News

HK$44 Million Secured from RGC Theme-based Research Scheme to Tackle Grand Challenge in Air Pollution and Public Health

Air pollution is the greatest environmental health risk factor for premature deaths worldwide. Among all air pollutants, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is one of the deadliest. Since PM2.5 is a cocktail of components from a mix of sources and not all components or sources are equally toxic, research on the toxic components and their associated sources responsible for PM2.5 health effects plays a key part in air quality management.   The project, titled “Unravelling the Black Box between Air Pollution and Public Health for Transformative Air Quality Management”, is co-led by Prof. Xiang-dong Li, Dean of Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE), Director of Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD), Chair Professor of Environmental Science and Technology; and Prof. Ko Jan Ming, Professor in Sustainable Urban Development. It has been awarded HK$44.5 million worth of funding by the Research Grants Council (RGC) Theme-based Research Scheme (TRS) 2022/23 (Twelfth Round).   As the project coordinator, Prof. Li will lead a multi-disciplinary team of 10 researchers from PolyU, CityU, CUHK, HKU and HKUST. The project is expected to generate solid evidence of key PM2.5 toxic components and emission sources that contribute to the acute toxicity of PM2.5, particularly in the exacerbation of two index diseases of the pulmonary and cardiovascular systems: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and ischemic heart disease (IHD).    Furthermore, the research team will evaluate the benefits and costs of their proposed strategy of targeting the sources of PM2.5 toxic constituents against the conventional approach targeting total mass concentrations when formulating air quality management policies. Effective, practical, and economical approaches to managing air quality and public health will be recommended. For example, the completion of the current project may lead to 1) a revision of the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) algorithm and the associated “Health Advice”; and 2) a review and update of the Air Quality Objectives (AQO) in Hong Kong. The experience in Hong Kong may also serve as a case model for the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and ultimately for the global community.

CEE Newsletter (Aug 2022)

The latest CEE Newsletter has been published! For full version, please visit here: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/cee/news-and-events/newsletter/202208aug/.

New joiner - Dr Chen Zhengwei

Dr Zhengwei Chen obtained his BEng in Traffic Equipment & Information Engineering from Central South University in June 2014 and he got his PhD related to a research topic of Train Aerodynamics and Traffic Safety from Central South University in January 2021. Before joining PolyU as a Research Assistant Professor, Dr Chen worked as a postdoctoral fellow at PolyU from 2021 to 2022. Dr Chen’s research interests include drag reduction of high-speed trains, mitigation of crosswind effects on high-speed trains, high-speed train/tunnel aerodynamic effects, vehicle system dynamics, rail transit safety and environment, and physics-informed machine learning. Dr Chen has joined us on 29 August 2022

New joiner - Dr Xiang Yu

Dr Xiang Yu received his B.Eng. degree in 2010 and Ph.D. degree in 2017, both from Hunan University, China. After graduation, he joined PolyU and successively worked as a Research Associate, Postdoctoral Fellow and then Research Fellow from 2017 to 2022. Dr Xiang’s research interests include high-performance structures enabled by the use of fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites and ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC), numerical modelling of FRP-strengthened/reinforced concrete structures, and smart sensors for structural health monitoring. Dr Xiang has joined us on 29 Aug 2022.

New joiner - Dr Ao Wai Kei, Vincent

Dr Wai Kei (Vincent) Ao graduated from the National Taiwan University (NTU) with MSc and undergraduate qualifications in Civil and Structural Engineering and Civil Engineering. His MSc studied "Analytical and experimental studies on seismic behaviour of structures with building using passive mass dampers". After the MSc course, he worked for one and a half years in BAHH Engineering Consultants Ltd, Macau. During that time, he did some works, including foundation design, structural design, coordinating engineering plans, program design narrative, etc. He joined the Vibration Engineering Section (VES) at the University of Sheffield (UoS) and the University of Exeter (UoE) in 2012 and 2013, respectively, and studied for a PhD and graduated in 2017 with the research topic on "Electromagnetic damping for control of vibration in civil structures". After the PhD, he worked at UoE as a graduate research assistant. In 2018, he was awarded a postdoctoral research fellowship related to advanced sensors and modelling for next-generation bridge management at Queen's University Belfast (QUB). In 2019, he was awarded a new postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Exeter. The key aim of the UoE job was corresponding to two project grants: Resilient integrated-coupled FOW platform design methodology (ResIn) and dynamic response of tall timber buildings under service load (DynaTTB). These works focused on the dynamic behaviour of offshore structures and the dynamic testing of tall timber buildings around the UK and Europe. From 2022 until the present, he was awarded a research assistant professor (RAP) position at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) in Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE). His ongoing research includes passive, semi-active and active vibration control, vibration serviceability, structural health monitoring, vision-sensing system, and machine learning paradigms for applications to civil structures and railway systems. Dr Ao has joined us on 29 Aug 2022.

PolyU Summer Programme 2022

The PolyU Summer Programme 2022 was successfully held on 9 Aug 2022.  It attracted about 50 students from different secondary schools to join this programme to learn more about civil and environmental engineering. Participants were split into groups to join an interactive workshop – Plastic Bridge Challenge, which involves design, fabrication and testing of a bridge structure.  They were given one hour to build a bridge in groups of five with plastic sticks only and the groups tested their bridges by adding loads until the structure collapsed.  Students were also able to visit the Geology Laboratory and Noise and Safety Laboratory near the end of the programme.

PolyU CEE Webinar Series: Artificial geopolymer aggregates-A one-stone two-birds solution for sustainable construction

Prof. DAI Jian-Guo delivered a seminar with the topic of “Artificial geopolymer aggregates-A one-stone two-birds solution for sustainable construction” on 17 August 2022. It was co-organized with RCRE and HKIE Civil Division.

FCE Alumni Reunion Day 2022

The FCE Alumni Reunion Day 2022 was successfully held on 13 August 2022. The reunion brought together hundreds of FCE alumni to reconnect with teachers, classmates and friends and to join the enriching half-day journey in the campus.   The event featured the presentation for Alumni Award of PolyU Faculty of Construction and Environment 2022, exhibitions by various academic units of CEE as well as tours to the CEE laboratories.   For more photos of the event, please visit https://www.polyu.edu.hk/cee/news-and-events/photo-gallery/fce-alumni-reunion-day/.

Introduction of CEE to Dalian University of Technology Civil Engineering Students

Around 50 students from Dalian University of Technology joined a virtual visit to CEE on 12 Aug 2022. It was co-organized by ASCE Greater China section. Dr Andy Leung and Dr Zhen Leng introduced CEE, the research strengths in various disciplines and major research projects, together with HK PhD fellowship scheme (HKPFS) and other PhD schemes in PolyU.  Further details about the HKPFS can be found at https://www.polyu.edu.hk/cee/prospective-students/research-postgraduate-programme/hong-kong-phd-fellowship-scheme/.

New joiner – Dr Jacqueline Lo

New joiner – Dr Jacqueline Lo Dr Lo Jacqueline obtained her BSc (High Honor, 2014) in Civil Engineering with a minor in Mathematics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, MSc in Structural Engineering and Geo-mechanics, and Ph.D. degree (2022) from the Center for Integrated Facility Engineering at the Stanford University. Dr Lo’ s research lies at the intersection of construction engineering and emerging technology; focusing on civil and construction engineering, which aims to advance innovative solutions for the next-generation building & infrastructure systems, such as digital construction, public safety in the built environment, innovation management, and smart mobility for future cities. Dr Lo has joined us on 15 August 2022.