The SHKP Reading Club of Sun Hung Kai Properties (SHKP) collaborated with the Hong Kong STEM Education Alliance to organize the Read to Dream x Future Engineer Grand Challenge, which is a contest to help promote innovation and technology (I&T) education in primary and secondary schools. Students were encouraged to unleash their creativity in the application of science and technology in daily life. The contest received an overwhelming response, with 110 entries submitted within one month. An award-presentation ceremony was held today at the Sky100 Hong Kong Observation Deck, with Under Secretary for Education Sze Chun-fai, SHKP Executive Director Christopher Kwok, Hong Kong STEM Education Alliance Chairman Ray Cheung, Legislative Council member Tang Fei, and Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers Chairman Wong Kam-leung presenting the prizes.

An accredited event to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the contest invited students to design applications and tools that use the latest technology to tackle inconveniences in everyday life. The challenge was divided into primary, junior secondary and senior secondary categories. 

At the award-presentation ceremony, SHKP Executive Director Christopher Kwok encouraged students to read more to equip themselves. He said: “General Secretary Xi Jinping highlighted the importance of ‘talent as our primary resource, and innovation as our primary driver of growth’ in his Report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. He also strongly emphasized youth development in an important speech delivered on 1st July. He said he hoped Hong Kong would ride on its strengths and develop itself into an international hub for innovation and technology. This clearly shows that the young people will have plenty of opportunities in the I&T sector in the future. Our competition has drawn a lot of creative entries and the participants have shown great imagination and a good grasp of I&T applications. I hope all the students will continue to work hard and contribute to the development of Hong Kong and serve the country when they grow up.”

Hong Kong STEM Education Alliance Chairman Ray Cheung said he believed participating in the competition is more important than winning it. “Perfecting a proposal is a process of continuous improvement,” he said. “The Future Engineer Grand Challenge has allowed the participants to gain valuable experience. In addition to understanding the merits and shortcomings of their work, the participants have learned how to work together as a team, identify problems, and translate ideas into reality. I am sure the competition has sharpened their collaboration, communication and problem-solving skills, which is one of the aims of STEM education. In his Policy Address, the Chief Executive laid down the Hong Kong I&T Development Blueprint. I hope the participants have learnt from the competition and will continue to work hard and contribute to Hong Kong’s I&T development in the future.”

A panel of 20 judges, including professionals and professors from The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Hong Kong Section, The Institution of Engineering and Technology Hong Kong, and the Internet Professional Association, selected 30 outstanding works from the 110 entries which came from 51 schools. The 30 finalists were required to make a presentation of their design to the judges, who determined the winners of the first, second and third prizes for each category.

The winning designs are assistive tools for daily living. Smart Medication Reminder, the first-prize entry in the primary category, leverages big data, the internet of things and artificial intelligence (AI) to help the elderly take the right medicine at the right time. The proposed gadget will help caregivers monitor if the elderly have followed their medication routine. AllyBreaKall, the first-prize entry in the junior secondary category, integrates such AI features as an electronic screen, sensor, and safe reverse system with an electric wheelchair, providing greater safety and convenience to wheelchair users. Older people who are partially sighted or suffer from dementia can benefit from Airis, which won first prize in the senior secondary category. The proposed wearable device helps the elderly obtain traffic and mapping information so that they can travel with greater ease. Also, with the help of the device, their family members can keep track of their location at all times. 

SHKP’s unstinting support for I&T education
SHKP has organized different programmes to promote innovation and technology education for young people. Through the SHKP Reading Club, SHKP has arranged 5G STEM classes and guided tours to SmarTone’s 5G Lab at Sky100 since it was set up in 2021. In addition, the Club has organized outreach activities to introduce the country’s scientific and technological achievements, both ancient and modern, to secondary school students. The aim of the activities is also to enhance young people’s interest in, and knowledge of, I&T.

In addition to the Future Engineer Grand Challenge, the SHKP Reading Club held a series of activities this year as part of its annual Read to Dream programme to promote reading and STEM education among students, including the following:

• Collaborated with long-term partners the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and St. James' Settlement to sponsor more than 1,000 students to visit the Hong Kong Book Fair and provide them with an allowance to buy books;
• Held a talk, titled Enjoy Reading STEM for an Innovative Future, at the book fair, with six experts from the I&T field sharing Hong Kong’s scientific and technological development since its return to the motherland and the country’s I&T achievements from ancient to modern times; and
• Sponsored the publication of an illustrated children’s book, titled Hong Kong Chronicles for Children – HKSAR 25th Anniversary Edition, which was given free of charge to kindergartens and primary schools across the city, along with activities held in the schools.

The SHKP Reading Club promotes I&T education and reading among youth to prepare the next generation for future challenges.