HK students win international award

A team from St Stephen's' Girls' College in Hong Kong has been named as joint top prize winner in the Best Design category at the British International Education Association 2020 International STEM youth innovation competition.

The competition is run annually by the organization, known as the BIEA, which supports British education overseas, and draws entrants from all ages in the education system across the globe, who use science, technology, engineering and maths, known as STEM, to answer a challenge set by the competition organizers. This year's challenge was to find a solution to plastic pollution.

Competing in the 15-17 years old age group, the St Stephen's team of Chan Sze-tsai, Hui Yat-yin, Kwok Muk-yan, and Mok Yee-wun collaborated on devising, creating and testing a cross-terrain amphibious vehicle which could reach hard-to-access places such as areas below cliffs.

With all entries subject to budgetary limitations, to make them affordable and feasible, their winning design included an artificial intelligence recognition system, solar panels and wind turbines.

Teacher Yau Wing-yee was proud of her team's efforts, and admitted the process had been as much of an education for her as it was for the students.

"Everything from acquiring the knowledge to design and graphic presentation skills was new to the students and to me," she said.

"The COVID-19 pandemic meant the students faced difficulties in working together and in getting materials for making the prototype, but they tried all possible methods to overcome this and I am delighted to see their great improvement in problem-solving skills."

Team member Mok said it had been a voyage of discovery, and had renewed her passion for the subject.

"As I have not participated in many similar projects before, I have learnt a lot of new practical skills such as writing proposals and creating presentations that help me to better express my ideas and thoughts," she said.

"I have also learnt to be more flexible with my ideas, and not to limit myself with what I have learnt and applied, but to be brave enough to explore new territories. This competition reignited my interests of engineering and encouraged me to try to use technology to solve modern problems. With the help and support of teammates, anything can be achieved!"

Also competing in the same age category was another group of Hong Kong students, who are pupils at English public school Winchester College.

The team of Will Du, Kenton Wong and Colin Ng was honored in the Rising Stars category for its waterproof battery-powered vehicle to clean up Kau Ling Chung beach on Lantau Island.

David Hanson, head of STEM at the BIEA, paid tribute to the standard of projects presented by finalists from as far afield as South Africa and Azerbaijan.

"In the current turmoil that we are experiencing in the world, and as a response to ecological, social, demographic and economic challenges, we must look at STEM education as a tool to understand and collectively shape the society we live in," he said.

"The entries for this year's competition have been exceptional, these young people and their teachers have really faced the challenge head-on and their achievement should be celebrated by us all."