HKUST Annual Report 2019-2020

HKUST faculty members race against time to deliver multiple technologies and give insights to address COVID-19’s impact as the crisis has evolved, and proactively assist prevention, mitigation, and protection to people in Hong Kong and globally. FIGHTING COVID-19 CHECK Smart fever screening system: Prof. Richard SO (Industrial Engineering and Decision Analytics) combined artificial intelligence, real-time tracking of faces, and decision analytics to detect virus carriers at Hong Kong International Airport and other major border points. TEST Portable diagnostic device: using the latest microfluidic chip technology, Prof. WEN Weijia (Physics) built the world’s fastest portable COVID-19 detector by the time it was launched, reducing the time needed to reliably detect carriers to 40 minutes. It was deployed in Hong Kong, Mainland China, and overseas. FEB 2020 MAR 2020 STUDY Impact of mask-wearing: Prof. De Kai (Computer Science and Engineering) co-led an international interdisciplinary team in developing theoretical models predicting the impact of mask-wearing over time, finding universal mask-wearing plays a major role in suppressing the spread or second wave of the virus. STUDY SARS-CoV-2 transmission mechanism: An aerodynamic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 in two hospitals in Wuhan, Mainland China, by Prof. NING Zhi (Environment and Sustainability), focused on understanding the mechanism of its airborne transmission. Based on findings, the study documented the first real-world evidences of the existence of SARS-CoV-2 in aerosol, and provided scientific support to reduce risk of exposure to the virus. APR 2020 MAY 2020 JUN 2020 IDENTIFY Vaccine target recommendations: Prof. Matthew MCKAY (Electronic and Computer Engineering) and his research team shed light on vaccine targets for SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and created a first-of-its-kind web- based platform (COVIDep .ust.hk) for real-time reporting of immune target recommendations for guiding vaccine development. TRACK Quarantine compliance: Prof. Gary CHAN (Computer Science and Engineering) developed an automated geo-fencing technology which, when turned into a mobile app and paired with an electronic Bluetooth wristband worn by a quarantined person, could tell whether the quarantine order was being adhered to and alert the authorities if not. MITIGATE Driverless vehicles: autonomous vehicles designed by Prof. LIU Ming (Electronic and Computer Engineering) and equipped with all-terrain 3D mapping and large-scale visual and sensor navigation reduced human exposure by delivering food and supplies during lockdowns in Mainland China. DISINFECT Super-effective sanitizer: Prof. YEUNG King-Lun (Chemical and Biological Engineering) and Prof. Joseph KWAN Kai- Cho (Environment and Sustainability) rolled out their non- toxic and environmentally-friendly antimicrobial coating that can kill 99.9% of bacteria and viruses within a minute by killing them on contact and preventing them from colonizing surfaces. It has been used to protect schools, elderly homes, government buildings, among other venues, in Hong Kong. SEARCH Staying informed: Prof. Pascale FUNG (Electronic and Computer Engineering) led a team of postgraduates and software engineers to build a machine learning-based system with natural language processing question-answering techniques and summarization capabilities for mining scientific literature on COVID-19, helping the medical community find answers to COVID-related enquiries. HKUST ANNUAL REPORT 2019-2020 27 26 Lab to Market