Redbird MPhil Program students won in their first international competition!
Five students from the HKUST(GZ), who are enrolled in the Redbird MPhil Program, took first place and the "Most Innovative Award" in the Hong Kong Digital Asset Society Hackathon 2023 on February 5. This marks a significant milestone in the history of HKUST (GZ) in terms of developing innovative talents for the modern era as it is the first time RBM students triumphed in an international competition.
The Hong Kong Digital Assets Society Hackathon 2023 is organized by the Hong Kong Digital Assets Society, co-organized by Cyberport Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Young Service Leaders Award Scheme, and supported by various organizations such as the Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) and InvestHK. More than 130 teams from more than ten different nations and regions submitted applications for the competition, and 20 teams ultimately proceeded to the final round after fierce competition.
The Hong Kong Digital Assets Society Hackathon 2023 is organized by the Hong Kong Digital Assets Society, co-organized by Cyberport Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Young Service Leaders Award Scheme, and supported by various organizations such as the Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) and InvestHK. More than 130 teams from more than ten different nations and regions submitted applications for the competition, and 20 teams ultimately proceeded to the final round after fierce competition.
The "Metaverse+ Industry4.0 VR Training" project by the Touch the Metaverse team combines metaverse and Industry 4.0 applications, employs cross-disciplinary thinking and concepts, and aims to improve worker training safety by digitizing conventional worker training.
In the team, Chen Jianhao proposed a modular framework for Industry 4.0 application, which enabled other team members to better utilize their strengths in the project; Zhuo Yuchao made the training in virtual reality more immersive through the haptic enhancement module; Fu Shihan was responsible for the olfactory rendering module to make the operation more immersive and vivid; Xiong Zeyu and Zheng Chenghong were responsible for the software and data to improve the efficiency of worker training.
Yesterday, Mr. LIAO Cheung-Sing, Chairman of the Council of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Mr. YEUNG Kai-Cheung, Vice Chairman of the Council, and Ms. IP Yuk-Yu, President of the University, visited HKUST(GZ) and the team took a group photo with the leaders of both campuses.
Zheng Cheng Hong was very impressed: As an undergrad, I focused on geography, which has nothing to do with the metaverse. The intense environment of innovation in science and technology permeated and inspired me to investigate new areas and keep going in the direction of interest during my six months in the Redbird MPhil program."
Numerous students enrolled in the Redbird MPhil program share this feeling as well. The Redbird MPhil program uses a project-led teaching approach to inspire interdisciplinary collaboration among students, deconstruct the boundaries between conventional fields, and motivate learners to work both independently and collaboratively.
Professor Chen Min (first from left), Director of the Redbird MPhil Program, and Dr. Zhou Jinny (second from left), Project Mentor of the Redbird MPhil's Program, posed for a group photo with the winning students
During the competition, the students also received joint guidance from mentors from different fields, which helped the students to build up a wide range of knowledge and strengthen their respective professional strengths. Besides, they are able to build their professional knowledge system and enhance their capabilities during the actual process of the project. At the beginning of the project, Chen Jianhao and his teammates made the decision to use the wide and cutting-edge issue of Industry 4.0 as a cornerstone to showcase the team members' skills and to advance the project as a whole by merging their various research fields.
Team members were discussing in the Redbird Maker Space
The Redbird MPhil program has always used a project-based, student-centered teaching paradigm, which has improved the students' all-around skills. Xiong Zeyu said, "The competition was fierce, but we had already participated in a number of Roadshow exercises during the preceding six months, and these experiences enabled me to successfully give my best performance on the competition's stage."
HKUST(GZ) Redbird MPhil Program is dedicated to cultivating students' enthusiasm and ability for lifelong learning, systematic thinking and innovation, expression and consensus building, hands-on and teamwork skills, and equipping them with good humanities, moral and ethical values, global vision and patriotism for the home country, and confident entrepreneurial spirit. The award also let the team members feel the affirmation of the Hong Kong investment community for the Redbird MPhil program model, and inspired all students to go out of school to participate in more events, polish their skills and improve their abilities in social practice, so as to become a leader who combines creativity and entrepreneurship.