Quality Alchemist (品質煉金術師): CityU EngD Society Annual Dinner cum Prof. Bieng Chuah Retirement Celebration 2019

2019年3月30日星期六

CityU EngD Society Annual Dinner cum Prof. Bieng Chuah Retirement Celebration 2019

The CityU Engineering Doctorate (EngD) Society in the Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management (SEEM) was organized Annual Dinner cum Prof. Bieng Chuah Retirement Celebration on 30^th Mar 2019. Before the Annual Dinner and Celebration, our chairman announced the EngD Society Transformation Plan.

Our Society President - Dr. Herbert Yeung (Cohort 2004) announced that we would transform our CityU alumni association to be company limited by guarantee. We were also planning to apply charitable institutions under Chapter 88 and to locate in Science Park.

During the discussion, our Founding President - Dr. WH Fok shared the aim of EngD Society and asked us to consider another EngD program in CityU for Civil and Architectural Engineering. Dr. Yeung said we had considered and included them in our Memorandum of Association.

Prof. Kuo Way (President, CityU) arrived and gave a good new to us. EngD (Engineering Management) had located under College of Engineering. He said EngD(EM) is a great program in CityU.

Dr. Amie Lai is only lady in EngD Program. Prof. Kuo encourage us to invite more Amie to join our program.

Then we took a group photo for memory.

Dr. Bieng Chuah was invited to share this CityU live and feeling.

Then EngD Committee members presented a memory card and souvenir to Prof. Bieng Chuah for appreciating his contribution to CityU and Hong Kong.

After that all his supervised EngD students were invited to take a group photo for memory.

Prof. Alex KY Jen (Provost, Chair Professor of Chemistry and Materials Science, CityU) was invited to give speech and he said when SEEM integrated into School of Data Science, EngD Cohort found him to discuss about EngD (EM) program future on 24^th July 2018 (See reference). At that time, he knew how great of EngD (EM) program in SEEM Dept.

Key members took a photo with Provost to appreciate his recognition on EngD (EM) Program.

We were also appreciated Alumni Relations Office (ARO) support and presented a memory card to Ms. Antonia Yeung (Director, ARO).

Dr. Sunny Chai (Chairman, HKSTP) was invited to give a speech. He had supported EngD (EM) under the College of Engineering and EngD Society to be company limited by guarantee and located in Science Park.

The first guest speaker was Dr. Hongyi Sun (SEEM Dept., CityU) and his topic named “A global perspective on teaching innovation, entrepreneurship and engineering management: The Future Development of EngD”. The topic was a paper title in IEEE Engineering Management Review in 2012. He remembered he said “Tomorrow will be Better!” in 2006 because of EngD cohorts and program development at that time.

And then Dr. Sun briefed Meditation that could lead to deep rest, remove stress, gain more clarity and creativity. He quoted Steve Jobs use of Zen mindfulness meditation, Taiwan Prof. Mark Yuting Chen (陳宇廷) Awakening Science (覺醒科學), as well as, optimization of brain functioning through the transcendental meditation technique.

After that Dr. Sun said Technology make us to have better tomorrow and better life. However, commercialization of R&D to product and then entering to the market that needed to overcome the cash flow valley of death. Dr. Sun introduced Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and said university had done from TRL 0 to 3. However, commercialization need to achieve TRL 9.

From Technology Transfer (TT - trading) to Technology Commercialization (TC - application), we needed Entrepreneurship-oriented TT or TC. KTO had a key role. Finally, Dr. Sun introduced two models for EngD projects below.

PIPE: Problem, Idea, Product, Execution.

TIME: Technology, Idea, Model, Execution.

The second guest speaker was Dr. Augustine Chow and his topic entitled “The Power of Courage”. Dr. Chow quoted Cambridge Dictionary about definition of Courage that “The ability to control fear, willing to deal with something that is dangerous, difficult, or unpleasant”.

Then he introduced four levels of courage as follows:

Courage 1 – Make the first move (Walk out of your comfort zone)

Courage 2 – Embrace with your team

Courage 3 – The Trigger point

Courage 4 – How to look at “Failures”

Dr. Chow used the video named “LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM DANCING GUY” to explain the first move to be the first one to dance.

And then we done an exercise to estimate the Multiplier Effect of your team. We selected how many percentage of your courage index from 30% to 200%. After the exercise, our average is 11X%. It seems not enough, the calculation showed as follows:

- 0.7 x 0.7 x 0.7 = 0.34 “It is impossible!”

- 1 x 1 x 1 = 1 “We wish we had done it”

- 1.3 x 1.3 x 1.3 = 2.19 “We feel good”

- 1.5 x 1.5 x 1.5 = 3.37 “Wow! It is WONDERFUL”

Finally, Dr. Chow told us the trigger point through “See Things Differently”. He said we needed to be able to look at things from different angles, expect the unexpected, and making the impossible possible. He also mentioned how to look at “Failure” and said “If you’ve never failed, you’ve never tried anything new.”

I (Dr. Lotto Lai) was the third guest speaker and my topic was “Introduction of AI based on CAAI Nation Higher Education Teacher Training Course”. My talk aimed to introduced Chinese Association for Artificial Intelligence course for university lecturers and professors for higher education use and comparison with MIT online AI course and SEEM related AI module in MSc course.

Then I introduced Mainland China AI policy such as the Development Plan on the New Generation of Artificial Intelligence (新一代人工智能发展规划) issued by the State Council in 2017 and Higher Education Institute Artificial Intelligence Innovation Action Plan (高等学校人工智能创新行动计划) issued by Ministry of Education in 2018.

After briefing the overall course content among CAAI, MIT and CityU, I was range CityU SEEM in higher priority based on AI practical knowledge acquisition and CAAI in second because of broad coverage. However MIT online is only awareness on AI application and strategy in business operation but not focus on technology knowledge acquisition.

My creative thinking was the Smiling Curve of Data Science. It is my real observation through different IT and AI projects in market. The fundamental research on data science and strong AI were high value for academic. However, it is no value related to information and knowledge application in academic but highly degree of commercialization in market. Therefore, KTO would help university pushing academic to commercialization and industry needed to invest more in R&D to employ university research outcome.

Lastly, I quoted Prof. Tie-niu Tan (谭铁牛) AI prospective in his article named “The history, current status and future of artificial intelligence” (人工智能的历史、现状和未来) below:

– From specific intelligence to general intelligence development (从专用智能向通用智能发展)

– From artificial intelligence to human-machine hybrid intelligence development (从人工智能向人机混合智能发展)

– From “Artificial + Intelligence" to the development of Autonomous Intelligent Systems (从“人工+智能”向自主智能系统发展)

– AI will accelerate cross-penetration with other discipline area (人工智能将加速与其他学科领域交叉渗透)

– The AI industry will flourish. (人工智能产业将蓬勃发展)

– AI will promote humanity into the inclusive intelligent society (人工智能将推动人类进入普惠型智能社会)

– International competition in the field of AI will increase fiercely (人工智能领域的国际竞争将日益激烈)

– The sociology of AI will be put on the agenda (人工智能的社会学将提上议程)

Dr. TW Liu was the last guest speaker and his topic named “Bridging the Simulation Lab and the Real World”. Firstly, Dr. Liu asked us to do exercise to bridge driving cars in GBA. The result was like Prof. Bieng Chuah’s souvenir – infinite shape.

Using the same idea, Dr. Liu demonstrated how to simulating and modeling the real world. He said using computer simulation needed only a second for this travelling.

Finally, Dr. Liu showed different simulation activities with students such as IP Management Practicing Session, Optional Self-practicing Session, and IP Management Competition, etc.

At the end, Dr. Walter Fung appreciated Dr. Liu effort and they were partner to practice this program in the Computer Science Dept., PolyU.

Dr. Herbert Yeung presented Certificate of Appreciation to all guest speakers.

Dr. Arunkumar Subramanian was invited to share his feeling in EngD study. He had graduated in last year and he was very great to join CityU family. He think the course was great and we had a strong industry connection to perform a good perform for engineering management.