FCE Build a Smart City Competition 2025 inspires next generation of innovators

The FCE Build a Smart City Competition 2025 is the flagship event organised by the Faculty to engage secondary students in Smart City concepts and encourage innovative solutions for transforming Hong Kong into a smarter, more sustainable city. Since registration opened in March 2025, the competition has attracted an enthusiastic response, with 175 students from 45 local secondary schools participating.

The competition began with a two-day workshop held on 28 June and 5 July 2025. It opened with a ceremony, where Prof. Linda XIAO, Associate Dean (Partnership) of Faculty, welcomed participants and outlined the competition details. Prof. Charles WONG, Associate Dean (Teaching & Global Engagement) of Faculty, introduced FCE and its academic programmes, sparking contestants’ interest in pursuing their studies at FCE.

The contestants were divided into four groups according to their assigned projects and delved into tailored activities designed by the respective FCE departments. Over the course of the two-day workshop, they explored the project concepts through lectures, laboratory sessions, site visits to relevant infrastructures and a government department, and guided discussions. This combination of theoretical knowledge and practical applications deepened their understanding of Smart City concepts and their real-world implications.

The four projects, each reflecting the distinctive focus and strengths of the respective FCE departments, are as follows.

 
After the workshop, the competition groups would have about seven weeks to develop their projects, applying the knowledge and skills acquired. All groups will present their projects to an adjudicating panel on 22 August 2025, in their preferred presentation format.

Stay tuned for the creative ideas these talented young minds will showcase on the presentation day!

FCE students gain global outlook through non-local learning experiences

FCE places great importance on fostering a global perspective among students and supports the University’s goal of promoting non-local learning experiences. To support this objective, FCE departments continue to expand the range of short-term non-local learning opportunities for undergraduate students, helping them broaden their horizons.

In the 2024/25 academic year, FCE departments organised non-local learning activities with destinations spanning Australia, Cambodia, Dubai, France, Italy, Japan, Thailand, and Mainland China. Each trip was centred around distinct themes that aligned with the intended learning outcomes of the respective academic programmes. Participating students attended lectures at top-notch universities, studied ancient Roman architecture, experienced innovations that could transform a desert into a liveable environment, visited a large-scale rail transit project site in a densely populated city centre, explored sophisticated disaster prevention systems, and gained first-hand insight into the global carbon trading market. Beyond academic enrichment, they also immersed themselves in different religious cultures, learnt the various facets of history, and witnessed the interconnectedness between technology and the humanities.

Through these enriching experiences, FCE departments empower students to become professionals with cultural awareness and a global outlook.

FCE receives delegation from Nanjing University to strengthen collaborative ties

On 25 June 2025, FCE welcomed a delegation of undergraduate students from the School of Earth Sciences and Engineering of Nanjing University, aiming to strengthen the collaborative ties between the two institutions. The visit featured an engaging campus tour and laboratory visits across the four FCE departments. Prof. Charles WONG, Associate Dean (Teaching & Global Engagement) of Faculty, provided the students with an insightful overview of FCE, highlighting the diverse postgraduate programmes available. The visit not only showcased FCE’s commitment to delivering high-quality and innovative education but also laid the groundwork for developing formal collaboration agreements, further enhancing the partnership and fostering new opportunities for academic exchange.

Results of RGC Competitive Funding Schemes 2025/26

Prof. Christopher Chao honoured with prestigious ASHRAE Louise and Bill Holladay Distinguished Fellow Award 2025

The Faculty is proud to share that Prof. Christopher CHAO, Chair Professor of Thermal and Environmental Engineering of the Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering (BEEE), has been awarded the esteemed Louise and Bill Holladay Distinguished Fellow Award 2025 by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). The award was presented at the ASHRAE Annual Conference in Phoenix, USA on 21 June 2025.

As one of ASHRAE’s most prominent awards, this award is granted to no more than one fellow annually in recognition of continuing preeminence in engineering and research work. Occasionally, it may not be awarded at all if no suitable nominee is identified. Prof. Chao is the third recipient from Asia since the award’s inception in 1979.

Prof. Chao’s pioneering research integrates intelligent building systems with infectious disease prevention. By leveraging AI-driven energy optimisation, he creates infection-resilient and energy-efficient environments with smart buildings, enhancing both public health and sustainability. Prof. Chao currently serves as the Vice President (Research and Innovation) of the University, overseeing the planning and strategic development of research and innovation, knowledge transfer and entrepreneurship activities at PolyU.

This international award exemplifies the widely recognised standing of FCE academics in the international scene.

Prof. Heng Li ranked Nation’s top scientist in engineering and technology by Research.com

The Faculty is delighted to report that Prof. Heng LI, Chair Professor of Construction Informatics of the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE), has been ranked 1st in China and 21st globally in the Best Engineering and Technology Scientists Ranking 2025 by Research.com. This accolade is based on the researcher’s D-index (Discipline H-index), which measures scholarly impact through discipline-specific publications and citations. Prof. Li’s placement among the top of more than 50,000 researchers in the discipline of Engineering and Technology underscores his outstanding scholarly contributions and the significant impact of his research.

FCE hosts distinguished lectures to foster scholarly exchange on health and environment

To cultivate a vibrant intellectual environment and provide opportunities for staff and students to engage with renowned scholars, two distinguished lectures were organised in July.  On 11 July 2025, FCE and the Department of Food Science and Nutrition (FSN) co-organised a Distinguished Lecture titled “AMR: Beyond the Bugs”, delivered by Prof. Timothy WALSH, Professor of Medical Microbiology and Antimicrobial Resistance from the University of Oxford. Prof. Walsh reviewed the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the lack of global emphasis and resources in addressing the threat. He discussed the potential solutions and highlighted China’s potential leadership role in tackling this global health crisis.

FCE Annual Forum 2025 enhances research proposal writing

To strengthen researchers' capabilities in developing competitive research proposals, the Faculty hosted the FCE Annual Forum on 29 July 2025, which was attended by around 70 participants. Academics from the FCE departments and the Department of Applied Physics (AP) shared their valuable insights and proven strategies for crafting top-notch proposals to secure schemes funded by the Research Grants Council (RGC). The forum cultivated an environment that supported research excellence.

The topics covered at the forum are shown below. The forum recording will be uploaded to the Staff Intranet shortly for the reference of FCE academic staff.