Record turnout at HK Science Fair as judges praise real-world potential of pupils projects

The fifth annual Hong Kong Science Fair has seen an enthusiastic turnout, drawing more than 500 entries from primary and secondary schools. Since its launch in 2021, the fair has attracted over 400 local schools and nearly 9,000 pupils and teachers, with more than 2,200 creative inventions submitted over the years.

Gold awards were scooped up by Tin Shui Wai Methodist Primary School for Park & Easy Toll in the Primary Division, Diocesan Girls School for Clamming away Microplastics in the Junior Secondary Division, and Chinese International School for Automated Rail Sanitiser in the Senior Secondary Division.

The winning primary division team developed an intelligent meter system that combines licence plate recognition with toll technology to automatically track parking duration and calculate fees. The pupils shared that they spent six to nine months working on the project, picking up valuable programming and presentation skills along the way.

Meanwhile, the junior secondary gold winner created a microplastic removal system that utilises clams as a natural filter medium and coffee grounds as a low-cost absorbent. The student explained that she was inspired by local beach clean-ups and wanted to find a way to protect marine ecosystems.

In the senior secondary category, the winning design featured a solar-powered autonomous robot designed to disinfect handrails in railway carriages, complete with a three-wheeled stabilising structure.

David Taji-Farouki, jury chairman of the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva, said this years entries showed a significant step up. He noted that the students were brilliant at identifying real-world problems and developing solutions, completely unburdened by the constraints of adult thinking, adding that many of these projects have genuine potential for commercial application.

Professor Shum Ho-cheung, president of the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences, also noted that the use of Artificial Intelligence has become far more sophisticated. Rather than just using AI for basic tasks, pupils are now leveraging it to tackle specific problems and optimise their results. He added that AI is successfully lowering technical barriers, enabling primary and secondary school children to manage remarkably complex tasks.