Two awardees of the Innovation and Technology Scholarship recount their experience and exposure gained through the Scholarship, and share their insights on advancing eco-sustainability.
‘Innovation and Technology’ has been identified as one of the six industries that can boost Hong Kong’s competitive edge in sustainable development. Based on the shared vision of investment in youth education, the Innovation and Technology Commission of the HKSAR Government, HSBC, and The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, have established the Innovation and Technology Scholarship to cultivate local young talents.
Since its inception in 2011, the Scholarship has been offering outstanding undergraduates of Hong Kong the opportunities to widen their international exposure, gain industry experience, as well as nurture their passion and commitment towards science and technology. 25 awardees from different streams of science, engineering and health-related studies are selected on an annual basis, with each receiving HK$150,000 to participate in a series of elite training programmes, including Overseas/Mainland Attachment, Mentorship, Local Internship and Service Project.
Two awardees from the cohorts of 2019 and 2021 respectively, Angel Or Ka-lai and Lau King-heng, have completed a range of programmes. Here they share what they have gained through the Scholarship, how they contribute their experience to the field of innovation and technology, as well as insights on eco-sustainability.
Putting environmental protection concepts into practice
A graduate from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology this year, Angel Or Ka-lai studied Environmental Management and Technology, an interdisciplinary programme that involves science, engineering and business, during her undergraduate studies. She is currently working at a shipping company on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) matters.
As a strong believer in sustainability concepts, Or undertakes life cycle analyses (LCA) for products and services, to assess their actual environmental impacts throughout the whole life cycle. “For instance, products made of recycled plastic might be deemed environmentally-friendly, but the recycling process per se might cause additional carbon emission,” she notes. “That’s why I want to investigate the product life cycle and evaluate the actual environmental cost.”
During a summer internship under the Scholarship at an environmental startup in 2019, she performed LCA of the company’s upcycled wood-plastic composite (WPC) panels from resource extraction to manufacturing, logistics and disposal, in order to compare with the carbon emission in the life cycle of non-upcycled counterparts.
Or spent a semester in the fall of 2019 at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the U.S., which was “an eye-opening experience in terms of academics and cultural exposure”. She was particularly impressed by the bicycle-friendly campus: “Bicycle is the commuting medium that links back to sustainability and carbon reduction.” Out on a farm in the Midwest, Or also took part in apple-picking with the locals as part of the cultural immersion activities there.
She makes a point of acquainting herself with the Scholarship community and meets like-minded people. Having Prof. Daniel Cheng, Managing Director of Dunwell Enviro-Tech (Holdings) Ltd., as her mentor, Or has learnt a lot about how to push for sustainability in a corporate setting, where she finds commonality in her current role in the shipping company. “As my mentor emphasises, in introducing new ideas to a company, you must first understand the different functions in the company,” she notes.
Or believes that it is crucial to cultivate a sense of environmental protection in the public mind through active listening and conversation. In the Service Project Programme, she made use of her academic knowledge to organise a webinar on global warming and carbon footprint for primary school students. “It was my first workshop targeting primary school children, so I had to keep reminding myself to use simple language to keep them engaged.”
Through the Scholarship initiatives, Or finds the encouragement to step out of her comfort zone. “I’ve joined various sustainability competitions on waste reduction in different sectors. On one occasion I pitched to my home university on minimising waste after public events by digitising the promotional materials for less paper consumption.”
For her future plans, Or intends to accumulate a few more years of work experiences before pursuing postgraduate studies in Hong Kong, North America or Europe.
When a childhood passion becomes a prospective career
Lau King-heng, currently in his final year of studies, is majoring in Earth System Science with a focus on Atmospheric Science at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Growing up in Hong Kong, a city frequented by tropical cyclones, Lau has been drawn into meteorology since a very young age. The aspiring atmospheric scientist is eager to contribute his expertise and experience gained from the initiatives to his hometown, by strengthening Hong Kong’s adaptability to climate change.
While the journey of academic research might be a solitary crusade, the words of wisdom from Lam Chiu-ying, the former Director of the Hong Kong Observatory, currently serving as the mentor of Lau under the Scholarship, have steeled his mentee’s resolve in his ongoing endeavours whenever doubts and frustrations arise.
“I was very fortunate to have a heartfelt exchange with Mr Lam in person on promoting environmental conservation in Hong Kong,” Lau recalls. “He stressed that if you’re passionate about the environment, you must learn to ignore negative comments, look beyond setbacks and soldier on.”
Lau’s research interests focus on how climate change affects the frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones, as well as tropical cyclones forecasting. The Scholarship provides ample support to his planned overseas visit to conduct research on tropical cyclones and climate change, at the Department of Atmospheric Sciences of National Taiwan University under the guidance of renowned atmospheric scientist Prof. Wu Chun-chieh, who specialises in tropical cyclones.
Although the visit has been postponed due to travel restrictions amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Lau hopes that he could set out next summer. “I look forward to tapping my expertise in scientific research, and networking with researchers in the field,” he says.
Regarding the rising concerns in eco-sustainability, Lau believes innovation and technology are indispensable in the battle against climate change. “In forecasting tropical cyclones for instance, there are so many rapidly changing parameters that if we could upgrade our accuracy, it would be a tremendous boon to mitigating the damage,” he explains.
Government has set the target to reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2035 from 2005 levels in the ‘Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2050’. In this connection, Lau points out the importance of public education on climate change and the provision of incentives in such areas as electric vehicles and waste recycling.
Looking ahead, Lau would like to pursue graduate studies overseas in atmospheric research focusing on tropical cyclones. “At the end of the day, I aim to return to Hong Kong for a career in academia or meteorological public service, as a way to give back to my home,” he concludes.
Innovation and Technology Scholarship 2022 - Open for Application Now
For more details, please visit: innotechscholarship.hkfyg.org.hk
