SENG News, Issue 3

Abstract

SENG NEWS SEPT 2013 – ISSUE 3 SCHOOL OF ENGINGEERING ∙ The HONG KONG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Dean's Message Greetings from the Dean of Engineering Welcome to the academic year 2013-14 at the School of Engineering family! The Dean wishes you a fulfilling and successful year ahead.

Research Excellence SENG Faculty Receive Largest CRF Engineering Project Awarded by RGC for 2012/2013 A research team led by Profs Charles W. W. Ng (PM/PI), Y. H. Wang and Limin Zhang in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Prof Qian Zhang from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering received a Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) of HK$ 8.0 M from the Research Grants Council. Read More Presentation of PhD Research Excellence Awards 2012/13 and Experience Sharing by Awardee - “Be a Successful and Happy Researcher” The School of Engineering held the presentation ceremony of PhD Research Excellence Awards on 27 May 2013 to celebrate this happy moment with its engineering PhD students and recent graduates. Read More

Faculty Achievements Trio of Prestigious Fellowships Three of the School’s academics have been elected fellows of prestigious professional organizations, demonstrating their global standing and contributions to their respective fields. Read More Prof Khaled Ben Letaief Elected Vice-President for Technical Activities of the IEEE Communications Society Dean of Engineering and Chair Professor of Electronic & Computer Engineering Prof Khaled Ben Letaief has been elected Vice-President for Technical Activities of the IEEE Communications Society. Read More

Academic Excellence HKUST Engineering Ranks No. 19 in the World According to the just released (2013) QS World University Rankings by Faculty – Engineering and Technology, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has continued to shine and was ranked No. 19, its highest ever position in this league table since 2010. Read More

Campus News Global PhD Students Flock to SENG 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. Read More IELM Competition Fosters Enterprising Toy Design The links between engineering and creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship were fruitfully highlighted in the first My Toy Design Competition, hosted by the Department of Industrial Engineering and Logistics Management (IELM). Read More

Student Achievements Triple Success in President’s Cup Students from the School of Engineering demonstrated their enterprising approach to technology and presentation skills by taking all three awards in the President’s Cup 2013 for the second consecutive year. Read More Robotics on a Roll! It has been a terrific spring and summer for the HKUST Robotics Team, with championships and numerous other awards in a number of significant local and international contests. Read More

Industry Engagement HKUST Receives HK$5 million Donation from Dr Simon Kwok and Dr Eleanor Kwok To support Interdisciplinary Engineering and Medicine Research on Endoluminal Medical Devices The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) received a five-million-dollar donation from Dr Simon Kwok and Dr Eleanor Kwok for the development of bio-devices for treatment of endoluminal diseases. Read More HKUST Received €500,000 from Deutsche Telekom to Set Up HKUST-DT System and Media Lab The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has signed a research cooperation agreement with a grant of €500,000 (around HK$ 5 million) from Deutsche Telekom (DT) to start the HKUST-DT System and Media Lab (SyMLab) for cutting-edge research in the areas of mobile systems and media. Read More Ford Unveils Collaboration with HKUST to Provide HKD 1,000,000 in Environmental Research Grants to Students Ford Motor Company announced that it will be bringing its global Conservation and Environmental Grants program to Hong Kong for the first time, in partnership with the School of Engineering of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). Read More

Announcement Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Effective 1 September 2013, the name of the Department of Mechanical Engineering (機械工程系) is officially changed to the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (機械及航空航天工程系). Read More Upcoming Event HKUST Information Day Date: 28 Sept 2013 (Sat) Time: 9am - 6pm Venue: HKUST Campus

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07 / 05 / 2013 SENG Faculty Receive Largest CRF Engineering Project Awarded by RGC for 2012/2013

A research team led by Profs Charles W. W. Ng (PM/PI), Y. H. Wang and Limin Zhang in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Prof Qian Zhang from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the School of Engineering received a Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) of HK$ 8.0 M from the Research Grants Council (RGC) starting from July 2013 for a three-year project named “Green Slope Engineering: Bioengineered, Live Cover Systems for Man-made Fill Slopes and Landfill Capillary Barriers in Hong Kong.” This is the second CRF received by the research team in a row within six years. Other collaborators include professors George Tham, Matthew Pryor, Billy Hau and Y. M. Yan from the University of Hong Kong, L. M. Chu from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and M. H. Wong from Hong Kong Baptist University.

The prime objectives of this project are to investigate and improve our fundamental understanding of root-soil-water interactions and to develop an innovative and environmentally friendly reliability-based preliminary design framework for “an integrated bioengineered live cover for man-made fill slopes and landfill capillary barriers” in Hong Kong.

This is the only engineering project awarded to a research team in HKUST and it received the largest amount funded among four CRF engineering projects by the RGC in in Hong Kong for the 2012/2013 academic year.

Related Link(s) List of Proposals Supported for RGC Collaborative Research Fund 2012/13

30 / 05 / 2013 Presentation of PhD Research Excellence Awards 2012/13 and Experience Sharing by Awardee - “Be a Successful and Happy Researcher” Dean of Engineering Prof Khaled Ben Letaief (right) and Associate Dean of Engineering Prof Christopher Chao (left) presented the PhD Research Excellence Award to Dr Qixing Wu. [Download Photo]

The School of Engineering (SENG) held the presentation ceremony of PhD Research Excellence Awards on 27 May 2013 to celebrate this happy moment with its engineering PhD students and recent graduates. The awards are granted to those who have made the most original and influential research achievements to knowledge in the discipline during their PhD studies at HKUST.

The award scheme was launched in 2011 and this is the second time the awards are presented. This year, the Engineering Research Committee, which is chaired by Prof Ajay Joneja and consists of one faculty from each department, conducted a rigorous selection exercise and three award recipients are identified. They are Dr Xiaolei Wang from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Dr Nan Cao from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and Dr Qixing Wu from the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Dr Wang and Dr Cao are 2012 graduates while Dr Wu graduated in 2011. They are currently pursuing their academic and research careers in the US and Mainland China.

Given that sharing the success on research is important to enrich its students’ experience, the School of Engineering has invited one of the awardees, Dr Qixing Wu, as the guest speaker to hold an Experience Sharing entitled “Be a Successful and Happy Researcher”. Dr Wu shared his keys to conduct good research, alleviate stress as well as keeping a good relationship with his supervisor. The talk gave insight to students and allowed them to exchange thoughts with the speaker. The ceremony and the sharing session were well received by more than 40 audiences. It is the School’s aim to establish a student platform through this kind of seminars so that good student experience can be shared among research postgraduate students.

The research accomplishments of SENG students for the past few years have been very outstanding. For example, two teams of Computer Science & Engineering PhD students won championships in the Nokia Mobile Data Challenge 2012 out of more than 200 teams worldwide. One Environmental Engineering PhD student received the Arup Research Prize 2012 for his contribution to the development of a composite adsorbent for a waste heat powered adsorption cooling system. Another Computer Science & Engineering PhD student was awarded a prestigious Google Fellowship in Mobile Computing. The student was one of only four awardees to receive a fellowship in the Greater China area. One Bioengineering PhD student is the recipient of RGC Fulbright Fellowship this year. There are only 8 recipients altogether in Hong Kong. Last but not least, a number of students were awarded different distinguished international awards like Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fellowship, Best Paper Award of IEEE International Conference etc. These all show the recognition of SENG students from the outside perspective.

Dr Qixing Wu held an Experience Sharing entitled “Be a Successful and Happy Researcher”. Dr Wu shared his keys to conduct good research, alleviate stress as well as keeping a good relationship with his supervisor. [Download Photo]

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28 / 08 / 2013 Trio of Prestigious Fellowships

Three of the School’s academics have been elected fellows of prestigious professional organizations, demonstrating their global standing and contributions to their respective fields.

Prof Qiang Yang, Computer Science and Engineering, has become a 2013 Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) Fellow. This is the highest honor in the AI community and Prof Yang is the first to achieve such recognition in Greater China. He was recognized for significant contributions to AI planning, data mining and case-based reasoning.

Prof Ricky Lee, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, has recently been elected Fellow of the International Microelectronics Assembly and Packaging Society (IMAPS), which is the largest professional society dedicated to the advancement and growth of microelectronics and electronics packaging.

Prof Oscar Au, Electronic and Computer Engineering, has been made a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE), which promotes the advancement of engineering and facilitates the exchange of knowledge and ideas, among other aims.

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06 / 08 / 2013 Prof Khaled Ben Letaief Elected Vice-President for Technical Activities of the IEEE Communications Society [Download Photo]

Dean of Engineering and Chair Professor of Electronic & Computer Engineering Prof Khaled Ben Letaief has just been elected Vice-President for Technical Activities of the IEEE Communications Society through a worldwide vote by all its members.

IEEE is the world’s largest professional association dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity. IEEE and its members inspire a global community through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities. IEEE has over 400,000 members in 160 countries.

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10 / 09 / 2013 HKUST Engineering Ranks No. 19 in the World [Download Photo]

According to the just released (2013) QS World University Rankings by Faculty – Engineering and Technology, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has continued to shine and was ranked No. 19, its highest ever position in this league table since 2010. HKUST made a remarkable leap of 8 places from No. 27 in last year and is again No. 1 in Hong Kong.

HKUST was placed 19th and is ahead of Cornell (24th), KAIST (36th), Purdue (40th), and Columbia (44th). The University is one of only two universities from Hong Kong ranked among the top 50 in the world in engineering and technology. Indicators of the rankings include academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per paper and H-index citations.

Dean of Engineering Prof Khaled B. Letaief said, "The School has witnessed tremendous accomplishments so far and this newly released ranking is a testimony of our standing in the world. We shall continue to promote excellence by emphasizing transformative higher education and world-changing research."

The exceptional achievements of HKUST Engineering have been consistently and widely recognized by various renowned international rankings. The QS World University Rankings by Subject 2013 published in May have seen HKUST ranked within the global top 30 in all five fields in the Engineering and Technology area. The School will continue to strive for excellence and achieve greater global impact in innovation, research and education.

Summary of QS World University Rankings by Faculty 2013 – Engineering and Technology:

No.1 - MIT No. 2 - Stanford University No. 3 - University of Cambridge No. 10 - Caltech No. 18 - Princeton University No. 19 - HKUST No. 22 - University of Michigan No. 24 - Cornell University No. 25 - University of Toronto No. 44 - Columbia University

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15 / 07 / 2013 Global PhD Students Flock to SENG

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 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.

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27 / 06 / 2013 IELM Competition Fosters Enterprising Toy Design [Download Photo]

The links between engineering and creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship were fruitfully highlighted in the first My Toy Design Competition, hosted by the Department of Industrial Engineering and Logistics Management (IELM). The contest, originated by IELM Associate Head Prof Ravindra Goonetilleke, attracted an overwhelming response, with 140 teams from local secondary schools and tertiary institutions participating. The initiative was also enthusiastically supported by industry.

In the first round of the competition, each team’s toy design proposal was assessed by a judging panel, comprising international toy professionals and designers, and 23 teams eventually selected to take part in the final. To assist finalists and encourage the public to learn more about the toy business, a four-day workshop was held at HKUST in March, with top industrialists and professionals involved in innovative design and toy manufacturing sharing their experience. At the final evaluation in May, each team was given 15 minutes to present their concept and explain the design of their toy.

Entries were assessed on play value, creativity, marketability and aesthetics, with the eventual Gold, Silver and Bronze award-winners all from the Hong Kong Design Institute. Two Special Awards were also given to two teams of students from Sha Tin Government Secondary School, who showed thoughtfulness and empathy in designing toys for visually impaired children.

Over 100 distinguished guests and students attended the award presentation ceremony at HKUST in June. An exhibition showcasing the winning and finalist entries was held after the ceremony.

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13 / 05 / 2013 Triple Success in President’s Cup A Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering team comprising San Hung Choi, Yee Man Choi, Kwong Mun Kwok and Chui Hung Yau won the President's Cup 2013. [Download Photo]

Students from the School of Engineering demonstrated their enterprising approach to technology and presentation skills by taking all three awards in the President’s Cup 2013 for the second consecutive year. The annual contest at HKUST aims to boost creativity and communication capabilities among undergraduates.

A Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering team comprising San Hung Choi, Yee Man Choi, Kwong Mun Kwok and Chui Hung Yau won the President’s Cup, the top prize, for their innovative project on micro-mini pulsed electrical field technology for point-of-use disinfection of tap water. The team was supervised by Prof King Lun Yeung.

The Gold Award went to Chun Pan Ho, Hong Yee Kow and Zijian Wang, three Civil and Environmental Engineering students supervised by Prof Charles W W Ng, for their research on environmentally friendly green slope engineering.

Another Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering team took the Silver Award. Ka Hei Ho, Yuen Man Ip, Siu Man Ng, Ping Hei Shing and Andrea Villaroman, supervised by Prof Ying Chau, collected the third prize for their work on endothelial cell-adhesive injectable hydrogel as an endovascular embolizing agent.

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28 / 08 / 2013 Robotics on a Roll! [Download Photo]

It has been a terrific spring and summer for the HKUST Robotics Team.

MATE International ROV Competition Washington, US

Champion, Technical Report and Poster Display sections; No. 4, Explorer Class (University Level) out of 24 international teams Champion Award, Explorer Class in the IET/MATE Hong Kong Underwater Robot Challenge 2013, enabling the team to advance to the US competition

Thanks go to DHL Express for providing logistics consultation and sponsoring the air express transportation of HKUST’s underwater robot, and to RS Components for sponsoring the electronic components and equipment. DHL Express has sponsored the transportation for all three years that the team has competed, ensuring the safe and timely delivery of the robot to the US through its professional support.

Robocon 2013 Hong Kong Contest + ABU Asia-Pacific Robot Contest 2013 Danang, Vietnam Two HKUST Robotics teams swept four out of six awards: Championship, First Runner-up, Best Engineering Award, and Best Artistic Design Award. The team went on to represent Hong Kong at the regional contest in Vietnam.

Best Engineering Award

The 8th Freescale Smart Car Competition (South China Region) Wuhan, China

Three HKUST Robotics teams gained two Third Class Awards and a Certificate of Merit

Hong Kong IET Young Professionals Exhibition & Competition (YPEC2013)

Overall Champion, competing against winners from all sections, including postgraduate and industrial Championship, Undergraduate Section against 29 other teams

Lasting Impression The benefits of the Robotics Team experience were highlighted by Dingzeyu Li, BEng Computer Engineering (2013), who has been awarded a scholarship to undertake a PhD in Computer Science at Columbia University. Talking about student life at HKUST, he said: “The time spent in Robotics Team was the most unforgettable. We discussed, argued, settled our differences then worked together toward a single goal. That is the kind of experience you never forget.”

Robotics Team members are supervised by Prof Tim Woo, Director of the Center for Global & Community Engagement and Associate Professor of Engineering Education.

Related Link(s) HKUST ROV Team Achieves its Best-ever Result in International Competition HKUST Robocon Team Won Best Engineering Award in ABU Asia-Pacific Robot Contest 2013 HKUST Receives Four Awards in Robocon for Second Consecutive Year HKUST Smart Car Team Attained Good Results in Freescale Smart Car Competition

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繁體 简体 21 / 05 / 2013 HKUST Receives HK$5 million Donation from Dr Simon Kwok and Dr Eleanor Kwok To support Interdisciplinary Engineering and Medicine Research on Endoluminal Medical Devices Prof Tony F Chan, President of HKUST (right) expresses deep gratitude to Dr Simon Kwok and Dr Eleanor Kwok for their donation. [Download Photo]

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) received a five-million-dollar donation from Dr Simon Kwok and Dr Eleanor Kwok for the development of bio-devices for treatment of endoluminal diseases. These groundbreaking inventions, developed with an aim to improving stroke treatments, are the fruits of close collaboration between leading neurosurgeons and the engineering faculty at HKUST. The successful collaboration points a new way forward for the medical practitioners and the engineering academics to collaboratively develop frontier medical technologies in Hong Kong.

As an international research university, HKUST strives to foster high-impact collaborations between practitioners of different fields and the faculty members to solve complex challenges in energy, environment, and medicines. Stroke is a leading killer of Hongkongers. Open cranial surgery has been used to treat strokes, and emergence of minimally invasive techniques using brain-implanted metal diverters and endoluminal coils have improved treatment successes and recovery. Straddling fields ranging from biomaterials, process engineering, mechanics to medicine, a research team comprising Dr John Kwok of the Division of Biomedical Engineering, Prof David Lam and Prof Matthew Yuen of the Department of Mechanical Engineering makes use of the blood flow dynamics and vessel wall models and analyses developed at HKUST for the study of blood flow dynamics, laying a good foundation for the design of new stents and flow diverting devices made of memory metal. Still in laboratory stage, the research has reaped several encouraging breakthroughs. It has developed devices for advanced clot retrieval and focal dissolution to treat ischemic stroke. By dint of cutting-edge clot retrieval and dissolution devices, an operation offers promise of removing any clot as a whole once and for all without breaking it up, making it a comparably safer process that prevents maceration during removal, a common misstep which results in the blocking of distal vessels.

The team has also developed breakthrough devices made of bioabsorbable materials which not only treat, but help the body to restore the treated blood vessels. Laboratory studies showed that the new biosordable coils and blood flow diverting device reduced brain aneurysm pressure and the risk of bursting. The bioaborbility of the device would allow it to disappear, and allow the shrinkage and natural healing of aneurysm to proceed without interference.

Dr Simon Kwok and Dr Eleanor Kwok made a generous donation of five million dollars to HKUST in support of the research project. Officiating at the ceremony, Dr Kwok said, "My wife and I have long cherished the ideal of 'making life beautiful'. By supporting innovative technology, we wish the needy could get to experience the joy of a fabulous and healthy life. I wish the research team even greater success in this groundbreaking undertaking, which is sure to enhance the standards of local medical technology."

Prof Tony F Chan, President of HKUST expressed deep gratitude to Dr Simon Kwok and Dr Eleanor Kwok for their generous gift. He said, "The support from Dr Simon Kwok and Dr Eleanor Kwok to the research team will lead to more interdisciplinary cooperation in different areas. HKUST shares the vision of Dr Kwok in striving for excellence, enhancing our education and research quality and opening new avenues for development. HKUST will continue to amplify its research strengths and work with the industry to foster the advancement of society and come up with even greater contributions to the general public."

Innovative bio-devices developed by HKUST research team

Biodegradable aneurysmal coil (for treating hemorrhagic stroke): aims to reduce aneurysm pressure and allow the aneurysm to shrink; then the coil gradually degrades and vanishes within the body.

Clot retrieval device (for treating thrombotic stroke): targets to therma-mechanically remove the clot with minimal vessel wall contact.

Blood flow diverting devices (for treating hemorrhagic stroke): target to reduce blood flow into the aneurysm sac to the point of stagnation, gradual thrombosis without embolic agents or coil, and maintain outflow in the side branches. Clot dissolution device (for treating thrombotic stroke): tries to dissolve clot with minimal vessel wall damage.

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06 / 08 / 2013 HKUST Received €500,000 from Deutsche Telekom to Set Up HKUST-DT System and Media Lab Prof Pan Hui (back row, 4th from left) and members of the HKUST-DT System and Media Lab [Download Photo]

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has signed a research cooperation agreement with a €500,000 grant (around HK$5 million) from global telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom (DT) to start the HKUST-DT System and Media Lab (SyMLab) for cutting-edge research in the areas of mobile systems and media. HKUST-DT SyMLab has the vision of bringing pioneering system and media research to Asia by providing an excellent academic research environment with strong ties to industries and to address real problems. The lab will act as a strategic partner and bridge for DT to access the research and innovation landscapes of Greater China, and the other way round for talented researchers in Greater China to face the world. HKUST is the first university in East Asia to receive a research grant from DT to start a joint lab.

DT is a major telecom operator in Europe and the US, including divisions of T-Mobile, T-Systems, and T-Home. Its venture capital arm, T-Venture, is one of the leading corporate venture capital companies worldwide and its research and innovation arm, T-Labs, are world-leading research labs in telecommunication and networking service. T-Labs are the major corresponding party for HKUST in DT. Previously T-Labs had very successful collaboration with top institutes such as Stanford, Cambridge, and Princeton. HKUST has the top-notch Engineering School in the world and T-Labs are world-class research and development labs. A joint force of both will create extraordinary innovation with true market impact.

The HKUST-DT SyMLab is directed by Prof Pan Hui from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. Prof Hui received his PhD from University of Cambridge. He has rich industrial experiences and had worked for DT, Intel, and Thomson in his past. Before joining HKUST, he was a distinguished scientist in T-Labs. Currently, he is also an adjunct professor of social computing at Aalto University (former Helsinki University of Technology), Finland.

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繁體 简体 14 / 06 / 2013 Ford Unveils Collaboration with HKUST to Provide HKD 1,000,000 in Environmental Research Grants to Students Prof Christopher Chao (3rd from right), HKUST Associate Dean of Engineering (Research and Graduate Studies), and Mr David Westerman (4th from left), Regional Manager, Asia Pacific, Ford Export & Growth Operations, jointly present the cheque of the Ford-HKUST Conservation and Environmental Research Grants to taught postgraduate engineering students (4th & 5th from right). [Download Photo]

HONG KONG, 14 June, 2013 – Ford Motor Company today announced that it will be bringing its global Conservation and Environmental Grants program to Hong Kong for the first time, in partnership with the School of Engineering of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST).

Ford will donate HKD 500,000 for the Ford-HKUST Conservation and Environmental Research Grants, which will be matched by HKUST for a total fund of HKD 1,000,000.

Postgraduate students from the University’s School of Engineering will be offered academic grants for research in the fields of environmental and conservation science, as well as conservation engineering, to help promote innovation, environmental conservation and technological advancement. A maximum of 20 projects will be supported during the 2013-2014 academic year.

“Ford has a long and proud 84-year history in the Hong Kong market and our roots are very deep here,” said David Westerman, Regional Manager, Asia Pacific, Ford Export & Growth Operations.

“With the Asia Pacific region being the growth engine for our business, it is important that we establish close, long-term relations with the communities that we operate in. These research grants will help us continue doing this in Hong Kong and empower students to conduct research that will benefit us all.”

Founded in 1983, the Ford Conservation and Environmental Grants program was created to empower individuals and non-profit groups in over 60 countries to conduct research and projects which help preserve the environmental well-being of their communities and provide solutions contributing to a sustainable planet. Since launching, Ford has awarded more than USD 5 million in grants to hundreds of environmental projects in more than 60 countries around the world.

In Asia Pacific, Ford has played a pivotal role in advancing environmental initiatives for more than a decade, from protecting wildlife and preventing forest fires, to funding cultural heritage projects and replenishing resources in rural communities.

“In Hong Kong, we chose to partner with HKUST, a renowned university and a leader in innovative engineering education. The research grants support the University’s engineering projects encompassing environmental sustainability, with a focus on green motoring and transportation. This is in-line with our core values as an environmentally conscious company delivering industry-leading fuel efficiency in every vehicle segment,” Westerman added.

“As a leader in engineering education, we are always looking for opportunities that will inspire our students and help their development,” said Prof Christopher Chao, Associate Dean of Engineering (Research and Graduate Studies), the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. “We are delighted by the opportunity provided by Ford through supplying these grants and in appreciation of their support, we have matched their grant so that we can expand its scale and enable as many students as possible to benefit from the funding. We believe the grant program will not only broaden our students’ learning experience, but also further our endeavor to build innovative solutions to the global issues of environmental conservation and sustainability.”

Officiating at the launch of the grants program was Hong Kong-born and educated Chelsia Lau Ka-po, Chief Designer, Strategic Concepts Group, Ford Motor Company, who will also be on the grants jury panel. Having grown up on Lantau, Lau’s Hong Kong success story will serve as an inspiration for the grant recipients who have a passion for design creation and research and development.

“As a home-grown designer, it’s an honor to be a part of this grants program that will provide new opportunities for students in Hong Kong,” said Lau. “Encouraging innovative thinking and nurturing talent is something that Ford excels at. I look forward to seeing their finished projects.”

Eligible taught postgraduate students of HKUST’s School of Engineering can submit their proposals from now through mid-August. A jury panel, formed by Ford representatives, faculty members and other opinion formers, will screen the applications and select the successful applicants with the winners being announced in late-August. The grants will support the expenditure items of successful applicants including research, field study and laboratory needs.

# # #

About Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 171,000 employees and 65 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.

About the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (www.ust.hk) is a world-class international research university excelling in science, technology and business as well as humanities and social science. The University was ranked Asia’s number one by QS Asian University Rankings for the third straight year since 2011. In 2013 QS World University Rankings by Subject, HKUST was ranked within the world’s top 30 in all five engineering and technology subjects.

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21 / 08 / 2013 Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

The Dean of Engineering Prof Khaled Ben Letaief is pleased to announce that, effective 1 September 2013, the name of the Department of Mechanical Engineering (機械工程系) will be officially changed to the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (機械及航空航天工程系), with an abbreviation of “MAE”.

Echoing HKUST's mission to promote the advancement of society by producing global leaders, innovators and new knowledge, the School of Engineering envisions a strong demand for Aerospace Engineering education for the society and expanding opportunities for our graduates. Building on our existing strong faculty team in the School of Engineering, “Aerospace Engineering” is identified as a new strategic area of education, research and knowledge transfer.

The MAE Department looks forward to further enhance its contribution to the society with the full support of the School of Engineering and the University. It will also continue to provide an inspiring and rigorous learning environment for students, staff, and faculty members with a common vision of building another world-class School of Engineering program at HKUST with strong support from industry and the community.

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28 / 08 / 2013 Trio of Prestigious Fellowships

Three of the School’s academics have been elected fellows of prestigious professional organizations, demonstrating their global standing and contributions to their respective fields.

Prof Qiang Yang, Computer Science and Engineering, has become a 2013 Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) Fellow. This is the highest honor in the AI community and Prof Yang is the first to achieve such recognition in Greater China. He was recognized for significant contributions to AI planning, data mining and case-based reasoning.

Prof Ricky Lee, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, has recently been elected Fellow of the International Microelectronics Assembly and Packaging Society (IMAPS), which is the largest professional society dedicated to the advancement and growth of microelectronics and electronics packaging.

Prof Oscar Au, Electronic and Computer Engineering, has been made a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE), which promotes the advancement of engineering and facilitates the exchange of knowledge and ideas, among other aims.

06 / 08 / 2013 Prof Khaled Ben Letaief Elected Vice-President for Technical Activities of the IEEE Communications Society [Download Photo] Dean of Engineering and Chair Professor of Electronic & Computer Engineering Prof Khaled Ben Letaief has just been elected Vice-President for Technical Activities of the IEEE Communications Society through a worldwide vote by all its members. IEEE is the world’s largest professional association dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity. IEEE and its members inspire a global community through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities. IEEE has over 400,000 members in 160 countries. 10 / 09 / 2013 HKUST Engineering Ranks No. 19 in the World [Download Photo] According to the just released (2013) QS World University Rankings by Faculty – Engineering and Technology, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has continued to shine and was ranked No. 19, its highest ever position in this league table since 2010. HKUST made a remarkable leap of 8 places from No. 27 in last year and is again No. 1 in Hong Kong.

HKUST was placed 19th and is ahead of Cornell (24th), KAIST (36th), Purdue (40th), and Columbia (44th). The University is one of only two universities from Hong Kong ranked among the top 50 in the world in engineering and technology. Indicators of the rankings include academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per paper and H-index citations.

Dean of Engineering Prof Khaled B. Letaief said, "The School has witnessed tremendous accomplishments so far and this newly released ranking is a testimony of our standing in the world. We shall continue to promote excellence by emphasizing transformative higher education and world-changing research."

The exceptional achievements of HKUST Engineering have been consistently and widely recognized by various renowned international rankings. The QS World University Rankings by Subject 2013 published in May have seen HKUST ranked within the global top 30 in all five fields in the Engineering and Technology area. The School will continue to strive for excellence and achieve greater global impact in innovation, research and education.

Summary of QS World University Rankings by Faculty 2013 – Engineering and Technology:

No.1 - MIT No. 2 - Stanford University No. 3 - University of Cambridge No. 10 - Caltech No. 18 - Princeton University No. 19 - HKUST No. 22 - University of Michigan No. 24 - Cornell University No. 25 - University of Toronto No. 44 - Columbia University

15 / 07 / 2013 Global PhD Students Flock to SENG 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 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.