KE Spotlight - Community Engagement - HKU Knowledge Exchange

HKU Faculty of Engineering organizes "Earthquake Detector Design Competition" together with Hong Kong Observatory and Hong Kong Meteorological Society for over 300 primary and secondary school students

Most people in Hong Kong consider Hong Kong to be earthquake-free, so the community has low awareness of earthquakes and community resilience is lacking. Supported by the HKU Knowledge Exchange Fund, HKU Faculty of Engineering, Hong Kong Observatory and Hong Kong Meteorological Society jointly organized the "Earthquake Detector Design Competition" to raise people’s awareness of earthquakes so that they can be more prepared for earthquakes and other emergencies. Over 300 students from primary 2 to secondary 5 joined the competition. They were required to design and implement an earthquake detector. A series of talks were conducted to enhance the participants’ understanding of earthquake and its measurement, as well as the hardware and software techniques to build an earthquake detector. An exhibition will be held in April 2017 to showcase the designs of the students.

HKU Emergency Medicine Unit develops mobile app on AED application

A survey by the HKU Medical Faculty's Emergency Medicine Unit (EMU) revealed a general lack of first-aid skills and knowledge among the public, which resulted in the survival rate of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases in Hong Kong among the lowest in Asia. Of the 401 people interviewed, only 22% had received Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training and only 12% had training in Automated External Defibrillator (AED) application. The survival rate of cardiac arrest cases happening outside hospital was about 2.3% in 2012-13, which was lower than the rates in South Korea (8.5%), Japan (5.2%) and Taiwan (4.6%). EMU has initiated a series of community projects to improve first-aid knowledge of general public, including elderly CPR course and domestic workers CPR workshops and seminars. The team has also started a resuscitation project at 30 secondary schools and developed a free mobile app to provide instructions on AED application and help users locate the nearest devices.

HKU supports "Young and Alcohol Free" campaign

The Department of Health launched a new publicity campaign entitled "Young and Alcohol Free" supported by the HKU School of Public Health. The campaign aims to step up efforts to combat underage drinking. According to Associate Professor of the School of Public Health Dr Daniel Ho, parents are children's main source of alcohol, common pro-drinking practices encourage their children to drink and parents often underestimate the severity of underage drinking. An HKU study revealed that primary and secondary school students residing with parents, siblings and grandparents who were drinkers were more likely to develop drinking habits than those whose families did not. Moreover, children, especially primary school pupils, exposed to pro-drinking practices such as buying alcohol, pouring alcohol and opening bottles for parents were more likely to start underage drinking.

HKU introduces new bereavement counselling model

Dr Amy Chow, Associate Professor of the Department of Social Work and Social Administration, in collaboration with the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (TWGHs) developed the "Reweaving Grief" innovative bereavement counselling model in Hong Kong. The model was adopted from the Woven Memories initiative founded by Ms Mary Burgess in Australia, for people who keep clothes and other fabrics belongings of deceased family members, and developed with cultural consideration for Hong Kong. This project is expected to offer a new choice to bereaved persons in Hong Kong who do not prefer formal counseling.

Faculty of Social Sciences and NGOs launch Jockey Club Water Initiative on Sustainability and Engagement

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust has provided over HK$14.7 million to support the Faculty of Social Sciences of HKU – in collaboration with six environmental NGOs – to launch a three-year project entitled "Jockey Club Water Initiative on Sustainability and Engagement" (JC-WISE). Through a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional and cross-sectoral collaboration, JC-WISE aims to elevate the level of public awareness, and appreciation, of the importance of water conservation and sustainability. Dr Frederick Lee, Associate Professor of the Department of Geography and Project Co-Investigator, said JC-WISE is the first large-scale project to promote the Water Footprintconcept and the multiple values of freshwater in the community. A Water Footprint Calculator – the first of its kind in Hong Kong – will be developed on mobile and online platforms for calculating water footprints of popular local food items. The project will also offer a GIS-based database with open access to public and guided field-trips to reconnect the community with rivers and river basins in Hong Kong.

International study reveals 82% of core ecological processes compromised by climate change

An international study led by University of Florida, with participation from the HKU School of Biological Science, revealed that 82% of the 94 identified ecological processes have been compromised by climate change. Land, freshwater and marine ecosystems and species have all been all affected, and consequential impacts on people could range from increased pests and disease outbreaks, to unpredictable changes in fisheries and decreasing agriculture yields. Co-author Professor David Dudgeon, Director of the School of Biological Sciences, warned that local species like paradise fish, short-legged toad and Hong Kong newt are at risk as habitats shrink. The research team hopes the research could steer governments in the right direction and deliver the message that climate change is not just a projection and that the effects on ecological processes are already happening. The study was published in the prestigious journal Science.

HKU 'Youth Quitline' helps a quarter of participants quit smoking

Since its establishment in 2005, “Youth Quitline” has helped nearly a quarter of the participants quit smoking at the six-month follow-up and helped 11.5% of those who did not quit smoking reduce cigarette consumption.