Behind every technology application lies a purpose. We don't adopt technology simply for the sake of technological advancement. One way to define the success of a technology is the scale it helps ease a user's pain point. When we curate our field trips for our students, we have two objectives in mind, first is to introduce how the technology works, and second is to explain the purpose why the technology was developed in the very beginning, and how it has evolved since its inception. We want students to have the ability to observe if a technology is really solving a critical problem, and challenge how it can be improved in any way.
With this in mind, we are honored to collaborate with the innovation facilitator of the HKSAR Government, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD), to tailor an experiential tour at their E&M InnoZone, located at EMSD's headquarters in Kowloon Bay. The E&M InnoZone houses a collection of innovative solutions currently being deployed in every corner of the city, encompassing solutions from smart washroom to sleepy driver monitoring, deployments ranging from outdoor solar panels to buttons inside an elevator.
After an hour long tour packed with introduction of innovative solutions, the students were then split into groups and asked to come up with a new application of one of the solutions they have just learned in their school or home environment. The key is to relate what they have just seen to their daily lives, prompting them to reflect on any problems on top of their minds, and try to solve them with these available innovations. We don't expect students to create any novel application in such a short period of time, but we do want to encourage them to be vigilant of their surroundings, empathic to people around them, and build confidence that with their own knowledge and skills, they are able to make an impact to their community.
We are very impressed by the students' creativity and teamwork in coming up various applications in their daily lives in just a short 15-min discussion. Many of the presentations have led to further discussion and enhancement of the idea. Accompanying principals and teachers were also pleased with the students' performance and engagement during the tour.
Around 140 students from the below schools (in alphabetical order) have participated at SEED x EMSD InnoZone Tour in January and February 2023:
- Carmel Alison Lam Foundation Secondary School
- Our Lady of the Rosary College
- Kowloon Technical School
- Pui Tak Canossian College
- S.K.H. Tsoi Kung Po Secondary School
- St. Paul's College
- Tak Sun Secondary School
- The Hong Kong Taoist Association Ching Chung Secondary School
- Tsang Pik Shan (Sung Lan) Secondary School
- Yan Chai Hospital Lim Por Yen Secondary School