Beating the strong teams, three F.3 girls from St. Stephen’s Girls’ College crowned the Gold Award at the Final Pitch of the CityUHK Science Patent Challenge 2024- 25 held on 15 February. Co-organised by the College of Science (CSCI) and the Office of the Provost and Deputy President, student inventors from 8 shortlisted secondary schools impressed the five judges by providing solutions to real-life problems with a scientific mind and creativity. This year’s Gold and Silver Award-winning teams observed the needs of the elderly and patients respectively, and tried to utilise technology to enhance their quality of life.
Facing our five judges: Mr. Ricky Chan, Executive Deputy Chairman of Federation of Hong Kong Industries; Professor Duncan Leung, Professor of the Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences from the University of Macau and an alumnus of CSCI’s Department of Chemistry; Professor Xin Wang, Dean of CSCI; Professor Ray Cheung, Associate Provost (Digital Learning) of the Office of the Provost and Deputy President; and Professor Chin Foo Goh, Director of CityUHK’s Knowledge Transfer Office; the shortlisted teams presented their innovative ideas and encountered challenging questions on stage.
On behalf of the judging panel, Professor Wang described in his welcoming speech that the participating young innovators’ hard work and enthusiasm are “truly inspiring”, and they “demonstrated commitment to making a positive impact on society through science and technology”. Professor Wang elaborated that patent plays a vital role in protecting and promoting innovations. He reminded the student inventors that “the journey of innovation is filled with challenges and opportunities”. He encouraged them “to think beyond boundaries, push the limits of what is possible, and collaborate to create a brighter future”.
Below is the full list of winners (in alphabetical order of the school names for the same award):
Gold Award: St. Stephen’s Girls’ College
Silver Award: DSC International School, Heung To Secondary School (Tseung Kwan O)
Bronze Award: Hong Kong Baptist University Affiliated School Wong Kam Fai Secondary and Primary School, Hong Kong International School, Queen’s College Old Boys’ Association Secondary School
Merit Award: Diocesan Girls’ College, Queen Elizabeth School Old Students’ Association Tong Kwok Wah Secondary School
The Gold Award-winning team from St. Stephen’s Girls’ College were surprised about the championship as they wished to perform better during the Q&A session. “It is the first time we participated in such kind of competition and we were so nervous. We will keep modifying our design, and hopefully, our concept can be realised one day in helping the elderly,” the team concluded.
CityUHK Science Patent Challenge aims to introduce the concept of intellectual property to secondary school students and to enlighten their passion for science. Gold and Silver Award-winning teams will receive full-fee sponsorship to apply for a Hong Kong short-term patent in consultation with a patent attorney appointed by the College of Science.