News

PolyU welcomes opportunities in expediting a wide range of research areas

Professor Christopher Chao, PolyU’s Vice President (Research and Innovation) told the media he was delighted to welcome the new funding sources from Mainland China and increased resources from the Hong Kong government to support research. Talents from Hong Kong could participate in various new innovation and technology projects.    Taking note of the growing importance of interdisciplinary research, he also commended the establishment of PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR) and the various new research institutes and centres.   Online coverage:   Sing Tao Daily - https://polyu.me/3EgIezx  Headline Daily - https://polyu.me/3yOMMfA  

PolyU invests HK$400m in new interdisciplinary research institutes for improving people’s lives

Prof. Wing-tak Wong, PolyU’s Deputy President and Provost, said in an interview that the University will invest HK$400 million in the next three years in 15 new research institutes and centres for areas like smart city, wearable smart devices and Chinese medicine. Prof. Wong said the research will focus on people’s key daily life issues like clothing and food, with an emphasis on addressing societal challenges. One of the institutes established lately is the Research Institute for Future Food (RiFood). Dr Wong Ka-hing, Director of RiFood and Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, told media that RiFood is currently conducting a research on the efficacies of traditional Chinese dietary supplements like bird's nest and sea cucumbers. Another research undergoing at RiFood is how to convert food waste into 3D printing materials with nanotechnology. The institute is also conducting projects about AI food authentication and food sustainability. (Hong Kong Economic Times A10, Sky Post P08) Online coverage : Hong Kong Economic Times  Sky Post   

RCDSE study found impact remnants on the Moon that may provide source of water

A study led by the National Space Science Center of Chinese Academy of Sciences and joined by Prof. Wu Bo, Associate Director of Research Centre for Deep Space Explorations and Associate Head of Department of Land Surveying and Geo-informatics of PolyU, has found carbonaceous chondrite remnants of an impactor in a young lunar crater formed within one million years, a first-time discovery of such fragments by in-situ investigation on the far side of the Moon. Scientists suggests that carbonaceous chondrite-like meteorites may provide 10 to 20% of the sources of water to the present Moon. Prof. Wu’s involvement in the research was to use innovative 3D mapping technology to create a detailed 3D topographic model of the 2-m size crater from the lunar surface images acquired by the Yutu-2 rover of Chang’e-4. The 3D morphological characteristic of the crater is critical to judge if the crater was resulted from a meteorite impact or not. The results were published in the scientific journal Nature Astronomy (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-021-01530-w). Please refer to the following links for the media interviews:  Ta Kung Pao - https://polyu.me/2ZIFw7Q China News - https://polyu.me/3rmLyqd 北京晚報 - https://polyu.me/3xNQupd The Cover - https://polyu.me/3pezAfv Sina - https://polyu.me/3EeYJgp Sohu - https://polyu.me/32Q6Cev Toutiao - https://polyu.me/3Effl7F 一點資訊 - https://polyu.me/3G2uyd0  

PAIR Members Recognised as Top Two Percent Scientists Worldwide

Stanford University has recently released an update of the list that represents the top 2 percent of the most-cited scientists in various disciplines. The report was prepared by a team of experts led by Prof. John Ioannidis, the eminent Professor at the Stanford University. PAIR is very proud to announce that the 95 PAIR members in various research institutes and centres are on the list. Please click here to check the list of PAIR members recognised as top two percent scientists worldwide in 2021. The list issued by Standford University can be downloaded from here: https://elsevier.digitalcommonsdata.com/datasets/btchxktzyw/3 Congratulations to our top scientists!

Video of RI-IWEAR broadcast at the 2021 MRS Fall Meeting & Exhibit

The video featuring the research highlights of Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable System is available online at the YouTube Channel WebsEdge Science. This five-minute video will be broadcast in the daily program called “Thought Leadership” during 2021 Material Research Society (MRS) Fall Meeting & Exhibit. 2021 MRS Fall Meeting & Exhibit meeting is the preeminent annual event for those in the field of materials research, featuring over 50 symposia and attracting 6,000 researchers from every corner of the globe. The meeting will be held on 29 November – 2 December 2021 in Boston and 6-8 December 2021 in online platform. This video will be broadcast on screens in high visibility areas throughout the Centre in a compilation of the MRS TV films from 29 November to 2 December and also in the MRS TV program, alongside news and interviews during the conference on 30 November. Please click here to view more details about 2021 Material Research Society (MRS) Fall Meeting & Exhibit.

Four PAIR academics recognised amongst the world′s most highly cited researchers in 2021

Four academics from PAIR have been acknowledged in the "2021 Highly Cited Researchers" list by Clarivate Analytics. The list identifies the most influential scholars around the world for their exceptional research performance, determined by the publication of multiple highly cited papers that rank in the top 1% by citations in each respective field. Approximately 6,600 researchers across the globe were named Highly Cited Researchers in 2021.   The inclusion of our academics in the list is a testament to PolyU and PAIR’s pursuit of research excellence and our impact on society.   The four PAIR researchers featured in the list, and the fields in which they have been recognised, are as follows:   Name Field recognized Department Research Institute/Centre Involved Prof. Daniel TSANG Engineering & Environment and Ecology   Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research Institute for Future Food Research Institute for Land and Space Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development Prof. GUO Song Computer Science Department of Computing Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Things Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development Prof. LI Gang Cross-Field   Department of Electronic and Information Engineering Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems Photonics Research Institute Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development Prof. YAN Feng   Department of Applied Physics Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems Photonics Research Institute Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development   Congratulations to Prof. Tsang, Prof. Guo, Prof. Li and Prof. Yan!  

SCRI director conferred as Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences

Prof. Shi Wenzhong, director of the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Smart Cities Research Institute and Chair Professor of Geographic Information Science and Remote Sensing conferred as Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS) for his contribution to social science. The Academy’s Fellowship is made up of distinguished individuals from academic, public, private and third sectors, across the full breadth of the social sciences. Through leadership, scholarship, applied research, policymaking, and practice, they have helped to deepen the understanding of, and address, some of the toughest challenges facing our society and the world. New Fellows are named due to the excellence and impact of their work, which addresses matters of vital importance and contributes to the social sciences for the public good. Through leadership, scholarship, applied research, policymaking and practice, they have helped to deepen the understanding of some of the toughest challenges facing our society and the world. Congratulations to Prof Shi!

Research team in SCRI received special recognition in the 2021 RICS Awards Hong Kong

The Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Smart Cities Research Institute (SCRI) - 3D Mobile Mapping System Research Team has been highly commended by the judging panel in the Research Team of the Year category in the 2021 Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Awards Hong Kong ! The RICS Award showcase the most inspirational initiatives and developments in land, real estate, construction and infrastructure. They recognise outstanding achievement, teamwork and companies. This year’s entrants have been responsible for some of the biggest projects Hong Kong has seen to date – including delivering for clients during COVID, fostering better workplaces for occupants, creating diverse workplaces, boosting the sustainability of projects through the use of technology and working to fight against the impacts of climate change. Apart from the 13 winners, the research team in SCRI was one of the highly commended teams who judges felt deserved special recognition. They developed a lightweight and reliable 3D mobile mapping system (mobile mapping backpack), which can easily measure cities and obtain 3D maps with centimeter-level accuracy. It can be used to build spatial data infrastructure and can thus support smart city applications in many fields. The system adopts advanced technologies such as Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping (SLAM), which is not restricted by the signal receiving area of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). It can carry out continuous data collection in different complex indoor and outdoor environments and is particularly suitable for high-density and complex urban environments, such as those in Hong Kong. Congratulations to SCRI and the team!

Enhancing Research on Smart City Technology

Professor Shi Wenzhong, Director of the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Smart Cities Research Institute (SCRI), told Master Insight that the institute will concentrate its research on transportation, environment and ageing issues, as these areas are vital for the development of smart cities in Hong Kong and the Nation. He added that PolyU’s multidisciplinary research capabilities in the fields of urban informatics, artificial intelligence, robotics and data science will help further enhance the research of smart city technology. Professor Shi shared his view about the challenges for Hong Kong on recruiting international talents in the development of smart cities, and suggested strengthening the training of local talents. He also called on the government to open up more data to help the construction of spatial data infrastructure. Please have a look at the online coverage: Master Insight - https://polyu.me/3EWrtKP (Chinese only)

The Associate Director of RILS elected into The Academy of Europe (Academia Europaea)

Prof. Qihao WENG, Associate Director of RILS, Chair Professor and Global STEM Scholar of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics at PolyU, were recently elected Foreign Member of The Academy of Europe (Academia Europaea) in its 2021 class, an European institution that aims to promote European research, advise governments and international organisations in scientific matters, and further interdisciplinary and international research. Members of the Academy are nominated and elected only by their peers. Prof. WENG has made significant contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of remote sensing, GIScience, urban climatology, urban ecology, sustainability science, and geospatial AI. Congratulations to Prof. WENG!