Prof Wei Shyy, Executive Vice-President and Provost, and Chair Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, has been appointed HKUST’s next President. He will take o ce on September , , succeeding Prof Tony F Chan. Prof Shyy joined HKUST in from the University of Michigan in the US, where he was Clarence L “Kelly” Johnson Collegiate Professor and the Department Chair of Aerospace Engineering. At HKUST, he has been a keen advocate for broadening the University’s educational scope and advancing research and knowledge transfer. As President, his job would be to help colleagues and students to ful l the University’s goals and mission so that HKUST can “truly become a globally leading higher learning institution”, he said. Prof Shyy is currently serving as Acting President. Born and raised in Taiwan, Prof Shyy received his BS degree from Tsing Hua University in Taiwan, and his master’s and doctoral degrees in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). He is also a winner of the AIAA Pendray Aerospace Literature Award, among other major honors. Research interests include computational fluid dynamics, energy and power, heat/mass transfer, and biological and micro air vehicles. In line with Prof Shyy’s focus on aerospace engineering, he is also a keen bird photographer. HKUST researchers have created a new weapon in the ght against the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERSCov), and influenza H N and H N , with the development of an air puri cation system that removes close to % of airborne bacteria and viruses. The technology is now available as a household puri er on the retail market. The air puri cation system was shown in tests to be e ective in eliminating nearly % of MERS-Cov, . % of H N , over % of H N , and % of EV , a cause of hand-foot-and-mouth disease, as well as other bacteria. The technology comprises a multi-level antimicrobial lter covered in a microcapsule emulsion containing a biocide. As air passes through the lter, the biocide destroys airborne micro-organisms, the anti-adhesion coating stops germs sticking on to the lter’s surface preventing the growth of micro-organisms, and slow, continuous release of disinfectants helps sterilize bacteria. The research was led by Prof King Lun Yeung, Associate Dean of Engineering (Research and Graduate Studies), together with Prof Joseph Kwan, Director of HKUST’s Health, Safety and Environment O ce. Leading the way at HKUST Innovative weapon in ght against flu Clearing the air: Prof Joseph Kwan (left) holding bacterial samples and Prof King Lun Yeung with HKUST’s antimicrobial-coated air lter. President-designate and Acting President Prof Wei Shyy. 02 IN FOCUS In the News
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