A top Civil and Environmental Engineering academic has become the rst from Greater China to be elected President of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE), the leading professional body for geotechnical engineers, academics and contractors globally. CLP Holdings Professor of Sustainability Prof Charles W W Ng, Chair Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and HKUST Associate Vice-President for Research and Graduate Studies, is a world authority on unsaturated soil mechanics, slope stability and sustainability. He has served on the ISSMGE board since in a range of roles. “As president, I am setting my sights on education, innovation and diversity,” Prof Ng said. His term will run until . Prof Ng is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), American Society of Civil Engineers, Hong Kong Institution of Engineers and Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences. His many awards include China’s State Scienti c and Technological Progress Award (Second Class) in , ICE’s Telford Premium Award in , and the Prix R M Quigley Award from the Canadian Geotechnical Society three times, in , and . The School of Engineering (SENG) has responded to today’s rapidly evolving engineering landscape with a trio of far-sighted moves to embrace emerging elds in both its teaching and research. The Division of Integrative Systems and Design (ISD, 綜合 系統與設計學部), established in November , aims to provide di erentiated learning opportunities for students and develop their competencies in integrative systems design, design thinking and entrepreneurship. In a pioneering engineering education initiative, the Division will o er an undergraduate major in , fusing systems and design through a practicum-led and learner-centric curriculum. The program will equip students with design fundamentals, internship experience, and use large-scale industry-supported capstones as teaching vehicles to prepare them for real-world multidisciplinary innovation of the future. The Division of Biomedical Engineering, previously under the Interdisciplinary Programs O ce, and SENG’s Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering have merged to become the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (CBE, 化學及生物工程學系), hosted by SENG. The merged department will seek to develop a new interdisciplinary undergraduate bioengineering program as well as consolidate existing ones. The Department of Industrial Engineering and Logistics Management has been renamed the Department of Industrial Engineering and Decision Analytics (IEDA, 工業工程及決策分析學系) to reflect a greater emphasis on predictive and prescriptive analytics, which are expected to play an increasingly signi cant role in the st century. Dean of Engineering Prof Tim Kwang Ting Cheng said the di erent adjustments would all help to align students’ aspirations with changing societal needs and employment opportunities. First Chinese president of international soil society Designs on the future 03 IN FOCUS Incoming President of ISSMGE Prof Charles W W Ng introduced by outgoing President Prof Roger Frank (France). IEDA ISD CBE
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