Awards and Achievements (Research)

Dr Sun Yi Securing PICO Public Policy Research Grant

BRE Award for Outstanding Research Performance 2018/19

BRE Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research Funding 2018/19

Join us in congratulating on Prof. Zayed Tarek’s success in securing the Innovation and Technology Fund!

The winning research project ‘Smart Noise Logger‐based Leak Diagnosis System’ will explore a new approach to interpret noise logger outputs and pin point the leak location without the need for other   technologies,such as correlators or acoustic.   It  is a key step in improving the Hong Kong Water Distribution Network and contributing  to a better understanding of pipe performance. The main users of the proposed research will be academics, contractors,municipal personnel,and other interested stakeholders.   Hong Kong (HK) has 8,605 km of potable and salt water pipes with average age of more than 30years, which need high cost of maintenance. A considerable number of pipe bursts/breaks (148)and detected leakage (9,585) cases was reported in 2016. These statistics show the critical situation of Water Distribution Network (WDN) in HK. The socio‐economic consequences of water pipe breaks/bursts are high and cause considerable damage to society, businesses, and the environment.Although much effort was exerted, such efforts are still not enough to significantly reduce WDN vulnerabilities and negative economic impacts. There is an urgent need, therefore, for smart,reliable and consistent leak diagnosis system. Noise loggers are used in HK for long time with less accuracy due to the drawback of the existing interpretation techniques.     

Waleed’s Efforts Rewarded with ‘The FCE Awards for Outstanding PhD Theses 2018/19’

Always, it is a great delight to empower our students to fulfill their potential and see their achievements!   “My project aimed to counter the occupational hazards, i.e. health and safety of construction workers, by using contemporary safety informatics to identify the risk factors and explore their mitigation strategies. It also explored rebar tying as an example which is one of the most strenuous demand in the construction trade,” says Dr Waleed Umer,    our    PhD    graduate.    Under  Prof.  Li  Heng’s supervision, Dr Umer’s project has substantiated the effectiveness of  safety  informatics  in  enhancing  the  understanding  of  various aspects   of   occupational   hazards. It could help derive better solutions and technologies to ensure a sustainable workforce.   It is no wonder that Dr Umer’s project tilted ‘Biomechanical Evaluation & Mitigation of Occupational Safety Hazards related to Manual  Rebar  Tying’  was  selected  in  ‘The  FCE  Awards  for Outstanding PhD Theses 2018/19’ as a mark of appreciation for its excellence and his exceptional presentation in early September.   In his current capacity as a part-time research associate, Dr Umer furthers his research interest and efforts in Prof. Li’s team.    

Ibrahim Deserving Best Presentation Award in the WABER Conference

Taking  on  a  new  challenge,  Mr.  Ibrahim  Yahaya  Wuni,  our  PhD  student, delivered  a  presentation  on  ‘Making  a  Case  for Modular Integrated Construction in West Africa: Rethinking Housing Supply in Ghana’ in the 10th West Africa Built Environment Research (WABER) Conference 2019 in Accra,Ghana in early August. Under the supervision of Prof. Geoffrey Shen, Ibrahim made a lot of efforts on this paper. His outstanding performance deserved the Best Presentation Award in this Conference.   As  the  most  reputable  and  highly-recognized  conference  in  West  Africa,  the WABER  Conference  aims  to  offer  a  platform  to  young  built  environment researchers in the region to sharpen their research skills and knowledge.   Ibrahim, Keep up the good work!    

Dr Ivy Wong’s Successful Applications for Ford Foundation Research Grant

What  fantastic  news!  Dr  Ivy  Wong,  Assistant  Professor of  BRE  has  secured the international research   grant from   the   Ford Foundation for two consecutive years. A couple of successful applications are big rewards for Dr Wong’s great hard work and determination.   With the research grant of US$150,000-her research team got in 2018, the project,‘Community Planning and Self-governance Capacity Building for the Emerging Urban Communities in Periurban China: An Action-oriented Research Approach’ is already underway.   Recently,  marking  another  remarkable  chapter,  Dr  Wong  has  secured  are search    grant    of    US$100,000for  a  new  project  on  ‘Community Development  and  Grassroots  Governance  for  Urbanizing  Villages:  Case Studies,  Best  Practices  and  East-West Dialogues’. This project aims to 1)create   a   knowledge   hub   about   grassroots   governance   and   community development  of  urbanizing  villages,  and  2)  facilitate  East-West  dialogues and  mutual  learning  of  best  practices  and  past  experiences  from  selected cases about grassroots governance and community development.   The heart of Dr Wong’s research endeavors is to advance both academic research  and  policy  studies  on  the  various  aspects  of  urbanization  and governance   in   China,   such   as   urban   and   rural   planning,community participation,     local capacity building and rural property rights transformation,  etc.  Her  efforts  and  impactful work  over  years  are  greatly appreciated.   Join us in having around of applause for Dr Ivy Wong(Principal Investigator),Prof. Bo Sin Tang of HKU (Co-Principal Investigator) and Prof. Jinl ong Liu of Renmin University of China (Co-Principal Investigator)!   Have a read of Dr Ivy Wong’s profile:Sr Dr Ivy SW WONG    

Endowed Professorship Scales Prof. Albert Chan’s Efforts To Realise Sustainable Construction

Hearty congratulations to Prof. Albert Chan on being appointed as the Able Professor in Construction Health and Safety under the University’s Endowed Professorship Scheme!   This endowment will unprecedentedly scale Prof. Chan’s efforts  and  perseverance.  Also,  it certainly   will further   realise   his belief of raising the bar for the well-being and productivity of construction workers.   Over  the  past  three  decades,  Prof.Chan’s research has been focusing on   a   broad   spectrum   of   topics a cross   the   field   of   construction engineering and management.Along  the  way,  Prof.  Chan  realised a   pressing   need   for   identifying innovative solutions to construction  issues.  His  pursuit  of construction  workers’ safety  and health  was  reflected  on  his  recent research.   The  continuing  progress  he  made  was  internationally  applauded  with  a series of awards and prizes over years.Also, his tenacity and expertise had a lasting impact on the sustainable construction.   We wish Prof. Chan a new level of achievements in the near future!   Have a read of Prof. Chan’s brief profile

Dr Sun Yi Securing the Fund from China Academy of Urban Planning & Design, Shenzhen for BRE Research Project

BRE PhD Students Winning the AIB(HK) Professional Excellence in Building Awards 2019 (Category B3 - Student Achievement)

In the Professional  Excellence  in  Building  Awards  2019 organized  by  the  Australian Institute of Building (Hong Kong Chapter) (AIB-HK),two PhD research students of the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE) of PolyU were rewarded for their entries submitted to the category (B3 - Student Achievement) on 21 June 2019.   One  part-time  PhD  student  (Ms  Yiu  Sze-nga,  Nicole)received  the  Certificate  of  High Commendation award whereas another full-time PhD student (Mr Timothy Olawumi) won the  Certificate  of  Merit  award.  They  received  their award  certificates  at  the  Award Presentation  Ceremony  held  on  21  June  2019  at  the  Sheraton  Hong  Kong  Hotel  and Towers, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Both of them are being currently supervised by Dr Daniel W.M. Chan, Associate Professor of BRE.   Award Category  Entry Title Student Name Certificate of High Commendation An Empirical Investigation of the Current Application and Future Development of the Safety Management System (SMS) in the Hong Kong Construction Industry Ms Yiu Sze-nga, Nicole (Part-time PhD Student) Certificate of Merit An Exploratory Study of the Application of Building Information Modelling (BIM) to the Sustainability of the Built Environment Mr Timothy Olawumi (Full-time PhD Student)   The nomination requirements of the award category (B3 - Student Achievement) are open to  any  undergraduate  or  postgraduate  students  studying  construction,  civil,  building,mechanical, architectural, E&M engineering or surveying in universities and colleges (both full-time mode and part-time mode).