel in their future careers. Through these academic programs, PolyU anticipates to train and deliver hundreds of high-caliber sports professionals every year, injecting fresh energy into both Hong Kong’s and the international sports sectors. Academic collaboration and talent development with sports elites are also PolyU's key focuses. The university provides numerous scholarships to support elite athletes in pursuing bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees. PolyU is exploring tailor-made programs to accommodate their unique needs. Through these collaborations, PolyU not only offers a platform for scientific learning to athletic elites but also leverages their social influence and reputation to further raise public awareness and interest in sports. This effort will help more people recognize the importance of sports technology and attract more young talents to this vibrant and promising field.

Faculty Awards for Outstanding Achievement 2024

The results of the Faculty Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching, Research and Scholarly Activities, Knowledge Transfer and Services 2023 were announced on 13 August 2024. BME is proud that Associate Professor Dr Xiaoling HU had been awarded the Outstanding Individual Award - Knowledge Transfer: Industry! Dr Hu is the founder of Thecon Technology HK Ltd. (a PolyU academic-led startup). The “Mobile Ankle-foot Exoneuromusculoskeleton” developed by the research team led by Dr HU had recently won the Gold Medal at the 49th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva. All winners were chosen by a Faculty Assessment Panel, comprising Heads (or their delegates) and chaired by the Dean of Engineering, from amongst a pool of well-qualified nominees put forward by individual departments. The selection was made with reference to the indicative criteria for assessment as laid down by the University for the exercise. Dr Hu will receive a Certificate of Award, a cash prize and a teaching grant of HK$100,000. The Prize Presentation Ceremony of the Faculty will be held in February/March 2025. Congratulations to Dr Hu for her exceptional achievement!

PolyU BME hosts 11th WACBE World Congress on Bioengineering to gather biomedical engineering community across the world

The Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU BME) hosts the 11th WACBE World Congress on Bioengineering (WACBE 2024) on 4-7 August 2024 on PolyU campus. The Congress, organised by the World Association for Chinese Biomedical Engineers (WACBE), and hosted by PolyU BME, gathers over 470 Chinese biomedical engineers from around the world, to have in-depth discussion on the topics of Biotechnology, Medical, Biomedical, Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering. The opening ceremony on 5 August officially kick-started the congress. Prof. Jin-Guang TENG, President of PolyU graced the ceremony with his presence as the Guest of Honour. The other esteemed officiating guests were Dr Savio WOO, Founding President of WACBE and Distinguished University Professor Emeritus at the University of Pittsburgh; Prof. Edward X GUO, President of WACBE and Chair and Stanley Dicker Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the Columbia University; and Ir Prof. Ming ZHANG, Head of BME and Chairman of WACBE 2024 Organising Committee. In addition to the inspiring speeches from the guests, a Lion Dance Performance and Eye Dotting Ceremony were arranged to bring good luck, prosperity and happiness to the Congress and its participants. The four officiating guests were invited to perform the eye-dotting ritual which marked the end of the Opening Ceremony. The ceremony was followed by the “Savio Woo Distinguished Lecture” delivered by Prof. Joyce Y. Wong, Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Materials Science & Engineering at the Boston University. WACBE 2024 aims to promote academic exchanges at an international level and to stimulate the interests of biomedical engineers. The Congress covers all related areas in bioengineering and special symposiums were arranged in the hot themes. This year, it had received about 700 abstract submissions which was a record-breaking number. Throughout 5-7 August, the Congress has 688 presentations in total, including 10 plenary speeches, 47 keynote speeches, 320 oral presentations in six parallel sessions, and 311 posters. Special sessions such as Distinguished Lecture by Dr Savio Woo, Meet Journal Editors, Meet Industry, Round Table Discussions, etc. are also available. Furthermore, 30 Young Investigator Awards are set up to recognise the contributions of the young investigators, which had attracted over 300 applications to compete for the awards. For more information about WACBE 2024, please visit https://www.wacbe2024.org/.

Six BME academic staff obtained 2024/25 RGC General Research Fund (GRF)

Six BME academic staff were successful in obtaining the 2024-2025 General Research Fund (GRF) by Hong Kong's Research Grants Council (RGC).  The GRF aims to supplement universities’ own research support to researchers who have achieved or have the potential to achieve excellence. Congratulations to all colleagues who demonstrated the research excellence of BME! The details of the funded BME projects are as follows:

PolyU BME PhD student Huang Lai wins First Runner-up at PolyU 3MT® Final Competition

After winning the First Runner-up at the Faculty of Engineering Three Minute Thesis Competition (3MT®), BME PhD student Huang LAI, Cheron advanced to the PolyU Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Final Competition and won the First Runner-up at the competition on 3 July 2024, with his research topic “Droplet Microfluidics for Single-T-cell Activation in situ Analysis”. Eight finalists pitched their research significance to the wide audience at the Final Competition, which commenced with the opening speeches of the Dean of Graduate School, Professor Cao Jiannong and the Vice President (Research and Innovation), Professor Christopher Chao. Unveiling the competition, the eight finalists expressed their charisma and professionally pitched their research using only one static slide within three minutes. “This is a value-adding experience to develop transferable skills for the infinite future, be it in academia, industry or entrepreneurship. Students are encouraged to proactively seize opportunities to strengthen their skillsets through development activities and research collaborations”, highlighting the importance of 3MT by Professor Cao Jiannong. Professor Christopher Chao emphasised the strategic direction of PolyU to “propel research innovation and research excellence. With the highly-demanded skillsets in effective pitching and communications, grasping and communicating the main idea for support is becoming increasingly essential”. The eight finalists came from diverse disciplines of civil and environmental engineering, building and real estate, English and communication, biomedical engineering, rehabilitation sciences, and food science and nutrition. Their research topics are testaments of the niche expertise of PolyU research postgraduate studies. The winners were highly-commended for their displayed concise communications, effective storytelling, influential public speaking and interactive audience engagement. Towards the end, all finalists were appreciated for their focused hard work, perseverance and confidence. Arranged refreshments and networking opportunity wrapped up the PolyU 3MT competition. Learn more about Huang LAI’s performance: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/3mt/hall-of-fame/2024/#first_runner_up

Outstanding Alumni Award of PolyU Department of Biomedical Engineering 2024

We are pleased to present the Outstanding Alumni Award in Entrepreneurial Achievement of PolyU Department of Biomedical Engineering 2024 to Mr Chapman Lee, in recognition of his demonstration of outstanding innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as his technology venture with impact. The Award also recognises Mr Lee’s active support to the Department, PolyU and the community. Mr Lee obtained the BSc (Hons) in Health Technology in 2005 from PolyU. He is the Director of the Imsight Technology Co. Limited focused in developing AI deep learning technology for cancer diagnosis in medical imaging. Based in Hong Kong Science Park, the company had a valuation of 50 million USD in 2022 and has branches in Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Chengdu, and Guiyang. It has long-term research collaborations with medical universities locally and over 50 hospitals in mainland China. He led the team to get four Hong Kong ICT Awards -Smart Healthcare in 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2023. Mr Lee is focused on applying big data analytics to medical imaging, aiming to deliver AI-driven solutions to address key pain points in medical services across various specialties, including dental, pathology, ophthalmology, and radiology. Through his determined and innovative leadership, he has pioneered the region's first AI cancer screening service, specifically targeting lung cancer—the most prevalent cancer in Hong Kong. His visionary approach underscores the potential for sensitive medical data to be collaboratively utilized between private companies and public hospitals. This initiative has been recognized and supported by governmental funds through public sector trial schemes in both 2021 and 2024. These achievements highlight his crucial role in advancing AI technologies to enhance public healthcare services. Congratulations to Mr Lee!

PolyU BME and Ir Professor Yongping Zheng receive PolyU Patents Achievement Award 2023 as Department and Inventor respectively

PolyU Knowledge Transfer and Entrepreneurship Office (KTEO) launched the inaugural PolyU Patents Achievement Award this year in appreciation and honour of the remarkable achievements of departments and inventors who actively engaged in Intellectual Property (IP) filing. The PolyU Patents Achievement Recognition Ceremony was held on 3 July 2024. PolyU BME and Ir Professor Yongping Zheng both received the awards as a department and an inventor respectively. BME was awarded the Top Patents Filing Award 2023 together with four other PolyU departments. The award recognised the department’s IP filing activities over the past five years (2019-2023). And as an Inventor, Ir Professor Yongping Zheng received the Most Active Patents Filing Award in the year 2023, which recognised his IP filing achievements within the past year. These awards are great recognition, encouragement and motivation to all BME colleagues who have been dedicating great efforts in transforming innovations and research breakthroughs into real-world industrial and social solutions. Congratulations to PolyU BME and Prof. Zheng!

PolyU BME final year undergraduate Mark Koh wins Outstanding Award in ASMPT Technology Award 2024

PolyU BME final year undergraduate KOH Wen-pin, Mark won the Outstanding Award in the ASMPT Technology Award 2024 by presenting his Final Year Project “The effects of altering the dorsiflexion spring resistance and stiffness on an articulated ankle-foot orthosis on 2nd and 3rd rocker joint kinematics and kinetics in individuals post-stroke”, supervised by Dr Toshiki Kobayashi. The competition took place at the ASMPT HK R&D Centre on 21 June 2024, followed by the Award Presentation Ceremony on the same day. Initiated by ASMPT Limited, this year is the nineth ASMPT Technology Award, the purpose of which is to promote excellence in technology. Each invited university would nominate two individual/group projects from final year undergraduate of engineering students to join the competition. Upon the receipt of nominations from invited universities, candidates would be invited to present their project content and details in person for 20 minutes. Afterwards, there would be a 10-minute Q&A for judges. The panel of judges consists of senior professionals and experts from ASMPT, invited academic staff from universities and also industry practitioners. This year, 11 teams from PolyU, HKU, HKUST, CUHK, CityU and HKBU participated in the competition. All other projects were group projects while Mark’s was the only individual project. The Award recognizes and rewards students with extraordinary Final Year Projects which showcase technological advancement and innovative thinking. As an Outstanding Award winner, Mark received the project nomination award for HK$5,000. Mark’s Final Year Project was to assess the effects of modifying certain mechanical parameters of an articulating ankle foot orthosis for individuals post-stroke suffering from hemiplegia. In particular, assessing during a certain part of the gait cycle when weight bearing on the affected leg. The project utilized the Triple Action Ankle Joint from Becker and the VICON motion capture system to analyse kinematic and kinetic parameters. Ten participants with stroke were recruited to participate in the study. The study found that decreasing dorsiflexion spring resistance resulted in reduced knee hyperextension during midstance, which can have impacts on the health, stability, and endurance of individuals post-stroke who utilize an ankle foot orthosis. ASMPT is a leading global supplier of hardware and software solutions for the manufacture of semiconductors and electronics. Headquartered in Singapore, ASMPT’s offerings encompass the semiconductor assembly & packaging, and SMT (surface mount technology) industries, ranging from wafer deposition, to the various solutions that organise, assemble and package delicate electronic components into a vast range of end-user devices, which include electronics, mobile communications, computing, automotive, industrial and LED (displays).

PolyU BME co-hosts International Research Society of Spinal Deformities (IRSSD) Scientific Meeting 2024

The International Research Society of Spinal Deformities (IRSSD), PolyU BME and the ISPO Hong Kong Chapter co-organised the IRSSD Scientific Meeting 2024: Exploring Better Outcome under Uncertainties on 21 – 23 June 2024 (Friday to Sunday) at the Jockey Club Innovation Tower, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The conference was attended by nearly 100 participants from around the world. The International Research Society of Spinal Deformities (IRSSD) was established in 1994 to advance the study and research into spinal deformities, and provide a platform for the presentation and encouragement of research related to spinal deformities and to disseminate the results of the captioned research for the public benefit. The IRSSD Scientific Meeting 2024 included plenary sessions, symposium sessions, oral/posters sessions, workshops and exhibition booths from the sponsors. Three domains — “Basic Sciences of Spinal Deformities”, “Clinical Assessments and Diagnoses of Spinal Deformities” and “Management of Spinal Deformities” — were covered in the conference. Professor M. S. Wong from PolyU BME was the IRSSD 2024 Organising Committee Chair. He kickstarted the conference by delivering the welcome speech. The current and past organising committee members, and the new and past IRSSD Presidents were also invited to the stage to the celebrate the 30th Anniversary of IRSSD. At the end of the conference, the following presenting authors received the Best Paper Awards and the Best Poster Award, based on their submitted abstracts and oral presentation performance or poster presentation: Best Paper Award - Basic Sciences of Spinal Deformities “A Pilot Single Cell RNA Sequencing Study Suggested that Conditioned Asymmetric Osteogenic Differentiation through mTOR Pathway in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS)” Presented by Mrs Gen TANG, Student, Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China Best Paper Award - Clinical Assessments and Diagnoses of Spinal Deformities “Could Ultrasound Curve Angle (UCA) Measurement Reduce Unnecessary X-Ray Exposure for Screening Scoliosis Among Schoolchildren? – A Study of 509 Skeletally Immature Female Subjects” Presented by Dr Adam Yiu Chung LAU, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China Best Paper Award - Management of Spinal Deformities “Development and Validation of Machine Learning Models to Predict Full-Time Brace Treatment Outcomes for Children with AIS” Presented by Professor Edmond LOU, Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Alberta, Canada Best Poster Award “A New Human-Free Brace Design Approach Using Global Shape Optimization to Treat Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Braces” Presented by Professor Carl-Eric AUBIN, Full Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Polytechnique Montreal; Researcher, Sainte-Justine University Hospital Centre, Canada

PolyU BME PhD student Huang Lai awarded First Runner-up at Faculty of Engineering 3MT® Competition

PolyU BME PhD student Huang LAI won the First Runner-up at the Faculty of Engineering Three Minute Thesis Competition (3MT®), which was held on 5 June 2024 on PolyU campus, by presenting the topic “Droplet Microfluidics for Single-T-cell Activation in situ Analysis”. All 3MT® participants were nominated by their departments of the Faculty of Engineering. Each department could nominate three students at most, and they were rated by the Judging Panel, chaired by Dr LOO Ka-Hong, Associate Professor and Assistant Dean (External Engagement), Faculty of Engineering and comprising departmental representatives. Developed by the University of Queensland, Australia, 3MT® cultivates the academic, presentation, and research communication skills of research students and supports their capacity to effectively explain their research in three minutes in a language appropriate to non-specialist audiences. The competition is a globally recognized competition which are now held in over 900 universities across more than 85 countries worldwide.