KE Spotlight - Community Engagement - HKU Knowledge Exchange

Three HKU academics receive Croucher Innovation and Senior Research Fellowship Awards

Three HKU academics have been presented with Innovation and Senior Research Fellowship Awards by the Croucher Foundation. Dr Yufeng Wang, Assistant Professor of the Department of Chemistry who received the Croucher Innovation Award 2019, studies how to put together colloidal nanoparticles to form 1D to 3D superstructures for emerging applications such as photonics, drug delivery and micro-machinery. Professor Anderson Shum, Professor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Professor Wang Yao, Chair Professor of Department of Physics, received the Croucher Senior Research Fellowships 2020.

Three HKU scientists make the list of Innovators Under 35 Asia Pacific by MIT Technology Review

Three HKU scientists are among the four Hong Kong young scientists who made the MIT Technology Review annual list of Innovators Under 35 for the Asia Pacific Region and they are: Dr Hao Guo, Postdoctoral Fellow of the Department of Civil Engineering, who created an electricity- and chemical- free filter for rapid water purification; Dr Ziyan Guo, PhD Researcher of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, who co-developed world’s first intraoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)-guided robot for bilateral stereotactic neurosurgery; and Dr Ping Luo, Assistant Professor of the Department of Computer Science, who developed computer vision and AI technologies to understand human behaviours such as facial expressions, emotions and social relationships. The peer-reviewed annual award was established by MIT Technology Review in 1999 to recognise outstanding young innovators under the age of 35. In 2010, regional versions of the award were introduced to cover areas including Latin America, Europe, China, India, the Middle East and Southeast Asia/Oceania.

HKU Engineering-led student team wins 1st runner-up at Global Grand Challenges Summit 2019 in London

A HKU Engineering-led student coached by Dr Hayden Kwok-Hay So of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering through the support of the Tam Wing Fan Innovation Wing and the Gallant Ho Experiential Learning Fund was awarded 1st runner-up at the Student Competition of 2019 Global Grand Challenges Summit (GGCS) in London on September 13. The award-winning project, “ClearBot”, an AI-powered, autonomous plastic-collecting robotic solution that took aim at the global ocean plastic epidemic, represents a truly multi-disciplinary solution that puts heavy emphasis on the relationship between technology and the people who are most affected by this plastic epidemic. From the initial experiential learning trip to Bali, to the open-source software/hardware development model, the development of “ClearBot” remains hinged on the belief that real-world impact can only be achieved by engaging the target communities at every step.

Faculty Knowledge Exchange Awards 2019

The annual Faculty Knowledge Exchange (KE) Awards recognise each Faculty’s outstanding KE accomplishment that has made demonstrable economic, social or cultural impacts to benefit the community, business/industry, or partner organisations. Results of the 2019 Faculty KE Awards are now available.

‘HKcBirds: Common Birds of Hong Kong’ was awarded the 2018 Top Ten Healthy Mobile Phone/Tablet Apps

The mobile app ‘HKcBirds: Common Birds of Hong Kong’, developed by Dr Yip Chi Lap, Beta and Dr Wong Ka Yan, Ivy of the Department of Computer Science, was awarded as one of the top 10 winning apps at the "2018 Meritorious Websites Contest and Healthy Mobile Phone/Tablet Apps Contest". The contest, organised by the Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration (OFNAA), aims to encourage the youth to browse healthy websites and develop good surfing habit. The App "HKcBirds: Common Birds of Hong Kong" is jointly developed by HKU Department of Computer Science and The Hong Kong Bird Watching Society since 2014. It was under the KE Impact Project 2013/14 titled "Birds of Hong Kong in Your Hands".

HKU Engineering students achieve the best ever result of Hong Kong teams in AIAA unmanned aircraft competition

The “Design, Build and Fly” Team of HKU Department of Mechanical Engineering participated in the “23rd AIAA Design Build Fly Competition” in the U.S. and ranked 13th among 104 eligible teams, achieving the best ever result of Hong Kong teams since 2013, and the best result in East Asia. The team of five students, supervised by Dr C.K. Chan, took part in a 4-day competition and successfully completed all three missions under the theme of “Aircraft Carrier Operations”, ranking 13th in the competition.

HKU launches Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) Strategy Paper

The Centre for Innovation in Construction & Infrastructure Development (CICID) of HKU launched a Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) Strategy Paper, elaborating 10 strategies of MiC policy scenarios in the short, mid and long term for successful adoption of MiC in Hong Kong. The HKU paper proposed the government to build hostels, hotels, staff quarters and public housing in the New Territories with MiC as short-term strategy, before adopting it for private buildings in the long term.