News

Call for Applications - RCRE Funding Schemes

Third Round of Seed Fund of RCRE Scheme (2022/23) welcomes applications to promote and nurture inter-disciplinary research collaboration in fields related to RCRE research directions and enhance the competitiveness of staff intending to apply for major competitive research grants. The funding ceiling of the seed fund is HK$500,000 per project. RCRE Young Researcher Supporting Scheme (2022/23) is a new initiative that aims to support and nurture promising early career academics, and promote and nurture inter-disciplinary research collaboration in the fields related to RCRE. The Scheme is open to full-time Research Assistant Professors in the University and offers support of up to HK$250,000 per project. Funding for both schemes can only be used for research purposes, including equipment and general expenses, hiring short-term research supporting staff and research-related trips. The selection criteria are based on research excellence and strategic importance of the applications, plan to bid for external grants, involvement of multi-disciplinary members and research output generated by the proposals.  Interested parties should submit completed application form to RCRE on or before 17 February 2023. For more information, please contact info.rcre@polyu.edu.hk. 

RCRE hosted a lab tour for scholar from the University of Cambridge

RCRE hosted a lab tour for Prof. David Cardwell, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Strategy and Planning) at the University of Cambridge on 18 January 2023. Prof. Cardwell has been a speaker of PAIR 2nd Distinguished Lecture in 2020.

RCRE Member Awarded $4.65 Million by the RGC Reserach Impact Fund Scheme (RIF)

Warmest Congratulations to RCRE member, Prof. Benny Cheung, for being awarded the Research Impact Fund (RIF) 2022/23 by the Research Grants Councils (RGC). The awarded project "Next Generation of In-situ Precision Three-dimensional Surface Metrology: A Smart Self-adaptive Multiscopic Approach for Industrial 4.0" led by Prof. Cheung will be supported with a total amount of $4.65 million for 3 years.  The project attempts to reserach and develop a customizable smart SAMS system for in-situ precision 3D surface mesurement under different manufacturing environments and applications for last impact on the advancement of mesurement science and technology ready for industry 4.0.  We wish Prof. Benny Cheung continued success.

RCRE member appointed as a member of the Advisory Council on the Environment (ACE)

RCRE member, Prof. Dan TSANG, has been appointed as a member of the Advisory Council on the Environment (ACE) in The Environment and Ecology Bureau. The Council plays a pivotal role in reviewing the state of the environment in Hong Kong, as well as advising the Government, through the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, on appropriate measures which might be taken to combat pollution of all kinds, and to protect and sustain the environment. Prof. TSANG also serves in Environmental Impact Assessment Subcommittee and Waste Management Subcommittee to support the development of environmental protection and conservation policies in Hong Kong.

Director of RCRE awarded $5.29 million by the Green Tech Fund (GTF)

Congratulations to Director of RCRE, Ir Prof. Poon Chi-sun, for awarded $5.29 million by the Green Tech Fund (GTF) for a research project titled "Low-carbon transformation of construction materials using waste glass".   In construction industry, production of concrete is the largest contributor to CO2 emission, accounting for about 8% of global anthropogenic CO2 emissions. The research project aims to develop novel glass-based concrete products for pilot-scale utilization in long-span structures, high-rise buildings and pavements.  Recycling of waste glass can reduce embodied carbon of construction materials and produce high performance low-carbon construction products including ultra high-performance concrete, durable self-leveling cement mortar and high strength pervious concrete. These low-carbon construction products made from waste glass are scientifically designed to optimize performance and minimize cost and environmental impacts. The completion of this project would provide a total solution to waste glass problem in Hong Kong. We wish Ir Prof. Poon continued success.       

RCRE Director appointed as a member of Green Tech Fund Assessment Committee (GTFAC)

RCRE Director, Ir Prof. Poon Chi-sun has been appointed as member of Green Tech Fund Assessment Committee (GTFAC) with effect from 1 January 2023. The GTFAC, chaired by the Director of Environmental Protection, comprises members from different sectors including the academia, the industry, green groups and the relevant Government departments. It is responsible for assessing applications for the GTF and monitoring progress of funded projects. 

RCRE member named a Fellow of The Royal Society of Chemistry

Warm congratulations to Prof. Dan TSANG, core member of RCRE, for named as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) in November 2022 in recognition of his accomplishments and contribution. The Royal Society of Chemistry is the UK’s professional body for chemical scientists, maintains standard of competence and professional practice and provides support and representation for its members bringing together chemical scientists from all over the world. Fellows of The FRSC should be working in a senior position for more than 5 years and bring strategic impacts within the workplace/ sector or have made outstanding contributions to the chemical sciences and/or to the advancement of the profession. To know more about Prof. Dan TSANG and his reserach, please visit his page here.   

Delegation from Netherlands visits RCRE Lab

Delegation from Netherlands, a Sterring Committee of Hong Kong Design Centre’s BoDW (Business of Design Week) received a lab tour on 2 December 2022 at Concrete Materials Lab of Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE). A lab tour with a theme of low carbon construction materials and energy efficiency in building construction, led by Dr Xuan Donxing, Laboratory Manager.  

Delegation from HKJC visits RCRE Lab

Delegation from The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) visit PolyU campus on 1 December 2022. They took a lab tour at the Concrete Materials Laboratory and met with Ir Prof. POON Chi-sun, Director of RCRE and Head of Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE). The lab tour was led by Ir Prof. POON and his PhD student, introduced the low carbon architectural products for anti-virus (anti-COVID 19), the foam glass-based lightweight concrete for low carbon MiC, the sustainable permeable concrete for urban drainage and the process of turning concrete waste into low carbon products by carbonation.

RCRE Webinar on Upcycling of Sewage Sludge Ash into Foaming Warm Mix Asphalt Additive for Sustainable Asphalt Pavement Construction

RCRE co-organized a webinar with Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) and Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE) Civil Division on 7 December 2022, inviting Associate Director of RCRE, Dr Leng Zhen to speak on the topic “Upcycling of Sewage Sludge Ash into Foaming Warm Mix Asphalt Additive for Sustainable Asphalt Pavement Construction”.  Dr Leng started the presentation with a brief introduction to the green technologies developed in Hong Kong to recycle various types of wastes, such as reclaimed asphalt pavement, waste tyre rubber, and waste plastics, into pavement, then followed by recent study on converting sewage sludge ash into zeolite-based foaming warm mix asphalt additive, which can reduce the construction temperature of asphalt pavement by at least 20 oC without compromising its mechanical performance. In the end, there were remarks and discussions on recycling wastes into pavement.