Prof. Thomas HU Received HKUST Common Core Teaching Excellence Award 2018

15/05/2019

Using Civil Engineering Mentality to Solve Real-world Problems

Prof. Thomas HU Received HKUST Common Core Teaching Excellence Award 2018

Prof. Percy DIAS (left), Chairman of Committee on Undergraduate Core Education, and Prof. PONG Ting-Chuen (right), Acting Provost, jointly present the award to Prof. Thomas HU. [Download Photo]

Prof. Thomas HU, Civil and Environmental Engineering, received the HKUST Common Core Teaching Excellence Award 2018 for the CIVL 1160 Civil Engineering and Modern Society course.

Since teaching the course in early 2016, Prof. Hu has innovatively turned it into one of the most practical and popular courses at HKUST. He has achieved this by delivering academic value as well as hands-on understanding of key issues in Hong Kong; and by sparking enthusiasm among learners from diverse fields, including non-technical students, for how civil engineering can help.

An important element of his pedagogical philosophy is to extend the scope of course design beyond regular civil engineering topics. Adopting a holistic and multidisciplinary approach, he builds bridges to connect timely new knowledge related to urban planning and development, legal and policy issues, and financial analysis, among others. In addition, engineering concepts are made easier to fathom through videos, animations, and most recently, novel software developed by him.

Armed with such insights, students are encouraged to apply engineering concepts to pressing challenges in Hong Kong, including housing supply, building maintenance, and surging real estate prices. Through group projects tackling real-world cases, they gain constructive experience, provide useful input to the community, and realize the links between university learning and pragmatic solutions to improve people’s lives. He also draws attention to the importance of a rational yet creative mindset, in-depth capabilities, and professional conduct.

Recognized as a visionary educator by colleagues and students alike, Prof. Hu is noted for his drive and enthusiasm in class, sense of humor, and patience in answering questions. He actively seeks opportunities to enable individuals to express their views. Even with a class size of close to 200 students, he checks each of their background to design and assign suitable projects to keep them motivated.

In both his outlook and delivery, he serves as an outstanding example of how to work towards and attain common core aspirations: to broaden students’ horizons, to cultivate a passion for learning and to empower their development as compassionate, responsible and ethical citizens.