Computing student with chronic disease strikes gold in IT contest

For 25-year-old Lau Hiu-fung, the computing student who has been suffering from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy since he was eight, winning a gold award in an IT project competition is like a second dream comes true.

Hiu-fung’s first dream was realized when he was admitted to PolyU to study computing three years ago. Undaunted by the continuing deterioration of his physical condition, now to the point where he can barely move his limbs, Hiu-fung keeps on working hard for his studies in the University.

In late June, he participated in the 2009 Amway Pan-Pearl River Delta Region Universities IT Project Competition with his final year project “RFID/SMS-based Flight Information and Advertisement System”. Although Hiu-fung could not travel to Kunming to present his project in person, he was able to take part in the Q&A session with the help of video conferencing equipments. His indomitable spirit and efforts eventually paid off and won him a Gold Award, after beating nearly 40 teams of counterparts from more than 200 universities.

Dr Henry Chan, Associate Professor of the Department of Computing, who supervised Hiu-fung, is extremely impressed by his perseverance. "Despite how inconvenient it is for him to travel, he is never late for class. He is hardworking and always gives his best. I think he is a role model for all our students.”