ME Scholar and Outstanding Entrepreneur Alumnus named Young Technological Pioneers

To spur the passion and the creativity of young scientists and technological entrepreneurs, the Hong Kong Young Scientists Association (香港青年科學家協會) has initiated the Selection of Young Science and Technology Pioneers so as to assure their contribution to the vibe of the science development of Hong Kong. The “Selection of Young Technological Pioneers cum Scientific Creativity Forum (青年科創先鋒人物評選暨科創論壇)” was held on 30 Aug 2022 and announced 25 awardees. At the event, some awardees together with the leading heads of the field gave a thematic speech and had an exchange on the prospect of the scientific development of society. The selected pioneers include Unicorn entrepreneurs, young professors, and innovators whether growing up locally, studying in Hong Kong or overseas investors with projects in Hong Kong. Their business covers various fields like robots, artificial intelligence, cyber network, biological medication, and fintech. We are thrilled that our Associate Professor Dr An Liang (安亮博士) and young graduate Dr Wang Lei (王雷博士) were elected among the 25 young science and technology pioneers in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the innovation and technology ecosystem in Hong Kong. During the forum, Dr An Liang as an expert in energy conversion and storage technologies expected the Government to enhance its support to scientific researchers and encouraged enterprises to establish joint laboratories with universities so as to nurture more research talents for the whole society. Dr An has systematically studied the characteristics of flow and mass transport in a complex microporous structure in which electrochemical reactions occur, and achieved a number of innovative results. He was also awarded funding from China’s Excellent Young Scientists Fund 2020. Dr Wang Lei started his undergraduate study in Mechanical Engineering with full scholarship in 2006 and obtained his BEng with First Class Honours in 2010 from PolyU. Dr Wang has always been interested in renewable energy technologies. His interest and passion were strongly cultivated in the dynamic study environment at PolyU and drove him to continue his further study. He then completed his PhD research in new energy storage technologies in 2014 at the University of Hong Kong. Dr Wang founded EcoFlow in 2017 and has been serving as the company’s CEO. Under his leadership, EcoFlow has developed into a national high-tech enterprise and is recognized as a unicorn company backed up by Sequoia and Hong Kong Foundation X with a valuation of over one billion USD in 2021. It is very encouraging to see that the young scientist and entrepreneur alumnus from the Department were acclaimed by the Nation to further develop scientific research in cutting-edge technologies and made remarkable contributions to the community. Online coverage: Wen Wei Po - https://polyu.me/3CJxblB

Warmest welcome to our Fresh Research Students!

In the new academic semester, we are delighted to welcome 37 newly admitted research students to the PolyU Department of Mechanical Engineering (ME). Led by the Department Head Prof. SU Zhongqing, fresh research students attended an online orientation in the afternoon on 29 Aug 2022. Research study at ME aims for training our students not just professionals of its field but also opening their minds to discover new knowledge that benefits society. Dr Tang Hui, Associate Head (Research) and Chairman of Departmental Research Committee (DRC), introduced the department’s 6 research areas – Advanced Materials and Processing, Aerospace Engineering, Clean Energy and Energy Storage, Robotics and Control, Sound and Vibration, Thermofluids and Combustion. They all focus on challenges faced by our society and globe in the decades to come. Dr David Navarro-Alarcon, Research Student Liaison Officer, is taking care of coordination among all research students in the department. Dr Ma Yuan and Dr Wu Maochun, Seminar Coordinators, are inviting guest speakers to broaden students’ exposure to the latest research and technologies. Students were thrilled to learn about the dynamic learning activities – ME Webinar Series, Research Sharing Talks, ME Research Presentation Competition. Finally, Ms Lily Tam, DRC Secretary and Administrative Support Group Leader, delivered a comprehensive introduction of the study programme and pattern, examination and grading, studentships and fellowships, funding and support, etc. The students’ responses were enthusiastic. They are eager to meet the professors and supervisors. We can assure them they will have a supportive, knowledge-oriented, interactive approach experience in their studies.

Professor Cheng Li elected President-elect of the International Institute of Noise Control Engineering

In the 51st International Congress on Noise Control Engineering (INTER-NOISE 2022) held on 21-24 August 2022 in Glasgow, Prof. Cheng Li, Chair Professor of Mechanical Engineering, was elected President-elect of the I-INCE (International Institute of Noise Control Engineering). Founded in 1974, I-INCE is a worldwide consortium of organizations concerned with noise control, acoustics and vibration, with over fifty member societies representing over forty countries. As the President-elect (2023-2025), Prof. Cheng will take over the Presidency of the I-INCE in 2026 for a three-year term. He will then be the 9th President of this prestigious organization in his 48 years of history. Prior to this new position, he also served I-INCE in different capacities including the Vice President for Asia Pacific and a board Director. Among other activities, I-INCE is the sponsor of the INTER-NOISE Series of International Congresses on Noise Control Engineering, which is the largest international gathering of experts in noise control engineering held each year since 1972. The 47th edition of the INTER-NOISE was held in Hong Kong, co-organized by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Hong Kong Institute of Acoustics. Learn more about The International Institute of Noise Control Engineering (I-INCE)

ME Retreat in Aug 2022

The staff retreat of the Department took place on 15 Aug 2022 at Hotel ICON. The retreat kicked off with the Head Prof. Su Zhongqing’s welcoming remarks to the newly joined colleagues. We were thrilled to have the young and promising talents on board. They are Dr Cheng Song, Dr Ma Yuen, Dr Wu Maochun and Dr Zhang Xiao.   The agenda of the ME retreat included an overall review of the Department’s performances, strategies and challenges. Prof. Su started with the introduction of departmental KPI performance, budget and funding issues, review on staff appraisal criteria.  Following that, the Associate Head (Research) Dr Tang led a discussion of the new research postgraduate allocation mechanism and formulated a plan for the next Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) in 2026. Taking the opportunity, the Department paid tribute to Chair Prof. Chen Guohua and Prof. Zhou Limin and Dr Zhang Peng.  Prof. Su expressed the greatest gratitude for their dedication and contribution to the department. The morning session concluded with the heartfelt valedictory speech by Prof. Chen, Prof. Zhou and Dr Zhang. In the afternoon, Prof. Cheng Li, Chair Professor of Mechanical Engineering, shared his seasoned experience in preparing General Research Fund (GRF) proposals. Admission status updates and future plans were reported by programme leaders, namely Dr An Liang and Dr Ruan Haihui (BEng in Mechanical Engineering), Dr Randolph Leung and Dr Eunice Tam (BEng in Product Analysis and Engineering Design), Dr Jiao Zengbao and Dr Zhang Xiao (MSc in Mechanical Engineering). After that, the Associate Head (Teaching & Learning) Dr Yao Haimin led a discussion about teaching and learning, quality assurance, accreditation, scholarship and new scheme update. Besides, Dr Curtis Ng (Space Allocation Committee Secretary) bought up the space issue. Dr Tracy Choy (Publicity Committee Chairman) reported the local and non-local student recruitment publicity as well as the ME 85th Anniversary Alumni Homecoming Day and celebration activities. Dr Eunice Tam (International Exchange Officer) updated the current outbound and inbound student exchange participation, and elaborated the challenges in expanding global learning experiences. At the end of the retreat, Prof. ZQ Su led an open forum. Over 30 staff members joined the retreat and found it being insightful and constructive for the year to come. More photos on PHOTO GALLERY

ME research reported in Nature Material and National Science Review

The research group, led by Chair Prof. L. Cheng in ME, has made good progress in the development of acoustic/elastic/mechanical metamaterials. Recent research results are published in prestigious journals like Nature Materials, National Science Review, Journal of Mechanics of physics and Solids, Acta Materialia and Physics Review applied etc. Their latest work on programmable gear-based mechanical metamaterials was published in the latest issue of Nature Materials (21, 869-876, 2022, IF 47.656) as cover story. The new design leads to unprecedented tunability and programmability based on gear clusters embracing traditional Chinese Taiji pattern. The work was also reported by Nature (606, 2022) as research highlight, which states “Sheets of connected gears made from various materials can morph from soft and deformable to extremely stiff, all while bearing heavy loads … Such clusters of gears could be a way to make machine parts that have controllable elasticity but are still strong. For example, robots with appendages that soften and stiffen on demand would be able to jump and grab objects easily”. The paper was the fruit of the research work of Dr Fang Xin, Hong Kong scholar in ME under the supervision of Prof. Cheng, in collaboration with National University of Defense Technology and Fraunhofer for Mechanics of Materials, Germany. Meanwhile, significant progress has been made on the topological design of metasurface for acoustic and elastic wave manipulation. In particular, the group proposed a systematic inverse design paradigm, which leads to a new class of metasurfaces allowing for various exotic wave functionalities (steering, focusing, levitation). They reported the combined effects of topology-specific internal resonances, bi-anisotropic and multiple scattering, which lead to record-breaking broadband and achromatic material properties. The work was online published in National Science Review (IF 23.178) with Dr. Dong Haowen as the leading author, who is another Hong Kong scholar working with Prof. Cheng (2019-2020). Other related works on broadband pentamode metamaterials and elastic waves have also been published in prestigious journals like Journal of Mechanics of physics and Solids 2020, 2021), Acta Materialia (2019) and Physical Review Applied (2022).   

Professor Su Zhongqing elected Distinguished Fellow of IIAV

Prof. Su Zhongqing, Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has recently been elected a Distinguished Fellow of the International Institute of Acoustics and vibration (IIAV). IIAV Distinguished Fellowship is awarded to individuals with distinguished careers in acoustics and/or vibration. IIAV is an international society with members from all over the world. The purpose of the IIAV is to advance the science of acoustics and vibration by creating an international scientific society that is responsive to the needs of scientists and engineers in all countries whose primary interests are in the fields of acoustics and vibration. IIAV organizes an annual premier world event, the International Congress on Sound and Vibration (ICSV), which combines all areas of acoustics, noise and vibration. PolyU Department of Mechanical Engineering was the host of the 8th edition of the ICSV in 2001.

Professor Chen Guohua elected Chairman of World Chemical Engineering Council

Prof. Chen Guohua, Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Professor in Smart and Sustainable Energy, Chair Professor of Energy Conversion and Storage, has been elected the Chairman of the World Chemical Engineering Council (WCEC) in recognition of his distinguished achievements in serving the Council with top quality engineering expertise. Prof. Chen has been the Vice Chairman of WCEC since 2017. WCEC is the international organization coordinating the academic exchanges among chemical engineers world-wide. It is composed of representatives of the World's leading Chemical Engineering Societies from countries including China, USA, Japan, Australia, Canada, UK, France, Brazil, Germany, Spain, Italy, South Africa, and regional confederations including Asian-Pacific Confederation of Chemical Engineering, European Federation of Chemical Engineering, Inter-American Confederation of Chemical Engineering. Professor Guohua Chen is an outstanding chemical engineer, a renowned expert in electrochemical technologies for sustainable development, a highly successful mentor and university administrator. He leads the commercialization of proprietary technologies for energy storage applications, with world leading performance. He has published over 300 journal papers with very top academic impact. He is an assiduous advocate for global collaboration, serving on a number of international councils and editing for prestigious journals, including CanJChE, CJChE, SEPPUR and PSEP. He is a fellow of AIChE and HKIE, respectively. He works enthusiastically in increasing chemical engineering impact globally. Learn more about World Chemical Engineering Council.

Success in securing GRF/ECS 2022/23

In the 2022/23 results of grants from the Research Grants Council’s General Research Fund (GRF) and Early Career Scheme (ECS) announced in June 2022, ME’s success rate was 29% in 2022/23 exercise.  Seven of our GRF/ECS proposals were funded. Congratulations to the following colleagues who were successful in securing a GRF/ECS grant in this round. Principal Investigator Co-Investigator Project Title Prof. Cheng Li Dr Zhang Xiaoqi (Wuhan University of Technology) Dr Yu Xiang (Institute of High Performance Computing, A*Star ) Sonic Black Holes in a Perforated Boundary-modulated Retarding Structure Prof. Fu Mingwang Nil Multiscale defects in metal additive manufacturing and their avoidance via defect and part size scale oriented process control and optimization Dr Li Mengying Nil Novel Hybrid Approach for High-fidelity Intra-hour Forecasting of Directional Solar Irradiance Dr Ma Yuan Nil Re-inventing Surface Haptics for Robust Human-Machine Interactions: from New Modelling to Psychophysical Evaluation Dr Ruan Haihui Dr Huang Bolong (ABCT) Modeling of pyrolysis towards precision glassy carbon geometry: an endeavor for high-temperature precision glass molding Prof. Su Zhongqing Prof SOHN Hoon (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) Fully Non-contact, Micron-scale 3-D Imaging of Stacked Systems Using Femtosecond-laser-induced Thermoelastic Wave and Its Instantaneous Perturbation to Full-field Optical Polarization Dr Wu Maochun Prof Zhao Tianshou (HKUST) Bubble Dynamics and Mass Transport in Tri-electrode Zinc-Air Flow Batteries

ME PhD students clinch Top Awards in Faculty 3MT Competition

Terrific! Two research students representing the Department of Mechanical Engineering (ME) won the Champion, First Runner-up and People’s Choice Award in the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition 2022 organized by the PolyU Faculty of Engineering. 3MT® celebrates the exciting research conducted by research postgraduate students. Developed by the University of Queensland, Australia, the competition cultivates students’ academic presentation and research communication skills, and supports their capacity to effectively explain their research and its significance in three minutes, in a language appropriate to non-specialist audiences. 3MT® is now a globally recognized competition that has been held in over 900 universities across more than 80 countries worldwide. On 30 June 2022, the PolyU Faculty of Engineering held the 3MT Competition. Seven affiliated departments nominated their research students to participate in it. The participants each delivered a high-impact brief presentation within 3-minute. Most of them demonstrated good academic pitching skills. A panel of judges by representatives from the seven affiliated departments was formed and selected the best presenters. Winners of the 3MT Competition 2022 Champion: ECCEL VELLWOCK Andre Department of Mechanical Engineering  First Runner-up: LABAZANOVA Luiza Department of Mechanical Engineering Second Runner-up: LYU Cheng Department of Electrical Engineering  People’s Choice Award: (by audience ballot)  ECCEL VELLWOCK Andre Department of Mechanical Engineering We are very proud of the outstanding performance by the PolyU ME PhD students, ECCEL VELLWOCK Andre and LABAZANOVA Luiza, stood out from the rest, triumphed in the competition.  Andre is currently a PhD student in ME under the supervision of Dr Yao Haimin. “Anything fishy?” is the title about his research project for this competition. Luiza is a PhD in ME supervised by Dr Navarro-Alarcon David. The title about her research project is “Self-Reconfigurable Soft-Rigid Robots with Variable Morphology”.

Professor Chen Guohua elected into the Canadian Academy of Engineering

Prof. Chen Guohua, Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Professor in Smart and Sustainable Energy, Chair Professor of Energy Conversion and Storage, has been inducted into the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE). The announcement was made by President Yves Beauchamp of the CAE at its Annual General Meeting on June 13, 2022. Prof. Chen is among 54 new Fellows elected into the academy this year. Election to the Canadian Academy of Engineering is one of the highest honours in engineering. Fellows of the CAE are nominated and elected by their peers, in view of their distinguished achievements and career-long service to the engineering profession. Chen’s CAE citation reads: “Professor Guohua Chen is an outstanding chemical engineer, a renowned expert in electrochemical technologies for sustainable development, a highly successful mentor and university administrator. He leads the commercialization of proprietary technologies for energy storage applications, with world leading performance. He has published over 300 journal papers with very top academic impact. He is an assiduous advocate for global collaboration, serving on a number of international councils and editing for prestigious journals, including CanJChE, CJChE, SEPPUR and PSEP. He is a fellow of AIChE and HKIE, respectively. He works enthusiastically in increasing chemical engineering impact globally.” The Canadian Academy of Engineering – Media Release: Learn more