Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Infobox University
name = The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

---

motto = To learn and to apply, for the benefit of mankind
established = 1937 as the Government Trade School
type = Public
university President = Prof. Chung-Kwong Poon
city = Hung Hom
state = Kowloon
country = Hong Kong
students = UGC-funded: 14,703
Total: 28,529 [http://www.polyu.edu.hk/cpa/polyu/the_university/studentgrad_e.php]
website = www.polyu.edu.hk [http://www.polyu.edu.hk/] |

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU, zh-t|t=香港理工大學) is a university with a proud and illustrious history. It has pioneered the provision of professional education in Hong Kong. Over the past decades, the Institution has inspired generations of young people who are applying their knowledge for the benefit of society, and has made longstanding contributions to the development of Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland.

The University’s teaching units are grouped under six faculties and two schools, namely, the Faculty of Applied Science and Textiles, Faculty of Business, Faculty of Communication (will be renamed as Faculty of Humanities in 2008/09 academic year), Faculty of Construction and Land Use, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, School of Design, and School of Hotel and Tourism Management.

The University is the sole provider of full-time degree or higher diploma programmes in Hong Kong in the following areas: design, engineering physics, fashion and textiles, geomatics, international shipping and transport logistics, medical laboratory science, optometry, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and radiography. Apart from nurturing professional talents for society, PolyU makes significant contributions to the economy with its expanding range of consultancy, professional training and research services. Through these activities, the University maintains strong partnership with the business and industrial sectors.

The current President of the University is Prof. Chung-Kwong Poon.

History

The origins of this Institution can be traced back to 1937 with the founding of the Government Trade School. Situated in Wood Road, Wanchai, the School was the first publicly funded, post-secondary technical institution in Hong Kong.

After World War II, the School became the Hong Kong Technical College in 1947, offering both full-time and part-time courses. The year 1957 saw the opening of the new premises of the College in Hung Hom.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic was formally established on 1 August 1972, taking over the campus and staff of the Hong Kong Technical College. Its mandate was to provide professionally-oriented education in meeting the community's need for professional manpower.

Having gained approval from the University and Polytechnic Grants Committee for self-accreditation of degree programmes, the Institution assumed full university status on 25 November 1994, changing its name to The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Today, PolyU is a fully-fledged institution of higher learning and offers more than 130 postgraduate, undergraduate and sub-degree programmes, supported by more than 1,000 academic and research staff members from different parts of the world.

Achievements

Excellence in civil engineering research

According to a survey conducted by Thomson Scientific in 2006, an established authority in compiling [http://scientific.thomson.com/webofknowledge/aboutwok2.html Science Citation Index] , PolyU has been ranked number one in the world on the number of papers published in leading journals from 2003 to 2005 in the field of civil engineering.

World-class hospitality education

PolyU's [http://jht.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/29/3/356.pdf School of Hotel and Tourism Management] was rated fourth best in the world, according to a study released in the international [http://www.sagepub.com/journalsProdDesc.nav?prodId=Journal200848 Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research] in August 2005, the only non-US based institution on the top-five list. Besides, the School was the recipient of 2003 Institutional Achievement Award from International Society of Travel and Tourism Educators for innovation and contribution to the field of tourism education.

Design school rated among top in the world

Surveys by the US magazine BusinessWeek in 2006 showed that PolyU's [http://bwnt.businessweek.com/dschools/2006/ School of Design] ranked among the top 60 in the world and among the ten best in Asia.

Faculty of Business ranked among the top 100 business schools

PolyU's Graduate School of Business is ranked [http://somweb.utdallas.edu/top100Ranking/searchRanking.php?t=w 78th in a worldwide ranking] of business schools conducted by the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) in the US. The ranking was based on the research contributions of staff to leading business journals during 2003-2007.

Finance research ranked among the top in the Asia-Pacific region

The research output of PolyU's School of Accounting and Finance has been [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VFF-4GD4SF2-1&_user=720495&_handle=V-WA-A-W-Y-MsSAYVA-UUA-U-AAVYVWZBVD-AAVZUUDAVD-YAEBCAUYB-Y-U&_fmt=summary&_coverDate=11%2F30%2F2005&_rdoc=7&_orig=browse&_srch=%23toc%236009%232005%23999869994%23607975%21&_cdi=6009&view=c&_acct=C000040218&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=720495&md5=8b5e79f9dd099823127bc504c627ab17 ranked second] in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the November 2005 issue of the [http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/523619/description#description Pacific-Basin Finance Journal] . The ranking was based on the research contributions of staff to leading finance journals during 2000-2004.

Among Asia's best in Operations Research and Management Science

According to a recent study published in the Asia-Pacific Journal of Operational Research in 2008, PolyU ranks as the fourth most productive institution among all Asian countries in publishing research papers in the area of Operations Research and Management Science, topping other universities in Hong Kong.

Teaching excellence in Building Services Engineering Department of Building Services Engineering has been honoured with the Happold Brilliant Award for Excellence in Teaching 2005/06 by the UK-based Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers, in recognition of its contributions to the education and research in the field.

New drug for liver cancer

PolyU researchers have successfully developed a new drug to cure liver cancer. This breakthrough has not only won a Special Gold Award in the 33rd International Exhibition of Inventions, New Techniques and Products of Geneva in April 2005, but also gives a ray of hope for liver cancer patients. The new drug, BCT-100, is the first drug developed in Hong Kong that has been able to come to the stage of clinical trial. This achievement is an important milestone in the development of bio-technology and pharmaceutical industry in Hong Kong.

Development of space tools

Mars Rock Corer, a rock sampling tool jointly developed by leading PolyU engineers and a local dentist, became the first Chinese made instrument launched to space in a European Space Agency spacecraft, Beagle2 Lander, for Mars exploration on 3 June 2003. In March 2007, following the signing of space collaboration agreement between China and Russia, scientists at PolyU started to develop another sophisticated space tool, known as the Soil Preparation System, for a mission to Phobos, one of the two moons of Mars, onboard a Russian spacecraft. These space tools were critically important to help unlock the mystery of exobiology on Mars.

Lunar mission

The University signed a collaborative agreement with the Lunar Exploration Programme Centre of China National Space Administration (CNSA) on 27 April 2006 to nurture talents and foster academic exchange and research collaboration in support of the lunar exploration projects. At the invitation of CNSA, PolyU's Institute of Textiles and Clothing has designed anti-static work clothes for CNSA staff at the Control Centre during China's space mission.

Partner in research and technology development for the 2008 Beijing Olympics

With the expertise available in the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, PolyU has been designated as a collaborative partner of the Chinese Olympic Committee in preparation for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and has sent forth experts to prepare national athletes for the Olympics.

The first and only one Confucius Institute in Hong Kong

The Confucius Institute of Hong Kong was officially inaugurated on 12 May 2006. PolyU was authorized by the China National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language to set up and run the first and only Confucius Institute in Hong Kong to further promote Chinese language and culture in the territory.

The first Hong Kong R&D centre for textile and clothing

Financed by the Innovation and Technology Fund, the first Hong Kong R&D Centre for Textile and Clothing was set up at the Institute of Textiles and Clothing in 2006. The Centre will undertake industry-oriented research in technologies for the Pearl River Delta Region, and provide support and solutions that are tailored for the specific requirements of the industry.

World-records achiever

PolyU members and supporters have set two new records—forming the Largest Human National Flag in celebration of the University's 70th anniversary and HKSAR's 10th anniversary in 2007, and the Largest Human Rainbow in celebration of the University's 65th anniversary in 2002—which have been officially recognized by the Guinness World Records.

Faculties and Schools

* Faculty of Applied Science and Textiles
**Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology
**Department of Applied Mathematics
**Department of Applied Physics
**Institute of Textiles and Clothing
* Faculty of Business
**Graduate School of Business
**School of Accounting and Finance
**Department of Logistics (will be renamed as Department of Logistics and Maritime Studies starting from 2008/09 academic year)
**Department of Management and Marketing
* Faculty of Communication (will be renamed as Faculty of Humanities starting from 2008/09 academic year)
** Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies
***(incorporating Chinese Language Centre)
**Department of English
**Department of Chinese Culture (will be established in 2008/09 academic year)
**English Language Centre
**General Education Centre
* Faculty of Construction and Land Use
**Department of Building and Real Estate
**Department of Building Services Engineering
**Department of Civil and Structural Engineering
**Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics
* Faculty of Engineering
**Department of Computing
**Department of Electrical Engineering
**Department of Electronic and Information Engineering
**Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
**Department of Mechanical Engineering
* Faculty of Health and Social Sciences
** Department of Applied Social Sciences
**Department of Health Technology and Informatics
**Department of Rehabilitation Sciences
**School of Nursing
**School of Optometry
* School of Design
* School of Hotel and Tourism Management

tudent life

Big Mouth Corner (BMC)

The Big Mouth Corner, first started in 2002 following the success of its predecessor the Chat Point, is a weekly English conversation forum organised by the English Club of the University. Local students and young native English speakers (who serve as English facilitators) participate in the BMC. As of May 2005, over 1,000 PolyU students have joined this activity.

PolyU International Film Society (PIFS)

PIFS is a student society run by the English Language Centre. It screens up to 5 movies each semester with an objective to show a range of movies from around the World. Recent movies shown had included 'The Motorcycle Diaries' when the Hong Kong Legislative Councillor Leung Kwok Hung was a guest speaker. [http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/filmsociety/06-07sem2/PIFS_7th_Ceremony_2007.wmv] PIFS has also started its own [http://pifs-06-07.blogspot.com/ blog] .

Notable alumni

See also

* Education in Hong Kong
* List of universities in Hong Kong
* List of buildings and structures in Hong Kong
* Sunwah - PearL Linux

External links

* [http://www.polyu.edu.hk/ PolyU website]
* [http://polyu.6dxy.com/ 3D map ]