Making a collaborative effort to shape our future
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Faculty of Science of the University of Hong Kong (HKU). As a graduate, apart from setting up the “Winnie S M Tang Scholarship in Applied Artificial Intelligence" for outstanding students of the new interdisciplinary degree program in Applied Artificial Intelligence, I also want to dedicate my upcoming book to the Faculty in celebration of its anniversary.
How GIS and 3D digital mapping helped in the Thai cave rescue
The dramatic rescue last year in Thailand of 12 boys and their football coach who got trapped in a flooded cave for 17 days had captured the attention of the whole world. Thousands of volunteers and soldiers, as well as cave divers from many countries joined the rescue operation.
‘Silver economy’ provides many golden business opportunities
A new study in the United States found that over one-quarter of the caregivers for the elderly in the country are new immigrants, and the US Labor Department expected that the caregiver industry will grow by over 40 percent in the next 10 years, far ahead of other industries. This echoes the prediction by Hong Kong Labour and Welfare Secretary Law Chi-kwong that the city will need at least another 240,000 foreign domestic helpers, an increase of over 66 percent of the current figure, within the next few decades due to the aging population. In Japan, a large number of foreign workers to fill the 380,000 caregiver vacancies by 2025 is desperately needed.
Technology can help in dealing with mental health issues
Depression is widespread in Hong Kong, especially in these days of unrest. A recent study by a research team from the University of Hong Kong faculty of medicine has described the mental health problem in the territory as an “epidemic". The situation is serious not just in Hong Kong but worldwide.
Local solution solves the global problem of marine plastic garbage
It was shocking when 8kg of plastic bags were found in a dead pilot whale in Thailand last year. In March, it was also deeply disturbing when the body of a mother sperm whale was found in Italy with 22kg of plastic, garbage, and an unborn fetus inside its body. Greenpeace estimated that there are up to 12.7 million tons of plastic garbage flowing into the sea every year, which is equal to one truck of plastic garbage pouring into the sea every minute.
Walking 4,400 steps a day keeps the doctor away
Following the unprecedented social disturbances in Hong Kong, many citizens have become restless, making them vulnerable to health problems. To ensure their personal well-being, people need to be on top of their health condition, using various means. Among the useful tools would be smart bracelets that can help monitor the sleep quality.
