PAIR Distinguished Lecture Series
PolyU OER CollectionsA collection of distinguished lectures orgnaised by the PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research
Works (29)
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Video
A rapidly expanding research area involves the development of routes to shape programmable three-dimensional (3D) structures with feature sizes in the mesoscopic range (that is, between tens of nanometres and hundreds of micrometres). A goal is to establish methods to control the properties of materials systems and the function of devices, through not only static architectures, but also morphable structures and shape-shifting processes. Soft matter equipped with responsive components can switch between designed shapes, but cannot support the types of dynamic morphing capabilities needed to reproduce continuous shape-shifting processes of interest for many applications. Challenges lie in the establishment of 3D assembly/fabrication techniques compatible with wide classes of materials and 3D geometries, and schemes to program target shapes after fabrication.
In this talk, Prof. HUANG Yonggang will introduce a mechanics-guided assembly approach that exploits controlled buckling for constructing complex 3D micro/nanostructures from patterned two-dimensional (2D) micro/nanoscale precursors that can be easily formed using established semiconductor technologies. This approach applies to a very broad set of materials (e.g., semiconductors, polymers, metals, and ceramics) and even their heterogeneous integration, over a wide range of length scales (e.g., from 100 nm to 10 cm). To allow realisation of 3D mesostructures that are capable of qualitative shape reconfiguration, Prof. HUANG devises a loading-path controlled strategy that relies on elastomer platforms deformed in different time sequences to elastically alter the 3D geometries of supported mesostructures via nonlinear buckling. Prof. HUANG will also introduce a recent work on shape programmable soft surface, constructed from a matrix of filamentary metal traces, driven by programmable, distributed electromagnetic forces that follow from the passage of electrical currents in the presence of a static magnetic field. Under the guidance of a mechanics model-based strategy to solve the inverse problem, the surface can morph into a wide range of 3D target shapes and shape-shifting processes. The compatibility of these approaches with the state-of-the-art fabrication/processing techniques, along with the versatile capabilities, allow transformation of diverse existing 2D microsystems into complex configurations, providing unusual design options in the development of novel functional devices.
Event date: 08/08/2024
Speaker: Prof. HUANG Yonggang (Northwestern University)
Hosted by: PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research
- Keywords:
- Buckling (Mechanics) Materials science Elastomers Microstructure
- Resource Type:
- Video
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Video
Prof. Alex MIHAILIDIS, Associate Vice President of International Partnerships at the University of Toronto delivered the 19th PAIR Distinguished Lecture titled “The Future of Elder Care: Integrating Large Language Models” on 26 April 2024. The lecture attracted about 100 participants to join in person and captivated an online viewing audience of over 14,100 from different countries and regions to watch the live broadcast on multiple social media platforms, including Bilibili, WeChat, Weibo, YouTube, etc.
The lecture commenced with a welcome speech and speaker introduction by Prof. ZHENG Yongping, Director of the Research Institute for Smart Ageing (RISA), followed by an engaging presentation by Prof. Mihailidis. The content materials used in Prof. Mihailidis’s presentation were generated by ChatGPT, while he added the narrative.
In his presentation, Prof. Mihailidis first played several videos created by artificial intelligence (AI) to introduce what LLM is, how it can support elderly care services, some drawbacks of using LLM, and its future development. He supplemented that LLMs are advanced AI systems capable of understanding and generating human-like texts, as well as visual outputs and models that can respond to or interact with users. Next, Prof. Mihailidis outlined the specific benefits of using LLMs in elderly care, including the support tools and resources they offer to caregivers. He then delved into the ethical considerations and challenges in LLM design, such as privacy concerns, the risk of over-dependence on technology, and the barriers to technology adoption by older adults and their caregivers. To conclude, Prof. Mihailidis emphasised the role of empathetic and emotionally-intuitive AI in enhancing the quality of life for the elderly and supporting the caregiving ecosystem.
Following the presentation was a lively and insightful question-and-answer session moderated by Ir Prof. Zheng. The audience had a fruitful discussion with Prof. Mihailidis. A souvenir was presented by Prof. CHEN Qingyan, Director of PAIR, to thank Prof. Mihailidis for his excellent presentation and support to PAIR.
Event date: 26/04/2024
Speaker: Prof. Alex MIHAILIDIS (University of Toronto)
Hosted by: PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research
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Video
The lecture commenced with a welcome speech and speaker introduction by Prof. CHEN Qingyan, Director of PAIR, followed by a presentation by Prof. Cui. He first shared his scientific journey by reminiscing about the old days when he moved abroad to develop an academic career after graduating in China and gradually became a highly successful scientist. Next, he explained the importance of interdisciplinary research and shared how the combination of medical science and engineering enables the development of health technologies such as imaging, keyhole surgery, in vitro diagnostics, in vitro fertilisation, etc. Prof. Cui emphasised that scientists are to “discover” and find out “how a thing happens” whereas engineers are to “create” and “make things happen”. He then gave some advice on how to do well in interdisciplinary research and shared some innovations in microbioreactor and point-of-care testing developed by him and his team which has achieved great success in research commercialisation and made significant contributions to drug discovery and public health. To conclude, Prof. Cui shared that scientific success is based on many factors, including team, facilities, timing, luck, etc., and encouraged the next generation of engineers and scientists to consider a career in biomedical engineering, an exciting and rewarding domain.
Following the lecture, a lively and insightful question-and-answer session was moderated by Ir Prof. ZHANG Ming, Director of the Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports), Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Chair Professor of Biomechanics. The audience had fruitful discussions with Prof. Cui.
Event date: 23/04/2024
Speaker: Prof. Zhanfeng CUI (University of Oxford)
Hosted by: PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research
- Keywords:
- Interdisciplinary research Interdisciplinary approach in education
- Resource Type:
- Video
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Video
The lecture commenced with a welcome speech and speaker introduction by Prof. WANG Zuankai, Associate Vice President (Research and Innovation). In his presentation, Prof. Chen first gave a brief introduction to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as the SDG monitoring practices in Mainland China. He pointed out that the Nation has adopted the high quality sustainable development concept, which emphasises harmonising the social, economic and environmental aspects in national development. Next, he elaborated on a pilot project that he led to measure Deqing County’s progress towards SDGs using geospatial and statistical information. The project was selected by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs as one of the first 16 good SDGs’ practices in 2020. After that, Prof. Chen shared that the achievement of sustainable development requires holistic and systematic research to build a digital governance system that can provide the basis for the scientific and orderly development of national territorial space. He also explained how territorial space sustainability studies can help unveil and analyse various patterns, such as the distributions of population, enterprises and public service facilities, and the relationships between them. To conclude, Prof. Chen introduced the national program on the development of the Realistic Geospatial Landscape Model (3dRGLm), which can generate digital description and representation of the real 3D geospatial spaces. This new geographic information system can support the Nation in achieving natural resources management and high quality sustainable development.
A question-and-answer session moderated by Prof. DING Xiaoli, Director of the Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS) and Prof. WENG Qihao, Associate Director of RILS, followed. The online and on-site audience engaged in a productive discussion with Prof. Chen.
Event date: 27/03/2024
Speaker: Prof. Jun CHEN (National Geomatics Center of China)
Hosted by: PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research
- Keywords:
- Sustainable development Geospatial data China Sustainable Development Goals Geographic information systems
- Resource Type:
- Video
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Video
The lecture commenced with a welcome speech and speaker introduction by Ir Prof. MAN Hau-chung, Dean of Faculty of Engineering and Director of the Research Institute for Advanced Manufacturing (RIAM). In Prof. Lin presentation, he primarily indicated the increasing global requirements for reducing energy use and carbon dioxide emission of transportation vehicles, lightweight passenger cars have become an inevitable trend. Ultra-high strength steel (UHSS) can save the production cost of vehicles, improve productivity and car performance. Next, he introduced the “HFQ®-Technology” developed by his team in recent years that has enabled high strength alloys to be stamped into complex-shaped automotive components. He outlined the use of thermomechanical experimental tests for generating high quality data for modelling, and the use of spatio-temporal method for determining necking and fracture strains of sheet metals. He also explained the computational steps for evaluating the formability of sheet metals under hot stamping. To conclude, Prof. Lin emphasised that improvements in experimental sciences, technologies and standardised testing are important for supporting the development of new materials processing technologies.
Event date: 09/04/2024
Speaker: Prof. LIN Jianguo (Imperial College London)
Hosted by: PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research
- Keywords:
- Automobiles -- Materials Steel High strength Automobile industry trade
- Resource Type:
- Video
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Video
The lecture commenced with a welcome speech by Prof. CHEN Qingyan, Director of PAIR, followed by a brief speaker introduction by Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation).
In his presentation, Prof. Brilakis first gave a brief introduction to digital twins (DT), pointing out that DT plays a central role in digital transformation. Next, he elaborated on the application of DT in the construction industry and explained how DT is involved in the planning, design, construction, maintenance and operation processes. He introduced research conducted at the University of Cambridge on inexpensive methods for generating object-oriented infrastructure geometry, detecting, and mapping visible defects on the resulting DT, automatically extracting defect spatial measurements, and sensor and sensor data modelling. Prof. Brilakis also provided examples of how these resulting DT are further exploited in design for manufacturing and assembly (DfMA), mixed-reality-enabled mobile inspection, and proactive asset protection from accidental damage. To conclude, Prof. Brilakis stated that DT, smart materials, data science, and automation & bobotics, constitute important digital assets for driving sustainability, and pointed out the future development directions in these areas.
A question-and-answer session moderated by Prof. DING Xiaoli, Director of the Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS), and Prof. WANG Yuhong, Member of RILS, followed. This session provided both the online and on-site audience with an opportunity to engage in a fruitful discussion with Prof. Brilakis.
Event date: 08/03/2024
Speaker: Prof. Ioannis BRILAKIS (University of Cambridge)
Hosted by: PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research
- Subjects:
- Technology
- Keywords:
- Construction industry Digital twins (Computer simulation) Buildings -- Computer-aided design
- Resource Type:
- Video
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Video
In the lecture, Prof. Batty gave an overview of the development of the science of cities in the last 50 years. Drawing on the system approach and complex theory, he explained that urban science involves top-down and bottom-up thinking; it is a systematic, complex and evolving discipline built on knowledge in social physics, economics, transportation and numerous scientific methods that yield theories. He illustrated this with city morphology examples from the UK and the Greater Bay Areas (GBA) generated by large-scale computer models. At the end of the lecture, Prof. Batty described some challenges with fractal geometry, size and scaling, networks, and building models currently faced by the field, and he suggested the way forward for the discipline.
Event date: 01/09/2023
Speaker: Prof. Michael Batty
Hosted by: PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research
- Subjects:
- Building and Real Estate
- Keywords:
- City planning City planning -- Data processing
- Resource Type:
- Video
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Video
In the lecture, Prof. Lao will introduce his 30 years of experience in acupuncture research and share his witness in the United States from exploration in early years to the accessibility in the current healthcare system. Prof. Lao will also share his opinion on the challenges and difficulties in acupuncture clinical research.
Event date: 8/12/2023
Speaker: Prof. LAO Lixing
Hosted by: PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research
- Subjects:
- Health Sciences
- Keywords:
- United States Acupuncture
- Resource Type:
- Video
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Video
Smaller, faster-charging batteries are the answer for affordable and sustainable electric vehicles (EVs) for everyone, everywhere. The ability to quickly refill energy is profoundly important in order to reduce EV cost and demand for critical minerals. In this talk I will present asymmetric temperature modulation (ATM) approach to enabling 10-minute fast charging of energy-dense Li-ion batteries in any temperatures (even at -60°C) while still delivering remarkable cycle life. Recent disastrous events at EV charging stations caused by an arctic blast in Chicago will be given as an example of the dire need for quick energy refill in the extreme cold. Battery fast charging must also work in hot summers along with high-temperature stability of cycling and storage. We shall present novel thermal management concepts for extreme fast charging in both extreme cold and hot conditions. Overall, our development points to a new paradigm of battery design and thermal management without having to trade-off among fast charge, safety, lifetime, and cost.
Event date: 27/02/2024
Speaker: Prof. WANG Chao-Yang
Hosted by: PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research
- Subjects:
- Electrical Engineering
- Keywords:
- Lithium ion batteries Electric vehicles -- Batteries
- Resource Type:
- Video
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Video
The lecture commenced with a warm welcome address by Prof. CHEN Qingyan, Director of PAIR, followed by a brief speaker introduction by Prof. WANG Zuankai, Associate Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU. In his presentation, Prof. Yang highlighted that urgent need for tissue/organ biomanufacturing owing to the shortage of donation for organ transplantation. He pointed out some challenges in the in vitro manufacturing of tissues/organs, particularly in relation to accurate design, precise fabrication, and functional induction, which underscore the imperative need for new methods for tissue/organ manufacturing. Next, Prof. Yang outlined the development roadmap of biomanufacturing and shared specific examples demonstrating the research progress in 3D bioprinting. In concluding his presentation, Prof. Yang shared his insights on the future direction for biomanufacturing, as well as some significant accomplishments by him and his team at Zhejiang University in the field.
A question-and-answer session moderated by Prof. Wang was followed. Both the online and on-site audience had a fruitful discussion with Prof. Yang.
Event date: 2/1/2024
Speaker: Prof. Huayong Yang (Zhejiang University)
Moderator: Prof. Zuankai Wang (Hong Kong Polytechnic University)
Hosted by: PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research
- Subjects:
- Biomedical Engineering and Biology
- Keywords:
- Biomedical engineering Tissue engineering Regenerative medicine Three-dimensional printing
- Resource Type:
- Video
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