CityU Discovery Festival celebrates innovative achievements and discoveries

​The annual  Discovery Festival at City University of Hong Kong (CityU) held from 10 to 12 March will celebrate the achievements of CityU students and faculty in discovery, innovation and creativity, which are the main curricular drivers behind CityU’s unique Discovery-enriched Curriculum (DEC).

An Opening Ceremony cum Teaching Excellence Awards Presentation on 10 March was officiated by the Hon Lam Woon-kwong, Convenor of the Non-Official Members of the Executive Council, Ms Mabel Cheung Yuen-ting, an acclaimed film director and producer, Professor Way Kuo, CityU President, Professor Arthur Ellis, Provost of CityU, Professor Horace Ip Ho-shing, Vice-President (Student Affairs), Mr William Khoo Wun-fat, Convocation Vice-Chairman.

Professor Kuo said the DEC allowed students to embark on an intellectual journey of discovery and innovation. “Fostering the spirit of discovery and innovation has been at the forefront of the DEC. We encourage students to explore new knowledge, initiate original work, and thus make contributions to society,” he added.

In addition, two exemplary teachers were presented Teaching Excellence Awards at the ceremony in recognition of their contributions to raising the quality of teaching at CityU. They are: Professor Muammer Ozer of the Department of Management and Dr Y-Dang Troeung, Assistant Professor in the Department of English.

The ceremony also saw the presentation of awards to the winners of the “Smarter Life Aided by Robots” competition, the “My Own Discovery” contest, and the “Undergraduate Student Innovators”. The awards serve as recognition of achievements in original discoveries at CityU.

Before the ceremony, Ms Mabel Cheung Yuen-ting gave an inspiring talk to a full house, sharing her success in making exceptional films and living an exceptional life.

In addition to the ceremony and the talk, an exhibition titled Learning&Discovery@CityU is being held until 12 March. Participants will learn about “DEC 2.0”, intellectual property, entrepreneurship and how to commercialise their creative ideas. The exhibition will also showcase CityU students’ discoveries and innovations that are beneficial to society. Some of the innovative projects include:

“Formaldehyde Absorption by Plants”: the discovery of the absorption of the toxic chemical compound formaldehyde found in paint by plants

“Smart Sky Wheel”: designed for senior citizens, especially for those who live alone, to get hold of things from tall shelves

“Smart Hand”: an age-friendly hair washing tool designed for senior citizens to wash their hair with less use of their arms

“Small Bag, Big Life”: a means of building a comfortable temporary home quickly for victims of natural disaster using minimal technology

Other events include the Majors and Minors Fair, which provides informative references about undergraduate majors and minors for Year 1 students; the International Culture Carnival, which is a good opportunity for international and local students to have meaningful cultural exchange; and music performances.