Solving everyday problems with creative ideas

July 20, 2018

Last November the Academy for Bright Future Young Engineers of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) joined hands with Project WeCan to organize a STEAM competition spanning over six months.

The finale was held on July 6, 2018 at Plaza Hollywood, where the participants’ solutions to the social problems were showcased and the top three projects were awarded.

The WeCan x HKUST STEAM Awards aimed to promote a caring spirit among young people and encourage students to develop their creativity through STEAM and learn how to handle issues encountered in daily life. The competition brought together over a hundred students from 28 secondary schools organized into 17 teams for the contest, giving them a rare chance to meet and work closely with students from other schools.

Under the guidance of professors and students from HKUST’s School of Engineering, each team created innovative products under one of three major concepts of “Smart Living”, “Green Living” and “Healthy Living”. The teams would first identify some social issues, prepare a proposal for their project, acquire technical skills in training workshops and produce a prototype.

The winning teams were selected by a judging panel formed by Professor Tim Woo and Professor Ben Chan of HKUST. The entries were assessed according to several criteria, including how well the products address the social issues, user-friendliness, application of STEAM theories and techniques, design and cost effectiveness.

“Recycling bin in style of a game machine”, “Food Conveying Belt” and “Smart Pillow” were the top three winners.

Besides the awarded teams, the other entries were also invited to display their products at the STEAM Expo. Moreover, Project WeCan’s corporate partners and HKUST set up booths to display products using the latest technology, including solar vehicle, UAV and underwater robot.