Obituary for Prof. Moe Cheung, Our Former Department Head from 2003-2009
On Sunday, 2nd March 2014, Prof Moe M. S. Cheung, aged 69, passed away peacefully in accompany of his wife in Hong Kong. He is survived by his mother, wife, sister and brother. Moe Cheung was born in Soochow, China. After receiving his high-school education in mainland China, he earned his Bachelor (1967) from Chu Hai College (Hong Kong) and his Master (1969) and PhD (1971) from The University of Calgary (Canada), all in Civil Engineering. He has been the director of Technology Directorate, Public Works Canada for many years in charge of all infrastructure related research and development activities for the Canadian Federal Government. He was also the Director of the Ottawa-Carleton Bridge Research Institute and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at both the University of Ottawa and Carleton University, Canada. He joined Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) in 2003 and served as the Head of the Department of Civil Engineering until 2009. Under his leadership, the department thrived and became one of the best in the world. He retired in 2011, but remained active in research, teaching and public service. In 2012, he established the Earthquake and Hazards Mitigation Research Centre (EHMRC) and became a professor of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Prof Cheung had a distinguished academic career in which he made significant contributions in the areas of finite element and finite strip analysis in civil engineering, particularly in structural and bridge engineering. As one of the world leaders of long-span bridge health monitoring technology, his expertise covered the application of finite strip method to the wide area of bridge analysis, design and assessment. Besides, he spent most of his latest academic years investigating and studying the dynamic interaction of wind-vehicle-bridge, dynamic response of long-span bridges under multi-excitations as well as life cycle cost management of infrastructures. He had published over 260 technical articles, authored three books, including “Finite Strip Analysis of Bridges” and edited nine international conference proceedings. Throughout his entire teaching years, Prof Cheung had supervised 15 Ph.D students, 18 MSc/Mphil students and more than 20 post-doctoral/visiting scholars.
An active and devoted member in the field, Prof Cheung was the Founding Chairman of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering Hong Kong Branch. He also led and served on several major international boards and committees, including local professional societies and government boards. His outstanding achievements had been internationally recognized by numerous awards and honors, including the Fellow Member of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, Fellow Member of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences, Fellow Member from the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers, Fellow Member from the American Society of Civil Engineers, Fellow Member of the Hong Kong Institute of Engineers, Fellow Member of the institute of Structural Engineers, The Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada, Whitman Wright Award (1996) and James A. Vance Award(2008) from the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers.
We are all proud of Prof Cheung’s remarkable achievements in structural and bridge engineering and his devoted contributions towards the HKUST family. He loved his students and had mentored numerous graduate students and younger colleagues throughout his academic career. Even after retirement, his passion towards research and teaching activities was never impeded. While in Hong Kong, he came back to HKUST almost everyday to undertake his research. Even a few days before passing away, he was discussing with colleagues and students about international cooperation research projects. Prof Cheung’s wisdom, kindness, gentle and embracing nature will remain in our hearts.
