T he po s t g r adua t e e du c a t i on
experience also advanced with the
launch of the Professional Development
in Engineering course to enhance research
students’ professional skills, research ethics
and entrepreneurship.
The School once again excelled in drawing top
doctoral applicants from around the world through
the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme. A record 42
engineering awardees will start studying at HKUST in
Fall 2014. Proactive international recruitment during
the year brought the overall international intake
to 17% for research postgraduates and 11.6% for taught
postgraduates in the new academic year.
In memory of the late Prof Wilson Tang, Head of
Civil and Environmental Engineering (1996-2002)
and a globally renowned researcher and educator,
the Prof Wilson Tang Memorial Fund awarded a
series of scholarships and awards to undergraduates
and postgraduates for outstanding achievement and
student exchanges.
DRIVING RESEARCH EXCELLENCE
The Department of Mechanical Engineering changed its
name to the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace
Engineering. Three projects related to aviation/aerospace
undertaken in collaboration with the Aviation Industry
Corporation of China received over $15 million from
Innovation and Technology Fund.
Strategic partnerships were developed with the
California Institute of Technology, the University of
Southern California and École Polytechnique Fédérale de
Lausanne under the University’s Sponsorship Scheme for
Targeted Strategic Partnerships. Workshops on big data
applications, computer and communication sciences,
and 3D printing were subsequently organized.
In September 2013, the prestigious Partner State Key
Laboratory on Advanced Displays and Optoelectronics
Technologies, housed at the School and established in
collaboration with Sun Yat-Sen University, was launched.
In March 2014, the HKUST Energy Institute was opened.
The School’s academics will play a key role in areas such
as solar cells, fuel cells, solid state lighting and thermal
energy technologies.
FORGING TIES WITH INDUSTRY
The HKUST-Qualcomm Joint Innovation and Research
Laboratory, focused on next-generation internet
infrastructure, was launched. During the year, HKUST
also signed an agreement with Deutsche Telekom (DT)
to establish the HKUST-DT System and Media Lab for
mobile system and media research.
The Center for Industry Engagement & Internship
continued to foster connections between students and
the world of business. At the Industrial Forum 2014 on
campus, engineering students were introduced to the
opportunities in hi-tech small and medium-sized firms in
Hong Kong. Off-campus, the School’s student, faculty
and alumni innovations were showcased at the HKIE Hi-
Tech Fiesta.
A total of 23 projects were chosen for the inaugural year
of the Ford-HKUST Conservation and Environmental
Research Grants Program for Master of Science
engineering students, with research funding totaling $1
million. Postgraduate student visits to major companies
such as the MTR Corporation, Cathay Pacific, and
Tencent were also arranged.
SERVING THE COMMUNITY
The Center for Global & Community Engagement
strengthened the School’s presence in a range of
activities with NGOs, tertiary institutions, professional
institutes and the government. GCE also encourages
students to participate in numerous international
competitions, enrichment activities, in addition to
establishing connections with professional institutions.
Center for Engineering Education Innovation further
fosters community spirit and leadership, a designated
space devoted to leadership and service leadership has
been created in the School’s Engineering Commons. The
Professional Leader’s Focus area uses customized slide
shows, videos and other resources to promote concepts
of service leadership. The “Leadership in Engineers”
e-newsletter was also launched in May 2014.
29
HKUST 2013-2014 Annual Report
