The Institution is delighted to announce the conferment of the HKIE Gold Medal on Ir Prof Ko Jan-ming at the 36th Annual Dinner. The Award was set up to bestow distinction on an outstanding member and to recognise commendable achievements and remarkable contributions to his/her fields of engineering.

Ir Prof Ko Jan-ming is an Emeritus Professor (Structural Engineering) of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Internationally renowned for his research on structural health monitoring systems, he has had a profound impact on engineering education and research as well as technology transfer through 40 years of dedicated academic work.

Ir Prof Ko received his BSc in Civil Engineering and PhD in Structural Engineering from the University of Hong Kong in 1966 and 1969 respectively. After completing his PhD, Ir Prof Ko began teaching at the then Baptist College. In 1979, he was employed as a lecturer at the Department of Civil and Structural Engineering of the Hong Kong Polytechnic, which later gained university status and became the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. During 31 years with the University, he served as the head of the department for eight years, Dean of Faculty of Construction and Land Use for four years and Vice President of the University for seven years.

Ir Prof Ko led a research group that developed a structural health monitoring system for the Tsing Ma Bridge in the 1990s. The system was further developed into a Mega-Structure Diagnostic and Prognostic System over the last 15 years and is now widely applied to newly-built bridges and skyscrapers in the Mainland, including the new Guangzhou TV Tower. It has also become an international benchmark for structural health monitoring and won the Gold Prize at the 2009 China International Fair in Shanghai as well as the Special Prize and Gold Medal at the International Exhibition of Inventions, New Techniques and Products, in Geneva, also in 2009.

Ir Prof Ko is highly recognised for his accomplishments. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Structural Engineers, the American Society of Civil Engineers as well as the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences. He was elected President of the Hong Kong Society of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (1999-2000), President of the Asian-Pacific Network of Centres for Earthquake Engineering (2005-2007), Chairman of Hong Kong Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and Engineering Mobility Forum Monitoring Committees (2006-2009), and Vice President and Council Member of the International Society for Structural Health Monitoring of Intelligent Infrastructures (2004), of which he was also elected a Fellow in 2007. He is also a member of the Scientific Steering Committee, State Key Laboratory on Disaster Reduction in Civil Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai (2009-2013) and co-chair of the Scientific Steering Committee, State Key Laboratory on Structural Dynamics in Bridge Engineering, Chongqing Communications Research and Design Institute, Chongqing (2008-2012).

Ir Prof Ko is also the Editor-in-Chief of Advances in Structural Engineering Journal and Editor-in-Chief (Asia-Pacific) of Smart Structures and Systems Journal.

Ir Prof Ko has actively served the local community and is currently a member of the Construction Industry Council and the Commission on Strategic Development of the HKSAR.

Ir Prof Ko has always worked closely with the Institution, serving in various capacities and making significant contributions to the HKIE. He was the Chairman of the HKIE Accreditation Board for six consecutive years from 2001 and is strongly committed to developing local engineering education and international mutual recognition of qualifications.

The HKIE Gold Medalist, Ir Prof Ko Jan-ming (R) receiving the Award from the President