News

Nature Invitation: Dr Ling Jin’s Team Wrote Commentary on Microbial Risks of Plastic Pollution

𝐃𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐉𝐢𝐧, Assistant Professor, and his team have been invited by Nature to address the "Microbial Risks of Plastic Pollution", spotlighting the often-overlooked plastisphere microbiomes linked to plastic waste. Their commentary titled "𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝’𝐬 𝟕 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞?” has been published online on October 3, 2024.  Timed with the fifth meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-5) in South Korea this November, this publication coincides with global efforts to finalize the UN Plastic Treaty terms, emphasizing critical issue of microbes that thrive on plastics and the biohazard risks they pose. The author team, led by 𝐃𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐨 𝐋𝐢, CEE Postdoctoral Fellow supervised by Dr Jin, alongside distinguished scholars worldwide, stresses the importance of recognizing and tackling the microbial hazards. These insights are pivotal in the ongoing battle against plastic pollution on a global scale.  𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 is the world’s leading multidisciplinary science journal publishing the finest peer-reviewed research in all fields of science and technology. Nature also is a platform ensure that the results of science are rapidly disseminated to the public throughout the world.  For original article, please refer to: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03150-6  

PolyU Info Day 2024

The 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐲𝐔 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 was successfully held on 12 October 2024 (Saturday). We extend our sincere gratitude to all the enthusiastic visitors who shared the passion for civil and environmental engineering and big thank you all our academic staff and student ambassadors for their hard work in making this event a success.  Dr Barbara W.Y. Siu, Senior Lecturer of CEE, introduced the admission information and career prospects of 𝐁𝐄𝐧𝐠 (𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐬) 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 [𝐉𝐒𝟑𝟕𝟑𝟗] and 𝐁𝐄𝐧𝐠 (𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐬) 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 [𝐉𝐒𝟑𝟑𝟕𝟓] during the Undergraduate Programme Talk, attracting more than 360 participants in total to explore our Undergraduate programmes; while Dr Chao Zhou and Dr Yi Jiang, Programme Leaders for 𝐌𝐒𝐜 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 [𝟑𝟏𝟎𝟕𝟕] and 𝐌𝐒𝐜 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 [𝟑𝟏𝟎𝟕𝟖] respectively, provided first-hand admission details regarding the Taught Postgraduate Programmes (TPg) offered by CEE to the attendees, helping them to acquire insights for their next learning journey. Attendees also had the unique opportunity to explore our state-of-the-art facilities, including the 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐋𝐚𝐛, 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞 and 𝐍𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐋𝐚𝐛, where the latest civil engineering equipment and technologies were showcased, providing a glimpse into the exciting future of our field. CEE offers a dynamic learning environment, world-class research opportunities and a strong focus on real-world applications. Join us at CEE, embark on a journey where the impossible becomes possible and shape the future of our built environment together!   Programme Talk Playback👇 📌𝐔𝐆 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤 📽️ https://youtu.be/z2Og0r7HINA 📌𝐓𝐏𝐠 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤 📽️ https://youtu.be/E5D3FC9iKyE

CEE Staff-Student-Alumni Badminton Doubles Competition 2024

The 𝐂𝐄𝐄 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟-𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭-𝐀𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐧𝐢 𝐁𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 concluded with great success last Saturday (𝟓 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒)! It was a remarkable showcase of sportsmanship and collaboration within our CEE community. The event united our dedicated CEE staff, enthusiastic undergraduate and postgraduate students, and supportive alumni in a spirit of friendly rivalry. The commitment and spirit displayed by all teams and players were truly commendable. The matches were neck and neck, providing thrilling and high-quality games that kept everyone on the edge of their seats. We extend our deepest gratitude to the four judges, line judges, the CEE student association, all the participants, and our wonderful supporters who contributed to making this event a triumph. Your energy and enthusiasm on the court were truly inspiring. Congratulations to the Champion, 1st Runner Up, and 2nd Runner Up! Stay tuned for more exciting activities as we continue to nurture a vibrant and inclusive community within our department.  

CEE PhD Student won the Best Student Oral Presentation Award at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Asia-Pacific 14th Biennial Meeting

Congratulations to 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐗𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐢𝐮, CEE PhD student supervised by 𝐃𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐉𝐢𝐧, on receiving the “𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐎𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝”at the 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐨𝐱𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐀𝐬𝐢𝐚-𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝟏𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, which was held on 21-25 September 2024 in Tianjin. The Biennual Meeting encourages students to exchange ideas and solutions to address emerging environmental issues in the Asia-Pacific region and globally. Miss Liu’s award-winning presentation was entitled "𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐠: 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨𝐱𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬-𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐲𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐱𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲”, aiming to develop species-specific cell lines for Chinese White Dolphins and finless porpoises and apply them to identify the major risk drivers among the complex pollutant mixtures in the habitat waters of these protected marine mammals.  Kudos to our talented student. We look forward to her groundbreaking research, fostering a better future for the living environment. More details of the meeting can be found at https://www.bagevent.com/event/8836660/p/542148.  

Dr Tony Sze Being Invited to Speak in “Future City Dialogue Series”

𝐃𝐫 𝐓𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐒𝐳𝐞, Associate Professor of CEE, was invited by Future City Vision to join the “𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 – 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐊𝐨𝐧𝐠: 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 – 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 – 𝐓𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠” on 𝟐𝟏 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 (𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲), featuring notable speakers including Prof. Anthony Cheung, former Secretary for Transport and Housing of HK, and Ir Gary Zhang, Legislative Council member. The dialogue addressed the issues of system innovation and regulation concerning taxis and car hailing services. In-depth discussion on the approaches to enhance safety, efficiency, and quality of public transport in Hong Kong while balancing the demands and interests of different transport operators was also put forward. For more information, please refer to the webpage of Future City Vision: https://www.fcv.org.hk/latest-news/fcv-dialogue-taxis-and-car-hailing/  

CEE UG Student Secured Third Place in the AGS (HK) Final Year Project Competition 2024

Congratulations to 𝐌𝐮𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐝 𝐇𝐚𝐚𝐝 𝐒𝐚𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫, CEE undergraduate student, whose final year project titled “𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐞-𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐩 𝐅𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬 𝐔𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐌𝐌𝐀 𝐒𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐞𝐢𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐬” won the Third Place in the AGS (HK) Final Year Project Competition on 25 July 2024 (Thursday), under the supervision of 𝐃𝐫 𝐐𝐢 𝐙𝐡𝐚𝐨, Assistant Professor of CEE. The Association of Geotechnical & Geoenvironmental Specialists (Hong Kong) [AGS (HK)] organizes the Final Year Project Competition with the aim to recognize excellence and raise public awareness of good principles and practice in the fields of geotechnical / geological / geophysical / geo-environmental engineering. Targeting final year undergraduate level, it is hoped that the award can encourage pursuit of excellence amongst young professionals. Congratulations again to our talented student for his exceptional performance in the AGS (HK) Final Year Project Competition! More details of the competition can be found at https://bit.ly/AGSHKfinalyearprojectcompetition.   

CEE Departmental Visit – AD & FD POHL Leung Sing Tak College (20 Sep)

A group of 30 students from AD & FD POHL Leung Sing Tak College visited CEE on 20 September 2024 (Friday). They started off with a visit to our Structural Engineering Research Laboratory. Through the demonstration of laboratory equipment and experiments, they got a clearer picture on structural engineering. After that, Dr Andy Y. F. Leung, Associate Head of CEE, introduced the admission information of BEng (Hons) in Civil Engineering and BEng (Hons) in Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Development as well as the recent developments of the civil engineering industry to the students.  To arouse the students’ concerns on environmental sustainability, they also joined the Air Purifier DIY workshop and learnt to make their own air purifiers. They all found the visit comprehensive and enjoyable.  

CEE MSc Programme Admission Talk at Beijing Jiaotong University

We had an incredible turnout at our MSc programme admission talk by 𝐃𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐨 𝐙𝐇𝐎𝐔 on 𝟐𝟎 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 at 𝐁𝐞𝐢𝐣𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐉𝐢𝐚𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲! Around 200 enthusiastic students attended the entire event and approximately 80% of the attendees were undergraduate students, highlighting the strong appeal of our MSc programmes. During the admission talk, Dr Zhou emphasized several key advantages of studying in the CEE MSc programmes. These include strong partnerships with renowned mainland institutions and a shorter programme duration compared to similar offerings in the mainland. Additionally, our MSc programmes feature significantly lower tuition fees compared to overseas options. Lastly, graduates benefit from ample employment opportunities in Hong Kong through INAG visas with comparative salary. If you are interested in knowing more about out MSc programmes, please join us on our TPg programme talk on PolyU Information Day, scheduled on 12 October 2024 from 14:00 to 14:45 (Hybrid mode)!   We look forward to seeing you there!

Twenty-six CEE Scholars Ranked World’s Top 2% Scientists Released by Stanford University

A total of 𝟐𝟔 𝐂𝐄𝐄 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬 have been recognized among the 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝'𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝟐% 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 for 2024, as announced by Stanford University. Impressively, 7 of these scholars are ranked within the top 100 in their respective fields. Notably, 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟. 𝐂𝐡𝐢 𝐒𝐮𝐧 𝐏𝐎𝐎𝐍, Head of CEE, and 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟. 𝐉𝐢𝐧-𝐆𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐞𝐧𝐠, President of PolyU, have achieved distinguished rankings, placing 4th and 8th globally in their areas of expertise. Applause for our top-notch researchers! The above globally acknowledged list underscores CEE’s dedication to research excellence and its pursuit of pioneering studies. For more information, please visit: https://elsevier.digitalcommonsdata.com/datasets/btchxktzyw/7   Name (in alphabetical order of surname) Subject Field Dr Kaiming BI Civil Engineering Prof. Kwok-Wing CHAU Mechanical Engineering & Transports Prof. Anthony CHEN Logistics & Transportation Prof. Wei CHU Environmental Sciences Prof. Kwok-Fai CHUNG Civil Engineering Dr You DONG Civil Engineering Prof. Huan-Feng DUAN Environmental Engineering Prof. Ahmed Youssef ELGHAZOULI Civil Engineering Prof. Hai GUO Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences Prof. Jan-ming KO Civil Engineering Prof. William Hing-Keung LAM Logistics & Transportation Prof. Shun-cheng LEE Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences Prof. Xiang Zhong LI Environmental Sciences Prof. Xiangdong LI Environmental Sciences  Prof. Yi-Qing NI Civil Engineering  Prof. Chi Sun POON Building & Construction  Prof. Jin-Guang TENG Civil Engineering  Prof. Tao WANG Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences  Prof. Yuhong WANG Building & Construction  Prof. Yong XIA  Civil Engineering  Prof. Jian-Hua YIN Geological & Geomatics Engineering  Prof. Zhen-Yu YIN  Geological & Geomatics Engineering  Prof. Ben YOUNG  Civil Engineering  Prof. Tao YU  Civil Engineering  Prof. Xiao Lin ZHAO  Civil Engineering  Prof. Songye ZHU  Civil Engineering 

Visit to Trunk Road T2 and Cha Kwo Ling Tunnel cum Dragages Career Talk

Led by 𝐃𝐫 𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐲 𝐋𝐞𝐮𝐧𝐠, Associate Head of CEE, a group of 18 CEE undergraduate and postgraduate students visited 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐤 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐓𝟐 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐚 𝐊𝐰𝐨 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 which is currently under construction by 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐇𝐊 on 𝟏𝟒 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 (𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲). During the visit, students were able to explore underground construction engineering and discover the cutting-edge features of the project, including the adoption of Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) excavation, cut-and-cover, drill-and-break, drill-and-blast methods. Through exposing to real-world scenarios and the advanced technologies applied, students’ academic knowledge and practical skills were significantly strengthened. The visit also featured a career talk by Dragages HK, in which students could discover more about construction companies. Two current Assistant Engineers, who are also CEE alumni, shared their experiences and insights navigating their career journey, and advised tips on transitioning from campus to the world of civil engineering. The students found the visit fruitful and inspiring. CEE strives to enhance students’ exposure as well as improving the connection with alumni and the industry. We look forward to collaborating with more industry partners to foster practical learning opportunities to students, at the same time building a stronger bonding within the CEE Community.