Snapshot Engineering Newsletter No.20 Summer 2011 The Miracle Continues School of Engineering Celebrates HKUST’s th Anniversary Calendar of Events September 24-25, 2011 December 2011 HKUST Information Day HKUST Engineering Day HKUST Campus HKUST Campus October 14-23, 2011 December 8-11, 2011 HKUST “Bring Technology to Community” Exhibition The 3rd International Symposium on Plasticity and Impact Hong Kong Science Museum HKUST Clear Water Bay Campus (Dec 8-10) and HKUST Fok Ying Tung Graduate School, Nansha Campus (Dec 10-11) The above events are subject to change without prior notice. Don't be the Missing Link ... Editors: Diana Liu, Dorothy Yip Alumni relationships are invaluable assets to the School and Contributing Editor: Sally Course alumni. To foster the growth of our alumni network, please Address: School of Engineering keep us informed of your recent news and send us your The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology updated contact information via email to [email protected]. Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong Stay connected and keep in touch! Phone: (852) 2358-5917 Fax: (852) 2358-1458 Email: [email protected] Website: www.seng.ust.hk Facebook: www.facebook.com/SENG.HKUST PTC-G14143 24 Dean's Message New Appointments Research 2011 marks another milestone in the history of HKUST as the technology play in making the world a better place, from Concurrent Prof Ben Letaief Honored as University reaches its 20th year, and the School of Engineering improved healthcare to more efficient buildings and bridges to ■ Prof Mordecai Golin (SENG) is fully playing its part in commemorating the new consumer electronic breakthroughs. ISI Highly Cited Researcher occasion. In the different Anniversary activities the School is Professor, Computer As we look toward HKUST’s next 20 years, SENG intends to Prof Khaled Ben Letaief, Dean of organizing throughout the year, we have set out to recognize Science and Engineering continue to push forward in its research and education Engineering, gained further and include all the different people who contribute to making achievements. We are already drawing together faculty on Appointed Associate recognition as an international SENG such a success. interdisciplinary endeavors and theme-based research to Vice-President for leader in his field by being Postgraduate Studies, Faculty members have helped us to become globally tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges, such as energy honored and selected as ISI Highly HKUST renowned through their outstanding research and innovations, and the environment. We are rapidly moving forward with our Cited Researcher by Thomson and the honors and achievements they have received. They education of 21st century engineers as we look forward to ■ Prof Mitchell Tseng Reuters in the field of Computer Science and Engineering. have also trained our students to become relevant, achieving, the four-year undergraduate degree system in Hong Kong in Chair Professor, Industrial participating members of society. As a result, our students 2012 and the opportunities it will bring. A wider view will also Engineering and Logistics Honoring the fundamental have gone out into society and shown how a HKUST be enhanced by our ongoing move toward diversity among Management contributions made in 21 broad subject categories in life sciences, education can provide the formative, all-round experience to our students, looking to draw the best talents from around Appointed Associate medicine, physical sciences, engineering and social sciences, ISI Highly generate innovative entrepreneurs and leaders in industry, the world to generate a global hub of ideas and links that will Vice-President for Cited Researchers are individuals who are the most highly cited in business and government. benefit all who study at SENG. These are our goals, and with Research and Innovation, their fields and inclusion in this list is taken as a measure of the esteem the momentum of all the people who have contributed in the The Hong Kong community has provided the foundation for HKUST of these scientific researchers and is used, for example, by the past and will do so in the future, they are ones I believe we Academic Ranking of World Universities. our student body and constantly supported us while we in ■ will achieve. Prof Lionel Ni turn have worked together with community members, from Prof Ben Letaief joins an elite club of less than half of 1% of all Chair Professor, Computer schools to industries, to let people know about the impact of published researchers in the world who are recognized among the Science and Engineering engineering and how it can move Hong Kong forward. Our 250 top and most-cited researchers in a defined discipline within a alumni have been our proud ambassadors out in the world, Appointed Dean of HKUST specific time-period. Prof Ben Letaief is a Fellow of IEEE and is while on campus we have sought to generate opportunities to Fok Ying Tung Graduate currently serving as the Vice-President of the IEEE Communications School work together with fellow members of HKUST. Society. He is also the recipient of many other international Prof Khaled Ben Letaief In SENG’s 20th Anniversary celebrations, our activities distinguished awards including the prestigious IEEE Marconi Prize Dean of Engineering Award in Wireless Communications. therefore encompass all these groups. And as this issue of In Visiting Faculty Focus shows, the events – ranging from top international ■ Prof Koon Fung Lam conferences on engineering education and the future of Wireless Project Receives Top Honor innovation to a fun day on campus for alumni and their Assistant Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular families – provide powerful recognition of what we have Engineering in MOE Natural Science Awards accomplished to date. Global interaction at the highest levels, PhD – The Hong Kong University of Science and Prof Lionel Ni, Prof Yunhao Liu and Mr Mo Li, Computer Science and community engagement, SENG family spirit, and campus Technology Engineering, received a prestigious First Class honor in the Ministry of connectivity, all are part of SENG’s sterling record of ■ Prof Matthew Law Education (MOE) Awards for Research Excellence in Natural Sciences achievement. for their cutting-edge project on “Range-free Localization and Assistant Professor, Electronic and Computer Indeed, as the largest School at HKUST, with the highest Localizability for Wireless Network and IOT: Theory and Practice”. The Engineering number of undergraduates, graduates and faculty, and the award was one of five secured by HKUST in this category, the largest most comprehensive within the PhD – The Hong Kong University of Science and number among tertiary institutions in Hong Kong. The natural science engineering field in Hong Kong, SENG Technology award targets tertiary institutions in China and recognizes those who has a pivotal role to play in raising ■ Prof Yue Wang have made discoveries in basic and applied research or explained natural awareness about the essential role phenomenon or characteristics through scientific research. Assistant Professor, Industrial Engineering and that engineers play in improving our Logistics Management Profs Ni and Liu’s wireless project led to the design of one of the lives. Our consistently high global rankings world’s earliest range-free localization and localizability systems using PhD – The Hong Kong University of Science and show that we are being successful in RFID; and found a solution to the problem of accurately obtaining Technology contributing to major achievements in the real-time object locations in field. We also want to ensure people a wireless sensor network outside the engineering field recognize and the Internet of Things. how central a role innovation and Photo Credit: Beijing-Hong Kong Academic Exchange Centre 02 03 Research Research SENG Research Excellence Awards Research Excellence Award Young Investigator Research Award Prof Qian Zhang Prof Matthew McKay The launch of the School of Engineering Research Excellence Computer Science and Engineering Electronic and Computer Engineering Awards recognizes the impact and contributions of the School’s faculty members and provides an inspiring tribute to the Prof Zhang, a PhD graduate of Prof McKay has established an world-class work being carried out at HKUST. In Focus Wuhan University and previously exceptional research record for a with Microsoft Research Asia, Beijing, junior faculty member, helping him to showcases the four inaugural winners. is internationally known for the become the first winner of this award outstanding quality of her research which recognizes the achievements of in mobile multimedia communication a rising star with potential for future Distinguished Research Excellence Award IEEE Fellow, a Fellow of the Society for Information Display and advanced wireless networking. leadership. , and an Elected Member of the Asia-Pacific Academy of Prof Hoi Sing Kwok Materials, among others. She gained early recognition for her work on resource alloca- Joining HKUST in 2007 after receiving his PhD at the University Electronic and Computer tion, streaming protocol and cross-layer QoS support for mul- of Sydney in Australia, Prof McKay is making strong contributions Engineering Research Excellence Award timedia streaming, which has been frequently cited. to the fundamental understanding and design of advanced signal Dr William MW Mong Chair processing methods for wireless communications. He has Prof Guohua Chen Prof Zhang was the first to propose