IRES Track III: International Research Experience and Professional Development in Built Environment Sustainability

在这个项目中，路易斯安那州立大学（LSU）与美国热与流体工程师学会（ASTFE）和香港理工大学（HKPU）合作，建立了美港建筑环境可持续发展领导力发展中心。该中心联合开展美国研究生国际研究和专业培训活动。建筑环境可持续性作为一项全球性挑战，影响着数亿人、他们的社区和他们未来生活的福祉。香港独特的可持续城市发展挑战和解决方案可以为美国学生提供有关这一主题的特殊国际研究经验。该项目为美国研究生应对这一全球挑战做好准备，并培养一支多元化的、具有全球竞争力的科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）劳动力队伍。Drs。路易斯安那州立大学的朱益民、Tracey Rizzuto和Tyree Mitchell，亚洲科技大学的陶勇博士和香港大学的Geoffrey Shen博士是该项目的主要成员。该中心利用了美国大学在研究和领导力培训方面的优势。美国国家科学基金会（nsf）资助的研究网络（即RCN-SEES-SHBE），以发展中心的基础设施。香港大学可持续城市发展研究所（RISUD）的教师组成了建筑学、工程学、建筑、计算机科学和社会科学等多学科专家的初步团队，为在港的美国学生提供指导。ASTFE、专业协会和学术团体之间的合作建立了广泛的网络，使pi能够从全国范围内代表性不足的群体中招收研究生。这个项目作为一个原型，在一个沉浸式的环境中，为研究生提供超越典型学术界的国际研究经验。该中心试点了三个年度项目，共涉及19名美国研究生。每个年度项目为期9个月，包括访问前的虚拟训练营，美国学生对香港进行为期8周的访问，以及为期8周的访问后项目。参观前的虚拟训练营为美国和香港的学生和导师提供有关领导力发展和建筑环境可持续发展的自定进度在线学习课程，项目后勤信息，以及虚拟团队合作机会。在为期八周的香港之行中，学生们将在香港体验创新实验室、文化研究和专业发展活动。访美后，美国学生和导师在美国接待香港同学，继续促进美国学生和香港同学之间的合作。在为期9个月的课程结束时，每年都会举行一次活动。在整个项目中，美国学生与他们的香港同学在建筑环境可持续性领域进行研究。该计划还组织学生主导的活动，如开发学生分会和活动，海报会议和网络研讨会，让学生练习领导技能和发展专业网络。项目的目标是探索一种专注于可扩展性和互惠性的模式，以确保所有利益相关者利益最大化的最佳机会，增加国内外学术界，行业和专业协会之间的合作伙伴关系，并在计划持续时间之后维持项目。在二年级和三年级，专业院校寻求吸纳更多有兴趣以自有资金参与的香港大学。中心计划与其他专业协会合作，探索将这一模式推广到其他学科。除了发布研究成果外，项目组还利用ASTFE的媒体和外展计划、中心网站和社交媒体宣传学生活动。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

In this project, Louisiana State University (LSU) works with the American Society of Thermal and Fluids Engineers (ASTFE) and Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HKPU) to establish the US-Hong Kong Center of Leadership Development in Built Environment Sustainability. This center jointly conducts international research and professional training activities for US graduate students. Built environment sustainability as a global challenge affects the well-being of hundreds of millions of people, their communities, and the future of their lives. Hong Kong's unique sustainable urban development challenges and solutions can offer US students exceptional international research experiences on this topic. This project prepares US graduate students to deal with this global challenge and develops a diverse, globally competitive science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce. Drs. Yimin Zhu, Tracey Rizzuto, and Tyree Mitchell at LSU, Dr. Yong Tao at ASTFE, and Dr. Geoffrey Shen at HKPU are key members of the project. The Center utilizes the US universities' strengths in research and leadership training, the ASTFE?s vast professional networks, and an NSF-funded research network (i.e., RCN-SEES-SHBE) to develop the Center's infrastructure. Faculty at the Research Institute of Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD) at HKPU form an initial pool of multidisciplinary experts in architecture, engineering, construction, computer science, and social sciences to provide mentorship for US students in Hong Kong. The broad network established by the collaboration among ASTFE, professional societies, and academic communities enables the PIs to recruit graduate students from underrepresented groups throughout the nation. This project serves as a prototype for providing international research experiences for graduate students in an immersive environment beyond the typical academic circles. The Center pilots three annual programs involving a total of 19 US graduate students. Each annual program lasts for nine months including a pre-visit virtual training camp, an eight-week visit to Hong Kong by US students, and an eight-week post-visit program. The pre-visit virtual training camp provides self-paced online learning programs on leadership development and built environment sustainability, information of program logistics, and virtual teaming opportunities for US and Hong Kong students and mentors. The eight-week visit to Hong Kong engages the students with an innovation lab and culturally immersed research and professional development activities in Hong Kong. The post-visit program highlights US students and mentors hosting Hong Kong peers in the US, continued collaboration between US students and Hong Kong peers. An annual event is held at the end of the nine-month program. Throughout the program, US students with their Hong Kong peers conduct research in areas of built environment sustainability. The program also organizes student-led activities such as developing student chapters and activities, poster sessions, and webinars for students to practice leadership skills and develop professional networks. It is an objective of the project for the PIs to explore a model focusing on scalability and reciprocity to ensure the best chance of maximizing benefits for all stakeholders, increase the partnership among academia, industries, and professional societies domestically and internationally, and sustain the project beyond its proposed duration. In Years 2 and 3, the PIs seek to include additional universities in Hong Kong that are interested in participating with their own funding. The Center plans to work with other professional societies to explore the extension of this model to other disciplines. In addition to publishing research results, the project team utilizes ASTFE's media and outreach programs, a website of the Center, and social media to publicize student activities.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.