Campus Reports

Nearly five hundred new Mainland students attend online briefing session

To help freshmen Mainland students adapt to their new life in Hong Kong and PolyU, the Global Engagement Office together with the Student Affairs Office held an online briefing session on the evening of 16 August. Prof. Young, Vice President (Student and Global Affairs) and Prof. Shen, Associate Vice President (Global Partnerships), delivered welcome speeches to the new students to open the briefing session. Global Engagement Office and Student Affairs Office colleagues then introduced PolyU overseas exchange opportunities and student services to the new students respectively. PolyU also invited the Hong Kong Police Force to give details about how Mainland students can avoid being deceived by telephone scams. The briefing session was well attended with close to five hundred Mainland students present online.

USRN Virtual Boot Camp successfully concluded

Organised by the University Social Responsibility Network (USRN) in collaboration with the Jockey Club Design Institute for Social Innovation (JCDISI) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the USRN Virtual Boot Camp + Seed Fund Competition: Innovating for the COVID New Normal, has been successful concluded. The Boot Camp attracted 45 students in 12 teams from Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Mainland China, South Africa, South Korea and the Philippines to decode complex global challenges under the COVID new normal and then apply innovative and impactful solutions that aim to contribute to a more inclusive and sustainable future.  Student participants were required to showcase their projects on a specific theme, aiming to address the needs of the identified users, present originality and potential for scalable adoption, and show promise in enhancing inclusivity in the community. The 12 team pitches were highly appreciated and praised by the judges. Student teams from Ateneo de Manila University, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Yonsei University were selected as the winning teams and awarded seed funding of USD2,000 to implement their projects between now and November.  To see the teams pitching their ideas, please click here. About the USRN Virtual Boot Camp: The Virtual Boot Camp is a new USRN initiative in collaboration with the University’s JCDISI. Student teams participate in workshops and in further sessions where their ideas are explored and ultimately adopted.    

13 PolyU students named Millennium Fellows

Thirteen PolyU students have been named Millennium Fellows in the class of 2022. PolyU is one of the 200 campuses across 37 nations selected to host Millennium Fellows this year. Presented by the United Nations Academic Impact and MCN, the Fellows will be receiving Social Impact Training and creating social impact projects to advance the Sustainable Development Goals.  “Congratulations to our students who have been selected as members of the Millennium Fellowship Class of 2022. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University nurtures students to become lifelong learners, global-minded leaders and socially responsible citizens,” said Prof. Jin-Guang Teng, PolyU President. “I am sure this programme will further elevate our students’ leadership capabilities for the benefit of Hong Kong, the Nation and the world.” The thirteen Millennium Fellows at PolyU are: • NG Hiu Lam, BA (HONS) FASHION & TEXTILES (INTIMATE APPAREL & ACTIVEWEAR) • PAL Ileana, BEng (HONS) SCHEME IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING • MAN Ka Hei, BSc (HONS) RADIOGRAPHY • LEUNG Kwan Hung, BSc (HONS) LOGISTICS ENGINEERING WITH MANAGEMENT • WU Lina, BBA (HONS) MANAGEMENT • GENG Longling, BSc (HONS) COMPUTING • SHEN Qianyu, BSc (HONS) BUILDING ENGINEERING & MANAGEMENT • HUANG YanLiang, BEng (HONS) ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING & SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT • CHAN Yee, MSc MEDICAL IMAGING & RADIATION SCIENCE • AU Yi Ka, BSc (HONS) PHYSIOTHERAPY • YU Zhexi, BBA (HONS) MANAGEMENT • JIN Zihan, BBA (HONS) ACCOUNTING & FINANCE • LAI Ka Wai, BSc (HONS) LOGISTICS ENGINEERING WITH MANAGEMENT  

International Summer School 2022

The International Summer School (ISS) 2022 concluded successfully on 20 August. Starting on 14 July 2022, ISS participants undertook short-term studies at PolyU by completing credit-bearing courses offered in various disciplines, with both face-to-face and online learning.    To help the exchange students from our partner institutions integrate into Hong Kong’s local culture, ISS organized a wide range of enrichment activities. Major events included a virtual tour to the West Kowloon District led by PolyU Attachés in collaboration with the Hong Kong Tourism Board, three Chinese paper-cutting workshops, Zentangle drawing, alcohol ink painting, as well as an in-person tour that guided students to discover cultural attractions on Lantau Island such as the Tian Tan Buddha and Tai O Village.   To further expand networking opportunities during ISS, a Buddy Programme was launched whereby international students were matched with PolyU students who served as Buddies supporting learning in and off campus, significantlyenriching the ISS students’ inter-cultural experience.

USRN launches a pioneering Virtual Boot Camp: Social Innovations for a Sustainable Future

The first ever USRN Virtual Boot Camp kicked off on 5 July 2022, calling for students over the world to decode complex global challenges under the COVID new normal and to aim high by applying innovative and impactful solutions for an inclusive and sustainable future. The USRN Virtual Boot Camp, themed “Innovating for the COVID New Normal”, is a new initiative of the University Social Responsibility Network (USRN) in collaboration with Jockey Club Design Institute for Social Innovation (JCDISI) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). The Virtual Boot Camp received an overwhelming response from students of USRN member institutions. In their applications, students were requested to present existing solutions or ideas that had emerged out of the COVID pandemic which they believed to have the potential to create social good. Upon careful evaluation, 45 outstanding students from Hong Kong, Japan, Mainland China, South Africa, South Korea and the Philippines were shortlisted to join the Camp. Throughout July 2022, they participated in teams in workshops and in sessions specifically designed for the teams to explore ideas and their possible future adoption. “The emergence of ‘COVID New Normal’ gives rise to numerous social innovations and practices across different communities, countries and continents, serving their unique contextual social requirements. All these creativities have laid the groundwork for this USRN Boot Camp,” said Professor Ben Young, USRN Co-Chair and PolyU Vice President (Student and Global Affairs), in his welcome remarks during the Virtual Boot Camp online briefing session. He added that since most universities had enhanced their digital education and communication infrastructures, USRN students were increasingly well-equipped to have confident exchanges with others online. “’Online Communication, Virtual Studying’ is a new education model which, it is anticipated, will outlast the pandemic. With the advances in AI technology, our lifestyles will be re-defined through the integration of physical mobility and virtual interaction,” he remarked. Professor Young explained the multiple purposes of the Virtual Boot Camp in this new era – to address social issues, to drive social innovations for unmet social needs, to facilitate a global exchange of ideas and practices, and to inspire the young generation to innovate for a better future. He encouraged students to make full use of the precious opportunities during the Virtual Boot Camp, to stretch their creative horizons and address societal challenges together. Mr. Ling Kar-kan, Director of JCDISI, also invited student participants of the Virtual Boot Camp to be courageous and creative to make solutions, “Only when you can be creative and innovative can the world’s future become bright” At disruptive times, such as during the COVID pandemic, innovations bring the potential to challenge existing social norms and drive forward a sustainable future. “You may share your unique experience of the disruption caused by COVID and innovate solutions to help people overcome various problems. We believe there are many opportunities for us to learn from each other’s experiences and insights,” added Mr. Ling, who in the same briefing session, advocated for transformingthe inconvenience caused by COVID into opportunities. In addition to the student participants, the Virtual Boot Camp welcomed 11 Expert Speakers and seven Specialist Mentors from USRN member institutions from Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Mainland China, South Africa, South Korea, the Netherlands and the Philippines, to share insights on innovations for life in the COVID New Normal. These experienced social innovators guided students to explore and adopt ideas, and design prototypes that have the potential to social good. Students showcased their idea adoption projects on the last day of the Virtual Boot Camp on 30 July 2022. Innovative social ideas which can address the needs of the identified users, present originality and potential for scalable adoption, and show promise in enhancing inclusivity in the community were awarded a seed funding to further develop and transform their ideas into actions. They will be further given an opportunity to showcase their solution development journeys at the Social Innovation Regional Forum 2022 organised by JCDISI later this year.

GEO holds Attaché Inauguration and Recognition Ceremony

On 10 May 2022, the Global Engagement Office held an online Inauguration and Recognition Ceremony for Attachés, who are tasked with promoting PolyU to prospective international students and guests at key events. In his welcoming speech, Prof. Geoffrey Shen (Director of Global Engagement) congratulated the Attachés for their honourary appointment and encouraged them to make the most of their training and learning opportunities. Devanshee Mishra (Faculty of Engineering, Year 4), who has served as an Attaché since 2020, shared her rewarding journey connecting with students and parents worldwide. Prof. Shen took the opportunity to express his heartfelt appreciation to all the departing Attachés for their dedicated service in the previous year.

USRN Webinar Series: Social Responsibility in Teaching and Learning — What Works?

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and the University of Pretoria have been co-hosting a three-week University Social Responsibility Network (USRN) Webinar Series in March – April 2022 to discuss university social responsibility in teaching and learning. The first session of the Webinar Series themed, “Civic Learning through a Service-Learning Requirement: Does It Work?”, was held on 21 March 2022, and attracted more than 140 participants from 18 countries/ regions. This informative and engaging webinar session was facilitated by Prof. Daniel T. L. Shek, Associate Vice President (Undergraduate Programme), and presented by Dr Grace Ngai, Head, Service-Learning and Leadership Office and Dr Stephen C.F. Chan, Consultant and former Head, Service-Learning and Leadership Office of PolyU. Dr Ngai and Dr Chan shared their valuable experience in implementing Service-Learning at PolyU over the past ten years. Participants responded very positively, and there were many contributions to a very fruitful Q&A session. The USRN Webinar Series provides a virtual platform for USRN member institutions and other higher education institutes to regularly share good university social responsibility (USR) practices and impact stories. Through the Webinar Series, the USRN aims to advocate for broader social responsibility in higher education and expand the global USR movement. To view the recorded webinar session: https://www.usrnetwork.org/publication-resources/resources/webinar/

Nurturing talent for the energy industry to promote sustainable development along the Belt and Road

To support sustainable power development, PolyU once again collaborated with the State Grid Corporation of China, Hongkong Electric and Xi'an Jiaotong University to launch the new cohort of online “Belt and Road Advanced Professional Development Programme in Power and Energy”. Themed “Decarbonising the Smart Grid for Sustainable Living”, the programme ran from 19 October to 5 November 2021 and attracted 255 participants from 25 countries/regions. Sixty-four international researchers, primarily from PolyU’s Belt and Road university alliances and the University Social Responsibility Network signed up for the programme to learn about the latest industrial practices and research findings related to tackling climate change. Participants were from 18 universities in countries including Brazil, Brunei, Pakistan, Russia, Singapore, South Africa and Thailand.

Heritage management through the eyes of the young generation

To encourage heritage appreciation and preservation among the young, the Heritage Alliance of the New Silk Road (HANSR) organised an international video competition themed “Enjoyment of the historical heritage, the vision of the young generation”. Ka Wai CHUNG (Institute of Textiles and Clothing, year 3) and Wing Wei WU (School of Design, year 3) answered the call, and submitted a video using Hong Kong’s renovation of “1881 Heritage” as the backdrop, articulating their thoughts on heritage preservation and management in Hong Kong. Their video was selected as one of five winning videos, earning them a valuable chance to present their work at the International Conference “Heritage Management: musealisation or use”, organized by HANSR and the Politecnico di Milano on 10 November 2021. https://www.hansr.polimi.it/

ITC Alumni Networking Series

Hosted by Prof. Jintu Fan, Head and Chair Professor of ITC, the first ITC Alumni Networking Series was initiated on 30 September 2021. In light of the social distancing restrictions, the activity was organised in a hybrid live format in the ITC 4D Theatre and streamed on Zoom. Prof. Fan shared the news that a series of consultations on upgrading the Institute to a School is being conducted among staff and students, alumni and industrialists. "A new, independent school will provide a platform for ITC to more effectively achieve its vision of being the leading institution in education, research and partnership in the field of fashion textile and design. It will also make ITC more visible." Prof. Fan said. A webinar, "Fashion Technology Adaptions – Past, Present and Future of the Supply Chain", followed. Three alumni, Ms Idy Lee from UNIFi3D, Mr Kim Ho from Crystal International Group and Mr Roger Chan from Cobalt Fashion shared their views on various issues. These included: how modern fashion technologies are integrated in the current product and supply chain in HK/Greater China; what routes were followed in adapting these technologies in HK/Greater China; what role the design/product design sector is seen to play in fashion technology adoption; and what impacts and advancements are foreseen in the industry for the coming 5-10 years in HK/Greater China. The discussion was given by Dr Sarina Sun and Dr Tsai-chun Huang, both ITC Research Assistant Professors. Before the end of the activity, Dr Joanne Yip, Chairlady of the Partnership and Development Working Group, offered a facility tour to the alumni, who cherished the opportunity to reunite with their classmates and teachers!