GENERATION MOBILE Driving Forward the HKUST ENGINEERING | Fall 2013 | Newsletter No.24 The Way Ahead for Wireless Communication
1 IN FOCUS DEAN’S MESSAGE Another important step forward to widen the reach of our students and enhance our worldclass research capabilities is the exciting addition of Aerospace Engineering to our portfolio of disciplines. Hong Kong is already a top international aviation hub, with major aircraft maintenance facilities as well as a globally renowned airport for passenger and air cargo services. In addition, there is increasing scope in the Pearl River Delta. Such demand will create many openings for engineers and management trainees, and students are already showing enthusiasm for the field as we have seen from our recently launched Minor in Aeronautical Engineering. The move into Aerospace Engineering is a major initiative to be rolled out in the next few years. This Fall, the Department of Mechanical Engineering is being renamed the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. We will be recruiting an eminent Named Chair Professor and a team of faculty, installing new facilities, and developing postgraduate and undergraduate programs. Our intention is to focus on niche hi-tech areas utilizing our expertise across the School’s departments. This will enable us to offer a non-traditional approach that should put our programs among the world’s best. It will also offer fascinating new input for interdisciplinary discovery. Both IEI and the introduction of Aerospace Engineering are examples of how the School is continuously taking enterprising steps to ensure the relevance of our education and research to the region’s economic development and the wider society. We live in times where the ability to rapidly respond to change and flexibility are essential for businesses, industries and organizations, including education institutions. At the School of Engineering, we remain not only alert to the need for such capabilities. We actively engage them. Among the many different facets of the School of Engineering life highlighted in this edition of In Focus, we report on the work of our dynamic Center for Industry Engagement & Internship (IEI). The Center is the latest addition to propel forward the all-round learning experience we provide for our students. The School has long emphasized our student exchanges, which help to instill confidence and independence, build communication skills and develop awareness of different perspectives. With IEI, we hope to foster greater awareness of the opportunities and requirements of today’s working world, in terms of attitude as well as skills. This is not a one-way street as companies have the chance to get to know our students ahead of graduation, and to learn more about their next generation of employees. We are also keen to introduce students to the wider career pathways they can now take as engineering graduates in emerging areas such as financial logistics, biomedical industries and environmental organizations. By building such connections early, the School sees both sides can benefit by learning more about the other, helping to smooth the transition between university and work. Prof Khaled Ben Letaief Dean of Engineering
IN FOCUS 2 It has been another rewarding year for HKUST and the School of Engineering in a variety of widely reported annual rankings released by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), a leading global provider of higher education information. In the QS World University Rankings by Faculty 2013 – Engineering & Technology, HKUST was ranked 19th globally, its highest position yet in this league table, and No. 1 in Hong Kong. In the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2013 – Engineering & Technology, HKUST was ranked within the global top 30 in all five fields in this category, demonstrating the School of Engineering’s ongoing capacity for all-round achievements in the areas it undertakes. The University was No. 1 in Hong Kong in both the Chemical Engineering and Mechanical, Aeronautical & Manufacturing Engineering fields and No. 1 in Greater China in Electrical & Electronic Engineering. “I was delighted to see such across-theboard recognition globally for the School,” Dean of Engineering Prof Khaled Ben Letaief said. “The rankings help spotlight the School’s high-impact achievements and the terrific motivation of our faculty, students and researchers.” In addition, HKUST was No. 1 in Asia in the QS University Rankings: Asia 2013 for 2013 QS World University Rankings by Subject No. 12 Computer Science & Information Systems No. 14 Electrical & Electronic Engineering * No. 17 Civil & Structural Engineering No. 22 Chemical Engineering ˆ No. 27 Mechanical, Aeronautical & Manufacturing Engineering ˆ * No. 1 in Greater China ˆ No. 1 in Hong Kong The School of Engineering has continued to receive a strong endorsement of its appeal to high-flying research students globally, with the highest number of Hong Kong PhD Fellowship awardees among all local engineering schools in the 2013/14 scheme. This marks the fourth consecutive year the School has been the most popular choice for engineering fields, putting it in the leading position since the scheme began. For the 2013/14 scheme, 36 awardees in engineering and IT accepted HKUST’s offer of a place, nearly double the number for last year and more than twice the number of the next institution. The scheme was launched by Hong Kong’s Research Grants Council in 2009 to draw top young scholars Gl bal PhD Students Flock to SENG from around the world to study at local institutions (see also P5-6). All six of the School’s departments attracted applications, together with the Bioengineering Program and Environmental Engineering Program. The PhD Fellowship students will also add impetus to the School’s internationalization drive. Awardees come from over 19 places, including Bangladesh, China, Czech Republic, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Korea, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Romania, Sri Lanka and Turkey. “The growing mix of international research students can generate new perspectives and spark fresh concepts and ideas,” said Prof Christopher Chao, Associate Dean of Engineering (Research & Graduate Studies). “It is also good news for Hong Kong’s future development that these talented young people have come to study in the city and establish ties here.” Overall, 49 PhD Fellowships out of a total of 185 were awarded to HKUST, again the largest number for all institutions. Striving For and Achieving High Performance This marks the fourth consecutive year the School has been the most popular choice for engineering fields, putting it in the leading position since the scheme began. the third consecutive year. The rankings exercise examined almost 500 universities, representing one of the most extensive studies of Asian institutions currently conducted. In the QS Top 50 Under 50 2013, which ranked universities established within the last 50 years worldwide, HKUST also secured the No. 1 spot.
3 IN FOCUS As a believer that discovery often happens by accident rather than design, Prof Lau keenly pursues curiosity-driven research. A health sensor embedded in your body that is talking to your phone, which is in touch with a health database in order to monitor your condition. The integration of control and communication technology to create intelligent vehicles that can drive themselves as well as talk to each other, enabling smoother traffic flow and eliminating the need for traffic lights. This is the potential world of fifth-generation wireless systems that innovative academics such as Prof Vincent Kin Nang Lau, Electronic and Computer Engineering, are helping to drive forward. As communication technology moves on from human-to-human interaction (phone calls) and human to machine (emails, downloading videos), such machine-to-machine applications are set to emerge, according to the School of Engineering professor who has contributed to a host of advances in nextgeneration wireless communication basic research and technologies. Ongoing curiosity about the area has led Prof Lau to spend more than 15 years exploring and driving knowledge forward, publishing over 200 papers. “Wireless communication is now a very big field with many components. You can use your mobile phone to watch videos, browse the internet, as well as make calls, requiring many enabling technologies to make this possible and to create low-cost, reliable and high-quality systems. The work I do seeks to address different challenges, including better coverage, expanded capacity, and changing use of mobile phones.” Prof Lau’s journey into this high-impact field stemmed from an early interest in fixing his toys and machines as a child. It was practical experiences such as these that saw him become an electronic engineering undergraduate rather than follow his other strong interests in physics and math. “I still remember that when I was a Secondary Three student, I was able to repair my brother’s company fax machine and how happy this made me feel,” he said. Two main passions since university days have been communications theory and control theory, which he enjoys for the “beauty” of the concepts behind them. “Communication theory deals with how you deliver information from point to point efficiently, such as wireless communication. Control theory is concerned with how to adjust speed and angle with the precision required to hit a target or launch a spaceship into orbit. These are two different problems but, at an early stage, I felt they were connected at the detailed mathematical level and I’ve remained very curious about that. Even now I’m always thinking about how these two theories can be related.” Following graduation, Prof Lau worked as a system engineer in the fixed-line network area at Hong Kong Telecom (now PCCW) for three years before heading overseas to fulfill his twin objectives of further study and seeing the world. In 1995, he started a PhD at the University of Cambridge, receiving Prof Vincent Kin Nang Lau’s cutting-edge research on wireless communication and related technologies is helping to reshape the way we communicate with other people and our relationship with machines
IN FOCUS 4 Man of Many Parts • BEng (First Class Honors, second in year), University of Hong Kong • PhD, University of Cambridge, on “Variable Rate Adaptive Channel Coding in Mobile Cellular Systems” • IEEE Fellow • Changjiang Chair Professor, Zhejiang University • Director and Founder, Huawei-HKUST Joint Research Laboratory • Theoretical research: stochastic optimization for wireless systems, distributive algorithm design, Markov Decision Process (MDP) and stochastic calculus for delay-aware wireless resource control, robust MIMO/OFDMA/SDMA cross-layer optimization with imperfect and limited channel states, cooperative communications and cognitive radio systems, massive MIMO, compressive sensing with applications to wireless communications, combined control and information theory, combined electromagnetic and information theory, among others • Applied research: 4G LTE, LTE+, 5G cellular networks, next generation Wi-Fi, IEEE 802.22 cognitive radio • Side interests: digital baseband ASIC architecture and RTL design for wireless communications, digital hardware (FPGA/PCB/embedded controller) design and prototyping the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fellowship, Rotaract Scholarship and Croucher Foundation Scholarship during his studies and making it possible for him to go. Prof Lau’s focus during his doctorate, which he completed in just two years, was wireless communication, a fast-emerging area in the mid-1990s. He followed this with four years at Bell Labs in the US, where he worked on projects for different business units as well as enjoying the freedom to work on his own research interests. “What I think I learned most from Bell was the way to analyze problems and how to carry that analytical mindset to different projects and problems. This meant I was no longer confined to working on problems in one narrow area any more, and inspired me a lot. Now I always encourage my students to work on multiple areas, not just one.” He joined HKUST in 2004 and went on to play a key role in the technology transfer with various companies such as Huawei. Later, he founded Huawei-HKUST Joint Research Laboratory, which supports research and development projects in wireless communications, networks, and new areas. At HKUST, he also has happy memories of working as the technology advisor for a team at the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI), helping them to develop Wi-Fi products, and seeing it all spin off to become Altai Technologies, a company that now employs more than 200 engineers and sells its wares around the world. As a believer that discovery often happens by accident rather than design, Prof Lau keenly pursues curiosity-driven research to explore original avenues of thought, and sees interdisciplinary learning as a way to spark creativity even if it takes many years to become clear how. He is currently excited that the physics knowledge he gained through attending lectures unrelated to his thesis while at Cambridge now appears to have potential use in his wireless communication work. In another link with PhD days, Prof Lau has recently renewed his connection with the Croucher Foundation when he was awarded a prestigious senior research fellowship earlier this year. “When I received the award, I was able to extend my gratitude to the grandchildren of Mr Croucher and I felt very happy about this,” Prof Lau said. With forecasts of 1,000 times more demand by 2020, there are many challenges ahead in terms of capacity and energy efficiency for the wireless world. The intriguing possibilities heralded by machine-to-machine communication also open up fresh technological frontiers. To Prof Lau, such a world offers hope of a better future and a reason to continue looking for infrastructural improvements and advances in resource management. He recalls discussions over upgrading to third-generation wireless systems a decade earlier. “People asked why, as the current technology and applications didn’t seem to require it. But the amazing thing is, once you do upgrade, people will always find new applications to use up the capacity. And I’m always optimistic about the use of technology.”
5 IN FOCUS Young Kiki Danhui Cheng Mainland China PhD, Bioengineering Research area: microbial engineering 5 IN F Curious about industry and fortunate to be chosen for an internship at Dow Chemical in Suzhou during my third year at Tsinghua University, I spent six weeks in the company’s Manufacturing and Engineering Department. It was a great experience in a leading global enterprise but it clarified that a corporate job was not for me immediately after graduation. On returning to Tsinghua, my realization inspired me to join research labs, first in the School of Life Science, then in the Department of Chemical Engineering. My final year project monitored the diversity and dynamic shifts of microbial communities during bioremediation of petroleum-contaminated soil, winning a Tsinghua FYP excellence award and ranking second in a departmental evaluation, all of which encouraged me to continue my research. I have met friends from all over the world at HKUST. Hong Kong appealed as my next move for three main reasons: the top international reputation established by HKUST, the cosmopolitan nature of the city, and the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme. In 2010, I joined Prof I-Ming Hsing’s group in the Bioengineering Program at HKUST School of Engineering as one of Hong Kong’s first Fellowship awardees. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the School of Engineering is the overseas exposure. Indeed, attending the International Congress of Bacteriology and Applied Microbiology in Sapporo, Japan, in my first year provided the inspiration for my current thesis on engineering photosynthetic bacteria for protein expression and bioelectricity generation. I feel passionate about exploring this area as it enables me to learn how to harness solar energy and make valuable applications from the designs of Nature. I represented the School in the 1st Annual Global Health Sector Interdisciplinary Case Competition hosted by Boston University in November 2012. This was a great chance to learn about technology transfer. In addition, I have met friends from all over the world at HKUST, including keen musicians like me. This year, with the support of Prof Hsing, I applied for the prestigious RGC-Fulbright Junior Research Award and was very happy to become one of the eight Hong Kong recipients. As a result, I will go on exchange to MIT for six months. I’m really grateful to have the opportunity and am looking forward to making additional progress at this top global research institution. Engineers Miss & Mr Three high-powered research postgraduates, all Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme awardees, discuss the rewards of student life at the School of Engineering and the awesome joys of discovery Edwin Kiki
IN FOCUS 6 CUS 6 The satisfaction in inventing a product is beyond words. Edwin Chi Yan Tso Hong Kong PhD, Mechanical Engineering Research areas: composite adsorbents, nanofluids Jan Vosecky Czech Republic PhD, Computer Science and Engineering Research area: information retrieval in social media My story is still ongoing but thinking about my life today, I am proud to have followed my heart in pursuing my interest in research rather than looking for a job just to earn a high salary. When still a secondary student, I loved building experimental unmanned machines and through this developed a deep interest in engineering, particularly Mechanical Engineering. When it came to university choices, the Mechanical Engineering bachelor program at HKUST had an excellent reputation and top international ranking, making it the first choice on my list. After graduating with first class honors, I became an engineering trainee, but missed hands-on work and the challenge of discovery. So after thinking hard about my future, I decided to resign. In 2010, I became an MPhil student in Prof Christopher Chao’s research team at HKUST and started to develop a composite adsorbent for adsorption cooling systems. This seemed meaningful as refrigerants and compressors could be dispensed with in such cooling systems, generating cost savings of around 30% and helping to make our planet greener. The research won several awards, including the HKUST One Million Dollar Entrepreneurship Competition, a businessoriented contest that also taught me more about commercializing technology. The satisfaction in inventing a new product is immense, a feeling beyond words. So I decided to push my research one step further. I undertook my PhD at HKUST due to the University’s ongoing development and supportive learning environment, and the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme. Staying with Prof Chao’s group, my focus moved to nanofluids and I have now successfully established a nanofluid that can be used as an adsorbate in adsorption cooling systems. This has been really exciting as nobody has previously discovered that a nanofluid could be used in this way, and my new technology should make a huge contribution to society. I still have plenty of dreams: to go on exchange to a top US university; to become a faculty member; and to use my knowledge to improve living standards in Hong Kong. But I definitely feel to be on my way. Here’s hoping all of you can follow your dreams too! both the buzzing cosmopolitan city and breathtaking countryside at hand. Such a combination is rare to find in the UK. After completing my Master’s degree, I really wanted to return to Hong Kong to pursue a PhD in Computer Science and Engineering and was fortunate to be supported in this ambition by becoming a Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme awardee. With HKUST’s wonderful location, world-class reputation and my contacts among the faculty, the School of Engineering was a natural choice. My PhD concerns the increasingly highprofile area of information retrieval, with a focus on social media. Given the huge and often overwhelming amount of material produced daily, the goal is to improve the way a user can find high-quality and interesting social content. I am also working on methods to extract global insights from social data, for example, summarizing the main topics being discussed in microblogs. Such research is highly enjoyable, enabling me to study how technology influences the way we communicate. Another great aspect of research student life here is the opportunity to get involved in many contrasting activities. As a member of the Professional Development Committee for research postgraduate students, I can help to shape events and professional workshops. Then in my free time, I can chill out by playing lead guitar in our PhD student band. Here there is the opportunity to get involved in contrasting activities. As a teenager, I was really interested in Eastern philosophy and Chinese tea culture and always wanted to visit Asia. But it was only in 2008, at the age of 22, a chance opened up through the HKUST exchange program. As a student on a four-year integrated Master’s program in Computer Science at the University of Warwick in the UK, I was able to spend the whole of my third year at HKUST. This proved a real eye-opener, in terms of different approaches and viewpoints, both academically and socially. It also set my future direction. During my exchange, I worked on a research-oriented final year project where the core theory concerned analysis and integration of social networks. The project inspired me to take up a summer internship at HKUST after my exchange had finished. Living in lively Hong Kong was another amazing experience, with Jan
7 IN FOCUS We Four School of Engineering students share their views on the difference that helping others has made to their own lives My passion is helping people and this takes many forms: helping new students settle into School of Engineering life by serving as a peer mentor; establishing a community-based organization called Y-Talk.org – we held our first Y-Talk event in April with student speakers at HKUST; and setting up a Student Chapter of the Malaysian Association of Hong Kong for Malaysians studying in Hong Kong like me. Last summer, I went to Myanmar with my two best friends, spending one month teaching English to secondary school students, university students, and graduates in the northern city of Myitkyina. As we organized the service trip ourselves, we first had to find sponsorship, locate books to take and raise donations. On arrival, we needed to travel from the south of Myanmar to Ryan Hong Yee Kow BEng, Civil and Structural Engineering (2013) Roy To Community Service Awardee Myitkyina in the north, a journey that took 10 hours by bus and 24 hours on a 1920s-style train! My Myanmar visit put my engineering studies in an interesting new light. Before going, I had seen them mainly from a technical perspective and wondered how useful my skills would be in teaching English. Afterwards, I took a wider view, as it was clear that with my engineering mindset, I could understand my students’ problems and design ways to assist their learning. Precision, problem solving and finding solutions are all key aspects of being an engineer and can easily be applied to other situations. I am sure my recent membership of ASEAN Youth Volunteers Network and Engineers Without Borders will expand my Xiaojun Yu, MPhil, and To Hung Tsui, BEng, both Civil and Environmental Engineering, had rewarding community service experiences overseas in different ways when they became volunteers for the charity Habitat for Humanity and spent several days building houses in Nepal. “Before this trip, Nepal was just a small country on the map to me. After, it became very special,” explained Xiaojun. “I spent my four days there carrying, chopping, weaving and shoveling. We talked to local people, and worked and ate like locals. “It all had a tremendous impact. I have become better at caring about others, appreciating others’ work and, above all, understanding how people’s different situation and surroundings affect them,” he said. “Even though I am a Civil Engineering postgraduate student, this was my first experience of working on a construction site and I really enjoyed building the house. The feeling of helping others and making their wish come true was wonderful, and there was a smile on every face when we finally dedicated the house to the local village. I have promised myself another visit to Nepal in the future.” vision further. Indeed, for me, community service has no boundaries. The most important thing is serve wholeheartedly and use engineering to find solutions. Building Homes, Building Understanding The Roy To Community Service Award recognizes HKUST students who have made an exceptional contribution to community service. Only one undergraduate or postgraduate student is selected for the award each year.
IN FOCUS 8 Community Service Samantha Wing Man Kong BEng, Chemical and Environmental Engineering (2014) HKUST Alumni Endowment Fund Service Awardee The turning point for me was going abroad to high school in Malaysia. During that time, I learned to be independent and became involved in various service activities in order to meet new friends and adapt to my new home. This enhanced my communication skills and interaction with people. I started to become a more outgoing and cheerful person, and curious about different cultures and countries. Since joining HKUST, I have participated in student activities, serving as a head student ambassador for the University and a peer mentor in the School of Engineering. Joining the Hong Kong Social Enterprise Challenge with two School of Business and Management teammates – and winning! – was another great experience. Given Hong Kong’s aging population, we came up with the idea of Eldpathy (empathy for the elderly). Participants find out what life For To Hung, the trip helped to change his worldview. “Prior to going to Nepal, my community service had been locally based. Now I think I will join more activities outside Hong Kong. I also value what I have in Hong Kong much more.” The two students were supported by the School of Engineering’s Center for Global & Community Engagement, which encourages students to engage in community service in different parts of the world. is like for people in their 70s by donning a specially designed suit and undertaking a series of challenges that show them the difficulties faced by elderly people. We also provide a platform for participants to join voluntary services to help seniors. I am not only interested in local issues, but also took part in the G20 Youth Summit in Russia in April, giving me a way to discuss global issues with people from around the world. Short exchanges involving entrepreneurship, leadership, and voluntary services in the US, Singapore, Hangzhou, Beijing and Xi’an have also broadened my outlook. Through community service, I have learned to be more open-minded and listen to different opinions. Long-lasting friendships can also be developed when people share the same goals and vision to improve the lives of others. Samantha was one of the first three students honored by the HKUST Alumni Endowment Fund Service Award, launched in 2012/13 to recognize students who have demonstrated strong commitment and leadership in volunteer services and have a proven track record in contributing to the community.
9 IN FOCUS Green Slope Project Receives HK$8 Million Funding A research team led by Profs Charles W W Ng, Y H Wang and Limin Zhang, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Prof Qian Zhang, Computer Science and Engineering, has been awarded its second three-year consecutive 9 IN F Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) grant from the Research Grants Council. This multi-disciplinary research project, called “Green Slope Engineering: Bioengineered, Live Cover Systems for Man-Made Fill Slopes and Landfill Capillary Barriers in Hong Kong”, received HK$8 million for a study starting from July 2013, the largest amount for an engineering-based project in the 2012/13 funding exercise. Hong Kong has thousands of man-made fill slopes that require upgrading, with the Hong Kong government’s Geotechnical Engineering Office spending tens of millions of dollars each year to carry out such work. Moreover, capping design for landfills does not consider the use of vegetation for minimizing rainfall Two School of Engineering professors have gained top national recognition for breakthrough research that is set to have significant impact on the fields of energy efficiency and wireless communications. Prof Tianshou Zhao, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and Prof Qian Zhang, Computer Science and Engineering, received State Natural Science Awards (Second Class) for their outstanding contributions to their respective fields. State Science and Technology Awards are conferred by the State Council on outstanding individuals and institutions who make significant contributions to the development of science and technology. They are awarded under various categories and regarded as China’s most prestigious honor in these fields. Top National Honors for Research Breakthroughs Prof Zhao and his research collaborators from Xi’an Jiaotong University were cited for investigations into multi-scale and multi-physics field coupled fluid flow and heat/mass transfer in complex systems. The team has collaborated on the research over the past decade. Through using a unique research methodology and strategy involving the integration of experimental observation, theoretical investigation, and computational modeling, the team has been able to make important contributions to the field. The main breakthrough is the construction of a framework to describe such flow and transfer processes by creating and using microscopic, mesoscopic and macroscopic theoretical and numerical approaches. This will be important in improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in energy conversion systems. Prof Zhang and her partners from Tsinghua University conducted research for 10 years on fundamental issues related to wireless multimedia communication. Their work on models for joint wireless multimedia communication and performance optimization revealed the interaction between the structured nature of multimedia information and dynamic characters of error distribution in wireless networks, among other significant contributions. Researchers also made a major breakthrough in efficient video communications under discontinuous transmission conditions and effectively increasing bandwidth efficiency. This should assist design of future wireless video, mobile multimedia systems as well as next-generation wireless networks. In addition, Prof Zhang received a Natural Science Award (First Class) from Hubei Province. The award recognized Prof Zhang and her collaborators from Huazhong University of Science and Technology and Peking University for their low-energy consuming broadband wireless communication research and technology.
IN FOCUS 10 SENG Academics’ Leading Role in Discovery Recognized Pioneering School of Engineering academics and their research teams have won three major national honors in the Ministry of Education’s Awards for Research Excellence in Natural Sciences 2012, endorsing the contribution that the School’s researchers are making to development in Hong Kong and Mainland China. The awards recognize outstanding research projects being carried out at tertiary institutions throughout China. Prof Furong Gao Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Research Excellence in Natural Sciences (First Class) Prof Furong Gao was recognized for his major discoveries in batch process control systems. Prof Gao has been investigating this area since 1995, together with Zhejiang University researchers (previously PhD students and researchers at HKUST). Breakthroughs have encompassed process control and monitoring, quality prediction, process optimization and new quality measurement technology, with results set to underpin the transformation and upgrading of manufacturing industries. Prof Christopher Leung Civil and Environmental Engineering Research Excellence in Natural Sciences (First Class) The development of high-toughness fiber-reinforced cementitious composites has been a major focus of research for Prof Christopher Leung since 1992. During this time, Prof Leung has worked with collaborators from Zhejiang University, Tongji University, Shantou University and Dalian University of Technology on numerous studies, leading to exciting advances. The materials developed have shown excellent tensile ductility and crack control, while their high-energy absorption capability has enabled them to be used in earthquake-resistant structures. Both materials and corresponding testing/design approaches have good potential for major infrastructure projects in China and other developing countries. Prof Matthew Yuen Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Research Excellence in Natural Sciences (Second Class) With primary funding support provided by the Hong Kong government’s Innovation and Technology Commission, Prof Matthew Yuen and his PhD students have gone on to successfully develop 3D computer simulation technology featuring 3D parametric human body modeling, material draping, and simulated garment fitting, among other functions. The outcomes have been widely translated into benefits for industry, with fashion design and garment-makers trained in the system by Hong Kong’s Clothing Industry Training Authority. The research team’s publications on the technologies have also been widely cited. CUS 10 infiltration and gas emission integrally. Vegetation is just used for aesthetic purposes. The research will explore root-soil-water interactions to create an innovative, reliability-based preliminary design framework for developing a sustainable, integrated bioengineered live cover for slopes and landfills in Hong Kong, using vegetation as part of engineered stabilization measures in the design of slope stability. The live cover seeks to be self-regenerative, sustainable and almost maintenance free.
11 IN FOCUS To do what you truly want to do and also to make a difference to society as a whole is both a privilege and a wonderful way to spend a career. Prof Chung Yee Lee Faculty AwardWinners Demonstrate Joys of Discovery Three outstanding faculty members have had their achievements recognized through the School of Engineering Research Excellence Awards 2013. The annual honors highlight academics who are at different stages of their careers and their contributions to their respective fields. Criteria for the awards include originality of research output; impact on society and the field; research training provision for students; and leadership in national and international collaborative partnerships. This year’s Distinguished Research Excellence Award, the most prestigious accolade, was awarded to Prof Chung Yee Lee, Chair Professor of Industrial Engineering and Logistics Management and Cheong Ying Chan Professor of Engineering. Prof Lee’s accomplishments include the first global shop floor scheduling system for the semiconductor industry, business process management and cross-border research. “I’m delighted that I have been able to propel the field forward and add to efficiency and industry optimization,” he said. “To do what you truly want to do and also to make a difference to society as a whole is both a privilege and a wonderful way to spend a career.” Prof Lee has been ranked No. 6 worldwide in the h-index, which measures the productivity and impact of scholarly articles, and No. 9 for total publications, according to an International Journal of Production Economics article. The analysis looked at 20 core production and operations management journals over the past 50 years. Highly respected in his field, Prof Lee is a Fellow of the Institute of Industrial Engineers in the US, and the founding and current Director of the Logistics and Supply Chain Management Institute at HKUST. In 2011, the “Transforming Hong Kong’s Ocean Container Transport Logistics Network” project led by Prof Lee was one of just six proposals out of almost 90 to gain funding in the first round of the Research Grants Council’s Theme-based Research Scheme. The project received HK$13.292 million. Research Excellence Awards went to Prof Irene M C Lo, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Prof Dimitris Papadias, Professor of Computer Science and Engineering. Prof Lo has spent more than two decades exploring solutions that can tackle different forms of soil and groundwater pollution. Her work has led to many articles in leading journals and several significant international honors, including the ASCE Samuel Arnold Greeley Award. Prof Lo has also made major contributions to soil and sediment decontamination and has been involved in the Kai Tak Development project, Denmark groundwater remediation and the
IN FOCUS 12 PhD Research Excellence Showcased Three PhD graduates have had their remarkable accomplishments brought to wider attention as winners of the School of Engineering PhD Research Excellence Awards 2012/13. After much deliberation by the Engineering Research Committee, comprising one faculty member from each of the School’s six departments, Dr Xiaolei Wang, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Dr Nan Cao, Computer Science and Engineering, and Dr Qixing Wu, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, were selected to receive the awards. Dr Wang and Dr Cao are 2012 graduates while Dr Wu graduated in 2011. Dr Wang’s research centers on the development of sustainable transportation systems, covering issues such as road space rationing, tradable travel credits, speed limits and parking management. As a PhD student, she had several articles published in international journals. These include three in Transportation Research Part B, the field’s leading journal, two of which were elected among the top 25 hottest articles in 2011 and 2012. Information visualization and explorative visual analysis are the primary interests of Dr Cao, with a special focus on heterogeneous multidimensional data, including social media. Prior to joining the School in 2009, Dr Cao worked at IBM China Research Lab, contributing to two IBM research achievements and more than 10 US patents. The independentminded and highly original researcher also set a record in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering by completing his PhD degree in just 2.5 years. Dr Wu took part in four projects supported by the RGC General Research Fund and one by the Innovation and Technology Fund while studying for his PhD. He specializes in energy and fuel, including direct methanol fuel cells. He has published 16 peer-reviewed journal papers, eight as first author, and serves as a reviewer for International Journal of Hydrogen Energy and Applied Thermal Engineering, among others. At the awards presentation ceremony in May, Dr Wu also gave a talk to current students on how to become a successful and happy researcher. His tips included the importance of building a good relationship between student and supervisor and how to alleviate stress. The School is encouraging sharing sessions among research postgraduates to provide more interaction outside the lab and to broaden the research student experience. The three award-winners are now pursuing academic and research careers in the US and Mainland China. CUS 12 Shenzhen River clean-up. “Being able to assist in large-scale environmental projects locally and internationally is challenging but also really exciting,” she said. “I feel that helping to revitalize waterways and land is a very tangible way to improve people’s lives.” Prof Papadias specializes in spatial and spatio-temporal databases. He has successfully applied spatial database techniques to other areas, in particular skyline computing. “The School has really supported my vision and encouraged me to go the extra step that enables you to make significant breakthroughs,” Prof Papadias explained. “This keeps me energized to move ahead.” Other areas of his research include indexing schemes, processing algorithms and spatio-temporal data warehouses. He has been widely cited and published, and his professional activities include being program chair of SIGMOD 2013, the world’s leading conference on databases. Dean of Engineering Prof Khaled Ben Letaief said that the awardees’ achievements exemplify the School’s drive and impact. “Our faculty members’ research excellence is an invaluable asset to the engineering community and sharpens the competitive edge of our School,” he noted.
13 IN FOCUS PhD Education Joint Venture with University of Toronto Academic and research collaboration between HKUST and the University of Toronto will be stepped up in the future, with the signing of a new agreement in April that will promote a joint venture in PhD education and enable PhD students studying in the field of engineering in either institution to go on academic exchange to the partner university. Dean of Engineering Prof Khaled Ben Letaief said the strategic alliance would promote and enhance engineering teaching, learning and research, signaling the two universities’ common goal to take engineering development to the next level. The joint venture in PhD education would provide an exciting and diversified learning experience for School of Engineering doctoral candidates, he noted. The University of Toronto is a leading global university that was ranked No. 17 in the QS World University Rankings in 2013 and No. 20 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings in 2013-2014. The School of Engineering already has active ties with the Canadian institution, with several University of Toronto alumni among current faculty members. Other major international partners working with the School include Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Princeton in the US, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland, Tsinghua University in Mainland China, and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in Korea. Fresh Light on Solar Panels Prof Zhiyong Fan, Electronic and Computer Engineering, and his research team have developed new flexible nanostructures for thin film solar cells, which can significantly improve energy conversion efficiency and lead to the manufacturing of solar panels that are lighter, more efficient, and versatile. The breakthrough technology can supply power for portable electronic devices and generate electricity for large-scale photovoltaic plants, lowering costs by more than 65%. This is significant as solar photovoltaic technology currently suffers from high-cost energy conversion and relatively low efficiency despite being one of the most important clean energy technologies today. The commercial potential of Prof Fan’s technology was highlighted when it became the subject of a winning student entrepreneurship competition entry by a School of Business and Management MBA team. The Solaris student team of three worked closely with Prof Fan and his researchers to develop a business plan that would turn the invention into a thriving enterprise and widen solar energy use in society. The team went on to win the CEIBS-Beijing Benz INNOVATEChina 2013 Entrepreneurship Challenge in March. The following month, Prof Fan’s technology helped Solaris to secure the Best Trade Show Award in the New Venture Championship at the University of Oregon. The team was also awarded the first prize and elevator pitch prize in the HKUST 2013 One Million Dollar Entrepreneurship Competition, held in May.
IN FOCUS 14 Collaborative Education Adds to SENG Student Experience Groundbreaking studies on the development of teamwork skills and peer learning at the School of Engineering are providing insight into effective, engaging pedagogies The School of Engineering’s pioneering Center for Engineering Education Innovation (E2I) has been involved throughout the planning for the move from a three-year to a four-year degree and delivery of the new undergraduate curriculum, applying education research to develop pedagogy and assessment approaches that support student-centric learning and outcome-based education. “Our goal is to build a community that is conducive for teaching and learning,” said Prof Neil Mickleborough, Director of E2I. To date, E2I’s research on undergraduate engineering education has focused on teamwork development through cooperative learning, and the use of rubrics as assessment tools. Current engineering courses often involve team projects but teamwork skills may not be developed through these activities. This is partly due to the lack of training to allow students to work effectively in a collaborative environment, leading to one or two students doing most of the group’s work, or individual components just being pieced together. In an earlier study, E2I researchers investigated the systematic development of teamwork skills in a cohort of engineering students throughout their three-year undergraduate education. Currently, the E2I team is involved in an ongoing study of peer learning from different peer groups. In the former study, E2I researchers found that student awareness of teamwork, for example the need to resolve conflict, improved significantly after systematic development through: explicit instruction, opportunities to practice, and constructive feedback. Students also responded to conflict resolution using a confrontational approach, an unexpected result as similar studies reported participants from Asian regions typically favor cooperative methods such as smoothing and compromising. But E2I researchers believe the high level of trust and the good relationships between team members likely made it easier for students to discuss conflicts openly and productively. This research on the systematic development of teamwork skills was spearheaded by E2I’s founding director, the late Prof Edmond Ko, and scholarly work on cooperative learning continues to be one of the Center’s main research areas. “Our approach to applying engineering education research is to first develop a course and simultaneously monitor it to conduct research. We then revise the course based on the research findings,” Prof Mickleborough said. E2I’s research on peer learning is primarily conducted through the “Engineering Solutions to Grand Challenges of the 21st Century” undergraduate course. A key finding from this work is that a multi-level approach to peer learning is effective in developing engaging pedagogies. In this course, students work in teams to evaluate and develop a potential solution to a “grand challenge” posed by experts. In addition to the course instructor, the teams are supported by trained peer tutors and reference librarians. Students have said they appreciated the cooperative problem solving environment and the chance to learn from peers at different levels. “This education process allows peer tutors to be the ‘teacher’,” Prof Mickleborough said. “Students in effect take charge of learning – which is in line with lifelong learning – an important component of the HKUST education philosophy. “This format at the undergraduate level is unique and has not been successfully completed elsewhere in other institutions. The timely feedback that students receive from course instructors, peer tutors, and reference librarians contributes greatly to the learning opportunities in this course.” E2I’s recent work shows elements that can facilitate effective learning experiences, and may be applicable to the design of courses that incorporate professional skills training. The Center takes an iterative approach to engineering education research and curriculum development. “We assess everything that we do and the innovative components are researched,” Prof Mickleborough said. “Issues are solved with monitoring and research.” Peer learning among peer tutors Peer learning within a student team Peer learning between peer tutors and students Peer learning between peer tutors and students Peer learning between student teams Peer learning within a student team CUS 14
15 IN FOCUS Named Professorships Recognize Leading Minds Four of the School of Engineering’s leading academics have been included in HKUST’s landmark Named Professorship Program launched to honor eminent faculty and recognize donor supporters of the University. A total of 13 professorships were conferred at an inauguration ceremony in February, with five more established to recruit further top caliber academics from around the world. The partnership for excellence covers an array of areas including engineering, nanotechnology, aerospace, science, business, social science, and others. Vice-President for Research and Graduate Studies Prof Joseph H W Lee, Civil and Environmental Engineering, has received the 2013 Karl Emil Hilgard Hydraulic Prize from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) for his paper “Mixing of a Rosette Jet Group in a Crossflow”. The award recognizes his distinguished work on environmental water resources and the problem of flowing water. This was the first time that the prize went to Hong Kong-produced research since it was instituted in 1939. The paper was co-authored by Prof Lee’s former PhD student Adrian C H Lai and postdoctoral fellow Dr Daeyoung Yu. Prof Xiangtong Qi, Industrial Engineering and Logistics Management, received an Award for Research Excellence in Social Sciences (Second Class) from the Ministry of Education for his paper on “Price Competition, Cost and Demand Disruptions and Coordination of a Supply Chain with One Manufacturer and Two Competing Retailers”. The paper was co-written with Prof Tiaojun Xiao, Nanjing University, and published in Omega, The International Journal of Management Science, Issue 5, 2008. Associate Dean of Engineering (Undergraduate Studies) Prof Hong K Lo, Civil and Environmental Engineering, has been elected Convener of the International Scientific Committee of the Conference on Advanced Systems for Public Transport (CASPT). CASPT is the most prestigious conference series in public transportation, with a history of close to 40 years. Prof Lo successfully brought the conference series to Hong Kong in 2009, the first time it had been held in Asia. Faculty Honors, Awards & Achievements 15 IN F Members of the community have been enthusiastic in their response to the program, providing generous support for the setting up of endowments for the named professorships. The School’s honorees for recently established professorships are Prof Chung Yee Lee, Industrial Engineering and Logistics Management, who was named Cheong Ying Chan Professor of Engineering, Prof Tongyi Zhang, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, appointed as Fang Professor of Engineering, and Prof Matthew McKay who became the Hari Harilela Associate Professor of Electronic and Computer Engineering. In addition, Prof Hoi Sing Kwok, Electronic and Computer Engineering, is the Dr William M W Mong Professor of Nanotechnology, one of the existing named professorships. The University has received donations for five more named professorships to strengthen and expand different areas, including the New Bright Professorship in Engineering and the Swire Professorship in Aerospace Engineering. Four
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDk5Njg=