Dr Wei Pan of the Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong (HKU), has been awarded "Distinguished Young Investigator of China Frontiers of Engineering" by the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) at the 2019 China-America Frontiers of Engineering (CAFOE) Symposium held in San Diego, California, USA from June 20 to 22, 2019.
The CAFOE Symposium was jointly organised by the CAE and the US National Academy of Engineering. Through participation in the 6th China Youth Symposium of Frontiers of Engineering by CAE last December, Dr Pan was selected, together with a group of distinguished young engineers, to represent China to take part in the CAFOE Symposium, in which 60 of the most promising young engineers from China and the US were invited to attend.
The CAFOE Symposium aimed to facilitate international and cross-disciplinary research collaborations, promote the transfer of new techniques and approaches across disparate engineering fields, and encourage the creation of a transpacific network of world-class engineers. It provides valuable opportunities for participants to exchange ideas and explore on the developments at the cutting-edge engineering technologies in four areas: Frontiers of Neuroengineering for Restoring Human Sensory and Motor Functions, Smart Cities, 5G Wireless Communication Technology, and New Materials.
At the Symposium, Dr Pan delivered a presentation entitled "Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) for Smart City". MiC is regarded as a disruptive solution to innovate construction for enhanced quality, productivity, safety and sustainability of delivered buildings and facilities and Dr Pan's team is one of the leaders in MiC research in the world.
Dr Pan Wei said, "The opportunity of pursuing this award was first brought in by the President and Vice Chancellor of HKU, Professor Zhang Xiang and with the great support from the Dean of Engineering Professor Christopher Chao and the Head of Civil Engineering Professor Francis Au. I am most grateful to them for their support in this wonderful opportunity!"