On 3 October, thousands of HKDSE takers, their parents, and teachers filled up the College of Science’s (CSCI) booth seeking the latest admission tips during the CityUHK UG Information Day 2026. Riding the Artificial Intelligence wave, the College once again set up a photo booth for participants to capture their science moments using AI. Some participants even had a chance to interact with our robot, which led them to the College and Department offices.

The thematic talk about CSCI’s Flagship Programme “Global Research Enrichment and Technopreneurship (GREAT)”: “Science Talents for the GREAT Future” was the first talk we prepared. Professor Andy Siu, Director of Flagship Programme, has invited Mr. Jude Chow, the Founder and CEO of AEL (International Holdings) Limited, and the Executive Deputy Chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, to share his mentorship experience with GREAT students. Mr. Chow also shared insights into the characteristics employers are looking for and how university graduates can equip themselves. “Extra-curricular activity experience is important, employers will not only look at academic results,” he said.

Mimosa, a GREAT student and Mr. Chow’s mentee, shared her internship experience at AEL. She encouraged students “to explore the world during their study to understand oneself better”. For example, by joining the CityUHK X Sino Grand Challenges Scholars Program, she had a memorable trip to work with other students to build water pipes in a remote area of Malaysia. She encouraged students to enrol in the GREAT programme and to seize the various opportunities the College offers.

Another GREAT student, Renee, also joined the talk and shared her internship experience at a testing and inspection company. She pointed out that it is her responsibility to obtain a test result and explain it in her lab report, and she learnt a lot from that experience. “This is quite different from the university lab lessons where the answer is already known, I just need to follow the procedures and make sure I get the same answer,” she pointed out.

Another GREAT thematic talk titled “How Science Inspires GREAT Technopreneurs” is held in the afternoon. In this session, Dr. Alfred Ng, the Executive Director & CEO of Suga International Holdings Ltd and the Deputy Chairman of FHKI, was invited as a guest speaker. He is another mentor of GREAT students, with Andi as his mentee. As an employer, Dr. Ng pointed out that “learning attitude matters, and employers are looking for graduates with problem-solving skills”. Andi and Emma, 2 GREAT students, shared their learning and internship experience in this session.

Professor Sam Wong, Flagship Programme Coordinator, served as the moderator of the talks. In both talks, Professor Siu introduced the admission requirements of GREAT and scholarship opportunities in detail, and provided guidance on how interested students can apply or seek further information, encouraging science lovers to join the programme and explore their research interests.

The Department of Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics hosted their own booths with Programme Leaders, Admission Tutors, current students, and alumni introducing their respective programmes. They shared the latest information on the admission scores, JUPAS banding strategies, interview tips, career prospects, scholarship offers and student life at the College of Science. Programme Leaders were kept busy as some parents stayed behind after the admission talks to chat with them, to seek more information about the UG programmes they were interested in.

Many participants were drawn to our booth by our souvenir. In addition to the regular tote bag and erasable pens, we launched a CSCI version of Rubik’s Cubes this year. Many participants took home one to challenge themselves.

CSCI’s popular laboratory demonstrations were another eye-catching highlight. Professor Stephen Fu, Assistant Professor from the Department of Chemistry, demonstrated “The Secret of Fluorescence” in the chemistry lab. Many participants recorded videos while they were mixing the fluorescent agents and were fascinated to see the liquid glow in the dark in different colours.

Physics students demonstrated for example, Tesla coil pocket lightning, magnetic levitation, superconductivity, and spin sensing in their teaching lab.