Isa HUNG, an Environmental Management and Technology Program (EVMT) student, won the 2nd runner-up in the Business Plan Competition at the Global Grand Challenges Summit 2015.

The summit was organized by the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), the U.S. National Academy of Engineering (NAE), and the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE) at Beijing in mid-September 2015 to begin an international conversation on advancing solutions to humanity’s grand challenges among the world’s leading engineers and other stakeholders. 

Isa joined a multidisciplinary team with students from HKUST, CUHK and HKU to compete with 14 teams from China, USA and Britain. Isa and her teammates explored the possibility by using unmanned aerial vehicle to inspect facades of buildings for cracks, leaks, decay and defects with the aid of computer applications to analyze the safety level and hoped to speed up the process of old building inspections and facilitate the city planning in Hong Kong.  They talked with professionals from different fields like engineering, urban renewal, entrepreneurship and insurance to get first-hand information and opinions.

Isa met brilliant students from the 3 countries and impressed by their ideas and presentations. The Champion from Shanghai Jiao Tong University proposed the idea of washing hands with high pressure air flow instead of water which could save water and is more sanitary.  They produced a prototype and demonstrated to the panel of judges which was impressing.

Isa was also amazed by her own teammates who have already started their own start-ups as students. The teammate from CUHK started a business of inserting chips in bags of renowned brands with anti-lost and anti-fake functions.  Another one from HKUST has set-up a social enterprise for single mothers to make and sell organic skin products.    

After the competition, Isa was inspired to think about her future again. She wondered if she still wanted to take up a normal job after graduation like most students or she should open up other possibilities starting from now.  Isa has not yet made up her mind yet but is well-prepared for all new opportunities and will walk out her comfort zone to try whatever new challenges facing her in the future.