Draft:Mengqian LU

Mengqian LU (陸萌茜） graduated with first-class honours and the Academic Achievement Medal from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Hong Kong University of Science & Technology(HKUST) in 2009. She then furthered her education at Columbia University in the City of New York, where she earned her PhD from the Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering in 2014. Her research, centered on hydrometeorology, water resources, and climate risk, has recently been directed towards understanding and predicting hydrometeorological extremes—such as heavy rainfall, floods, and tropical cyclones—due to their societal impact and the potential for scientific insights to drive innovative engineering solutions. She has delineated her research into five key areas: Atmospheric Rivers, Moisture Recycling Networks, the East Asian Monsoon, Extreme Weather Events, and Water Resources Management. Mengqian's research contributions have been featured in prestigious publications, including npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, Earth's Future, Water Resources Research,Journal of Climate,Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres and more. Mengqian is the founder and Chair of the international Climate, Weather and Water Forum (CW2F) held annually in Hong Kong. The first CW2F was held in May 2021 during the COVID pandemic. Beyond academia, Mengqian is a serial entrepreneur whose innovations have garnered significant recognition, most recently receiving the Gold Award at the Asia International Innovation and Invention Exhibition in Hong Kong in 2023.

Early life and education
Lu was born into a family steeped in academia in Qingdao, China. She began her journey as a junior athlete at the age of 10, excelling in short-distance sprints at the Qingdao First Sports Stadium's athletic school. Her talent soon led her to the 80 and 200 meters hurdle events, where she quickly made a name for herself as a city-level champion.

In 1999, Lu's athletic prowess earned her special admission to the prestigious Qingdao No.2 Middle School during a period when district-based admissions began to reshape local education. Her status as a top student, coupled with her athletic achievements, was crucial in gaining entrance to such an esteemed institution—a feat that might have proved elusive under the strictures of the new admission system.

Throughout middle school, Lu's dedication to both her studies and athletic training saw her consistently ranked in the top three of her class. This academic distinction led to her acceptance into Qingdao No. 2 High School in 2002, where she achieved the highest entrance exam score among her peers.

High school became a transformative phase for Lu, providing her with the freedom to retire from competitive athletics and fully engage with her academic interests. During this time, she cultivated a deep interest in the nexus of science, engineering, and art, which would later inspire her entrepreneurial endeavors.

The decision of where to pursue higher education marked another significant turning point. In a pioneering move, universities in Hong Kong opened their doors to direct admissions from mainland Chinese students who had taken the national college entrance examination. Lu's exceptional academic record made her the only Qingdao student to be admitted to HKUST in 2005 for a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering.

HKUST presented a unique challenge; while bachelor's degrees in Hong Kong were three-year programs, the mainland high school system spanned four years. To bridge this gap, Lu's freshman year—known informally as "Year Zero"—was an additional foundational year designed to integrate mainland students into the Hong Kong educational framework. This year among the mainland's most brilliant minds was pivotal, instilling in Lu a philosophy that excellence is an ongoing journey rather than a final destination.

Graduating from HKUST in 2009 with first-class honors and the Academic Achievement Medal reflected Lu's exceptional academic endeavors, underscored by her perfect GPA (4 out of 4). This accomplishment led to her direct acceptance into Columbia University's Earth and Environmental Engineering program, where she focused her research on Water Resources and Climate Risks.

Lu's time at Columbia University was marked by rigorous academic engagement and pioneering research on Atmospheric Rivers—a cutting-edge topic within her field. Her Ph.D. journey in Earth and Environmental Engineering, concluded in 2014, placed her among the vanguard of researchers investigating the profound hydrological impacts of these phenomena. Her work garnered significant recognition in 2013 when it was highlighted as a featured contribution in the esteemed journal, Water Resources Research. Demonstrating an unwavering dedication to her specialization, Lu also completed a Master of Philosophy and a Master of Science in Earth and Environmental Engineering during her doctoral studies, underscoring her resolve to address the intricate issues associated with water resources and the overarching threats posed by climate risks.