KE Spotlight - Community Engagement - HKU Knowledge Exchange

Knowledge Exchange Awards 2013

The Faculty Knowledge Exchange (KE) Awards were introduced in 2011 in order to recognize each Faculty's outstanding KE accomplishment that has made demonstrable economic, social or cultural impacts to benefit the community, business/industry, or partner organizations. Results of the 2013 Faculty KE Awards are now available.

HKU plans for new Western Gateway at Western Harbourfront

Professor Anthony Yeh Gar-on, Head and Chair Professor of the Department of Urban Planning and Design of HKU, has completed the Western Harbourfront Conceptual Master Plan for the Central and Western District Council. The plan will improve the public open space at the Western Harbourfront and convert it into a Western Gateway - a new landmark in Hong Kong.

HKU develops voice navigation system for visually-impaired people

HKU's Centre for E-Commerce Infrastructure Development under the Department of Computer Science was allocated $5.5 million by the Innovation and Technology Commission to develop a mobile system for the visually impaired. The system, namely E-Guide, allows visually impaired users to locate themselves and obtain surrounding information on their smartphones through voice messages. The system has been installed in Wong Tai Sin Plaza, Tai Wo Hau MTR Station and HK Arts Centre.

HKU Faculty of Dentistry promotes school teachers training in Dental Emergencies

HKU Faculty of Dentistry found that very few teachers had the necessary know-how of appropriate "first-aid" actions in dental traumas, and Hong Kong has shown a serious lack of relevant teacher-training in the past decade. Partnered with the Anglican (Hong Kong) Primary Schools Council and the Hong Kong Council for Educational Administration, a HKU Student Knowledge Exchange Project Team, mentored by Dr Mike Leung and led by student Miss Tiffany Chan of the Faculty of Dentistry, have run 11 workshops to train primary and secondary school teachers on how to take emergency actions to handle dental traumas caused by falls and collisions that happen at schools. The workshops were attended by a total of 441 primary and secondary school teachers. This equipped the teachers with necessary knowledge to handle the real-life situations more confidently and could help minimize the damage made on students' teeth.

HKU dentists find that half of Hong Kong's preschoolers with tooth decay

HKU Faculty of Dentistry Dr C H Chu and his team found that roughly one half of Hong Kong's preschoolers aged four to six had an average of about two teeth per child contained dental caries, most of them were untreated cavities. The team also discovered that snacking frequency, dental visits, parents' oral health knowledge and family income were the most important factors affecting the preschoolers' dental health. Such findings imply that oral health promotion in kindergartens requires the involvement of not only the children, but also their parents and teachers. Joint efforts of the government and the dental professions are essential to tackle social inequality of dental health. More details of Dr Chu's and his team's effort on promoting oral health of preschoolers are available here.

HKU academic urges less consumption of groupers which face extinction

A study conducted by HKU Biological Sciences Professor Yvonne Sadovy has found that at least 20 grouper species are facing extinction. Professor Sadovy said threatened species such as HK grouper and longtooth grouper, which were found in HK waters, should be protected by law. She has urged the government to protect them through legislation and tighter monitoring of grouper trade, and to set a good example by serving sustainably caught seafood in official functions.

Mineral treasures of China on display at HKU Stephen Hui Geological Museum

A special exhibition of mineral treasures of China will be held at the HKU Stephen Hui Geological Museum, in association with the Mineralogy Society of HK, until August 30, 2013. Over 50 world-class mineral specimens from private collection of Dr Guanghua Liu will be on display.