Outstanding Student Award of FCE 2022

Miss Yi Nam XU, a BSc (Hons) in Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics student of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI), has been honoured with the Outstanding Student Award of FCE 2022 for her great character, academic excellence, exceptional attainments in extra-curricular activities, and passion for community service.

Being the awardee at both the department and faculty levels, Miss Xu excels in her academic and non-academic pursuits. She was selected for the Dean’s Honours List in 2019/20 & 2021/22, received a remarkable number of competitive scholarships such as the Innovation and Technology Scholarship 2022, and served summer internships at the Planning Department of the HKSAR and Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong. She is also an active volunteer in various social organisations like The Green Earth and The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups.

During her study at FCE, Miss Xu has developed a great interest in geospatial science and environmental conservation. Her overseas research attachment to the University of Wisconsin-Madison also helped her see the potential in remote sensing in environmental monitoring, particularly in forestry, wildfire, and species modelling. Miss Xu plans to further her studies in remote sensing and conservation after graduation and aspires to become a researcher in the abovementioned fields.

PolyU's Outstanding Students Award Scheme was established in the academic year 1998/99 to award full-time final-year students who excel in both academic and non-academic pursuits during their studies, the awards offered under this scheme are conferred at departmental, faculty and university levels.

Associate Dean to lead Remote Sensing and Environment Professional Alliance of Jiangsu-Hong Kong-Macau Universities

Prof. Charles WONG, Associate Dean (Teaching) and Professor of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI), has been appointed as one of the Co-Directors of the newly established Remote Sensing and Environment Professional Alliance of Jiangsu-Hong Kong-Macau Universities (the Alliance).

The Alliance was initiated by PolyU, the China University of Mining and Technology (CUMT), and the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST). It aims to focus on China’s national strategic needs of carbon peak and carbon neutrality, to continuously enhance the cooperation level among experts and scholars in the field of remote sensing and environment, and to achieve collaborative innovation between Hong Kong, Macau, and the Mainland.

More than 100 leaders, scholars, and students from 18 universities in Jiangsu, Hong Kong and Macau participated in the official launch ceremony held on 22 March 2023 in Xuzhou, China. Prof. Shuncheng LEE of the Department of Civil and Environment Engineering (CEE) delivered a keynote speech on “Urban Air Pollution Control and Data Analysis” at the ceremony. Prof. Wong and Dr Guoqiang SHI of LSGI joined a communication salon afterwards with Prof. Donghai WANG (MUST) and some outstanding student representatives from CUMT to discuss and exchange on future studies and scientific research.

FCE takes lead in Civil and Structural Engineering discipline locally in QS Rankings by Subject 2023

FCE has been recognised as one of the world-leading faculties in construction-related disciplines, as reflected in the annual Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subject. This year, PolyU is ranked the world’s 16th in Architecture & Built Environment and 22nd in Civil and Structural Engineering. Locally, we are continuously ranked among the top three in these two subject fields as well as in Environmental Sciences. With the encouraging results, FCE shall continue to strive for further excellence in education and research.

The QS World University Rankings by Subject has been published annually since 2011 and is regarded as one of the most influential and comprehensive guides to the world’s top universities, based on in-depth analysis on universities’ academic reputation, employer reputation, and research impact.

BEEE project receives support from PolyU Micro Fund for AI-integrated firefighting robot

FCE encourages research endeavours at all staff levels. We are glad to report that Mr Meng WANG, Research Assistant of the Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering (BEEE) and his team has been awarded a HK$120,000 start-up grant by the PolyU Micro Fund Scheme 2022-2023 Cohort 1 and an acceptance into the Ideation Program of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park (HKSTP) for their project "Autonomous Firefighting Robot".

The winning project was supervised by Dr Xinyan HUANG, Assistant Professor of BEEE. It integrates a selection of artificial intelligence technologies into the firefighting robot to improve its autonomy and intelligence, in order to boost the role of robots in firefighting and rescue missions.

The PolyU Micro Fund (MF) Scheme was launched in 2011. It is the first funding initiative to cultivate innovative and entrepreneurial ambience in the PolyU community and to promote knowledge transfer and commercialisation of PolyU’s innovations and technologies.

Counsellor Fly-in Programme 2023 to attract prospective students around the world

PolyU has been sparing no effort to enrol more students across the globe, so as to foster internationalisation and campus diversity. In March 2023, the Global Engagement Office (GEO) co-hosted the “HKUST x PolyU Counsellor Fly-in 2023” programme, and welcomed about 40 high school counsellors from 15 countries and regions on campus for more in-depth understanding of the vibrant academic and campus life at PolyU.

At the Mini Recruitment Fair on 30 March, the FCE booth was overwhelmed with counsellors who were interested in knowing our academic programmes. In the next morning, they learnt from Prof. Linda XIAO, Associate Dean (Partnership) of Faculty, our education endeavour at the briefing session and experienced a taste of learning and research at FCE. They were led to visit some of our major laboratories and teaching facilities including the Fire Engineering Laboratory, CARE Resource Centre, Structural Engineering Research Laboratory, and Underground Utility Survey Laboratory.

The Fly-in Programme every year provides a great opportunity to connect us with high school representatives from around the world and introduce them what opportunities we can offer to their students.

FCE supports students' career planning

FCE has been actively collaborating with our stakeholders in encountering students’ career development needs. Co-organised by FCE and Faculty of Engineering (FENG), the “Experience Sharing in Modern Method of Construction and DfMA Development by Gammon Construction Limited (Gammon)” was held on 12 April 2023, attracting both students and academics from the two faculties. Representatives from Gammon, many of whom are PolyU alumni, shared their expertise of the practical application of Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA), Building Information Modelling (BIM), and digital construction and safety in design. Students took the chance to learn about the industry insights and the available internship and graduate programmes offered by Gammon.

On the same day, FCE joint hands with FENG and Student Affairs Office (SAO) in organising the “HKIE Career Fair – Summer Internship 2023”, where participants could explore job and internship opportunities provided by the 15 participating companies. Featuring on-the-spot interview opportunities from industry professionals, participants received instant feedback on their resumes and interview skills and could better equip themselves throughout job hunting process. Student who visited the fair could also join the student membership of The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE) to stay connected with professional societies.

FCE students scoop rowing awards for PolyU SAO Rowing Club

FCE promotes all-round development and encourages our students to participate in extra-curricular activities. We are delighted to share some athletic achievements of FCE students and the awards they brought home for PolyU SAO Rowing Club.

	Hong Kong Universities Rowing Championships 2022 2nd runner-up for Men’s Double Sculls final Team Members from FCE: Mr Anakin Chun Hei CHAN Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE) Mr Nimbus Kwun Ho TSANG Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI)
2023 Hong Kong Rowing Indoor Championships 1st runner-up for Team Relay 4x500m of the Mixed Higher Education Institutions Challenge Team Members from FCE: Mr Anakin Chun Hei CHAN Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE) Mr Nimbus Kwun Ho TSANG Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI)
	Green Regatta 2023 (organised by The University of Hong Kong) 2nd runner-up for Men’s Eight (Men’s 8+) Team Members from FCE: Mr Anakin Chun Hei CHAN Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE) Mr Bob Chi Hung LUI Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) Mr Nimbus Kwun Ho TSANG Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI)

FCE Research Brochure

We are excited to introduce the latest issue of FCE Research Brochure. The brochure gives an overview of the FCE research activities in 2021 and 2022, as well as the experts who lead these activities. For readers from the industry with a challenging problem in need of a solution, you may find the right experts in this booklet. For readers contemplating PhD studies, you may find an exciting research area and your ideal supervisors here. If you are a researcher looking for an opportunity for collaborative research, you may be able to find your future partner(s) from the booklet

Click here to find out more about the world-class research being undertaken at FCE in a wide range of research areas.