The Bright Future Engineering Talent Hub (the Hub) of the College of Engineering at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) hosted the "STEM Activities Award Presentation cum Talents Circle Reception 2024" on 28 September. The event attracted approximately 140 primary and secondary school students, school representatives and members of the Hub. The day featured a variety of exciting activities, including an award ceremony, the finals of the "Robotic Workshop: City Football Cup", and sharing sessions. There was also an interactive STEM exhibition area on-site, providing the participants with a creative STEM experience.

Distinguished guests at the event included Dr Roy Chung Chi-ping, GBS, BBS, JP, Co-founder and Non-Executive Director of Techtronic Industries Company Limited, Founder and Chairman of the Bright Future Charitable Foundation, and Honorary Advisor and Patron of the Hub; Professor Shek Chan-hung, Advisor of the Hub, and Associate Dean (Undergraduate Education) of the College of Engineering; and Professor Howard Leung Wing-ho, Principal of the Hub and Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at CityUHK.

Dr Chung presented the awards to the winning teams and engaged in discussions with the award-winning students to gain insights into their experience and achievements in participating in STEM activities. He emphasised that innovation and technology are the future and encouraged the students to seize the opportunities available to them, start learning engineering knowledge during their academic years, and consider a career in the engineering and innovation industry.

During the event, the members of the Hub had the opportunity to participate in member-exclusive STEM workshops – "Robotic Workshop: City Football Cup" and "Metaverse Workshop: Exploring the Unreal Future" – and had a close look of the projects of the advancing teams in the STEM Challenge. They experienced the fun of STEM first-hand and appreciated the creativity and accomplishments of the outstanding teams.

The Hub, under the College of Engineering of CityUHK, organises a diverse range of STEM activities annually, including the STEM Challenge, the Summer Research Internship, and the STEM Carnival cum Student Project Exhibition, to promote STEM education and cultivate young talent in the engineering field. Over the past three years, these activities have attracted more than 2,200 primary and secondary school students. This year, the activities were extended to primary school students, who could join various STEM workshops specially designed for them to inspire students' interest in STEM from a young age.

A total of 39 teams from various secondary schools participated in the STEM Challenge this year. The challenge is a project-based competition supervised by CityUHK professors and supported by student mentors for each team. The teams were formed by secondary students with a specific research topic to showcase their creativity and problem-solving skills.

Eight teams were selected to enter the final presentation, and four winning teams, from Pui Shing Catholic Secondary School, Cumberland Presbyterian Church Yao Dao Secondary School, New Asia Middle School, and CUHK FAA Thomas Cheung Secondary School, were awarded in recognition of their innovative work and achievements.

The Summer Research Internship received over 200 applications this year. 53 secondary school students were selected to undertake engineering-related research attachments for one month at CityUHK during the summer holiday, with the aim of enhancing their interest in engineering through the guidance of PhD students and faculty members from the College of Engineering. After intensive training and internship coursework, three students from Daughters of Mary Help of Christians Siu Ming Catholic Secondary School, Diocesan Boys’ School, and Li Po Chun United World College were honoured with the Outstanding Summer Research Intern Award.