In the spring season, the auditorium of Lai Chack Middle School in Hong Kong was full of stars, and the brilliance of technology illuminated the future channel. On April 6, 2024, the School Training Day of the "Underwater Unmanned Systems Challenge (Hong Kong & Macau Selection)", jointly organized by the Hong Kong Science Popularization and Science Fiction Academy (HKSPSF) and Datong Publishing Media Co., Ltd., co-organized by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), and supported by Lai Chack Middle School, successfully kicked off, gathering more than 100 primary and secondary students and teachers from Hong Kong and Macao to explore the cutting-edge technology of marine science and technology together.
Figure 1: Registration site of the "Underwater Unmanned Systems Challenge (Hong Kong & Macau Selection)" School Training Day
With the sounding of the horn of building a maritime power, Hong Kong and Macao, two brilliant maritime cities, are working together to start a unique science and education journey. Under the guidance of the National Center for Science and Technology Communication, the HKSPSF actively responded to the call of the "Underwater Unmanned Systems Challenge" series of activities co-sponsored by the Chinese Institute of Electronics and the Chinese Society of Oceanography, and was entrusted by the Organizing Committee of the National Competition to organize the "Underwater Unmanned Systems Challenge (Hong Kong & Macau Selection)" in Hong Kong and Macao. This School Training Day activity, themed "Exploring Unmanned Systems, Starting a Journey of Science and Technology", aims to promote the development of unmanned system education in Hong Kong and Macao through a series of training and practical activities, cultivate future talents with interdisciplinary integration and innovation capabilities, and consolidate the technical foundation and build a solid foundation of capabilities for the upcoming "Underwater Unmanned Systems Challenge (Hong Kong & Macau Selection)". This is not only a journey of exploring cutting-edge marine technology but also an important opportunity to stimulate teenagers' innovative spirit and promote interdisciplinary learning.
Figure 2: Li Jiaxuan, Yau Tsim Mong District Councilor and Director of HKSPSF, hosted the event
Figure 3: Li Kit Ming, Principal of Lai Chack Middle School, delivered a welcome speech
The welcome ceremony of the School Training Day was hosted by Li Jiaxuan, Yau Tsim Mong District Councilor and Director of HKSPSF. Li Kit Ming, Principal of Lai Chack Middle School, delivered a welcome speech. He profoundly expounded on the importance of science and science popularization to teachers and students, and quoted the famous Chinese sociologist Fei Xiaotong's saying "The beauty of each, the beauty of others, the beauty of coexistence, the world is in harmony" to encourage every participant to actively respond to national policies, ride the wind and waves in the ocean of science and technology, and bravely explore the vast and boundless blue stars and sea. At the welcome ceremony, Li Jiaxuan presented flags of appreciation to Datong Publishing Media Co., Ltd. under Bauhinia Culture Group and The Society of Operations Engineers to express gratitude for their strong support for this event.
Figure 4: Li Jiaxuan presented a flag of appreciation to Lai Chack Middle School
Figure 5: Li Jiaxuan presented a flag of appreciation to Datong Publishing Media Co., Ltd. under Bauhinia Culture Group
Figure 6: Li Jiaxuan presented a flag of appreciation to The Society of Operations Engineers
In the training workshop session, Zhang Huiming, a member of the Organizing Committee of the "Underwater Unmanned Systems Challenge (Hong Kong & Macau Selection)" and a member of HKSPSF, explained the rules and standards of the competition to ensure that all contestants could compete on a fair and just basis. She emphasized the importance of rules for the competition and encouraged contestants to display their innovative spirit while abiding by the rules. Subsequently, the participants practiced in groups, deeply understood the architectural principles of the underwater unmanned system and its assembly steps, and personally completed the assembly and debugging tasks, accumulating valuable practical experience. In addition, the workshop also meticulously arranged a discussion session on technical design reports. With the help of group learning and experience exchange, the participants' understanding and comprehension of underwater unmanned system technology were further deepened.
Figure 7: Zhang Huiming, a member of the Organizing Committee of the "Underwater Unmanned Systems Challenge (Hong Kong & Macau Selection)" and a member of HKSPSF, explained the rules and standards of the competition
Figure 8: Xiong Liwen, editor of the Textbook and Teaching Aids Working Group of Datong Publishing Media Co., Ltd. under Bauhinia Culture Group, provided assembly guidance
Figure 9: Assembly of underwater unmanned system
Figure 10: Debugging of underwater unmanned system
In this School Training Day event, every teacher and student became an explorer. Under the guidance of professional coaches, they learned marine knowledge, delved into marine technology, and deepened marine awareness. Chen Liuqi, Founder of HKSPSF and Deputy Secretary-General of the Science Popularization Education Professional Committee of the China Science Writers Association, said, "We believe that through such workshops, we can stimulate the enthusiasm of teachers and students for marine technology exploration and cultivate more internationally competitive scientific and technological talents for building a knowledge-based society and an innovative country." Tang Wanjing, Li Zan, Zhang Huiming, Kuan Chun, and Zhang Shiying of the Center organized and participated in this event.
Figure 11: Group photo of the "Underwater Unmanned Systems Challenge (Hong Kong & Macau Selection)" School Training Day
The upcoming "Underwater Unmanned Systems Challenge (Hong Kong & Macau Selection)" centers on underwater unmanned systems, aiming to stimulate teenagers' interest in marine science and technology, impart scientific methods, build systematic thinking, convey the scientist spirit, and discover and cultivate future innovative talents in unmanned systems and smart ocean technology. In just one month, it attracted enthusiastic participation from more than 140 teams from primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong and Macao, and received positive responses from nearly 10 representative teams from various cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, with enthusiastic social response. As the debut in Hong Kong and Macao, the "Underwater Unmanned Systems Challenge (Hong Kong & Macau Selection)" also received strong support from many units, including the Science Popularization Education Professional Committee of the China Science Writers Association, the Youth Work Committee of the Chinese Society of Oceanography, Datong Publishing Media Co., Ltd. (a member of Bauhinia Culture Group), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Science Fiction Creation Research Base of the China Science Writers Association, the Science Fiction Committee of the China Science Film and Video Association, the Industrial and Science Fiction Film and Television Expert Committee, the Hong Kong Maritime Museum, the National Science Popularization Education Base of the University of Macau, the Center for Science and Engineering Promotion of the University of Macau, Yau Tsim Mong Youths Society, Lai Chack Middle School, The Society of Operations Engineers (Hong Kong Region), The Macao Institution of Engineers, Sino United Electronic Publishing Ltd., Education Convergence, The Association of Chinese Middle Schools in Hong Kong, The Association of English Medium Secondary Schools, The Hong Kong Direct Subsidy Scheme Schools Council, National Children's Science Fiction Alliance, Science and Fantasy Growth Foundation, Education and Youth Development Bureau of the Macao SAR Government, Beijing-Hong Kong Academic Exchange Centre, New Territories School Heads Association, Hong Kong Tong School Council, and The Hong Kong Association for Computer Education.
[Editor: Li Zan, HKSPSF]