Belilios Public School wins 50th JSSE competition with idea to improve MTR travel
The Belilios Public School team. From left to right: Lala Yip Si-wing, Tracy Tang Yee-ching, Janice Mok Tsz-yau and Helen Xiao Ai-lin.Belilios Public School has won this year’s Joint School Science Exhibition (JSSE). They won in both the proposal and exhibition categories. Results were announced at the Hong Kong Central Library in Causeway Bay, where the exhibition was held from last Wednesday to today.
The Belilios team received HK$2,000 cash prize as proposal champions and a further HK$10,000 as exhibition champions.
Both local and overseas teams competed for honours at the 50th Joint School Science Exhibition (JSSE). Thirty three teams used their scientific knowledge to design a product based on this year’s “community” theme. Twenty three teams were from Hong Kong secondary schools, while 10 came from overseas.
The Belilios team came up with a heat-sensing camera that could be used on MTR trains. They were inspired by the rush-hour congestion on the local railway. The camera, linked to a computer programme, helps Hongkongers find the most spacious train compartment available.
Best overseas team was Southern China’s Shaoguan Tianjiabing Middle School, with their smart traffic light and multi-functional truck. The team made a new traffic light so that ambulances and fire trucks can pass through quickly and safely, minimising the number of accidents. The team has a multi-functional truck to determine toxic gases and elements emitted by trucks, such as carbon monoxide, methane, dust data, temperature and humidity. The truck also has a hydraulic (controlled by liquid) arm to grab waste objects and transmit instant videos of the surroundings.
Most popular booth prize went to Hong Kong’s Salesian English School. They won HK$1,000 cash prize. The team’s Wise Bus idea, like Belilios, was inspired by crowded public transport system in Hong Kong. Using infra-red sensor and radio frequency identification, they would monitor the buses’ positions and relay seating information to passengers’ phones at relevant stops.
Best presenter went to Mak Kwan-ting, 15, of Hong Kong’s Homantin Government Secondary School. They won HK$500 in cash prize. The team’s Smart Ashtray idea keeps Hong Kong streets clean and comfortable. The ashtray detects pedestrian’s movements to decide whether the lid should open or not. The smoke will be pumped into the second part of the ashtray, and filtered out to reduce the odour.
Edited by Charlotte Ames-Ettridge