UM members participate in fifth American Society of Civil Engineers – International Student Group Greater China Student Conference
澳大師生參加土木工程師交流年會

Prof Er Guokang and five students from the University of Macau (UM) Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering recently participated in the fifth American Society of Civil Engineers–International Student Group (ASCE-ISG) Greater China Student Conference, which was held at Southwest Jiaotong University in Chengdu, China. During the event, UM students exchanged ideas with their counterparts from other universities. The trip broadened the students’ horizons, increased their knowledge in civil engineering, and helped them build friendships with other students.

Organised by Southwest Jiaotong University, the event attracted representatives from 11 universities, including Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, UM, Tongji University, Chongqing University, Hohai University, Zhejiang University, Dalian University of Technology, Southeast University, China University of Mining and Technology, and the Harbin Institute of Technology. During the event, Kelvin Tsang, president of the ASCE Hong Kong Section Board of Direction, gave an opening speech. The representatives of different universities then gave brief presentations on the ASCE’s student chapters at their universities, including the chapters’ daily operation, past activities, and future plans, in order to learn from each other’s experience. According to them, the student chapters aim to recruit more civil engineering students to ensure the chapters’ sustainable development.

UM students also visited the various facilities on the campus of Southwest Jiaotong University, including the National Engineering Laboratory for Technology of Geotechnical Disaster Prevention in Land Transportation, the Key Laboratory of Wind Tunnel Engineering, and the Experimental Teaching Center of Civil Engineering. The XNJD-3 wind tunnel in the Key Laboratory of Wind Tunnel Engineering left a particularly deep impression on the students. The experiment for the Çanakkale 1915 Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the world, was conducted in this tunnel. The construction of the tunnel was completed in 2008 and it is currently the world’s largest boundary layer wind tunnel, which is able to simulate the effects of the strongest natural wind on a structure.

Students say the trip has enabled them to learn more about the application of civil engineering technology in daily life and the operation of various research units, which will help them put their knowledge into practice.

澳門大學土木及環境工程學系副教授鄂國康及澳大學生一行6人應邀出席美國土木工程師學會國際學生會 (ASCE-ISG) 在西南交通大學舉行的第五屆中國地區交流年會，藉此與各高校土木領域的優秀人才進行學術研討，豐富土木專業知識和開闊眼界，建立彼此之間的友誼。

是次年會由西南交通大學主辦，共有11所高校參加，包括香港科技大學、澳門大學、同濟大學、重慶大學、河海大學、浙江大學、大連理工大學、東南大學、中國礦業大學和哈爾濱工業大學。美國土木工程師學會香港分會會長曾炳輝在年會開幕上發言，高校代表分享其屬會的組織架構、日常運作、活動和未來的發展方向。各高校在簡報分享中互相交流學習，並優化完善分會的管理和運作，吸納更多土木人才參與分會未來的建設發展。

此外，澳大學生在考察西南交通大學期間，進一步了解在土木工程領域的研究和發展方向。學生參觀了陸地交通地質災害防治技術國家工程實驗室、風工程四川省重點實驗中心、土木工程實驗教學中心等實驗室，並對風工程實驗中心的XNJD-3風洞印象深刻。該風洞建成於2008年，成功取得全球最大跨度的土耳其1915恰納卡萊大橋的風力試驗項目，是目前世界最大的邊界層風洞。

學生表示，此行收穫良多，認識了很多優秀科研單位的運作和體驗土木工程之應用技術，啟發了思維，學習工程範疇的多元化發展，這有助他們把課堂上所領悟的專業知識加以分析並應用於日常工程工作之中，為未來發展奠下良好基礎，為國家的土木工程建設發展提供力所能及的貢獻。