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STAFF AWARDS/ACTIVITIES
NEWSLETTER • September 2003 – February 2004
Recent Awards
◆ Professor S.H. Lo has been awarded a Croucher SeniorResearch Fellowship for 2004-05. The reward allows ProfessorLo to find a replacement teacher and concentrate on his currentresearch on high-performance solid hexahedral elements andfinite element mesh generation for the next academic year.
◆ Professor C.F. Lee was elected an Academician of the ChineseAcademy of Engineering in 2004.
◆ Long Term Service Award for25 years of service in theUniversity was given in January2004 to our Senior Technician,Mr. Tong Chak Hong (left) andfor 15 years of service to ourOffice Assistant Ms. Sin PoYing.
◆ Professor Y.K. Cheung waselected Honorary Fellow of the Hong Kong Association for theAdvancement of Science and Technology on February 27, 2004.He was also awarded the first Gold Medal of the Hong Kong
Institution of Engineers (HKIE)at the HKIE 29th Annual Dinneron March 9, 2004 (left). Thelatter award is in recognition ofhis outstanding contributionsand achievements in theengineering profession, inparticular for the developmentand appl icat ion of f in i teelements and f ini te str ipelements for solving engineer-ing problems.
Activities
◆ Professor Joseph H.W. Lee gave an invited lecture at the Work-shop on real-time coastal observing systems for ecosystemdynamics and harmful algal blooms (HABWATCH), ObservatoireOceanologique, Villefranche-sur-Mer, France (GeoHab and IOCsponsored), June 10-22, 2003.
◆ Professor Joseph H.W. Lee was elected Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Division of the International Association of HydraulicEngineering and Research (IAHR) in September 2003.
◆ Professor Joseph H.W. Lee delivered a keynote lecture at theInternational Conference on GIS and Remote Sensing inHydrology, Water Resources and Environment, September 16-19, 2003, Three Gorges Dam Site, Yichang, China.
◆ Professor Joseph H.W. Lee has recently been invited, as a mem-
ber of an International Review Panel, to review the final projectpresentation and report of the European Union Harmful AlgalBloom Expert System (HABES) project held at the Institut deCiencies del Mar (ICM-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain, November 14,2003. Led by Delft Hydraulics, the HABES project is a EU2.3Million inter-disciplinary group research project with 13 partnersfrom 12 countries aimed to carry out pioneering research onthe hydro-biological factors that govern the dynamics of harmfulalgal blooms.
◆ Professor R.E. Allsop of University College London, U.K. (below)and Professor K.Y. Lo of the University of Western Ontario,
Canada (left) visited the Department under theauspices of the Faculty of Engineering’sWilliam Mong Distinguished Lecture inEngineering and Computer Science. ProfessorLo’s lecture entitled “The Role of Cohesion inthe Stability Evaluation of Concrete Dams onRock Foundations” was held on November 13,
2003, and ProfessorAllsop’s lecture entitled“Science-led Strategy forSystematically Safer Use oft h e R o a d s f o r t h eCommon Good” was heldon December 9, 2003.
◆ Professor Joseph H.W. Leewas a keynote speaker atthe International Conference on the “Solutions of watershortage and instream flow problems in Asia”, Incheon RegionalEnvironmental Technology Development Center, University ofIncheon, Korea, November 17-19, 2003.
◆ Professor Joseph H.W. Lee visited IIT Bombay in January 2004as a guest of the Indian Institute of Technology and delivered aseries of lectures at IIT, at the key government hydraulicinstitute the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS)at Pune, and at the National Fisheries University in Mumbai,India.
◆ Professor Joseph H.W. Lee is one of the four key task leaders inthe Area of Excellence (AoE) in Marine Environmental Researchand Innovative Technology (MERIT), one of only two AoEsawarded by the UGC in January 2004.
◆ The Department’s Advisory Committee meeting was held onFebruary 6, 2004 with both Department staff and externalmembers from Government departments and industry.Professor L.A. Clark of The University of Birmingham, U.K., andProfessor H.Y. Ko of the University of Colorado, U.S.A., wereinvited to review the Bachelor of Engineering Degree curriculumand met with staff, students and alumni of the Department.
◆ Professor Graeme Dandy of the University of Adelaide, Australiavisited between February 13-23, 2004 under the auspices ofthe Environmental Hydraulics Visiting Fellowship. He delivered
a public lecture on February 20, 2004 entitled “Optimisation ofWater Distribution Systems”, and seminars on water quality.
◆ International Conference on Slope Engineering,December 8-10, 2003
The International Conference on Slope Engineering organisedby the Department was held from December 8-10, 2003 inHong Kong. The Conference attracted over 200 participantsfrom all over the world. In total, 141 full papers were publishedin the Conference proceedings. There were 137 oralpresentations and 4 keynote lectures.
The keynote lectures weredelivered by Professor M.D. Bolton(left) of Cambridge University, U.K.,Mr. R.K.S. Chan of the GeotechnicalEngineering Office of the Governmentof HKSAR, Professor K. Sassa of KyotoUniversity, Japan and Professor R.L.Schuster of the U.S. GeologicalSurvey, U.S.A.
The conference was financiallysponsored by The Croucher Foundation and K.C. WongEducation Foundation, and supported by seed money from theWilliam M.W. Mong Engineering Research Fund of The Universityof Hong Kong.
◆ HK-Mainland China Geotechnical Lecture Series No. 8
The 8th Lecture Series was successfully held from December14-20, 2003 at HKU, HKIE and GEO.
The speakers were Professor Bian Zhaoqing (�� !") ofBeijing Institute of Coal Engineering (�� !"#$%&) andP ro fe s so r ZhangZ a i m i n g (�� ��) o f B e i j i n gGeotechnical Institute(�� !"#$%&).
Professor Bian’slecture topics in-cluded Codes andS t a n d a r d s i nGeotechnical Engi-neering of MainlandChina (�� !"#$%&'), and Professor Zhang’s lecturetopics included Registration of Geotechnical Engineers inMainland China (�� !"#$%��� ��� !).
This was the last of the Lecture Series that has been financiallysupported by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust.
◆ News from CICID (Centre for Infrastructure and Construc-tion Industry Development)
SMILE – SMC projectSMILE – SMC (Strategic Management with InformationLeveraged Excellence for Small and Medium Contractors) is afar-reaching and innovative RD&D (Research, Development andDissemination) project that focuses on developing a suite ofICT-aided tools for the up-grading of Small and MediumContractors (SMCs) who are said to form the ‘back-bone’ ofthe construction industry. The increasingly critical informationflows and communication needs across complex supply chain
Professor BianZhaoqing▲
Professor ZhangZaiming
▲
networks demand smart support systems to ensure that theright people get the right information in the right doses at theright times. Secondly, knowledge management (KM) systemscan enable the capture, consolidation and development ofvaluable experiential knowledge, that would otherwise disappearafter each project.
The two-year SMILE-SMC project that commenced inNovember 2003, therefore aims to empower the continuousimprovement of SMCs by providing a SMC-friendly frameworkand innovative ICT and KM tools for continuous improvementin boosting productivity, quality and company image, throughstrategic information and knowledge management. It is fundedby a HK$ 2 million grant from the SME Development Fund ofthe Hong Kong SAR Government, supplemented by HK$ 400,000 from the Faculties of Engineering and Architecture, as wellas by significant in-kind’ contributions from an expanding clusterof motivated ‘Partner Contractors’. It may be mentioned thatHK$ 2 million is the maximum that may be granted to one
project from this Fund, and the SMILE-SMC grant was the high-est of the 14 grants that were awarded in the 2nd tranche,these 14 projects having been selected from 108 applicationsin that round.
The inter-disciplinary SMILE team, led by Dr. MohanKumaraswamy and Dr. Thomas Ng, includes colleagues fromfour Departments (including Civil Engineering) and theeBusiness Technology Institute; and is supported by manyleading local bodies such as the Provisional Construction IndustryCo-ordination Board, HK Contractors’ Association, ConstructionIndustry Training Authority and the HK Federation of Electricaland Mechanical Contractors, as well as five overseas Universitieswith similar interests and experience.
The pilot ‘needs analysis’ survey has been completed andthe second stage is focusing on modeling workflows andinformation flows at sites and offices of typical SMCs, in orderto identify critical elements for improvement. These initial needswill be addressed through both web-based and mobile com-munication based SMILE systems - that will provide platformsand tools for (a) boost ing business oppor tunit iese.g. through an information ‘library’ and an ‘inter-organisationalinformation exchange’, (b) enhancing productivity and qualitye.g. through more efficient communications and intra-organisational knowledge management tools. Given the targetgroup, functionality and usability aspects will be assigned highpriority in the system design and development. System continuityand continuous development beyond the funding period isplanned through the Centre for Infrastructure and ConstructionIndustry Development.
Pilot Study on the Effectiveness of ISO9000-basedQuality Management Systems
ISO9000-based Quality Management Systems have beenmaintained by many construction contractors in Hong Kong foralmost a decade. However, the usefulness of ISO9000 inimproving the quality of construction projects is still a muchdebated topic in practice. Recently, the Hong Kong QualityAssurance Agency (HKQAA) commissioned the Department’sCentre for Infrastructure and Construction Industry Develop-ment (CICID) to conduct an independent pilot study toexamine the effectiveness of ISO9000 in improving the qualityof building construction projects in Hong Kong. The researchteam being led by Dr. Thomas Ng and Dr. Mohan Kumaraswamy,is conducting cross-sectional studies with clients, projectsupervisory personnel, contractors and end-users to unveil thebenefits and costs attributable to the implementation ofISO9000:1994 certified systems. Interesting observations arebeing derived and analysed. Further data is being collected foranalysis and consolidation in a Final Report to the HKQAA inApril 2004.
Research Highlight
This is the first of a series of articles given by researchers in WaterEnvironment Engineering.
Dynamics of algal blooms and red tides in sub-tropicalcoastal waters - monitoring, modelling, and prediction
This project which started in 1998 is being supported by theResearch Grants Council (RGC) Central Allocation Group and isled by Professor Joseph H.W. Lee. Other investigators from theDepartment are Dr. A.W. Jayawardena, Dr. A. Koenig and Dr.X.Y. Li.
In sub-tropical coastal waters around Hong Kong and South China,algal blooms and red tides (due to the rapid growth of microscopicphytoplankton) are often observed. Under the right environmentalconditions, these blooms can occur and subside overrather short time scales - in the order of days to a fewweeks. Algal blooms can lead to discoloration of themarine water, which may lead to beach closures, severedissolved oxygen depletion, fish kills, and shellfishpoisoning. In particular, in April 1998, a devastatingred tide resulted in the worst fish kill in Hong Kong’shistory - it destroyed over 80 percent (3400 tonnes)of cultured fish stock, with estimated loss of more thanHK$312 million.
Algal blooms and red tides are often short-lived and unpredictable.Routine water quality sampling is highly inadequate for the study ofalgal blooms. In the past three years, researchers from theDepartment have worked together with colleagues in Ecology andthe Government (AFCD and EPD) to tackle this challenging problem.Led by Prof. Joseph H.W. Lee, the objectives of this RGC groupresearch project are: (i) to develop real time field monitoringsystems and establish a longterm data base on algaldynamics; (ii) to study novelways of modelling algaldynamics by integratingbiology, environmentalhydraulics, water qualitymode l l i ng , and da t a -assimilation techniques; andiii) to study the massive red
Field monitoring stations
Equipment onsite
Observed red tide in Kat O
A red tide initiated in Mirs Bay canbe advected into the East LammaChannel due to a combination ofwind and tidal current conditions
tide in March-April 1998 with theuse of 3D coastal hydrodynamicmodels. Thus far, two fieldmonitoring systems have beensuccessfully developed at Kat Oand Luk Chau Wan (LammaIsland). Based on the unique highfrequency water quality data,hydrodynamic and water qualitymode l l ing , and s ta t i s t i ca ltechniques, real time forecastingsystems are being developed.The main cause of the Spring1998 red tide has also beenunraveled.
This is the first systematicinter-disciplinary group research to tackle the red tide problem inHong Kong. The outcome will directly benefit fisheries andenvironmental management.
Activities
◆ Scholarship Presentation Ceremony 2003-04
The Scholarship Presentation Ceremony was held on February2, 2004 and was attended by recipients, donors and Depart-ment staff. The total amount of scholarship support receivedthis year was HK$326,000. There were a total of 19 recipientsincluding 9 first year, 4 second year, and 4 final year B.Eng.students and 2 M.Sc. students. The Vice-Chancellor, ProfessorLap-Chee Tsui presented souvenirs to sponsors thanking themfor their generosity and for their continuing support to theDepartment and to our students.
STUDENT AWARDS/ACTIVITIES
◆ Summer Industrial Training 2003
In the summer of 2003 a total of 140 placements were securedfor all year 2 students and also some year 1 students. Otherthan placements in Hong Kong and the Yangtze Three GorgesProject Site, it was the first year that training extended to Beijingand Shenzhen. 15 students undertook on-the-job training inthe Mainland and it was a very fruitful and rewardingexperience for them all. The students not only gainedinvaluable practical experience, but it was also a perfectopportunity for them to improve their putonghua skills!Consequently, a brochure (in Chinese) was produced basedon the student’s reports outlining their experiences up north.Please contact the Department if you wish to obtain a copy ofthe brochure. If you are interested in providing placements locallyand/or donations to financially support our students to take uptraining opportunities in China, you are kindly requested tocontact the Training Manager, Dr. D.J. Guo on 2859 2286/1978 or email: [email protected].
◆ Inter-University Invitational Civil EngineeringCompetition, January 13-20, 2004, Macau
WE Did It![Experience Sharing on the Inter-UniversityInvitational Civil Engineering Competition
by Miss Yip Mei Ki (Year 2)]
The Inter-University Invitational Civil Engineering Competition2004 was held at the University of Macau from January13-20, 2004. Participating institutions included HanyangUniversity (Korea), Siam University (Thailand), the NationalUniversity of Singapore (Singapore), Tsinghua University (China),Tongji University (China), the University of Macau (China) andThe University of Hong Kong (HKSAR). There were a total of 20teams competing in the competition which comprised a modelfabrication contest, an environmental engineering competitionand two brain twister games. The competition not only testedthe participants’ civil engineering knowledge, but also their com-munication and presentation skills, their ability to tackle off-hand problems and their ability to cooperate within the team.
It was indeed a privilege to be one of the selected participantsrepresenting HKU. Before we set off for the competition, wealready told ourselves that it was not the medals that mattered.We were in fact looking for an extra-curriculaopportunity to observe and
learn. I must say that this goal was achieved throughout thecompetition. We witnessed how each team interpreted theproblems differently, and how they presented their brilliant ideasto the audience. The competition was also a cultural enrichingexperience. We were mesmerized by the unique artworkdisplayed by the Thai teams, the bilingual proficiency of theSingaporeans and the hospitality of the Koreans. We also enjoyedsome good time interacting with our “comrades” from theMainland. All in all it was truly a rewarding experience.
To me, the most unexpected and spectacular moment duringthe competition was when the MC announced that we theHKU team had won both the championship and the award ofexcellent performance in the environmental engineering
competition. The golden trophies we brought back from Macauwere monuments of our hard work and our ability to excel. Asa matter of fact, without the help of our advisor Dr. Ray Su andthe continuous support from our Department, it would not havebeen possible. We would like to take this opportunity to expressour deepest gratitude towards those who contributed to ourparticipation in the competition - bravo!
◆ New Double Degree Programme
A new double degree programme leading to the award ofBachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering (Law) and Bachelorof Laws will commence in September 2004. The five-yearprogramme aims to prepare undergraduates with a solidfoundation in both civil engineering and law and will be the firstdouble degree of its kind in Hong Kong. The goals of theprogramme are to nurture (i) ‘legally sensitive’ civil engineeringprofessionals and/or (ii) legal practitioners with civil engineer-ing expertise. Students will also have an option to pursue afurther one-year law degree at Tsinghua University which willenable graduates to sit for the China Bar Examination, leadingto a legal qualification in China. For full details, please visit ourwebsite at http://www.hku.hk/civil/underg_law.html.
◆ Mr. Chan Chi (Year 3 exchange student)
Mr. Chan writes from Berkeley:I joined the HKU Worldwide Exchange Program at the Universityof California Berkeley for 2003-04. There were quite a lot ofinteresting things happening in California. To mention some ofthem: the election of the new Californian Governor (Arnold S),the first earthquake I had ever experienced, the large-scale strikeof the graduate students’ union which suspended manydiscussion sections in UC Berkeley, and the long queue out-side San Francisco’s City Hall for same-sex marriage registration.
It is very competitivestudying in UC Berkeley.Students are very con-cerned about their GPA.Most students want to geta high GPA to go to theGraduate School. Some ofmy friends dropped theircourses after the firstmonth because they gota B in the mid term exam!The workload is really veryheavy. We have assign-ments every week andthere is a lot of reading todo.
Being the best engineering school and public college in thecountry, students are really proud of themselves. They have astrong spirit, which is shown in sports competition. Like theinter-hall competition in HKU, college sports play an importantrole in university life. I still remember how crazy we were cheeringup Cal in the Big Game of College Football match against ourrivals, Stanford. Not only the university, but also the whole com-munity is involved in the game.
I also attended a panel, which invited alumni of UC Berkeleyto share their experience with fellow students. It seems that thequestions from the students and responses from the engineersare quite similar to those in HK. I also attended a seminar aboutthe professional examination for engineers. They were discuss-
ing whether a masters degree would be a requirement for PEexamination. It is interesting to see the same situation in bothHK and the US.
Despite the heavy workload, the content of the courses inUC Berkeley is not so difficult. They expect graduate courseswould cover more detail. The requirement of HKU is rathercomprehensive because at Berkeley they don’t require studentsto do undergraduate research. There are no lecture notes inmost courses and students need to copy notes from theblackboard. Overall, I feel very lucky studying in HKU as wehave all kinds of resources and academic support.
Awards
◆ Six of our Year I students; Miss Carrie Cheung, Miss Fong HauYin, Fiona, Miss Kwan Man Wai, Mr. Wong Ho Chuen, Mr. WongSiu Wai, Patrick and Mr. Yeung Kai Sing were awarded the HKIEPrize for Potential Engineering Students at the HKIE PrizePresentation Ceremony held on December 17, 2003. The prizewas introduced to identify and recognise those potentialengineering students with excellent scholastic achievements;to encourage them to select engineering as their undergraduatedegree; and to promote the HKIE and engineering professionto local secondary school students.
◆ Miss Lau Shuk Lei, our 2003 graduate was among fourstudents to be awarded the Arup Best Student Award by theJoint Structural Division of HKIE and IStructE for excellent overallacademic results during the whole course of their study; anddemonstrated high level of competence in structural engineer-ing in examinations, design projects, individual projects or finalyear dissertation, as appropriate.
Ir K.K. Kwan, Director of Ove Arup & Partners HK Ltd (left) presenting the awardto Miss Lau during the Annual Dinner of the Joint Structural Division held onNovember 21, 2003
◆ Mr. Leung Ming Wai (right) our Year I student was awardedthe HKIE Prize for Higher Education Students at the HKIE PrizePresentation Ceremony held on December 17, 2003. Theprize was introduced to recognise the Higher Diploma/Higher
C e r t i f i c a t ee n g i n e e r i n gstudents wi the x c e l l e n ta c a d e m i cachievements; toencourage themto pursue theircareers in thee n g i n e e r i n gprofession; top r o m o t e t h eHKIE to students
studying Higher Education; and to encourage aspiring engineersto participate actively in HKIE’s activities.
◆ Miss Law Hoi Chee, Rachel, our 2001 graduate currently workingin the Geotechnical Engineering Office of the Civil EngineeringDepartment of the HKSAR Government obtained 3rd Prize forthe Trainee of the Year Award at the HKIE Prize PresentationCeremony held on December 17, 2003.
Dr. Alex S.K. Chan, President of HKIE (left)presenting the award to Mr. Leung
From left to right: Mr. P.K.K. Lee, Head of Department, Dr. Richard Pang, trainingsupervisor from GEO, Miss Rachel Law, and Professor A.K.H. Kwan, AssociateDean, Faculty of Engineering, HKU
◆ Our Laboratory of Environmental Hydraulics has been selectedby The Croucher Foundation to be named after the lateMr. Noel Croucher. The Naming Ceremony will take place onApril 2, 2004.
◆ The Third Lumb Lecture entitled “Geotechnical Challenges inHydropower Development in China” will be delivered byProfessor C.F. Lee, Pro-Vice Chancellor of HKU on October 6,2004 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, HongKong. Admission is free and no registration is required. For moredetails visit: http://www.hku.hk/civil/lumb_lecture or email:[email protected].
◆ The 4th International Symposium on Environmental Hydraulics& 14th Congress of the Asia Pacific Division of the InternationalAssociation on Hydraulic Engineering and Research (IAHR) willbe held between December 15-18, 2004 at the Sheraton Hotel,Kowloon. For more details visit: http://www.hku.hk/civil/conference/iseh&iahr-apd2004 or email: [email protected].
Note from the Editor:In the March - August 2003 edition of the Newsletter, we wrotethat “Mr. Johnny Ho Chi Ming” received the Sir Edward YoudeMemorial Fellowship 2002-03. Please note that his name shouldbe Mr. Johnny Ho Ching Ming. We apologise for the error.
Newsletter by Email
To view a soft version of this Newsletter, please visit our Departmentwebsite on http://www.hku.hk/civil, or if you prefer to receive asoft version of this Newsletter by email, please send notification [email protected].
ANNOUNCEMENTS ANDUPCOMING EVENTS
Department of Civil EngineeringThe University of Hong KongTel: (852) 2859 2286Fax: (852) 2559 5337Email: [email protected]://www.hku.hk/civil March 2004
◆ The Innovation Competition is a contest organised by GammonSkanska Ltd. to invite creative ideas from their staff (and fromsubcontractors) in order to increase productivity or enhancesafety and environmentally friendly working conditions on con-struction sites. Students who joined the Gammon FellowshipProgram were invited to take part in the Student Category ofthe competition. The 16 student trainees formed 4 groups, andentries were also invited from students in Mainland China, suchas Tsinghua University.
One of the groups comprising third year students; Mr. LeungYat Fai, Andy (Civil, HKU) Leung Chi Bun, Benny (Civil, HKU),Miss Li Mei Ah, Janice (Earth Sciences, HKU), and Miss WongWing Yam, Kennex (Construction Economics & Management,
The winning team receiving their trophies from Mr. Martin Hadaway, Group Manag-ing Director of Gammon Skanska Ltd. From left to right: Mr. Benny Leung, MissKennex Wong, Mr. Andy Leung and Mr. Martin Hadaway
HKPU) presented the idea of adopting a 'Dust Eliminator' toalleviate the pollution problems concerning the air quality andwaste water treatment caused by the installation of soil nails.Upon submission of a detailed proposal and attending asubsequent interview, their idea was chosen as the winningproposal for the Student Category of the competition.
