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HKUST 2015-2016 Annual Report
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Gas Flow Computation
Mathematical formulation of gas dynamics is mainly
categorized through the Boltzmann equation for
micro-scale description of particle transport and
collision and Navier-Stokes equations for macro-scale
description of wave propagation. However, there has
been a lack of reliable governing equations between
these two scales. Prof Kun Xu (Mathematics) and his
team have now developed a methodology for the
study of gas flow in all flow regimes, using cell size and
time step as modeling scales to construct numerical
governing equations and developing a unified gas
kinetic scheme (UGKS) for flow regimes. UGKS has
been applied to the study of near space flight and is
set to have a great impact on aerospace applications.
The direct modeling methodology has also been
successfully used in the development of numerical
algorithms for radiative transport and plasma.
The research has been published in the Journal
of Computational Physics, Communications in
Computational Physics and Physics of Fluids.
Lasers on Silicon
Prof Kei May Lau (Electronic and Computer
Engineering) and her group, in collaboration with
researchers from University of California, Santa
Barbara, Sandia National Laboratories and Harvard
University, were able to fabricate tiny lasers directly
on silicon, providing a significant breakthrough
for the semiconductor/photonics sector. Putting
lasers on microprocessors can potentially boost
their capabilities and allows them to run at much
lower power, a large step toward photonics and
electronics integration on a silicon platform. The
breakthrough is ideally suited for high-speed
data communications. The work was published
in Applied Physics Letters and reported in a press
release by the American Institute of Physics.
Facilitating Façade Design
in Architecture
Modern buildings have complex shapes that are
expensive to fabricate. Recent developments in
computational geometry and computer-aided design
can help to dramatically reduce the time and cost
risks associated with construction of such buildings.
Prof Ajay Joneja (Industrial Engineering and Logistics
Management) is leading a research team to develop
an integrated CAD/CAM platform for building
information modeling (BIM) to support façade
design for manufacturing and assembly (DFMA). The
developed tools will be complementary to state-of-
the-art commercial software systems currently in use in
architecture engineering and construction. The project
is supported by the Innovation and Technology Fund.
Walking on Air
Adjunct Prof Neville Lee (Industrial Engineering
and Logistics Management) and three of the
department’s alumni invented “Super Air Cooled
Shoes”, using a patented Aersoothe air-cooling
technology that can circulate 100 cans of air after
walking for just 10-15 minutes. With the bending-
actuated pumping system at the bottom of the
shoes, the technology offers up to 50 times more
air flow by pumping heat and water vapor out of
shoes, at the same time preserving regular walking
comfort and stability. The shoes can also alleviate
many humidity or heat-related foot ailments, such
as sweaty feet and athlete’s foot.
Step Toward HCV and HIV Vaccines
Prof Matthew McKay (Electronics & Computer
Engineering and Biomedical Engineering) led his
team to breakthrough discoveries in predicting
groups of sites with biochemical and immunological
significance in multiple hepatitis C virus (HCV) and
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) proteins, which
have potential applications in designing efficient
vaccines for these two deadly viruses. The research on
HCV has been published in the Journal of Virology.
Relieving Hong Kong
Marine Hypoxia
Eutrophication/hypoxia in Hong Kong waters is
essentially the ecosystem’s response to the increasing
nutrient discharge from the Pearl River and local
sewage effluent. Prof Jianping Gan (Environment and
Mathematics) was awarded a Theme-based Research
Grant of HK$36 million from the University Grants
Committee for research to identify factors driving
the increase in eutrophication and hypoxia, and to
provide analytical tools and a scientifically based
strategy for stabilizing or even reversing them. The
study also seeks to ensure the overall sustainability
of the marine environment in Hong Kong.
Light Sheet Microscopy
Technology Shines
Prof Shengwang Du (Physics and Biomedical
Engineering), together with other researchers,
invented a simple, efficient and low-cost method
for producing ultrathin Bessel (“non-diffracting”)
light sheets to obtain long-term and high-
resolution live cell imaging without damaging
the samples. The method represents a huge
advance for fluorescence microscopy as it results
in extremely low phototoxicity (~1/1000) compared
to a confocal microscope. Startup company Light
Innovation Technology (LIT) Ltd was set up to
commercialize the invention.
