Transcript for:
Exploring Engineering with Yu-Hsing WANG, HKUST

In this century of engineering, new technologies and innovations are capable of changing our way of living, making the world a better place Are you prepared to become a game changer in this fast-moving world? Hello, I’m Yu-Hsing WANG, Associate Dean of Engineering and a Professor of Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering In this video, I would like to walk you through our programs and highlight the unique opportunities offered by the School of Engineering at HKUST for you to explore your engineering pathways First of all, what is engineering? Scientists explore the laws of nature to discover new knowledge They explain observed phenomenon and prove something right or wrong to make scientific discoveries Engineers apply the scientific and math knowledge to solve problems faced by humanity and improve their quality of life through a systematic, creative and exciting process The work of engineers can be experienced in all parts of our daily lives which include making a call with a mobile phone, playing internet games, managing investments, shopping online riding a vehicle, walking across a bridge and even applying body lotion Engineering is everywhere in the world around us Are you fascinated with how things work? Can you identify problems and try to find a potential solution? Do you care for the people and the community? Do you like working with others? In fact, many of us have engineering in our DNA Come with me and see what engineering is all about So what is unique about HKUST School of Engineering? We are consistently recognized for our research and education excellence with significant impact locally and globally Our School is also placed in the top 100 in each of our major subjects These individual rankings reflect our collective effort in striving for academic excellence in education and research Now you may wonder what you can study in engineering HKUST offers programs in a wide spectrum of engineering disciplines We have six departments: Chemical and Biological Engineering Civil and Environmental Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering Electronic and Computer Engineering, Industrial Engineering and Decision Analytics and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering We offer a bunch of major programs, so there are actually many choices Professional skills of engineering are applicable worldwide All Bachelor of Engineering programs offered by HKUST including computer science are accredited by the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers Through the Washington Accord and the Seoul Accord HKUST BEng (Bachelor of Engineering) degrees are also widely recognized around the world, including the US, UK, Australia Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, etc. thus opening up an international spectrum of jobs and career prospects To meet with the emerging needs of our society, HKUST has introduced a novel academic framework “Major + X” as a degree option for undergraduates “X” here refers to an Extended Major that can be integrated with our engineering majors Take AI as an example, it can be applied to any of our engineering major like bioengineering, civil engineering or mechanical engineering, etc. Encouraged by the success of AI, HKUST launched another Extended Major in Digital Media and Creative Arts the next year Other than these majors we also offer majors jointly in collaboration with other Schools at HKUST to provide students with more choices When you come to HKUST, you will not only get just one major as there are many other opportunities For example, you can consider taking a minor within or out of the School of Engineering. There is no barrier at HKUST as far as education is concerned Student study pattern is very flexible You can also consider an Extended Major or a minor program. If you are academically capable of handling bigger challenges you may also think of doing a double major or even a combination of various study options If you cannot make up your mind about which of the many majors to take at this point, no worries The good thing about our curriculum is that all students will be admitted first to the School rather than to individual programs You will have at least one year to explore and understand various programs before deciding your major departments In the first year of study students will acquire foundation knowledge in science and quantitative analysis methods in preparation for the engineering education as well as a broad-based common core education which aims to enrich students’ overall undergraduate experience complementing studies in specialist disciplines and other learning opportunities Upon completion of the first year, students will start taking a major program The curriculum encompasses a student-centered, broad-based program structure enabling students to excel in areas of their choices and an all-round learning experience in preparation for a diverse range of career options in accordance with their individual interests and career aspirations A world-class undergraduate education should never confine itself to classroom teaching and learning At HKUST, our engineering education is all-rounded We broaden our students’ horizons through a 360-degree learning experience The HKUST’s signature Undergraduate Research Opportunity program (UROP) provides a unique opportunity for undergraduate to engage in academic research under guidance and supervision by professors With a strong belief in the educational value of experiential learning the Engineering School launched an innovative experiential learning program the USEL Program (Undergraduate Student-initiated Experiential Learning Program) USEL provides a platform for students to try out project ideas of their own realize their dreams through the support of designated makerspace under the guidance of our professors The USEL lab which is fully furnished with equipment and the Dream Team Open Lab offer 24-hour access to eligible users Many of our Departments and Units also offer credit-bearing experiential learning courses on a wide range of themes to cater to different students’ interest for example, electric vehicles food science, mobile app development, environmental quality control aerospace engineering, healthcare (under the auspices of SIGHT), etc. Competition is an essential part of the undergraduate education Over the years, our students have been actively taking part in various engineering competitions and achieving many major awards for example, MATE Hong Kong Regional ROV Competition and Robocon in Hong Kong Venturing beyond Hong Kong, our students participated in various competitions around the globe such as RoboGames, also known as the Olympics of Robots and one of the world’s largest robot competitions How can we not mention the International Student Underwater Robotics Competition? Our robotics team is a regular participant and the first Asian team to ever win the championship Through their participation in various competitions locally and internationally our students can learn from their like-minded peers from other universities and regions Our students are empowered to serve the community at large and improve human beings’ quality of life with solid knowledge and skills acquired from our engineering education SIGHT (Student Innovation for Global Health Technology) is an undergraduate education platform to transform passion and creativity of students into innovative solutions for health care problems around the world SIGHT integrates course work, a team project, and an overseas study trip to provide a learning experience that transcends the borders of disciplines, geography, and culture SIGHT projects target resource-limited communities and aim to deliver social impact with tangible solutions Among these international learning experiences one of which that we always recommend our students to consider is our flagship exchange program As of date, over 4000 engineering students had participated in our exchange program Our students have the chance to study at over 130 top engineering schools around the world We believe international experiences can equip them with global perspective and cultural exposure that can enhance their undergraduate education and facilitate their career development The friendship that they build during their time abroad is a lifelong gift and this overseas exchange journey will be one of the precious experiences in their lifetime Early exposure to professional work experience and learning about different industries is important to students’ career preparation In view of this, the School of Engineering has established the Center for Industry Engagement and Internship to connect engineering students to industry and provide them with career-related advising and training Co-op Programs are also developed to incorporate real industrial experience in students’ final year engineering projects HKUST Entrepreneurship Center holds its annual One Million Dollar Entrepreneurship Competition to foster entrepreneurship and identify the best business prospects The Competition is a platform for HKUST community to bring their business ideas focusing on innovative and technology from concept to consumer Winners can use the cash prize as seed money to form their companies or to realize the commercialization of their inventions Our graduates are proud to be accepted by the World’s Leading Universities for Master and PhD Programs We provide a breeding ground for nascent entrepreneurs who aspire to become the global leaders of tomorrow and create a positive impact on the world In the inaugural “Unicorns Hong Kong 2021” shortlist announced by the Hong Kong X Foundation, nine out of 18 companies were founded or co-founded by faculty or alumni from HKUST, of which six are from the School of Engineering Our commitment to our students’ holistic development does not stop here We envisage there will be a lot more to offer Now explore and create your own study pathway at the HKUST School of Engineering If you have any questions about our engineering programs please feel free to contact us anywhere and anytime I hope this talk can bring you some new insights into HKUST Engineering undergraduate studies If you are interested in knowing more about various engineering disciplines don’t miss out other online admission talks of our departments and programs We hope to see you on the HKUST campus in the near future!