News

Prof. CUI Zhanfeng of Oxford delivers lecture on biomedical engineering

Prof. CUI Zhanfeng, Donald Pollock Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Oxford and Founding Director of Oxford Suzhou Centre for Advanced Research, delivered the 18th PAIR Distinguished Lecture titled “Crosswalk between Engineering, Biology and Medicine” on 23 April 2024. The lecture attracted about 100 participants to join in person and captivated an online viewing audience of over 11,200 from different countries and regions to watch the live broadcast on multiple social media platforms, including YouTube, Weibo, Bilibili, etc. The lecture commenced with a welcome speech and speaker introduction by Prof. CHEN Qingyan, Director of PAIR, followed by a presentation by Prof. Cui. He first shared his scientific journey by reminiscing about the old days when he moved abroad to develop an academic career after graduating in China and gradually became a highly successful scientist. Next, he explained the importance of interdisciplinary research and shared how the combination of medical science and engineering enables the development of health technologies such as imaging, keyhole surgery, in vitro diagnostics, in vitro fertilisation, etc. Prof. Cui emphasised that scientists are to “discover” and find out “how a thing happens” whereas engineers are to “create” and “make things happen”. He then gave some advice on how to do well in interdisciplinary research and shared some innovations in microbioreactor and point-of-care testing developed by him and his team which has achieved great success in research commercialisation and made significant contributions to drug discovery and public health. To conclude, Prof. Cui shared that scientific success is based on many factors, including team, facilities, timing, luck, etc., and encouraged the next generation of engineers and scientists to consider a career in biomedical engineering, an exciting and rewarding domain. Following the lecture, a lively and insightful question-and-answer session was moderated by Ir Prof. ZHANG Ming, Director of the Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports), Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Chair Professor of Biomechanics. The audience had fruitful discussions with Prof. Cui. Please click here for an online review.  

RILS Director shares views on issue of land subsidence

Prof. DING Xiaoli, Director of the Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS) and Chair Professor of Geomatics in the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, was interviewed by the journal Nature and BBC World Service’s programme “Newshour”, to share his views on issue of land subsidence. Prof. DING pointed out that subsidence is a problem in many parts of the world. He said that, in cities such as Macao and Hong Kong where no groundwater is used, subsidence mainly comes from consolidation — downward movement as a result of soil being compressed — after land reclamation. A paper recently published in Science suggested that some 16% of the mapped area of China’s major cities is sinking rapidly, and one in ten residents of China’s coastal cities could be living below sea level within a century. Prof. Ding said that the study provides an interesting snapshot of the situation in China, and crucially links the issue to the populations affected. Online coverage: Nature - https://polyu.me/4b2VFE5 BBC World Service - https://polyu.me/3xKqaQY (45:05 - 49:05) (registration required) Jandan - https://polyu.me/3U8hueF

Prof. ZHANG Ming introduces RISports at international conference on competitive sports biomechanics

Prof. ZHANG Ming, Director of the Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports) and Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, attended the 2024 International Competitive Sports Biomechanics Forum cum the 23rd National Sports Biomechanics Academic Exchange Conference held 20–21 April 2024 in Beijing. At the Forum, Prof. Zhang gave a presentation to introduce how RISports can make sports more interesting, more rewarding and safer through scientific and technological research. In addition, experts and scholars joining the Forum shared their latest research on sports biomechanics and studies on sports biomechanics for improving adolescent health. Online coverage: Sina -https://shorturl.at/r5WUB

Rehab and biomed engineering expert to deliver distinguished lecture on forefront elder care technologies

PAIR cordially invites you to join our Distinguished Lecture on 26 April 2024 (Friday) at 10:30am–12:00nn (Hong Kong time) on the PolyU campus. The lecture titled “The future of elder care: Integrating large language models” will be delivered by Prof. Alex MIHAILIDIS, Associate Vice President for International Partnerships and Professor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupation at the University of Toronto, Canada. Prof. Mihailidis is currently the Chairman of the International Advisory Committee of the Research Institute for Smart Ageing (RISA) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. As the global population ages, the burden on elderly care infrastructure increases, exacerbated by workforce shortages and financial constraints. In this lecture, Prof. Mihailidis will explore the potential of integrating Large Language Models (LLMs) into elder care services, addressing the growing demand and associated challenges in this sector. LLMs, exemplified by advanced AI systems like ChatGPT, offer innovative solutions to these issues through their ability to understand and generate human-like text, enabling enhanced social interactions, improved safety through real-time monitoring, and increased accessibility of information for the elderly. Prof. Mihailidis holds the position of Associate Vice President for International Partnerships at the University of Toronto, in addition to being the Scientific Director of the AGE-WELL Network of Centres of Excellence. His work primarily involves developing new technologies and services for the elderly. He also serves as a Professor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Biomedical Engineering, and holds a cross appointment in the Department of Computer Science at the University. With a research career spanning 17 years, Prof. Mihailidis has made significant contributions to the field of technology for older adults, with over 200 publications including journal papers, conference papers, and abstracts. He is also an active member of the rehabilitation engineering profession, having served as the Past-President for Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA). In 2014, he was honoured as a Fellow of RESNA, one of the highest recognitions in this field of research and practice. In 2021, he was named a Fellow in the Canadian Academy of Health Science (CAHS) for his contributions to the health and well-being of older Canadians. Don’t miss the chance to learn from distinguished scholar! Find out more and register at: https://polyu.hk/tzHzn

PolyU studies impacts of urban industrial land expansion on economic growth and carbon dioxide emission

A research by 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, and his research team, titled “Unequal impacts of urban industrial land expansion on economic growth and carbon dioxide emissions” was recently published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment. The team used satellite data and machine learning to map industrial land at 30 m resolution in ten countries with substantial industrial value-added, and analysed the impact of industrial land expansion on economic growth and emissions in 216 subnational regions from 2000 to 2019. They found that industrial land expansion was the leading factor for economic growth and emissions in developing regions, contributing 31% and 55%, respectively. Conversely, developed regions showed a diminished impact (8% and 3%, respectively), with a shift towards other economic growth drivers like education. The findings encourage developing regions to consider the adverse effects of climate change during industrial land expansion and that developed regions prioritise human capital investment over further land expansion. Read the full article: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01375-x

PAIR delegation visits Moganshan Geo-Information Laboratory in Deqing

Prof. CHEN Qingyan, Director of the PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR), and Prof. DING Xiaoli, Director of the Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS), visited the Moganshan Geo-Information Laboratory in Deqing, Zhejiang on 12–15 April 2024. The PolyU delegation was warmly received by Prof. CHEN Jun, Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, Director of Moganshan Geo-Information Laboratory, Senior Fellow of PAIR and International Advisory Committee Member of RILS; Prof. ZHANG Jixian, Executive Director of Moganshan Laboratory;  Mr PAN Zhenhua, Member of the Standing Committee of the People’s Government of Deqing County and Director of Department of Human Resources  of the Government; and Mr ZHANG Hongchun, Deputy Director of Moganshan High-Tech Park. The two parties had a fruitful meeting, exploring potential collaborations between PolyU and the Laboratory. The Moganshan Geo-Information Laboratory, established in November 2023 jointly by the Ministry of Natural Resources of Central Government of China and Zhejiang Province, is dedicated to empowering high-quality sustainable development with spatiotemporal information, and conducts research focusing on four main directions including spatiotemporal perception, spatiotemporal connection, spatiotemporal computing and spatiotemporal intelligence.

Concurrent heatwaves and sea level rises happening more at coastal locations, PolyU study finds

A research conducted by Dr WANG Shuo, Member of the Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS), the Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD) and the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Smart Cities Research Institute (SCRI), Associate Professor in the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI), and his team has found that the concurrent occurrence of heatwaves and extreme short-term sea level rises at coastal locations significantly increased between 1998 and 2017 when compared to the preceding 20 years. The study also predicted that, under a modelled high emissions scenario, the probability of the occurrence of such events in 2025–2049 may multiply by fivefold. The research findings provide scientific evidence and guidance for improving climate adaptation strategies in response to extreme weather events, which will aid in the development of climate-resilient coastal cities. The study has been published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment. Read the article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-024-01274-1   Online coverage: The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR): https://www.preventionweb.net/news/study-identifies-increased-threat-coastlines-concurrent-heat-waves-and-sea-level-rises Scientific American: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/heat-and-floods-are-increasingly-hitting-coastlines-with-a-one-two-punch/ Nature Asia: https://www.natureasia.com/ja-jp/research/highlight/14874 CCTV - https://polyu.me/3JhABOe Xinhua Net - https://polyu.me/3JjRsjK People’s Daily - https://polyu.me/49CbO2i People.com - https://polyu.me/4cQaED4 Jiangnan Evening News - https://polyu.me/3QrfEET Jinhua Daily - https://polyu.me/4aQ7iyN The Paper - https://polyu.me/4aVfflH NetEase - https://polyu.me/3VWKNDu Forbes - https://polyu.me/4aw2tKM The Straits Times - https://polyu.me/3W0TgWf France 24 - https://polyu.me/43VGjiq Eyewitness News - https://polyu.me/3VSO2vK Deccan Herald - https://polyu.me/3vGHlCp The Telegraph Calcutta, India - https://polyu.me/49Afgdy Malay Mail - https://polyu.me/3vHSjaO Daily Excelsior - https://polyu.me/4aWw145 EurekAlert - https://polyu.me/3UgcSV1 China News Service - https://polyu.me/3W2qmoV ifeng.com - https://polyu.me/3UdjgMT

Prof. LIN Jianguo of Imperial College London delivers distinguished lecture on hot stamping techniques

Prof. LIN Jianguo, Head and Professor in Mechanics of Materials Division, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Imperial College London, United Kingdom, delivered the 17th PAIR Distinguished Lecture titled “How to get high quality experimental data for hot stamping?” on 9 April 2024. The hybrid lecture attracted over 150 participants joining in person and online from more than ten countries and regions across Australia, Asia, Europe and North America. It was also broadcast live on multiple social media platforms, including YouTube, Weibo, Bilibili, etc., captivating an online viewing audience of over 12,400. The lecture commenced with a welcome speech and speaker introduction by Ir Prof. MAN Hau-chung, Dean of Faculty of Engineering and Director of the Research Institute for Advanced Manufacturing (RIAM). In Prof. Lin presentation, he primarily indicated the increasing global requirements for reducing energy use and carbon dioxide emission of transportation vehicles, lightweight passenger cars have become an inevitable trend. Ultra-high strength steel (UHSS) can save the production cost of vehicles, improve productivity and car performance. Next, he introduced the “HFQ-Technology” developed by his team in recent years that has enabled high strength alloys to be stamped into complex-shaped automotive components. He outlined the use of thermomechanical experimental tests for generating high quality data for modelling, and the use of spatio-temporal method for determining necking and fracture strains of sheet metals. He also explained the computational steps for evaluating the formability of sheet metals under hot stamping. To conclude, Prof. Lin emphasised that improvements in experimental sciences, technologies and standardised testing are important for supporting the development of new materials processing technologies. A question-and-answer session moderated by Prof. Man and Prof. FU Mingwang, Associate Director of RIAM, followed. Both the online and on-site audience engaged in a productive discussion with the professors. Please click here for an online review.  

Green and cool roofs reduce energy use substantially, PolyU study finds

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, and his research team studied the energy-saving potential of green roofs and cool roofs in reducing building energy consumption. The paper was published in the journal npj Urban Sustainability. The study evaluated the green roof and cool roof strategies in six global cities, including Cairo, Hong Kong, Seoul, London, Los Angeles, and Sao Paulo, under current and future climate change scenarios. Results showed that in future climates, the implementation of these strategies at the city level can lead to up to 65.51% annual energy reduction and 71.72% reduction in Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) consumption by 2100. These findings can guide the implementation of these strategies in different climatic zones worldwide, informing the selection and design of suitable roof mitigation strategies for specific urban contexts. Read the full article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s42949-024-00159-8

PAIR featured on THE Campus

An article titled “Maximise your research impact through interdisciplinary collaboration” by Prof. CHEN Qingyan, Director of the PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR), was published on Times Higher Education Campus (THE Campus). In the article, Prof. Chen shared with readers how PolyU creates research impact through applied, interdisciplinary research. Read the article: THE Campus: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/maximise-your-research-impact-through-interdisciplinary-collaboration