Engineering professor receives Fulbright Fellowship

Sheng-Guo Wang, a professor of electrical engineering technology in the Lee College of Engineering, has received a Fulbright Fellowship to teach and conduct research at Hong Kong Polytechnic University for the 2016-17 academic year.

Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a leading international research institution, most recently ranked 12th globally in structural engineering by QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) World University Rankings; QS is a British company that specializes in education and study abroad.

Wang, who holds a doctorate in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Houston, will be collaborating with Yiqing Ni, a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Ni also is the director of the Hong Kong branch of the National Rail Transit Electrification and Automation Engineering Technology Research Center.

As part of his Fulbright Fellowship, Wang plans to conduct research related to the proposal “Dynamic System Data Analysis and Its System Modeling and Robust Control for Infrastructure and High-Speed Railway System Safety.”

Using mathematical and engineering concepts, Wang intends to study dynamic data, including vibration of high-speed trains and railway infrastructure to determine their features and impact on their safety (i.e., of trains, tracks, bridges). The implications of this research could enhance passenger safety and minimize infrastructure failure. His proposal would explore a new method of data analysis related to high-speed railways.

“We need to analyze these features and develop better methods to control them, which will better protect passengers, infrastructure and high-speed trains,” noted Wang. He added the research’s significance is not only for safety and STEM research, but it would benefit the host region and the United States through mutual cooperation.

China has the world’s longest high-speed rail network, and Hong Kong’s Tsing Ma Bridge is the world’s ninth-longest span suspension bridge. It has two decks that carry road and rail traffic.

Wang, who will leave for his appointment in late August, said he was honored to be selected as a Fulbright scholar. “I’d like to thank the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board for this incredible opportunity. I’d also like to thank Lee College of Engineering Dean Bob Johnson for his full support throughout the Fulbright Scholar Program. My special thanks also go to the international programs assistant provost, the dean of the College of Computing and Informatics, and the department chairs involved. This is a proud moment for research.”