News

CEE Departmental Visit - Fanling Kau Yan College (22 July)

A group of 21 students from Fanling Kau Yan College visited CEE on 22 July 2024 (Monday). Dr Andy Y. F. Leung, Associate Head of CEE, introduced the admission information and the recent developments of the civil engineering industry to the students.  Students then were divided into groups to compete in the "Tower Challenge: Engineering with Straws, Tape, and Imagination". They were tasked with using paper straws and tape to construct a tower as tall as possible that could also support a pack of 375ml lemon tea for 10 seconds. The best-performing group managed to build a tower reaching a height of 63cm. Besides, they had the opportunity to visit Noise and Safety Laboratory, where they gained more knowledge on noise reduction and environmental safety through experiment and demonstration of laboratory equipment. They all found the visit was interesting and rewarding.

PolyU Ranked 2nd in Best University for Civil Engineering in U.S. News & World Report Best Global University Ranking 2024-2025

We are proud to announce that PolyU celebrates another year of outstanding achievement in the U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities Ranking 2024-2025 for Civil Engineering! PolyU has maintained its prestigious position as the 2nd best for Civil Engineering globally and has secured the top spot in Hong Kong in this discipline. This remarkable success showcases CEE’s unwavering commitment to excellence in research, teaching and innovation, as well as reaffirming our leading position in civil engineering within the region. The 2024-2025 Best Global Universities subject rankings by U.S. News & World Report examines 51 subject areas and evaluates 2,250 universities across 104 countries. The Rankings focus exclusively on institution’s overall academic research and reputations and the 13 ranking indicators include global and regional research reputation, total citations, international collaboration and more. More details can be found at https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/civil-engineering.  Join us in celebrating this incredible achievement and we look forward to the continued success of CEE’s groundbreaking research and the constant pursuit of academic excellence!  

Most Popular Paper Award to Dr Ling Jin’s Collaborative Team

Congratulations to Dr Ling Jin, Assistant Professor of CEE, and his collaborative team for their paper titled “Ecology and Risks of the Global Plastisphere as a Newly Expanding Microbial Habitat” being recognized as the Most Popular (2020-2024) by The Innovation, a prestigious journal under Cell Press (Impact Factor = 33.2) that ranked third among multidisciplinary journal. Dr Changchao Li (second from the left in the photo), the first author of the award-winning paper and a postdoctoral fellow supervised by Dr Ling Jin, received the award on behalf of the team at The Innovation Conference 2024.   The paper provides a global overview of the plastisphere by analyzing samples from freshwater, seawater, and land. The team found that the plastisphere hosts unique microbial communities that are more diverse and structured differently than those in natural habitats. Additionally, the nitrogen cycle is disrupted, especially in freshwater environments, where there is a high presence of bacteria that can release harmful substances like nitrite and nitrous oxide. There is also an increase in harmful microorganisms, including pathogens that affect animals, plants, and humans. The study warns that if plastic emissions continue to rise, the expanding plastisphere could lead to serious global health issues. For original article, please refer to: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xinn.2023.100543  

PolyU CEE Webinar Series: Travel Behavior Modeling to Understand Demand for Emerging Mobility Service

Dr Sung-hoon Jang delivered a seminar with the topic of “Travel Behavior Modeling to Understand Demand for Emerging Mobility Services” on 10 July 2024. It was co-organized with HKIE Civil Division. Find the full version of the webinar in the blow link: https://youtu.be/PDYbhgVc_Zk.  

CEE Departmental Visits (3 July)

Evangel College  A group of 18 students from Evangel College visited CEE on 3 July 2024 (Wednesday). They jointly attended the programme talk with students from Stewards MKMCF Ma Ko Pan Memorial College.  Dr Barbara Siu, Scheme Leader of BEng (Hons) Scheme in Civil Engineering and Sustainable Development, introduced the admission information and the recent developments of the civil engineering industry to the students.  After the programme talk, students had the opportunity to visit our Structural Engineering Research Laboratory, where they gained a deeper understanding of the latest technology and research activities in the field of structural engineering through demonstrations of laboratory equipment. They all enjoyed the visit and found it was informative and cultivating. Stewards MKMCF Ma Ko Pan Memorial College A group of 31 students from Stewards MKMCF Ma Ko Pan Memorial College visited CEE on 3 July 2024 (Wednesday). They jointly attended the programme talk with students from Evangel College. Dr Barbara Siu, Scheme Leader of BEng (Hons) Scheme in Civil Engineering and Sustainable Development, introduced the admission information and the recent developments of the civil engineering industry to the students.  Students then had the opportunity to visit our Hydraulics Laboratory and Structural Engineering Research Laboratory, where they get more information on the latest technology and research activities regarding hydraulics and structural engineering through laboratory equipment’s demonstrations. They all found the visit was eye-opening and interesting. In order to gain more hands on experience regarding civil engineering, the students competed in the Tower Challenge: Engineering with Straws, Tape and Imagination where they were required to use their innovation to build a tower with only straws and tape. Out of 6 groups, 4 of them broke our existing tower height record (79cm). The winning team had set a new record by creating an 85cm-high tower.

New Joiner – Dr Jinxia LIU

Prior to joining PolyU as Associate Professor, Dr Jinxia Liu was an Associate Professor at McGill University, Canada, and the Director of Brace Water Center. Dr Liu leads a research program focused on reducing the environmental and health impacts of emerging organic pollutants, particularly poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Her work integrates fundamental and applied studies of PFAS environmental fate and behavior through laboratory experiments and field monitoring, using multidisciplinary approaches in engineering, chemistry, and microbiology. She has collaborated extensively with government agencies and private industries to tackle soil and water pollution issues. Dr Liu has won numerous competitive research grants from Canadian and US funding agencies, including the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the US National Science Foundation, and the US SERDP program. Her accolades include the NSERC Discovery Accelerator Award, Chwang-Seto Faculty Scholar, and excellent reviewer awards from the American Chemical Society. She serves on the editorial board of Environmental Science and Technology and has acted as a scientific expert for law firms in the US, Canada, and Australia on PFAS-related lawsuits and litigations. Dr Liu has joined us on 15 July 2024.  

PolyU Graduate School Outstanding Research Postgraduate Young Alumni Award 2024

PolyU Graduate School Outstanding Research Postgraduate Alumni Award aims to recognize the achievement of research postgraduate (RPg) alumni and promote the excellence of research postgraduate education at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). We are proud to announce that Prof. Jun Li, a distinguished graduate of CEE, is the recipient of Outstanding Research Postgraduate Young Alumni Award 2024. Prof. Li obtained his PhD degree from CEE in 2012 and is currently a tenured professor and Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellow in the School of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at Curtin University, Australia. His research interests mainly include the development and application of emerging computer vision, artificial intelligence and data analytics techniques for structural health monitoring of civil engineering structures. His research outcomes have been applied to operational condition monitoring of a Curtin engineering pavilion building, Matagarup Bridge and Stirling Bridge in Western Australia. Prof. Li was also a recipient of ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (2013) and received several research awards, such as Nishino Prize (2019), Best Review Paper and Best Paper Award of Engineering Structures (2023) and Curtin Mid-Career Research Award (2023).  We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Prof. Li for this well-deserved recognition and we look forward to witnessing his continued dedication to research and innovation, and the impactful contributions his work will have in the academia and industry.  For more details, please visit https://www.polyu.edu.hk/gs/news-and-events/outstanding-rpg-alumni-award-2024/.  

CEE Students at NYCU Summer School 2024

4 CEE students were invited by National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) to participate in a 5 days summer school programme from 8-12 July 2024.  During this program, our students had the privilege of attending several lectures at NYCU focused on sustainability practices in civil engineering. Topics included the potential applications of AI, hands-on experience in developing a disaster warning system, and health monitoring and time signal classification for offshore wind turbine substructures. These lectures not only expanded their knowledge by allowing them to create a warning system using the provided devices but also facilitated valuable interactions with Taiwanese students. This fostered cross-cultural exchange and the sharing of insights. Additionally, the technical tour to the Danjiang Bridge construction site was an eye-opening experience for our students. We are sincerely thankful for the warm hospitality from the professors and students of NYCU to our students. Their kindness and welcoming nature greatly enriched our students’ experience, making their summer study both enjoyable and informative. We believe that this summer school will inspire our students for their deeper understanding in civil engineering.  

Dr Tony Sze Invited to Speak on CNA News Programme

Dr Tony Sze, Associate Professor of CEE, was invited by Channel News Asia (CNA) in Singapore to speak on a TV’s news programme – “Asia First” - on 12 July 2024 (Friday). Hong Kong lawmakers have now started the legislative process with regards to ride-hailing platforms. It will certainly change the game in the taxi landscape. The discussion address the issues including benefits of commuters in Hong Kong, competition for the local taxi industry, and experiences in overseas countries like Singapore, Indonesia and China Mainland. A revisit can be found at (2:01:30 – 2:06:30) : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/watch/asia-first/fri-12-jul-2024-4474911   

PolyU Patents Achievement Award 2023

The University has launched the PolyU Patents Achievement Award this year in appreciation and honour of the remarkable achievements of departments and inventors that actively engaged in IP filing. Two awards were established for this purpose including the “Top Patents Filing Award 2023” which considers the IP filing activities over the past five years (2019-2023) and “Most Active Patents Filing Award” which focuses on the IP filing activities within year 2023. These awards reflect PolyU academics’ collective determination to foster innovation and protect intellectual properties. CEE is proud to have received the Top Patents Filing Award and Most Active Patents Filing Award (Department Category), acknowledging our outstanding IP filing achievements over the past years and recognizing our commitment to innovation and intellectual property protection. This award underscores our dedication to safeguarding the valuable intellectual assets generated by our researchers and scholars. Congratulations to Prof. Chi Sun Poon, Head of CEE, for receiving the Most Active Patents Filing Award (Inventor Category). This award celebrates his exceptional contributions to IP filing throughout 2023.   These awards demonstrate CEE's commitment to fostering a culture that values innovation and protects intellectual property. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our inventors for their tireless efforts in driving innovation and securing intellectual property protection, their dedication is a testament to CEE's commitment to leading the way in advancing knowledge and creating positive change to the society.