HKUST ENGINEERING | Fall | Newsletter No. Innovating Today Imagining Tomorrow
technology in society. The “cool” work and investment in hi-tech companies and engineering concepts, and increasingly diverse career paths, are another impetus for change. The School must grasp this unprecedented time to excel and be fully acknowledged for its excellence. As Dean, I shall be endeavoring to create the conditions, internally and externally, to enable faculty, students and sta to optimize their potential. I will also seek to ensure the community at large recognizes the social value, personal satisfaction, and prestige awaiting those who study at our School. This will require a continual pipeline of forward-thinking research and education, well-designed and executed management strategies, supportive resources and active promotion, and determination, discipline and drive. Working together with members of the School and University, our alumni, and partners in government and industry, I fully believe we can and will become one of the powerhouses of this “Century of Engineering”. Prof Tim K T Cheng Dean of Engineering oining the School of Engineering in May, in the last months of the academic year and amid HKUST’s th Anniversary, I have had to bring myself up to speed fast. However, with the School’s great sta and faculty, the transition from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where I worked for the past years, has been rapid and smooth and I have enjoyed every minute of being here. One reason for such excitement is the momentous time for engineering in which we now live and the fresh horizons opening up for the School. People everywhere are now starting to realize and respect the essential role of engineers in solving the major problems of the future. Climate change and sustainability, smart buildings and mega-city living, energy, healthcare, and many other issues all need to be addressed. It will be engineering researchers and practitioners, from civil to aerospace, computer science to communications, biomedicine to nance and o en working across disciplinary boundaries, who will generate those solutions. Engineering will spur economic activity through entrepreneurship and innovation; and impact hugely on how we live our lives. I o en refer to this as the “Century of Engineering”. Rise of technology and innovation in Asia I believe Asia will play an especially important role. The region has recognized the critical role of higher education in science and technology development and made an impressive commitment to expansion in the past years. With Asia’s growing talent pool and fast-developing economies, quality engineering jobs will likewise increase. In turn, this will motivate more to study and enter engineering, giving the region an increasingly dominant global role in shaping future innovation. As the world’s eyes turn to Asia, this School – already ranked as a top global and regional leader – will be in a key position to draw in and nurture leading minds locally and globally. We have already done very well in terms of international reach and positive feedback about our students and graduates from alumni and industry. But we need to do more to establish engineering as a dynamic and rewarding career for top young minds within Hong Kong. Elevating engineering Indeed, I believe we are at a historic moment where the local mindset about engineering could change. The Hong Kong government has been pushing hard to move the city from a service-based to a knowledge-based economy by encouraging Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in schools and promoting innovation, entrepreneurship and Dean’s Message 2 IN FOCUS J
The tissue-based center will explore new luminescent materials and their hi-tech applications in biomedical sensors and chemical probes. The center will also foster collaborative activities between academics, the research community, and industry in and beyond Hong Kong. Prof Gang Wan, Vice-Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Minister of Science and Technology, o ciated at the ceremony at HKUST for the establishment of the two branches. HKUST President Prof Tony F Chan said that the University seeks to boost technological advancement in the region by fostering research cooperation. “The addition of two new national research centers is bound to add momentum to scienti c collaboration across the border as well as our pursuit of research excellence.” n a key move for research in Hong Kong, HKUST has established two branches of the Chinese National Engineering Research Centers (CNERC). The Hong Kong Branch of CNERC for Control and Treatment of Heavy Metal Pollution, directed by Prof Guanghao Chen, Chair Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and the Hong Kong Branch of CNERC for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, directed by Prof Benzhong Tang, Stephen Kam Chuen Cheong Professor of Science and Chair Professor of Chemistry, are set to play a signi cant role in future research initiatives and collaborations. Each will receive annual support of up to HK$ million from the Innovation and Technology Commission. The approval of the two research centers by the State Ministry of Science and Technology brings the number of national research facilities at HKUST to four. Two Partner State Key Laboratories focused on Advanced Displays & Optoelectronics Technologies and Molecular Neuroscience have already been established, led by Prof Hoi-Sing Kwok, Dr William M W Mong Professor of Nanotechnology and Chair Professor of Electronic and Computer Engineering, and Prof Nancy Ip, The Morningside Professor of Life Science and Chair Professor of Division of Life Science, respectively. The CNERC on heavy metal pollution will address the increasing national need for a clean water supply, exploring energy-saving sewage treatment, optimization of water systems and cost-e ective sustainable alternative water resources. The center will bring together water-related experts, academics and engineers from Hong Kong, Mainland China and overseas to study and develop novel techniques for adoption by industry. Prof Chen and his research team have achieved international renown for their innovative technologies on wastewater treatment in the past years. These include the SANI process, which treats sewage through a method that minimizes sludge production and saves space and cost in treatment, as shown by the large-scale trial at Sha Tin Sewage Treatment Works. Research Boost as HKUST Establishes National Engineering Centers I IN FOCUS 3
..................................................................................................................................... ith the growing need for analysis and useful ways to employ the huge amount of information now available in many di erent elds, the opening of the HKUST Big Data for Bio Intelligence Laboratory is both a timely and valuable addition to the University’s cross-disciplinary research endeavors. The laboratory, established following a generous donation from industrialist Mr Raymond Chu, will focus on analytic solutions for big data in biology and healthcare, including applications related to biomedicine and sustainable living. It will be co-directed by New Bright Professor of Engineering Prof Qiang Yang, Chair Professor and Head of Computer Science and Engineering, and Prof Yang Wang, Chair Professor and Head of Mathematics, and seek to act as a bridge between academia and practitioners. Research covered will include “deep learning solutions”, which help computers make decisions, and “transductive transfer learning” that allows computer models to be adapted for use in di erent application domains. Exploration will also encompass genetic farming, looking at how to automate and make the process more user-friendly as well as scaling it to enable the use of very large data sources. HKUST President Prof Tony F Chan said he was very grateful to Mr Chu for supporting the laboratory and delighted it would assist the University in providing new insights into the rapidly developing big data research area, which aligns with HKUST’s strategic direction. W 4 IN FOCUS Big Data Solutions to Boost Bio Intelligence Applications he fabrication of microscopically small lasers directly on silicon by Prof Kei May Lau, Fang Professor of Engineering and Chair Professor of Electronic and Computer Engineering, and her group has given the prospect of light-based computing a major boost. The breakthrough, impossible to achieve for over years, saw the integration of subwavelength cavities onto silicon, enabling high-density on-chip light-emitting elements to be created and demonstrated. The advance represents an exciting step forward for the semiconductor industry. Prof Lau, who worked in collaboration with scientists from the University of California, Santa Barbara, Sandia National Laboratories and Harvard University, said such lasers could increase microprocessor capabilities and allow the microprocessors to use much less power, moving photonics and electronics integration on a silicon platform closer to reality and potentially providing a key solution for next-generation green information technology. The lasers used measure just one micron in diameter, and are , times shorter in length and one million times smaller in area than those currently used for commercial applications. Photonics has long been the most energy-e cient and cost-e ective method to transmit large volumes of data over long distances. With the new silicon-based integrated lasers, photonics may be able to be used for short-distance data transmission as well. “These whispering gallery mode lasers are an extremely attractive light source for on-chip optical communications, data processing and chemical sensing applications,” Prof Lau said. The research was published as the cover story in Applied Physics Letters and further highlighted by online media. T Tiny Lasers Show Way to Light-Based Computing Era
..................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................... IN FOCUS 5 WeChat-HKUST Joint Laboratory Established he launch of the WeChat-HKUST Joint Laboratory on Arti cial Intelligence Technology (WHAT LAB) has initiated a dynamic collaborative platform for research into arti cial intelligence and big data at the University. WeChat is the hugely successful cross-platform instant messaging service developed by Mainland Internet giant Tencent, with million monthly active users. The joint laboratory will enable researchers at the University to leverage the WeChat social network to develop innovative arti cial intelligence applications. Research will include intelligent robotic systems, natural language processing, data mining, speech recognition and understanding. The move marks a milestone in collaboration between WeChat and higher education, and will seek to boost understanding and advance smart and intelligent living through cutting-edge applications. WHAT LAB is led by New Bright Professor of Engineering Prof Qiang Yang, Chair Professor and Head of Computer Science and Engineering. “WeChat is one of the most important mobile platform companies in the world,” Prof Yang said. “The Joint Lab will not only strengthen WeChat’s ability to provide services intelligently, but also enable HKUST to become a top player in arti cial intelligence research and practice worldwide.” T Cool Shoes Provide Breath of Fresh Air ow there is a new way to keep your feet cool and dry all day, every day, thanks to the creativity and initiative of Prof Neville Lee, Industrial Engineering and Logistics Management, and alumni Albert Chan, Jacky Chow, and Kevin Lam, all MPhil in Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management. The quartet has come up with a new air-cooling patented technology that they have gone on to turn into “super air-cooled shoes” (http://kemfert.com). The technology enables cans of air to circulate in just to minutes of walking, with a bending-actuated pumping system at the bottom of the shoes, providing up to times more air flow by pumping out heat and water vapor. The invention can help alleviate many humidity or heat-related foot ailments, such as sweaty feet and athlete’s foot. The product was rst displayed at the InnoCarnival , and has been featured in the media and on social media. N IELM Academic Wins National Research Award rof Xiangtong Qi, Industrial Engineering and Logistics Management, received one of China’s top research accolades when he was honored with a Natural Science Award (Second Class) in the Higher Education Outstanding Scienti c Research Output Awards (Science and Technology). The awards, set up by the Ministry of Education, recognize highly signi cant research projects by individuals or units at tertiary institutions in China. Prof Qi and his collaborators from Nanjing University, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Hong Kong Polytechnic University received the honor for the project, “Theory, Method, and Application of Game under Uncertain Environments”. The research uses game-theoretic analysis to study how to cope with uncertainty, in particular unexpected disruptive events, in supply chain management. The team has been working collaboratively on the topic for over years. Prof Qi also received a First Class Award at the th China Society of Logistics Best Paper Awards, together with Dr Mingzhu Yu, PhD in Industrial Engineering and Logistics Management, currently working at Shenzhen University; and an Honorable Mention in the IIE Transactions Design and Manufacturing Paper Award, with co-authors Dr Liang Lu, PhD in Industrial Engineering and Logistics Management, now at Amazon, and Prof Zhixin Liu from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. P
6 IN FOCUS Kansas, we achieved our goal – a place in the top out of teams from all over the world. Such success was not only based on knowledge but our team’s persistence and never-say-never spirit. My AIAA experience showed me the impact of determination and hard work on a project’s outcome as well as made me more competent and skillful as an engineer, attributes I am now applying as a eld engineer trainee for Schindler Li s (HK). Our team’s joint commitment also built a strong bond among members – the greatest prize of all in joining the competition. grew up in Hong Kong and studied at a girls’ school, and many people have asked me how I developed my interest in engineering. Here I must acknowledge – and thank – my school science teachers for the very large part they played in making science interesting and building my foundation for future learning. I was further inspired by the Discovery Channel television show, How It’s Made, which looks at how items in daily life are manufactured and shows why engineering is so fascinating and life-changing. My major at HKUST was Mechanical Engineering, with a minor in Aeronautical Engineering. Joining the AIAA Design/Build/Fly Competition, held in the US, formed part of my nal year project. This year’s contest required teams to design and build two radio-controlled aircra – a manufacturing support aircra and production aircra – that could complete a number of tasks. In our team, I was mainly in charge of building the production aircra . In preparing for the competition, we had to build several generations of planes to test di erent possibilities and maximize performance. Some crashed during test flights. Some were unable to even take o . But through patience and resilience, we coped with such setbacks. A er every test flight, we investigated the reasons for failure by revisiting the aircra ’s structure and design and reviewing the test flight video to make modi cations to the next generation. Even though the going was tough, we always had the enthusiastic support of supervisor Prof Larry Li, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and our hard work and perseverance paid o . When it came to the actual competition in Wichita, I Ms & Mr Young Engineers Learning at the School of Engineering involves much more than attending lectures. Here, three students recount their testing and fulfilling experiences in hands-on engineering design competitions Michelle Long Yan Shum BEng, Mechanical Engineering ( ) AIAA Design/Build/Fly Competition , Kansas, US Michelle (second le ) at the AIAA Design/Build/Fly Competition with her teammates.
IN FOCUS 7 I was responsible for the overall system integration of our flying robot. The rst step was to design and re ne all the control algorithms. A er that, I had to integrate di erent modules into the system and undertake the debugging. This was the most di cult part of the preparations. Even if all the modules worked well independently, problems continuously appeared during system integration. We all had to think hard about the causes and solutions. This forced every team member to learn more peripheral knowledge rather than focusing on our own specialties, which was a very fruitful process. The competition was a wonderful experience, not just because we won an award but because we were able to exchange ideas with fellow competitors who share similar interests. This strengthened my passion for aerial robotics and helped me to appreciate other teams’ work. entered the School of Engineering as a postgraduate in September a er taking my undergraduate studies in Automation at Harbin Institute of Technology. I was keen to study at HKUST, given the high quality of its engineering research, and to experience the unique East-West culture of Hong Kong. The focus of my research is estimation and control of aerial robots, which I hope can eventually be applied to industry. In line with these practical aspirations, soon a er joining HKUST, I became a member of the University team taking part in the International Aerial Robotics Competition (IARC). This took place at Beihang University in Beijing. It was the rst engineering competition I participated in as a postgraduate and we won the rst prize! The annual IARC aims to boost technological creativity by setting challenges related to aerial robotics design and providing a platform for aviation enthusiasts to share their knowledge. The task set for IARC was to develop totally autonomous flying robots – the rst time that interaction between ground and flying robots had been included in an IARC challenge. The contest required a single autonomous aerial robot to herd as many autonomous ground robots as possible across a boundary in minutes. Engineering, we managed to build the most e cient solar car in terms of energy in the contest and win the Energy E cient Design Award. The solar car competition was a life-changing event for me. Not only did I bene t from the hands-on experience of building a real car, but it also acted as a catalyst for my future career development. Ahead of graduation, I received an o er from Honda Motor Co Ltd to work as an engineer in Japan. I strongly recommend all students to participate in competitions during your years at HKUST. The experience is sure to be unforgettable. s a car enthusiast who has dreamed of building a real car, entering HKUST, one of the world’s top universities for engineering, had always been my holy grail. During my four years at the University, I accumulated invaluable experiences through participating in both local and international engineering competitions. In my nal year, I was thrilled to hear from Prof Robin Ma, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, that the Hong Kong government was organizing its rst solar car competition. Not long a er learning the good news, I invited several classmates to join me in entering this pioneering competition, organized by the Environment Bureau and the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department. Eventually, we gathered together a group of , and named ourselves ‘Sunstrider’. Creating a team was only the rst of many challenges we needed to face in the next nine months. Throughout the preparatory stages, there were many di erences of opinion among team members in areas ranging from prototype-building to buying solar panels, purchasing motors to where to put the solar panels. However, as I learned from the competition, one of the best ways to solve such problems is to articulate the reason and ultimate aim behind every opinion or action you contribute to your team. In other words, you constantly have to make sure you understand and are understood by your teammates. A er all, we all had the same goal – to draw the world’s attention to an eye-popping solar car built by HKUST engineering students. Along the way, the team engaged in various tests and manufacturing, including solar panel absorbance and conversion testing, aerodynamics simulations, stress testing, carbon ber manufacturing, battery loading testing, solar tracking testing, and more. And thanks to solid support from our professors and the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace A I Tianbo (second le ) and his team prepare for action at the International Aerial Robotics Competition. Tianbo Liu MPhil, Electronic and Computer Engineering ( ) International Aerial Robotics Competition – Asia/Paci c Aaron Chung Faat Yau BEng, Mechanical Engineering ( ) Sunstrider Team New Energy New Generation Solar Car Competition Aaron (right of solar car, kneeling) and Sunstrider team members, together with Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering faculty and sta .
8 IN FOCUS I learned how the various elds of engineering come together to create an integrated functioning robot – just as you would in a real industrial engineering project. I also discovered what it was like to work in a team with members from di erent academic and cultural backgrounds. I advise prospective and current students to explore as much as you can before you pick a major. Such exploration will help in nding out what interests you. The best way to do this is through internships, workshops, work experience, and networking. Try to ask as many questions as you can and in the process understand where you would like to see yourself ve to years down the line. wanted to join a university where I could learn from the best researchers in their respective elds and also study alongside the brightest students in Asia. HKUST’s reputation, high research output, and the flexibility o ered by the School of Engineering’s programs convinced me to pursue my bachelor degree at HKUST. Since childhood, I have been passionate about xing broken things. However, it wasn’t until my nal years in high school, when I studied computer science, that I was convinced about pursuing engineering at university. I was amazed by the ways in which computer science had already changed our lives and fascinated by its future potential. A er creating my rst major piece of so ware (a Sudoku game), I was con dent that I wanted to study engineering. One of my most learning-intensive experiences at HKUST was my year-long membership of the Robotics Team. During this time, I had the privilege of representing HKUST at ABU Robocon, Asia’s biggest robotics competition. Robotics helped me diversify my knowledge base and learn about other branches of engineering, such as mechanical engineering and electronic and computer engineering. Four recent international graduates, all now working for investment banks in Hong Kong, reflect on how their School of Engineering education equipped them for future success Dhruv Batra BEng, Computer Science ( ) Application Developer, Morgan Stanley I We Computer .......................................... team, playing in the Computer Science and Engineering Department badminton team, and active participation in various community service projects co-organized by HKUST Connect and external organizations. Along with leadership and communication skills gained through these activities and strong technical skills achieved through advanced computer science courses, HKUST helped me secure an internship at Goldman Sachs, one of the world’s leading investment banks. Working as a Summer Technology Analyst gave me deep insight into the practical, day-to-day work at the company and utilized technical skills gained at the University. I also received a job o er at the end of my internship and have now started work there! n interest in solving logical and analytical problems was my main reason for pursuing Computer Science and Engineering and a minor in Mathematics. As HKUST is one of the nest universities, with top professors from around the world and highly advanced research developments, the University provided a great academic platform. The culturally diverse environment and variety of learning opportunities, such as the International Exchange Program and Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, also helped my overall character development. During my four-year bachelor degree, I tried to make the most of every possible opportunity, including but not limited to going on an exchange semester to the University of Toronto, co-founding the HKUST South Asian Students’ Society, becoming a peer mentor for the School of Engineering and International Students Association, joining the Robotics Smart Car team and HKUST programming Vibhor Khurana BEng, Computer Science ( ) Technology Analyst, Goldman Sachs A ..........................................
IN FOCUS 9 I also completed two internships during my four years at the School of Engineering, working as a Summer Technology Analyst at British Telecommunications (BT) and Goldman Sachs. These were really challenging experiences but taught me about practical work issues, communication skills and leadership and helped complete my university education by providing insight into future careers. I am really proud to have joined HKUST, ful lling my dream of studying at a world-class university for my undergraduate degree. The journey has been inspiring, challenging, exciting and rewarding and has prepared me to be courageous in facing the ups and downs in life. felt honored to be admitted to HKUST where I have pursued Computer Science and Engineering, together with Business and Social Science minors. The School of Engineering has helped me gain maturity, knowledge, and broadened my horizons through delivering a range of experiences that can be used to tackle the challenges in life. The multicultural environment that complemented the undergraduate education assisted my overall character development and provided a competitive advantage with regard to career opportunities. The University has also been supportive in nancial assistance. Apart from the wonderful academic programs, I have had numerous out-of-class learning opportunities that I will cherish throughout my life. I joined a student exchange to the University of British Columbia in Canada, which allowed me to nd out about an entirely di erent culture and meet people from many countries. I believe this exchange semester provided a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, one that is not to be missed. I found it life-changing, enhancing my inner self and character. Sunena Kharbanda BEng, Computer Science ( ) Technology Analyst, Goldman Sachs I Science .......................................... played an integral role in this. You start from scratch, knowing barely anything. Yet by the end of the year, the project is ready and you have gained a great deal of skills – both technical and social – by working as part of a team (See also “What’s More…”). My semester abroad at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US was another very good experience, enabling me to explore a di erent culture and make new friends. When it was time for job-hunting, the University’s Career Center proved a great resource, organizing many workshops and company visits. I am happy to have found a job at Deutsche Bank where I can leverage what I learned at HKUST. I aim to work in my current role to the best of my potential and have no plans to move out of Hong Kong at the moment. he word “engineering” has always fascinated me and I have had a keen interest in what makes devices work – from simple telephones to sophisticated aircra – since an early age. I o en used to spend time researching robotics and other technologies and wondering about the how and why of things. It thus seemed natural and necessary to pursue my interest by studying Computer Science and Engineering. Why HKUST? The University is highly ranked globally and has the infrastructure to deliver a world-class education, providing experiential learning and a holistic education as well as numerous student societies and clubs. As HKUST is located in Hong Kong and the city is a global nancial center, there are tremendous career opportunities here. It was also a top choice for me due to its relative proximity to India. I feel that pursuing my undergraduate education at the School of Engineering has been one of the best decisions of my life as it fostered my all-round development in so many di erent ways. The nal year project Adarsh Saraff BEng, Computer Science ( ) Technology Analyst, Deutsche Bank T .......................................... What’s More… Dhruv, Sunena and Vibhor served as Engineering Student Ambassadors in . All four students worked as a team for their nal year project, an innovative undertaking far removed from the investment banking careers they ended up securing. The team walked and taped hiking trails in Hong Kong using a -degree camera in order to create an interactive website for walkers (used for assessment only and not publicly available). The project is one illustration of the creative mindset encouraged and developed at the School of Engineering and how being able to think out-of-the-box is appreciated by leading employers.
hree leading faculty members of the School of Engineering were recognized with prestigious named professorships at HKUST’s third inauguration ceremony for such honors in March . The School’s latest awardees were Prof Guillermo Gallego, Chair Professor and Head of Industrial Engineering and Logistics Management (IELM), who became Crown Worldwide Professor of Engineering; Prof Kei May Lau, Chair Professor of Electronic and Computer Engineering, who was named Fang Professor of Engineering; and Prof Qian Zhang, Chair Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, who became Tencent Professor of Engineering. The trio were among a group of eight academics across the University to receive named professorships. All named professors excel in their respective elds and their outstanding capabilities in teaching and research set an inspiring example to students and assist the University in retaining and extending its world-class standing. Prof Gallego joined HKUST in January and as Head of IELM is seeking to bring additional flexibility to the undergraduate program and to foster collaboration with companies in Hong Kong, Mainland China and other areas of Asia. He is an INFORMS Fellow, a Manufacturing and Service Operations Management Society Fellow, and has received many awards, including the INFORMS Revenue Management Section Prize, the Revenue Management Historical Prize, the Revenue Management Practice Prize, and the INFORMS Impact Prize. Prof Lau is a global expert in semiconductor devices, including LEDs, transistors and lasers. She largely focuses on experimental research, in particular novel materials and nanostructures for device and system integration. Collaborating with groups at University of California, Santa Barbara and Harvard University, her team recently had a major global breakthrough by achieving microscopically small lasers directly on silicon (see also P ). Prof Lau is an IEEE Fellow. Among other recognitions, she is a recipient of the US National Science Foundation Faculty Awards for Women Scientists and Engineers and Hong Kong Croucher Senior Research Fellowship. Prof Zhang initially specialized in cognitive radio networks at HKUST, making signi cant contributions to mobility and spectrum management of wireless networks and mobile communications. She is now moving out of “crowded” cognitive networks research and building a remote digital healthcare monitoring program. She is an IEEE Fellow and has received a MIT TR world’s top young innovator award. Prof Zhang is also Founder and Co-Director of the Huawei-HKUST Innovation Lab and inventor of about international patents. The three appointments were made possible by the generosity of community and corporate supporters of HKUST, namely: Crown Worldwide Group, Fang Brothers Group, and Tencent Charity Foundation Limited. The most recent awards bring the total number of named professors in the School of Engineering to eight. The other ve are: Dr William M W Mong Professor of Nanotechnology Prof Hoi-Sing Kwok, Electronic and Computer Engineering; Cheong Ying Chan Professor of Engineering Prof Chung-Yee Lee, Industrial Engineering and Logistics Management; New Bright Professor of Engineering Prof Qiang Yang, Head of Computer Science and Engineering; Swire Professor of Aerospace Engineering Prof Xin Zhang, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; and Hari Harilela Associate Professor of Electronic and Computer Engineering Prof Matthew McKay. T 10 IN FOCUS Three More SENG Faculty Receive Named Professorships
11 IN FO IN F CUS CUS ECE Academic Awarded National Engineering Honor rof Patrick Yue, Electronic and Computer Engineering (ECE), has been awarded a Guanghua Engineering Science and Technology Prize by the Chinese Academy of Engineering in Beijing, becoming one of the rst Hong Kong scholars to receive such an honor. The biennial national prizes recognize outstanding performance and achievements by Chinese engineers and scientists in engineering technology and engineering management. They were established in and extended to include candidates from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan for the rst time this year. A total of recipients received an award in one of the three categories of Achievement, Engineering, or Youth. Two from Hong Kong were honored, including Prof Yue who received a Youth Award. Prof Yue, who came on board at HKUST in , is an expert in high-speed wireless and optical communication integrated circuit (IC) design, contributing to over technical papers, including one of the most cited papers to date in the IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits. He also holds US patents and has been a start-up high achiever, co-founding Atheros Communications in . The company went public on NASDAQ and was later acquired by Qualcomm Inc. In , he joined Aeluros, another new Silicon Valley enterprise, to develop -Gb/s CMOS serial link ICs for optoelectronic modules. Along with his professorial appointment in the School of Engineering, Prof Yue is the Founding Director of the School’s Center for Industry Engagement and Internship and Director of the HKUST-Qualcomm Joint Innovation and Research Laboratory. He also served as HKUST’s rst Associate Provost for Knowledge Transfer between and . Prof Yue is an IEEE Fellow and a Senior Member of Optical Society of America. Prior to joining HKUST, he has served at Stanford University, Carnegie Mellon University and the University of California, Santa Barbara. P Faculty Honors, Awards & Achievements Prof Guanghao Chen, Chair Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has been elected a Distinguished Fellow of the International Water Association (IWA), becoming one of only honored with this prestigious accolade out of , IWA members and the rst from Hong Kong. The recognition is given to IWA Fellows or other professionals for their uniquely signi cant contributions over the long term to water science and management advances. Prof Chen is a global specialist in sustainable sewage treatment systems, sludge minimization, and waste water technologies. He has been an IWA Fellow since . Prof Guohua Chen, Head of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, has been elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), the organization’s highest grade of membership. Prof Chen is a world-renowned expert in electrochemical technologies for environmental and energy applications, and solid drying. He has published over journal papers, and holds three US patents and six Chinese patents. He is the President of the Asian Paci c Confederation of Chemical Engineering, editor of Separation and Puri cation Technology, and serves on the editorial boards of other eminent journals. AIChE is the world’s leading organization for chemical engineering professionals, with more than , members from over countries. Prof Huamin Qu, Computer Science and Engineering, was recognized with the Merit Award in the e-learning category of the Asia Paci c ICT Alliance (APICTA) Awards for his work on visual analysis of Massive Open Online Courses (VisMOOC). His system is the rst visual analytic tool to o er user-friendly analysis of e-learning behavior for MOOCs, enabling instructors to better assess video materials and improve teaching quality.
hree faculty members at di erent stages of their careers have been honored in the latest SENG Research Excellence Awards, the School of Engineering’s prestigious accolades that highlight the world-class accomplishments of its faculty members. New Bright Professor of Engineering Prof Qiang Yang, Chair Professor and Head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, received the Distinguished Research Excellence Award, presented to an established academic with exceptional research achievements and substantial international and local impact and the highest honor awarded. Prof Yang is a world-leading authority on transfer learning, a signi cant area of research related to machine learning, data mining and big data. Transfer learning is the ability of a system to recognize and apply knowledge and skills learned in previous tasks to novel tasks (or new domains). While this is straightforward for humans, it is very di cult for a machine. Signi cant publications have included a International Conference on Machine Learning paper, written together with his students and proposing the TrAdaboost system; and “A Survey on Transfer Learning”. Prof Yang is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and Association for the Advancement of Arti cial Intelligence, among other eminent bodies, and has a Google Scholar citation record of , . This year’s winner of the Research Excellence Award was Prof Daniel P Palomar, Electronic and Computer Engineering. The award recognizes an outstanding faculty member with a proven record of research excellence. Prof Palomar is a specialist in optimization. He solved a long-standing open problem through the pioneering use of majorization theory, gaining numerous awards for this paper. He has subsequently worked on distributed optimization methods for big data systems, receiving the Young Author Best Paper Award from the IEEE Signal Processing Society. He has published three books, over journal papers, has attained around , citations, and is an IEEE Fellow. Prof Palomar is now applying his insights to nancial engineering. Prof Zhiyong Fan, Electronic and Computer Engineering, collected the Young Investigator Award, which highlights a rising star on the School’s faculty team. Prof Fan’s expertise lies in solar energy and nanotechnology innovation, providing valuable steps forward in the challenging quest for sustainable development. Using three-dimensional nanostructures, he has created a series of technologies to harvest sunlight more e ciently and signi cantly improve solar cell performance. A further technology that has attracted industry interest o ers a potential self-cleaning capability for solar panels. Prof Fan has published over peer-reviewed papers since joining HKUST in and in total has published over journal articles with , Google Scholar citations, a remarkable achievement for a young academic. Nominees undergo rigorous review by the Engineering Research Award Selection Committee, comprising senior faculty members. Criteria include originality, academic and social impact, provision for training research students and leadership in collaborative partnerships. T 12 IN FOCUS SENG Awards Celebrate Faculty Research Excellence
11 IN FO IN F CUS CUS 13 Top Educators Recognized n the School of Engineering Teaching Excellence Appreciation Awards , two faculty members received accolades for their contribution to undergraduate education. The Distinguished Teaching Award was presented to Prof Marshal Liu, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, a versatile teacher who seeks to enable those in his classes to maximize their individual potential. Outside class, Prof Liu strives to build close bonds between students, alumni, and employers through industrial talks, plant visits, and internships. The Teaching Award went to Prof Francesco Ciucci, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering and Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering. Prof Ciucci has been keenly involved in student mentorship and education development at the School, initiating a highly popular University Common Core course on energy systems in a sustainable world. The School views recognition of the work of outstanding educators as an important way to keep advancing students’ learning and encourage faculty to innovate and move forward in their teaching. I PhD Award-Winners Lead Way to the Future he School of Engineering PhD Research Excellence Awards ceremony took place in March with two innovative recent graduates receiving honors for their signi cant contributions to their eld during PhD studies at HKUST. Dr Langston Wai Leung Suen, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, was selected for the award for his research into ultrasound technology focused on ocular drug delivery. Such technology will enable drugs to be delivered without pain to the eye, providing an exciting new method that avoids the invasive injection treatment currently used to treat retinal diseases. Dr Suen has published four papers in top journals and been granted one US patent. He also founded Sonikure Technology Ltd in to commercialize his work, becoming a Kairos Society Top Global Startup in and had his work accepted as a “moonshot” (a radical solution to a global problem a ecting millions of lives involving breakthrough technology) in Google’s Solve for X project. Dr Edwin Chi Yan Tso, Mechanical Engineering, focused on nanofluids, heat transfer and adsorption cooling systems, undertaking research and technology development that can assist in energy-e cient strategies for smart green buildings. During his PhD research, he developed a mathematical model for estimating the cooling performance of adsorption cooling systems and built a prototype model utilizing a novel composite adsorbent and high-performance adsorbate (nanofluids). He has published eight articles in leading journals, has been cited over 8 times in the past ve years, and had ve patents accepted, in the US (one), Mainland China (three) and Hong Kong (one). Edwin became a Research Assistant Professor at HKUST in September . T PhD student Liwen Jing, Electronic and Computer Engineering, became the winner of the annual SENG Three Minute Thesis Competition ( MT®), which challenges research students to succinctly sum up their research and ideas for a non-academic audience. Second and third places went to doctoral students Feng Ni and Daniel Villaroman, both Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. The People’s Choice Award was won by Syed Mohsin Abbas, PhD student of Electronic and Computer Engineering. Eight students were selected to compete in the nal round. The concept for the competition originated at the University of Queensland and was organized at SENG by the Center for Engineering Education Innovation (E²I). Summing Up a Thesis in 180 Seconds!
t has been a productive year for postgraduate dual-degree partnerships at the School of Engineering (SENG), with three programs at top international institutions added to the growing list of collaborations arranged with leading global universities. Dual-degree programs enable SENG postgraduates to broaden their academic and personal horizons and networks through studying overseas; and provide valuable recognition of their studies through the awarding of dual degrees from both HKUST and their host institution. Such programs also add to SENG’s diversity, with students from partner institutions studying at HKUST. A dual doctoral program in engineering has been established with the University of Waterloo in Canada that enables students to simultaneously earn a PhD from each institution. Since January , selected students have had the opportunity to receive engineering doctoral supervision from both universities and spend around equal time at each campus. Students must meet the requirements of both institutions but only need to prepare one thesis and one thesis defense. On successful graduation, candidates will receive a degree from each institution showing it was carried out in cotutelle, a French term indicating the PhD program was o ered jointly. In the summer, a memorandum of understanding was agreed between HKUST and the University of Waterloo, expanding the arrangement of the dual-degree PhD program in engineering to cover other disciplines. In March , CentraleSupélec in France signed a cooperative agreement with HKUST that allows students to earn a master’s level dual degree in engineering from each institution. The program got underway this Fall. CentraleSupélec is a leading French science and technology institution and a founding member of the Université Paris-Saclay. CentraleSupélec was formed by the merger of two of France’s prestigious grandes écoles, École Centrale Paris and Supélec, and has , students of which , are engineer-students and % are international students. The dual-degree agreement enables students nominated by CentraleSupélec and HKUST to study at each other’s campus. Also in March , the School and Politecnico di Milano in Italy established an academic collaboration under which students from both universities can earn a dual degree in engineering at master’s level. Politecnico di Milano is Italy’s largest science and technology university, with a student population of more than , . The highly ranked institution trains engineers, architects and industrial designers, placing emphasis on quality and innovation in teaching and research. The three latest programs bring the School’s total number of postgraduate joint degrees with leading global institutions to six. Other dual-degree university partners are based in Korea, Mainland China and Iran. I chool of Engineering students unveiled their rst inventions created under the Disney-HKUST Grant for Technology and Well-being in May . The community-oriented program was launched in October to encourage students to develop innovations that could improve the lives of those with physical disabilities, support local productivity or promote health and wellness in a ordable ways. The three projects highlighted included a real-time sign language translation device, a gaze and mind-controlled robot car, and an unmanned “crop doctor” airship, all inspired by aspects of the Star Wars lm series. S 14 IN FOCUS Postgraduate Joint Degrees Widen Horizons Disney Grant Inspires Student
A spokesperson from The Walt Disney Company Hong Kong said that the company was “incredibly impressed by the level of creativity and hard work that the young engineer teams have put into their projects”. Prof Tim Kwang Ting Cheng, Dean of Engineering, said he was highly appreciative of the Disney grant, which helped to diversify students’ learning and enabled them to contribute to society. The total grant was US$ , (HK$ , ). Avalanche of Funding Support for Landslide Mitigation Research major School of Engineering landslide mitigation project that won support from the Hong Kong Research Grants Council’s Theme-based Research Scheme in has had another boost, receiving additional funding from the Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and two private donors. The Institute has provided matching funds of RMB million and Mr Ringo Yu, Managing Director of Fraser Construction Company and former Geotechnical Division Chairman of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, has given matching funds of HK$ million. Ir Ting Kam Cheung, Projects Director of Geotech Engineering Limited, has pledged HK$ . million over ve years. The cutting-edge research to mitigate risks and damage of landslides in Hong Kong is led by principal investigator Prof Charles W W Ng, Associate Vice-President (Research and Graduate Studies) and Chair Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The multidisciplinary team of researchers from a number of universities and institutions will develop a world-leading in-situ testing facility to investigate the interaction mechanisms between debris and multiple barriers, to simulate debris flows using HKUST’s state-of-the-art geotechnical centrifuge, and novel multi-scale multi-physics numerical and reliability-based debris flow vulnerability models to develop a multi-hazard framework for establishing reliability-based world-class design guidelines for multiple flexible barrier systems. It is expected the research will enhance cost-e ectiveness and make slope maintenance and remediation more eco-friendly, impacting both local and international practice. The new funding will be used to build a -meter debris multiple-barrier interaction testing facility for the project. A Creativity on Behalf of the Community IN FOCUS 15
social implications and is o ered in full-time (one year) and part-time (two years) modes. In addition, the MSc in International Air Transport Operations Management and MSc in Aeronautical Engineering are set to boost the pool of aeronautical engineering professionals available for the booming local air transportation industry. The programs are run by the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in partnership with École Nationale de l’Aviation Civile (ENAC), France’s only aviation-oriented university and Europe’s largest aeronautical university. The International Air Transport Operations Management program combines technical, economic and managerial skills speci cally related to air transport, enabling students to gain international perspectives through teaching and internship activities as well as exposure to core aspects of the industry and how they are integrated into on-going technology development. Students on this two-year full-time program study in both Hong Kong and France and graduates will receive a joint institutional degree certi cate from ENAC and HKUST while a separate certi cate will also be issued by ENAC, indicating that the program is recognized and accredited by the French Ministry of Higher Education. Courses for the Aeronautical Engineering degree include aerodynamics, propulsion, and aircra design. Full-time and part-time modes are available. Further details at https://www.sengpp.ust.hk/programs/list/en/ index.html o address evolving workforce needs as the local and regional economy advances and adjusts to changes in the business environment, the School has developed three pioneering Master of Science programs, which commenced in Fall . As the amount of digital information burgeons, understanding and techniques for handling di erent aspects of big data are becoming increasingly important across a wide range of sectors. The MSc in Big Data Technology marks the rst degree program of its kind to be launched in Hong Kong. Organized jointly by the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and Department of Mathematics, the program focuses on access, integration, computing and visualization solutions for big data applications. The degree program explores infrastructure, storage, modeling and management, analytic and mining systems, security, policy and T 16 IN FOCUS First-Hand Learning About Logistics epartment of Industrial Engineering and Logistics Management (IELM) students studying on the Logistics and Freight Transportation Operations course were able to deepen their understanding and links with industry through a series of insightful guest lectures and company visits in Spring . Talks arranged by course instructor Prof Chung-Yee Lee, Cheong Ying Chan Professor of Engineering and IELM Chair Professor, included an introduction to container shipping and logistics by OOCL CEO Mr Andy Tung and the key to success in logistics management by DHL Global Forwarding Asia Paci c CEO Dr Kelvin Leung. On-site tours took place at Hongkong International Terminals (HIT) and Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (HACTL). D MSc Degrees to Boost Big Data and Aeronautical Industry Talents
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