News

Alliance with TCL to foster research collaboration

PolyU announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with TCL Group, a multinational electronics company headquartered in Mainland China at the TCL Global Technology Project Release and Cooperation Signing Conference in Nov 2021. The cooperation was driven by COMP and the Research Centre on Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (RC-DSAI) of PolyU. The MoU offers a framework for collaboration to develop research in science and technology, as well as for developing and implementing applied research projects in innovative Artificial Intelligence. The MoU was signed by Prof. Christopher Chao, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU and Dr Jiajun Shen, Chief AI Scientist of TCL Corporate Research (Hong Kong) Co. Limited. The signing ceremony was witnessed by the Co-Directors of RC-DSAI, Prof. Qing Li, Chair Professor and Head of COMP and Prof. Lei Zhang, Chair Professor of COMP as well as Mr Hei Chak, Design Director and Mr Karl Li, Manager of External Affairs from TCL Corporate Research. At the ceremony, Prof. Chao said, “This MoU marks a closer tie between the two parties, represents our efforts to promote long-term academic and research cooperation, and also perfectly reflects our commitment to meet the changing needs of students and society.” On behalf of TCL Group, Dr Shen expressed his enthusiasm for collaboration and said the main purpose of the MoU was to facilitate further discussions and explore collaborative opportunities on AI, Data Science and robotics technologies. TCL Corporate Research is dedicated to AI-related research including natural language processing, computer vision, big data analysis, etc. Through this alliance, both parties aim to promote the long-term development of AI, identify new applications, explore more innovative technologies, attract R&D experts and cultivate AI talents.

COMP scholars named Highly Cited Researchers 2021

We are proud to announce that Prof. Song Guo, Professor, and Prof. Lei Zhang, Chair Professor of Computer Vision and Image Analysis, have been recognised in the list of Highly Cited Researchers 2021 by Clarivate Analytics for their exceptional research and scientific impact in the field of Computer Science and Engineering respectively. Prof. Guo conducts research mainly in the areas of Big Data, Edge AI, Mobile Computing, Machine Learning and Distributed Systems. He is an IEEE Fellow and the Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Open Journal of the Computer Society. He has also served on the editorial board of prestigious international journals. This is the second year in a row for Prof. Guo being named a Highly Cited Researcher. Prof. Zhang is an IEEE Fellow and he has been named a Highly Cited Researcher for the seventh consecutive year. His research interests include Image and Video Processing, Computer Vision, Pattern Recognition and Biometrics, etc. and he has published more than 300 papers in these areas. According to Google Scholar, his works have been cited more than 67,000 times and his h-index is 125. Clarivate™ Highly Cited Researchers identifies the world's most influential researchers of the past decade, demonstrated by the production of multiple highly cited papers that rank in the top 1% by citations for field and year in Web of Science™.

Joining hands with CAIR-HKISI-CAS to advance AI, DS and Robotics technologies

Under the support of COMP and Research Centre on Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (RC-DSAI), PolyU signed a collaborative agreement with the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Hong Kong Institute of Science & Innovation, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAIR-HKISI-CAS) on 1 Nov 2021 to advance Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Science (DS) and Robotic technologies research. With a longstanding collaboration with CAS, PolyU expands and deepens its existing partnership and enters into cooperation with CAIR-HKISI-CAS. The signing ceremony was held as a hybrid event at PolyU and the Institute of Automation, in Beijing simultaneously. It was witnessed by senior management and representatives of both parties. Prof. Christopher Chao, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU, officiated the signing ceremony and gave a speech highlighting PolyU has become the first local institution that collaborates with CAIR-HKISI-CAS. “I am confident that with the strong commitment, concerted efforts and world-renowned experts from the CAIR-HKISI-CAS, the RC-DSAI and COMP of PolyU, we can strengthen our collaboration in research, provide all-around development and make significant contributions to our emerging society,” said Prof. Chao. PolyU established the RC-DSAI earlier in May, an intra-faculty research centre that focuses on discovering the unknown areas of AI, DS and deep learning to conduct sustainable and influential research. The Co-Directors of RC-DSAI, Prof. Qing Li, Chair Professor and Head of COMP together with Prof. Lei Zhang, Chair Professor of COMP, briefly introduced the Centre and its development directions. Prof. Bo Xu, Director of CAIR-HKISI-CAS delivered his remarks at the opening and welcomed the alliance while Prof. Zhaoxiang Zhang, Executive Director of CAIR-HKISI-CAS, also expressed his gratitude for the collaboration. This agreement offers a framework for collaboration to develop and apply innovative technologies in the fields of AI, DS and Robotics, to generate high impact research as well as to nurture talents and benefit mankind. The collaboration marks a new milestone in PolyU’s development and represents our earnest efforts in fostering long-term academic and research collaborations. Through leveraging the university’s competitive edge in education, research and complementing the strengths of CAIR-HKISI-CAS, the two parties will contribute to pursuing impactful research that benefits the region, the country and the world.

COMP x CAA Academic-Industry Seminar Series (Oct 2021)

To encourage lifelong learning and strengthen the connection between COMP and Alumni, as well as to foster possible collaboration between academia and industry, COMP and the Computing Alumni Association (CAA) are co-organising the “COMP x CAA Academic-Industry Seminar Series” in the academic year of 2021/22. Various academics and industry professionals will be invited to share their insights and experiences on important computing topics. The first seminar was held successfully at PolyU on 27 October with the topic of “Artificial Intelligence”. Dr Miranda Lou, Executive Vice President of PolyU, was invited to officiate the seminar. Prof. Qing Li, Chair Professor and Head of COMP delivered a welcome remark, followed by Mr Darron Sun, President of CAA and Head of Information Technology of Hong Kong Housing Society also gave a warm welcome. Themed on “Applied Artificial Intelligence in Engineering”, Prof. Kay Chen Tan, our Chair Professor and Associate Head (Research & Development) was invited as the first speaker to discuss how artificial intelligence can be used in big data analytics to improve problem-solving efficiency for better decision making and optimization in industrial applications. Mr Jeffrey Ng, Vice President of CAA and Project Leader of MBB Strategy Firm, shared his hands-on experience in artificial intelligence for banking and finance with the audiences. Dr Henry Chan, Associate Professor and Associate Head (Partnership & Collaboration) of COMP hosted an interactive Q&A session near the end of the seminar. Winners from the Q&A session were able to get a prize – the new book named “Hands-On Artificial Intelligence for Banking” donated and written by Mr Jeffrey Ng.

COMP @ PolyU Undergraduate Info Day 2021

PolyU Education Info Day was successfully concluded on 10 October 2021. This year, the Info Day was conducted in hybrid mode in which COMP organised various activities including the info seminars with live consultation and a virtual booth exhibition. Dr Hong-va Leong, our Associate Professor and Associate Head (Teaching & Learning) hosted the info seminar of the BSc (Hons) Scheme in Computing & AI with comprehensive information including the programmes on offer, admission requirements, learning opportunities and career prospects. During the Q&A session, Dr Leong offered his professional advice on studying at COMP to the attendees both online and physically. There was lively interaction among them. We have prepared a video covering the introduction of our teaching facilities, students’ sharing of learning experiences and career options illustrated by our alumni in the virtual booth exhibition. Posters on the development of the FinTech & AI profession, COMP graduate employment figures and alumni testimonials, were also showcased to further enable participants to understand more about COMP. The BSc (Hons) Scheme in Computing & AI that we offer includes three major degree programmes – BSc (Hons) in Computer Science, BSc (Hons) in Enterprise Information Systems, and BSc (Hons) in Financial Technology and Artificial Intelligence. These programmes are designed with diversified scopes of curriculum, allowing students to select the most suitable one for themselves in the second year of study after a unique common first year. The annual PolyU Undergraduate Info Day provides an excellent platform for prospective students, their parents and the public to obtain first-hand information on a wide range of academic programmes and to gain useful tips about planning for university life.

University of Cambridge (Girton College) Online Summer Programme - Mathematics for Engineering

Co-organised by Girton College of the University of Cambridge and the Faculty of Engineering (FENG) of PolyU, the “University of Cambridge (Girton College) Online Summer Engineering School” was held from 26 – 30 July 2021. Thirty-nine FENG students including nine from COMP joined the programme. Dr John Longley, Senior Lecturer of the Department of Engineering from the University of Cambridge, delivered a course “Mathematics for Engineering”. Focusing on the theoretical concept, the course covered useful knowledge for engineers, including vectors analysis, matrices algebra, numerical solutions and quadrature, statistics, as well as data analysis. Daily homework assignments were given to participants after each class. “I chose to join this programme to enhance my mathematic ability and skills,” Liu Yunfei (BSc (Hons) in Computing, Year 2) said. “I learnt essential knowledge about some basic mathematic methods and techniques, which can be easily applied to my major study.” To enable participants to know more about Girton College and Cambridge student life, a series of special events were arranged such as Orientation, Watch Party of Girton College Experience, Guest Lecture on Graduate Studies at Cambridge. Students were also honoured to meet with the Mistress of Girton College, Prof. Susan Smith on 29 July, discussing education-related topics. Apart from the class learning, the summer programme also offered attendees opportunities to communicate with students who are currently studying at Girton College. Social activities with Student Ambassadors like “Quiz and Discussion Night” and “Walking Tour of Girton College”, further allowed students to experience the Cambridge study life. “Every day there was one challenge question at the end of the lecture for us to practice what we have learnt. I found this was so encouraging and interesting by solving the problem,” Geng Longling (BSc (Hons) in Computing, Year 2) shared. In conclusion, the programme provided students with valuable international learning experience in various aspects. “At Girton College we are very fortunate to have collaborated on short-term programmes with PolyU over a number of years now. The PolyU students on this new Mathematics for Engineering programme were as hard-working as always, and it is wonderful to know that even though the programme was delivered online the students still learnt a lot academically, and even got to experience something of Girton College life through the additional activities that were organised. We look forward to welcoming further PolyU students to Cambridge in future.” Dr Nick Godfrey, Director of Summer Programmes said.

UG Summer Research Experience at MIT Hong Kong Innovation Node

Sponsored by PolyU’s UG Summer Research Abroad Sponsorship Scheme (USRA), six COMP students participated in a 6-week summer research programme at the MIT Hong Kong Innovation Node from 15 June to 30 July 2021. USRA is a signature student learning scheme, which aims to provide financial support to encourage students to undertake research under the guidance and supervision of academics in overseas pre-eminent universities. The core part of this summer research programme was to first identify a real-world problem related to “Smart City” and proposed solutions. Geng Longling and Liu Yunfei (BSc (Hons) in Computing, Year 2) teamed up with Lam Long-ting (BSc (Hons) in Computing, Year 3) as well as a secondary school student to work on a “Smart Traffic Light System”. Smart traffic lights are one of many smart city initiatives that use advanced technology to improve the management of city services and the quality of life for citizens. The traffic lights are based on a dynamic algorithm that can control the lights based on the population and vehicles density. “By working with MIT people, I have a chance to exchange ideas with the most intelligent brains in the world. I was inspired by their awesome ideas and I realised that I need to reconsider my previous ways of thinking,” Yunfei said. Cao Qun, Xu Ying (BSc (Hons) in Computing, Year 3) and Muhammad Shoaib (BSc (Hons) in Enterprise Information Systems, Year 4) worked on other three projects and one of them was “The Supermarket Navigation System”. With the indoor navigation algorithm, customers can search the products they would like to purchase and the system will send the optimal path to the customers so that they can locate the products in the supermarket easily and efficiently. “The experience at the MIT Hong Kong Innovation Node was extremely enriching,” Muhammad shared. “I have learned a lot about IoT and Android app development.” By the end of the programme, students had to give presentations at the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks (HKSTP) in front of a panel of IoT experts who gave valuable comments and professional advice. During this research internship, participants could gain not only technical knowledge but also teamwork and soft skills.

PolyU Library Virtual Reality Contest 2020

We are glad to announce that two of our undergraduate students, Declan Leung Chun-hin, (BSc (Hons) in Enterprise Information Systems, Year 4) and Wu Chun-hung, (BSc (Hons) in Computing, Year 3) have recently won the Champion and First Runner-up with their projects titled “Chernobyl Disaster” and “Green Ark” respectively in the Virtual Reality (VR) Contest organised by the PolyU Library. Declan teamed up with another student from the Department of Health Technology and Informatics (HTI) to create their VR work “Chernobyl Disaster”. It was a storytelling simulation of the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe. Users could immerse themselves in conducting a VR safe test on a nuclear reactor and get the first-person experience in the incident. “Green Ark” was based on PolyU’s Green Deck plan to build a green public park above the Hung Hom Cross-Harbour Tunnel for recreation use. Chun-hung added a VR effect to let people connecting with this green space. “I have been engaged in VR and game development for at least four years. Joining this contest allowed me to re-examine my weaknesses and ability to complete a single game,” Chun-hung shared. To prepare and encourage students to participate in the contest, a series of online workshops and webinars related to VR was held from October 2020 to April 2021 for them to pick up skills that help them develop their own VR application.

Inauguration Ceremony for PolyU Student Ambassadors 2021-22

Under the “PolyU Student Ambassador Scheme”, vibrant students are appointed as Student Ambassadors (SAs) to promote PolyU to secondary students and the general public through outreaching activities such as Info Day, admission talks, etc. This year, we are glad to announce that two energetic and enthusiastic COMP students are being appointed as PolyU SAs and the Inauguration Ceremony was held on 10 September 2021. Prof. Wong Kwok-yin, Vice President (Education) of PolyU delivered the welcome speech and presented the Certificate of Appreciation to SAs of the previous year in recognition of their contributions, followed by the presentation of the official appointment to new SAs by Mr Edward Shen, Registrar of PolyU. Our student, Declan Leung Chun-hin (BSc (Hons) in Enterprise Information Systems, Year 4) was invited to give a delightful sharing on why he joined the scheme and his expectations. Another student, Isabel Madeleine Kemp, (BSc (Hons) in Computing, Year 4) also shared with us how grateful she was being one of the ambassadors. “When I was still a secondary student, I remembered being perplexed and overwhelmed by selecting my major, wondering where my passion lay and what my dreams were. Just by reading information from the Internet, isn’t enough for the younger generation to grasp and understand what the discipline is,” Isabel said. “I want to take my sharing opportunity, to give secondary students my perspective on studying at PolyU and Computing.” The scheme has been running by the Academic Registry consecutively for 20 years since 2001. To provide SAs with a better understanding of the strength of PolyU and the University’s admission arrangements as well as to further improve their communication and leadership skills, a series of training and briefings were offered to them. They will share their first-hand experience with prospective applicants and actively participate in various promotional activities. In return, they can strengthen their sense of belonging towards the University as well as enhance their communication, leadership presentation, and social skills. We sincerely hope that our SAs will be well equipped to perform their ambassadorial duties for the Department, Faculty and the University in the upcoming year.

Dr Jieming Shi received the Best Paper Award at VLDB 2021

We are pleased to announce that Dr Jieming Shi, Assistant Professor of COMP, together with other five researchers from Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore and Hamad Bin Khalifa University received the Best Paper Award at the 47th International Conference on Very Large Data Bases (VLDB) held from 16 – 20 August 2021 with the paper titled “Scaling Attributed Network Embedding to Massive Graphs”. Given a graph where each node is with a set of attributes, attributed network embedding (ANE) maps each node to a compact vector, which can be used in downstream machine learning tasks. Ideally, the vector should capture the node's affinity to each attribute, which considers not only the node's own attributes but also those of its connected nodes in the graph. It is challenging to obtain high-utility embeddings; scaling effective ANE computation to massive graphs pushes the difficulty of the problem to a whole new level. In this paper, Dr Shi and his team presented “PANE”, an effective and scalable ANE approach for massive graphs, which achieves state-of-the-art quality, measured by the accuracy of three prediction tasks. In particular, for a large graph with over 59 million nodes, 0.98 billion edges, and 2000 attributes, “PANE” is the only known viable solution that obtains effective embeddings on a single server, within 12 hours. “PANE” obtains superior performance through three main algorithmic designs. First, it formulates the learning objective based on a novel random walk model. Second, “PANE” includes an efficient solver for the objective, to drastically reduce the training cost. Finally, “PANE” utilizes multi-core CPUs through non-trivial parallelization, which achieves scalability while retaining the high quality of the results. VLDB is a premier annual international forum for data management and database researchers, vendors, practitioners, application developers, and users. The VLDB 2021 conference featured research talks, tutorials, demonstrations, and workshops. It covered issues in data management, database and information systems research.