Science and Engineering Fun Days boost students' interest in science education

A series of Science and Engineering Fun Days, organized by the Faculty of Science and Engineering, kicked off on 25 July on campus with laboratory sessions, campus/laboratory tours and talks. The five-day programme provides F.4 to F.7 students with opportunities to appreciate how modern technologies can change our daily lives and to better understand the learning environment of and facilities in the Faculty. The activities, which are tailor-made for getting students more interested in studying science and engineering, demonstrate CityU’s commitment to nurturing professionals for the industry.

 

Professor Lilian Vrijmoed of the Department of Biology and Chemistry at CityU, who also is Dean of Student Learning, officiated at the opening ceremony. She encouraged the participants to make good use of this learning opportunity. “You will get better learning results if you are well-prepared. I hope you can think more and ask more questions so as to benefit from our activities,” said Professor Vrijmoed.

 

FSE invited speakers from different sectors to share their experience in science and engineering learning and personal development through talks. Ir Dr Lo Wai-kwok, Vice President of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers and Managing Director of Artesyn Technologies Asia-Pacific Ltd, gave a talk on “From Chinese History to Engineering Technology’s Present and Past” on the first day of the Fun Days programme. FSE Associate Dean Professor Johnny Chan will share his knowledge on weather and climate at a talk on 26 July.

 

Following technical discussions and campus/lab tours, participants carry out hands-on science experiments using CityU’s facilities under the guidance of teaching staff and student mentors from FSE’s eight departments. The experiments are closely related to people’s daily life, for example, programming an intelligent LEGO automobile to control its movements, avoiding obstacles and moving along a designated path to learn the basic principles of computer programming; designing a truss bridge with programming software and building a wooden bridge model so as to understand the theory of bridge design and building.

 

Led by Professor C H Chan, Faculty Dean, the FSE has put a great deal of effort into promoting local science education and sharing FSE’s experience with secondary students to help boost interest in studying science and engineering related subjects. Besides the Fun Days, FSE has organized a series of summer activities for secondary students this year, including a Project-based Outreach Programme and a Summer Lab Attachment Scheme. For details, please visit: http://www.cityu.edu.hk/fse/summer2005/.