Keynote Speakers

 

Shane Snyder

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Dr. Shane Snyder is a Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering and is the Executive Director of the Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. He joined NTU after serving as a Professor of Chemical & Environmental Engineering and the co-Director of the Water & Energy Sustainable Technology (WEST) Center at the University of Arizona, USA. For over 20 years, Dr. Snyder's research has focused on the identification, fate, and health relevance of emerging water pollutants. Dr. Snyder and his teams have published over 200 manuscripts and book chapters on emerging contaminant analysis, treatment, and toxicology (h-index = 68 with over 18,000 citations as of February 2018). He currently serves as an editor-in-chief for the international journal Chemosphere. Dr. Snyder has been invited to brief the Congress of the United States on three occasions on emerging issues in water quality. He is a Fellow of the International Water Association and a member of the World Health Organization's Drinking Water Advisory Panel. He has served on several US EPA expert panels and is currently a member of the EPA's Science Advisory Board drinking water committee and the US EPA's Board of Scientific Counselors Sustainable Water committee. He was a member of the US National Academy of Science's National Research Council Committee on Water Reuse and currently serves on the WHO's guiding committee on development of potable reuse guidelines. Dr. Snyder has also worked as a Visiting Professor at the National University of Singapore (2011-2017).

 

 

  Hua Wang

Hohai University, Nanjing, China

Hua Wang is the professor and the deputy dean of the College of Environment, Hohai University. Meanwhile, he works as the senior visiting scholar of Cambridge University, the member of the Ecological Environment Engineering Professional Committee of China National Committee on Large Dams, the director of Jiangsu Society for Environmental Sciences, and the deputy director of the Environmental Professional Committee of Jiangsu Province Biotechnology Association. He was awarded the Excellent Doctoral Dissertation Award in Jiangsu Province, the Outstanding Young Backbone Teacher of the "Qinglan Project" in Jiangsu Province, the Teaching Achievement Award in Jiangsu Province, the Science and Technology Prize of Ganpo Water Conservancy in Jiangxi Province, the Science and Technology Prize of Yangtze River Water Conservancy Commission, and the Science and Technology Prize of Huaihe Water Conservancy Commission. His main research interests are watershed water pollution control and numerical modelling of water environment, and he has chaired or participated multiple national and local scientific research projects. At present, he has published more than 100 academic papers in domestic and international academic journals as the first author/corresponding author, with 50 SCI retrievals. He has been authorized 12 national invention patents, edited 2 monographs and 4 associate edited monographs, and trained more than 70 postgraduates, including 8 international postgraduates.

 

Speech title "How hydrodynamic conditions dominate the microplastic footprint in the largest freshwater lake in China"
 

Abstract-Understanding the transport and diffusion process of microplastics (MPs) in lakes is of great significance to the cumulative assessment of controlling land-based MP pollution. The MPs in the surface water of Poyang Lake were identified from previous studies to be mainly composed of three representative particles: polyethylene (PE) fiber, polypropylene (PP) fragment and PE film, and this study explored the differences in the transport and diffusion of different types of MPs in three flow regimes in Poyang Lake by applying the Mike 21 model. The results show that MP particles migrate northward under the gravity flow and jacking flow regimes. The average time required for MPs to reach the northern lakes in jacking flow state was 21.29% shorter than that in gravity flow. Instead, MPs undergo reverse movement driven by back flow. Density and shape are the main factors affecting the transport and diffusion of MPs in lakes in the same flow regime. The average concentration of PE fiber in the lake area is 30.61% and 68.68% higher than both, PP fragment and PE film. In addition, MP particles tend to flow into the Yangtze River under the jacking flow; the accumulation hotspots of MPs in gravity flow and back flow are respectively in Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve and Nanji Wetland National Nature Reserve. In terms of ecological risks, the risk of the entire lake area assessed using the HI index is low, but the highest risk index used to assess accumulation hotspots using the PLI index has reached Level IV. This study provides reference and warning for tracking the paths and risks of land-based MPs entering freshwater lakes.

 

 

 

 

Wannawit Taemthong

King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok, Thailand

Prof. Wannawit Taemthong, Ph.D., is a distinguished civil engineer renowned for his expertise in cost control, productivity enhancement, and sustainable construction methods. With a rich academic background from esteemed institutions like the University of Michigan and the Asian Institute of Technology, his knowledge transcends borders.
Throughout his career, Prof. Taemthong has led various projects focused on advancing sustainable infrastructure and energy-efficient constructions. Noteworthy among these are his initiatives in green building renovation, energy-saving townhouse development, and feasibility studies for projects along the Gulf of Thailand.
A prolific researcher and author, Prof. Taemthong has contributed significantly to the discourse on green building technologies and air quality improvement strategies in educational settings. His publications offer valuable insights for industry professionals and policymakers.
Committed to education, Prof. Taemthong mentors the next generation of civil engineers, instilling in them a passion for innovation and sustainability. His dedication to excellence and his advocacy for environmentally-friendly practices have earned him respect both nationally and internationally, making him a driving force in the field of civil engineering.

 

Speech title "Optimizing Energy Efficiency and Indoor Air Quality in Building Design for Hot and Humid Climates"
 

Abstract-In the context of rising energy demands and the need for healthier indoor environments, this keynote will explore innovative strategies for enhancing energy efficiency and air quality in buildings, with a focus on hot and humid climates like Thailand. The presentation will cover two primary areas of research: reducing energy consumption through optimized door configurations and improving indoor air quality using green wall systems. The first study compares the effectiveness of different door setups, such as outward-opening doors with air curtains and sliding vestibule doors without air curtains, in minimizing energy loss in air-conditioned spaces. Results from an 18-square-meter experimental room reveal that sliding vestibule doors without air curtains significantly reduce energy consumption, providing valuable insights for energy-efficient building design. The second study focuses on improving indoor air quality by reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) levels using green walls. Experiments in air-conditioned classrooms show that active green walls, particularly with Epipremnum aureum plants, can reduce CO2 concentrations by up to 35% while also lowering energy use by 26%. By addressing both energy consumption and air quality, this presentation provides practical and sustainable solutions for enhancing building performance in tropical climates.
 

 

C.W. Lim

City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Currently a fellow of ASME, ASCE, EMI and HKIE, Ir Professor Lim received a B.Eng. from University of Technology of Malaysia, M.Eng. and PhD from National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University, respectively. Prior to joining City University of Hong Kong, he was a post-doctoral research fellow at The University of Queensland and The University of Hong Kong. He is also a visiting professor at various universities worldwide. He has expertise in theory of plates and shells, dynamics of smart piezoelectric structures, nanomechanics, metamaterials and symplectic elasticity. He is currently the subject editor for Journal of Sound and Vibration, joint-editor for Journal of Mechanics of Material and Structures, subject editor for Applied Mathematical Modelling, Managing Editor (Asia-Pacific Region) for Journal of Vibration Engineering & Technologies, Associate Editor for International Journal of Bifurcation and Chaos, etc. and also on the editorial board of some other top-ranked international journals. He has published one very well-selling title entitled “Symplectic Elasticity”, co-authored with W.A. Yao and W.X. Zhong from Dalian University of Technology, as recorded by the publisher, World Scientific, in Engineering Mechanics and Mechanical Engineering. He has published more than 400 international journal papers, has H-index 67 and more than 17,000 citations. Recently Professor Lim was awarded the prestigious 2020 JN Reddy Medal as a recognition “for significant and original contributions to vibration of plates and shells, smart piezoelectric structures, nanomechanics, and symplectic elasticity”. He delivered a plenary lecture and chaired another plenary lecture at WCCM-APACM 2022, the largest biennial meet for computational scientists worldwide. In another scientific forum of four speakers organized by Chinese Science Bulletin and broadcasted on five online platforms, Professor Lim presented the opening lecture and the forum attracted accumulatively over 30,000 audience. He was also previously awarded Top Referees in 2009, Proceedings A, The Royal Society. Professor Lim is a registered professional engineer in Hong Kong.

 

Speech title "Theory, Numerical Analysis and Experiments of Acoustic and Seismic Metamaterials and Metastructures"
 

Abstract-The recent surge in the number of studies on seismic metamaterials is testimony to the fact that the concept of photonic crystals, phononic crystals and acoustic metamaterials is no longer limited to basic theories and dynamic characteristics. Apart from the peculiar observation including negative stiffness, negative mass density negative refraction properties, etc., auxetic metamaterials that govern negative Poisson’s ratio, nonreciprocal wave phenomena, origami/kirigami effects also find potential applications in geophysics and earthquake engineering. Except man-made synthetic resonators/metastructures, recently forest trees at geophysical scale are reported as naturally available seismic metamaterials with capability to mitigate ground born ambient vibrations and incoming seismic waves at subwavelength frequency region. The work to be presented here elaborates a class of materials and structures ranging from engineered phononic crystals and acoustic metamaterials in Fig (a,b) to natural seismic metamaterials in Fig. (c,d) that show exotic yet with outstanding application potentials. Besides discussing the peculiar yet wonderful wave propagation characteristics of periodic structures for wave active control, topological protected interface modes, etc., the exciting wave dispersion response that found applications for manipulation Rayleigh wave and possible forestation as a means for geographical regional isolation against ground surface wave motion will also be presented.