To meet the market demand for science talents and nurture students who are interested in scientific research or starting business ventures that involve innovative technologies, the College of Science introduced the “Global Research Enrichment and Technopreneurship (GREAT)” undergraduate programme in 2021/2022. The Programme Leader and three current students were interviewed by MingPao earlier.
Mr. Issac Ho and Mr. Michael Ho, Year 2 students of GREAT, have completed the tailored common first-year curriculum which helped build a solid science research foundation. From Year 2 onwards, Issac has chosen to major in physics while Michael has chosen to study chemistry.
“I like to think since childhood,”, Issac just started his research on developing new materials for medical use. “I discovered my interest in science when I was a kid,” said Michael who has decided to research on solar cells, “I want to make the solar cells cheaper but with higher efficiency, in order to alleviate the energy crisis.”
Miss Khushi Vishwanath Rangdhol who is from India joined the programme this September as a Year 1 student. She is exploring different fields to identify her research topic.
Dr. Andy Siu, Programme Leader of GREAT, is glad that this year the programme has attracted students from places like India, Korea and Mainland China. “Local students can broaden their horizons while interacting with fellow classmates from other parts of the world,” he said.
The GREAT programme emphasises independent research in students’ interested science topics with the majority of time spent in laboratories, which is quite different from other undergraduate programmes. “We encourage students to identify their research interests, they will be guided by a suitable professor or researcher in conducting the research. At the same time, students can develop a global vision through overseas internships and exchange opportunities,” said Dr Siu.
According to Dr. Siu, students who are self-disciplined, with a strong curiosity to look for an innovative solution to crack a mystery would be ideal for the programme. “Persistence is important too, since you will always encounter failure while doing scientific research,” added Dr Siu.
Dr Siu stressed that there are always helping hands for students in their studies. Apart from the CityU professors and researchers, the Federation of Hong Kong Industries supports the programme by providing mentorship and internship opportunities for the students.
For students who wish to start their own businesses, the programme also offers courses on entrepreneurship & IP rights protection, patent application as well as business plan development. GREAT students can also sign up for HK Tech 300, a large-scale flagship innovation and entrepreneurship programme organised by CityU.