Speakers
Prof. Carl Steinitz
Professor of Landscape Architecture and Planning
Graduate School of Design, Harvard University
Speech Title: Geodesign Changes Geography by Design
Carl Steinitz is the Alexander and Victoria Wiley Professor of Landscape Architecture and Planning, Emeritus, at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University. In 1967, Steinitz received his PhD degree in City and Regional Planning, with a major in urban design, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He also holds the Master of Architecture degree from MIT and a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell University. In 1965 he began his affiliation with the Harvard Graduate School of Design as a research associate in the Laboratory for Computer Graphics and Spatial Analysis. He has been Professor of Landscape Architecture and Planning at the Graduate School of Design since 1973.
Professor Steinitz has devoted much of his academic and professional career to improving methods to make design decisions about conservation and development. His teaching and applied research focus on highly valued landscapes that are undergoing substantial pressures for change. In 1984, the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) presented Professor Steinitz with the Outstanding Educator Award for his “extraordinary contribution to environmental design education” and for his “pioneering exploration in the use of computer technology in landscape planning, especially in the areas of resource management and visual impact assessment.” In 1996 he received the annual “Outstanding Practitioner Award” from the International Society of Landscape Ecology (USA). In 2002, he was honored as one of Harvard University’s outstanding teachers. Professor Steinitz has lectured and given workshops at more than 140 universities, and he has received several honorary degrees.
He is currently Honorary Visiting Professor at the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis at University College London, and the Academic Adviser to the European Union funded LE:NOTRE program to rationalize landscape education in Europe. He is principal author of Alternative Futures for Changing Landscapes (Island Press 2003) and author of A Framework for Geodesign, (Esri Press, 2012)
Prof. Stephen M. Ervin
Assistant Dean for Information Technology
Graduate School of Design, Harvard University
Speech Topic: A Support System for Geodesign
Stephen M. Ervin, MLA, PhD, FASLA, is the Assistant Dean for Information Technology at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, and a Lecturer in the Department of Landscape Architecture. Ervin teaches and conducts research in the areas of design, computing, media and technology, with a special interest in landscape modeling and visualization, and the integration of CAD, GIS and emerging geodesign technologies and practices. He is the author, together with co-author Hope Hasbrouck, of 'Landscape Modeling: Digital Techniques for Landscape Visualization' published by McGraw-Hill (ASLA Merit award winner in 2002). Ervin has taught and lectured worldwide, participated in landscape and urban planning projects in America, Europe and Japan and China, and published articles in a number of journals including GIS World, Landscape Architecture Magazine, Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, Computer Graphics and Applications, and others. His most recent teaching has been landscape planning and urban design in China, together with landscape architect Yu Kongjian of Peking University. He holds a Master's degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a PhD in Urban Studies from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Ervin received the ESRI Award for Lifetime Achievement for Geodesign Development in 2012.
Prof. Hui Lin
Institute of Space and Earth Information Science
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Speech Topic: Geodesign and VGE: Manage Geographic Knowledge for Sharing
Hui Lin is Professor and Director of Institute of Space and Earth Information Science (ISEIS) of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). He is Director of Hong Kong Base of National Remote Sensing Center of China. He graduated from Wuhan Technical University of Surveying and Mapping in 1980, received Master of Science degree from Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1983, and Ph.D. from University at Buffalo in 1992. Hui Lin joined CUHK in 1993 with major research interests in satellite remote sensing, virtual geographic environments (VGE), and urban and historic GIS. Hui Lin has published more than 200 research papers in peer reviewed academic journals and co-authored 10 books. He was elected academician of International Eurasia Academy of Sciences in 1995 and member of the Expert Committee of China Lunar Exploring Program in 2008. In 2009, Hui Lin received the Outstanding Contribution Award from Asia Association of Remote Sensing. Hui Lin is the founding president of International Association of Chinese Professionals in Geographic Information Science (CPGIS) and the chief editor of the journal Annals of GIS.
Prof. Shin Wang
Department of Geography
Chinese Culture University
Speech Topic: Earth Heritage Conservation in Taiwan
Professor Wang received his B.A. degree in Geology from National Taiwan University in 1967 and his Ph.D. in Geology from Columbia University in 1973. He was visiting scholar of University Cambridge and International Institute of Aerial Survey and Earth Sciences, Netherland. Professor Wang joined the Department of Geography of National Taiwan University in 1974 where he served as associate professor between 1974 and 1979, and full professor from 1979 to 2009. Now he is full professor in the Department of Geography, Chinese Culture University in Taipei.
Professor Wang serves as the Vice Chair of IUCN WCPA EA and Secretary of WCPA-East Asia Steering Committee. He also served as President of Chinese Environmental Education Society (1996 - 2000), Executive Secretary of Environmental Protection Division, Ministry of Education R.O.C. (1994 - 1996), and President of Chinese National Park Society (1988 - 1992).
Prof. Monica Kuo
Director, Department of Landscape Architecture
Chinese Culture University
Speech Topic: The Application of Geo-Design in Landscape Architecture Education in Taiwan
Prof Kuo received her Master degree of Landscape Architecture from Graduate School of Arts, University of Pennsylvania, U.S.A. She serves as Dean of College of Environmental Planning & Design of Chinese Culture University between 2007 and 2011. Professor Kuo’s international relations include International Member of ASLA, Steering Committee Member of Urban Design Asia and Cultural Landscape Committee of Eastern Region of IFLA, Chair of Landscape Designing Program with Straits Institute of Minjiang University, and Honorary Member of Council of Chinese Institute of Landscape Architects in Taiwan.
Prof. Yu Fai Leung
College of Natural Resources
North Carolina State University
Speech Topic: Geospatial Approaches to Understanding and Management of Visitor Use and Impacts in Geoparks and Other Protected Areas: Some Recent Examples
Dr. Yu-Fai Leung is a Professor of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management in the College of Natural Resources at North Carolina State University and an adjunct professor in the Department of Geography and Resource Management at CUHK. He received his first two degrees in geography from CUHK, and a PhD in forestry from Virginia Tech. His research addresses sustainability issues of visitor use in national parks and other protected areas, with a primary focus on monitoring and management of visitor-associated impacts on natural and cultural resources. He is also interested in applying geospatial technologies and monitoring as visitor education and community engagement tools. Dr. Leung is a member of the IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas and its Tourism & Protected Areas and Urban Protected Areas Specialist Groups, and is serving as the Editor-in-Chief of the Third Edition of IUCN Best Practice Guidelines on Sustainable Tourism in Global Protected Areas, to be released in 2014. He is a founding member of the Recreation Ecology Research Network.
Prof. Rui Yang
School of Architecture
Tsinghua University
Speech Topic: "Ching Theory" and "Geodesign"
Prof. Rui Yang holds a bachelor’s degree of Architecture, a master’s degree of Urban Planning and Design, and a doctoral degree of Landscape Architecture from Tsinghua University, one of the top univeristies in China. He was a visiting scholar at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University from Dec. 1997 to Jan. 1999. His academic interests and professional experiences are the research and planning for Chinese world heritage sites, national parks and protected areas. He is now a professor and chair of the Dept. of Landscape Architecture, School of Architecture of Tsinghua University, as well as the director of Chinese Landscape Architecture Education Steering Committee.
Prof. Sai Leung Ng
Department of Geography and Resource Management
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Speech Topic: Hong Kong Geopark: a new vehicle for Geoconservation and Geoscience Education
Dr. Ng Sai Leung- Associate Professor of the Department of Geography and Resource Management, Faculty of Social Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is also the Director of the Center for Environmental Policy and Resource Management (CEPRM) and the Center for Quality of Life (QoL Center) of CUHK. His research focuses on applied geomorphology, applied geology, geoconservation, geotourism, soil erosion, soil conservation and quality of life. Dr. Ng is the vice chairman of the Association for Geoconservation, Hong Kong and former vice chairman of the Geological Society of Hong Kong. Over the years, he is active in promoting the development of geoconservation and torism in Hong Kong. In 2009, Dr. Ng was commissioned by the HKSAR government to conduct a consultancy study on the Planning and Management of Hong Kong Geopark. In the same year, Hong Kong National Geopark was established and it is listed as a Global Geopark by UNESCO in September 2011.
Prof. Chongcheng Chen
Spatial Information Research Center of Fujian Province
Speech Topic: Virtual Forest Environment and Interactive Forest Landscape Design
Chongcheng Chen received his bachelor and MS degree in Hydrogeology & Engineering Geology from Chengdu College of Geology in 1989 and 1992 respectively. He got PhD degree in Cartography & GIS from The institute of Geography & Resource, Chinese Academy of Science, China in 2000. He has more than 18 years of experience of research and education in field of geo-informatics and applications. He is a full-time professor at Fuzhou University. he is currently the deputy-director of Spatial Information Research Center of Fujian Province, Spatial Data Mining & Information Sharing of MOE, China, and CEO of Fuzhou Silviscene Information Tech. Co., Ltd. His research interests include geo-visualization & virtual geographical environment, spatial decision system, and spatial data mining & geographical knowledge grid/cloud. He has coauthored more than 150 referred conferences and journal papers. He is currently leading his research group to develop an applicable Virtual Forest Environment software suite-CutePlant, which provide interactive tools to model and render realistic forest landscape at different scales from plant organ to comprehensive landscape. He is also organizing an International Knowledge Cloud Consortium (IKCC) with the mission of leading Medusa Knowledge Cloud design and development, an innovative initiative for developing intelligent and advanced cloud applications.
Prof. Anrong Dang
Institute of Architectural and Urban Studies
Tsinghua University
Speech Topic: Technical Scheme of General Planning for Smart Huangshan World Geopark
Anrong Dang is a professor of planning at Tsinghua University, the leading research institute of China. He was first trained as a geographer and now a specialist in GIS and RS applications in urban planning. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Geography from Shaanxi Normal University in 1985, his Masters in Cartography and Remote Sensing from Northwest University in 1988, and his Ph.D. in Cartography and GIS from Chinese Academy of Science in 1997. He has been a professor in urban and rural planning at Tsinghua University since 2000. He has participated in many projects related to urban and rural planning, especially smart urban planning, smart national park planning, and smart geopark planning, in recent years. He published more than 100 papers and five textbooks. Dr. Dang received several awards from academic and professional associations, such as Awards of Ten University Outstanding GIS Innovative Teachers by China GIS Forum for Higher Education, Best PI Awards of the year 2007 by EarthWatch Institute, and Best Service Awards by The International Association of Chinese Professionals in Geographic Information Science.
Mr. Tianpeng Lin
Institute of Space and Earth Information Science
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Speech Topic: VGE-based Path Evaluation of Hong Kong Global Geopark of China
Tianpeng Lin, currently enrolled in the program of PhD in Earth System and Geo-Information Science of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), is a PhD candidate in the Institute of Space and Earth Information Science (ISEIS). He graduated from Tsinghua University, Beijing and got the Bachelor’s degree in Architecture in 2009, and entered CUHK for his master degrees study. In late 2011 he got his Master of Science degree in Earth System Science and successfully graduated. The research field of Mr. Lin is related with virtual geographic environment. Based on this platform a few experiment associated with environment, urban and human’s perception are designed, and the relationships among these factors are mainly concerned in his research.
