News

Five PAIR members shine at PolyU’s inaugural Patents Achievement Award

The PolyU Patents Achievement Award was newly launched this year in appreciation and honour of the remarkable achievements of departments and inventors that actively engaged in IP filing. The scheme includes two categories of award. The “Top Patents Filing Award” considers the IP filing activities over the past five years, while the “Most Active Patents Filing Award” focuses on the IP filing activities within the award year. Results of the inaugural award have been announced. Congratulations to five PAIR members for winning the PolyU Patents Achievement Award 2023. Three members including Prof. Benny CHEUNG Chi-fai, Associate Director of the Research Centre for SHARP Vision (RCSV), Prof. John SHI Wenzhong, Director of the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Smart Cities Research Institute (SCRI), and Prof. TO Chi-ho, Member of RCSV, won the “Top Patents Filing Award”. Two members including Ir Prof. POON Chi-sun, Director of the Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE), and Ir Prof. ZHENG Yongping, Director of the Research Institute for Smart Ageing (RISA), won the “Most Active Patents Filing Award”!

Ir Prof. Albert CHAN awarded Medal of Honour

Congratulations to Ir Prof. Albert CHAN Ping-chuen, Associate Director of the Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD), Dean of Students, Able Professor in Construction Health and Safety and Chair Professor of Construction Engineering and Management, for receiving the Medal of Honour from The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on 1 July 2024, in recognition of his contributions in the construction policy research and in nurturing young talents to join the construction industry. The Government of the HKSAR Press Release: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202407/01/P2024063000273.htm

DoRiFood honoured with Chief Executive’s Commendation for Community Service

Congratulations to Prof. WONG Ka-hing, Director of the Research Institute for Future Food (RiFood) and Professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, for receiving the Chief Executive’s Commendation for Community Service from The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on 1 July 2024, in recognition of his contributions in promoting the sustainable development of the fisheries industry in Hong Kong.   The Government of the HKSAR Press Release: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202407/01/P2024063000273.htm

Prof. LENG Zhen awarded ACSE’s 2024 Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize

Congratulations to Prof. LENG Zhen, Associate Director of the Research Centre for Resources Engineering for Carbon Neutrality (RCRE) and Member of the Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS) and the Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD), for receiving the 2024 Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize (Huber Award) by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) for his innovative research in developing durable, low-carbon, cost-effective pavement materials and technologies. The Huber Award is the highest-level mid-career research award given annually to individuals with notable achievements and contributions in research with respect to all disciplines of civil engineering.

PAIR young scholar receives SME Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award

Congratulations to Dr ZHENG Pai, Member of the Research Institute for Advanced Manufacturing (RIAM), Wong Tit Shing Young Scholar in Smart Robotics and Assistant Professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, for being honoured with the 2024 Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME). The SME Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award recognises manufacturing engineers aged 35 or younger who have made exceptional contributions and accomplishments in the manufacturing industry. Dr Zheng’s research is at the frontier of the fields of smart manufacturing and robotic systems, and focuses on human-robot collaboration, smart product-service systems, and engineering design informatics. The inventions he developed have been patented and licensed for translation into practical applications, bringing significant contributions to the industry. Dr Zheng is committed to nurturing the next generation of talent. He has led his student teams to excel in many major competitions, garnering prizes including the Winner Award of the 21st Asia-Pacific Information and Communications Technology Alliance (Student—Tertiary Technology), Gold Award of the 8th China International College Students’ “Internet+” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, and Grand Award of Hong Kong ICT Awards 2022—Student Innovation Award. Dr Zheng is also the winner of the PolyU Young Innovative Researcher Award (YIRA) 2023. 

RILS scholars win two Smart Living Partnership Awards 2023/24

Congratulations to Prof. DING Xiaoli, Director of the Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS), and Dr Wallace LAI, Core Member of RILS, for winning the awards “Outstanding Land Subsidence Monitoring Technology by Integrating Satellite Remote Sensing & Mobile Surveying” and “Outstanding Imaging Technologies for Rapid Leakage Diagnosis of High-Pressure and Large Water Mains” respectively, in the Smart Building / Environment Technology / Green Technology category of the Smart Living Partnership Awards 2023/24. Co-organised by ETNet and Hong Kong Cyberport, the Award aims to recognise, promote and support outstanding companies or organisations which demonstrate commitment to promoting Hong Kong as a Smart City, improving the society’s competitiveness and increasing public awareness of digitalisation.   Online coverage: ETNet - https://polyu.me/4e0Kw94 Anue - https://polyu.me/3UVQmju

Two PAIR members win PolyU Young Innovative Researcher Award 2024

Congratulations to the following two young talents at PAIR for winning the PolyU Young Innovative Researcher Award (YIRA) 2024! YIRA aims to honour young PolyU researchers under the age of 35 who have demonstrated novelty, contributed to technological advancement, and propelled transformative innovations to address societal problems. Each awardee will receive a research funding support of HK$500,000 and a personal cash prize of HK$20,000.   Awardee PAIR Research Unit Title and Department Research Focus Dr HUANG Dongmei Photonics Research Institute (PRI) Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering High performance swept laser and its applications Dr LI Tian Research Institute for Future Food (RiFood) and Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR) Assistant Professor, Department of Health Technology and Informatics   Contrast-Adaptive Real-Time (CART) 4D-MRI Technique via Cascaded Deep Learning for Abdominal Tumour Tracking in MRI-guided Radiotherapy

PAIR researchers shine at International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) won a record-breaking number of accolades at the 49th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva (Geneva Inventions Expo). Forty-three PolyU innovations seized a total of 45 accolades, including two Special Prizes, five Gold Medals with Congratulations of the Jury, 18 Gold Medals, 13 Silver Medals and seven Bronze Medals. This achievement underscores the commitment of the PolyU community to embracing research breakthroughs. Among the award-winning projects, 18 of them are led by PAIR researchers. Projects led by PAIR researchers: *In order of prize level and alphabetical order of project names Project Principal Investigator(s) Prize of the Saudi Arabian Delegation;Gold Medal GOOD Vision/Wellsees: Novel Portable Corneal Topographer Prof. KEE Chea-su Head and Professor, School of Optometry and Associate Director of Research Centre for SHARP Vision (RCSV) Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury ProRuka — Novel Prosthetic Hand Controlled by Wireless Sonomyography Prof. ZHENG Yongping Henry G. Leong Professor in Biomedical Engineering, Chair Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Director of Research Institute for Smart Ageing (RISA) Gold Medal 3D Printed Triply Periodic Minimal Surface (TPMS) Bone Scaffolds Dr ZHAO Xin Associate Professor, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology and Member of Research Centre for Chinese Medicine Innovation (RCMI), Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR) and Research Institute for Future Food (RiFood) A Fireproof Solar PV Vacuum-Glazing Wall Panel (FSVG) as Building Insulation Layer Prof. YANG Hongxing Professor, Departmentof Building Environment and Energy Engineering, Management Committee Member of Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD) and Member of Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE) Flexible Perovskite Solar Modules Based on Surface Reconstruction Technology Prof. YAN Feng Chair Professor of Organic Electronics, Department of Applied Physics, Associate Director of Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR) and Member of Photonics Research Institute (PRI), Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE), Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD) and Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports) FRP-ECC-HSC Composite Column Prof. Ben YOUNG Vice President (Student and Global Affairs), Chair Professor of Steel Structures, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Member of Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS) iActive: Intelligent Active-Perspiration Activewear Dr SHOU Dahua Limin Endowed Young Scholar in Advanced Textiles Technologies, Assistant Professor, School of Fashion and Textiles and Member of Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR), Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE), Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports), Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE) and Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF) MicroFish: A Lab-on-a-chip for On-site Detection of Microbial Contamination and Pollutants Dr CHUA Song-lin Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology and Member of Research Institute for Future Food (RiFood) Mobile Ankle-foot Exoneuromusculoskeleton Dr HU Xiaoling Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Member of Research Institute for Smart Ageing (RISA) and Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports) Multi-Functional High-Power-Density Integrated Onboard Charger for Electric Vehicles Dr LOO Ka-hong Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Assistant Dean (External Engagement), Faculty of Engineering and Member of Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE) Dr LIU Junwei Research Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Member of Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE) Patellar Auto-mobilising Device (PAD) Prof. FU Siu-ngor Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Associate Director of Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports) and Member of Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR) Virtual MRI Contrast Enhancement System for Precise Tumour Detection and Treatment Prof. CAI Jing Associate Dean, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Professor, Department of Health Technology and Informatics and Management Committee Member of Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR) and Research Institute for Smart Ageing (RISA) Silver Medal Invention and Application of Vitamin D Supplement Preparations Prof. WONG Man-sau Professor, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Director of Research Centre for Chinese Medicine Innovation (RCMI), Management Committee Member of Research Institute for Smart Ageing (RISA) and Member of Research Institute for Future Food (RiFood) and Research Centre for SHARP Vision (RCSV) Novel Nano-imprinting Technology for Anti-counterfeiting Micro-images and Information Storage Prof. Sandy Suet TO Professor, State Key Laboratory of Ultra-precision Machining Technology, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering and Member of Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE) Dr Lenny Wai-sze YIP Research Assistant Professor, State Key Laboratory of Ultra-precision Machining Technology, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering and Member of Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE) Precision Gene Editing for Enhanced Stem Cell-Retinal Neuron Generation Dr HUANG Chien-ling Associate Professor, Department of Health Technology and Informatics and Management Committee Member of Research Institute for Future Food (RiFood) Prof. YIP Shea-ping Head and Chair Professor of Diagnostic Science and Molecular Genetics, Department of Health Technology and Informatics and Associate Director of Research Centre for SHARP Vision (RCSV) Smart Firefighting Robot Dr HUANG Xinyan Associate Professor, Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering and Member of Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD), Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE) and Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE) Smart Headset featuring Adaptive Noise Filters for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder Dr CHOY Yat Sze Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Member of Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD) Bronze Medal Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) Hat to Limit Dementia Progression Dr SETO Sai-wang Assistant Professor, Department of Food Science and Nutrition and Associate Director of Research Centre for Chinese Medicine Innovation (RCMI) Prof. Samuel LO Honorary Professor, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology and Member of Research Institute for Future Food (RiFood) and Research Centre for Chinese Medicine Innovation (RCMI)   Further reading: https://polyu.hk/tNLZz   Online coverage: CGTN - https://polyu.me/3Qe7WOa Hong Kong Economic Journal - https://polyu.me/3Jtr3js Headline Daily - https://polyu.me/4aEY9ZN Ta Kung Pao - https://polyu.me/3U6ZzVQ; https://polyu.me/3JuprWQ Wen Wei Po - https://polyu.me/449S05h; https://polyu.me/4d34SOD HK01 - https://polyu.me/4aGYU4r Dot Dot News - https://polyu.me/3U4G4gx Hong Kong China News Agency - https://polyu.me/3xDC9j6 China News Service - https://polyu.me/4b4jv2s; https://polyu.me/3JuRKEA People’s Daily Overseas Edition - https://polyu.me/4d6Wgqc ifeng.com - https://polyu.me/3JskkX6 BJ News - https://polyu.me/3UqR60N Macau Times - https://polyu.me/3UrUetp Jornal Va Kio - https://polyu.me/3W6sImw World Journal - https://polyu.me/3UbrSSO United Daily News - https://polyu.me/3U6ioZi Jimu News - https://polyu.me/4d9ldkL East Money - https://polyu.me/3xDd2wP Huaxia - https://polyu.me/49LsZhS

Prof. WENG Qihao wins double honours from American Association of Geographers

Congratulations to Prof. WENG Qihao, Associate Director of the Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS), Member of the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Smart Cities Research Institute (SCRI) and Chair Professor of Geomatics and Artificial Intelligence, for receiving the 2024 AAG Wilbanks Prize for Transformational Research in Geography from the American Association of Geographers (AAG), and the Lifetime Achievement Honor Award 2024 from the AAG Remote Sensing Specialty Group (RSSG), respectively. The dual recognitions are a testament to his remarkable contributions in the fields.  A prize presentation will be held and a special conference session in honour of Prof. Weng will take place at this year’s AAG Annual Meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii, 16–20 April 2024. Founded in 1904, the AAG is a non-profit scientific and educational society aimed at bringing advancements to geography and related fields. The AAG Wilbanks Prize for Transformational Research is awarded to geographers from the academic, public or private sectors whose research has made transformational research contributions to geography or geographic information science, or to science and society more broadly. The AAG RSSG Lifetime Achievement Honor Award is bestowed upon individuals who have made a unique and path-breaking impact on remote sensing and relevant disciplines through research, education and service engagement.

Dr James FANG awarded 2024 Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation

Congratulations to Dr James FANG Kar-Hei, Core Member of the Research Institute for Future Food (RiFood), Member of the Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS) and Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD), and Associate Professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, for receiving the 2024 Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation by The Pew Charitable Trusts. A total of six scientists around from the world have been awarded the fellowship this year and Dr Fang is the recipient from East Asia. Each recipient is awarded a grant of US$150,000 allocated over three years, to support conducting an original, research-based marine conservation project. Dr Fang’s research focuses on the restoration pearl oyster reefs for enhancing Hong Kong’s marine environmental health, biodiversity and seafood sustainability.