On the afternoon of April 15, the School of Civil Engineering, in collaboration with the Office of International Affairs, hosted the 4th “New Civil Engineering” Graduate International Forum at the Cultural Hall. The event was also part of the Overseas Distinguished Scholars Lecture Series. The forum was chaired by Dean Ji Yingbo and featured a keynote lecture by Professor Mohd Shafry, President of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Faculty representatives and more than 200 undergraduate and graduate students attended the event.

During the forum, Professor Mohd Shafry delivered a lecture titled “The Technological Evolution and Ethical Imperatives of Digital Imaging.” He outlined the development of digital imaging technologies from fundamental image processing to AI-driven intelligent analysis, and introduced key techniques in image acquisition, processing, and semantic understanding, along with their future trends.

Drawing on engineering applications, he highlighted the growing role of image processing and intelligent recognition technologies in civil engineering. These technologies can be applied in infrastructure such as underground utility tunnels, high-rise buildings, tunnels, and bridges to enable crack detection, structural health monitoring, and safety assessment—significantly enhancing the intelligence and precision of engineering operation and maintenance, and supporting smart construction and infrastructure safety management.

The forum broadened participants’ international academic perspectives, encouraged interdisciplinary integration, and further strengthened academic exchange and cooperation between the School and overseas universities. It also contributed to advancing high-level talent cultivation and the high-quality development of related disciplines.