Eight notable HKU students were awarded the prestigious Innovation and Technology Scholarship for their exceptional academic performance and passion for science and technology. The Scholarship, jointly established by the Innovation and Technology Commission and HSBC, offers students a range of elite training opportunities to widen their international and industry exposure.
Medical student Choy Wai Chak (MBBS V) hopes to revolutionise the healthcare system by developing machine learning and big data-backed decision tools. With extensive training in both clinical knowledge and data techniques, he aims to become a clinician scientist and tackle retinoblastoma, the most common childhood ocular cancer. He firmly believes that clinicians who can appreciate both fields are in a unique position to drive changes.
Another inspiring student, Sham Po Yan (BScSp&HearSc IV), aspires to become a leading clinical researcher in speech therapy telepractice. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she launched an online storytelling course to teach hundreds of kindergarteners. She believes that telepractice can bring positive treatment outcomes and make therapy more accessible, particularly to those in remote areas or with restricted mobility. She hopes to launch innovative telepractice projects that integrate advanced technology into therapy.
Kwok Man Yu (BSc&MRes II) dreams of becoming a scientist in translational research, particularly in stem cell biology. She is convinced that science is meant to improve society’s well-being and has always been interested in the connection between bench science and daily life. Learned that cancer is largely attributed to dysfunction at the molecular level, she believes that a fundamental understanding of cell function is crucial in drug discovery and therapeutic advancement.