HKUST-FYBB#1 Satellite Forum Illuminates Importance of Technologies in Food Security, Environmental Protection and Disaster Preparedness

Over 400 local secondary school students, academics and entrepreneurs attended the highly fascinating HKUST-FYBB#1 Satellite Forum at the HKUST campus on January 27, 2024 to learn about how technologies can be applied to address issues relating to food security, environmental protection, and natural disaster preparedness.

The event was organized by the University and co-organized by the EBZ Consilium Education Foundation, EBZ Group, AI Farming Technology Limited, New Territories School Heads Association, FC & YIP Foundation Limited, and Tung Wah Group of Hospitals.

First to kick off the event were Prof. WANG Yang, HKUST Vice-President for Institutional Advancement, Ms. HUANG Yuhua, Chairman of the EBZ Consilium Education Foundation, and Hong Kong entrepreneur Mr. YIP Chi-Hung.

Prof. ZHANG Limin, Head and Chair Professor of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at HKUST, then shared with the audience the ways that humans may tap into the power of remote sensing satellites and AI to analyze natural disasters. In particular, he demonstrated how these technologies were used to rapidly assess and report the once-in-a-century black rainstorm that battered Hong Kong in September 2023.

Prof. Albert WONG, Associate Head and Senior Lecturer of the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering at HKUST, spoke to the audience about the electronic engineering and AI aspects of the HKUST-FYBB#1 satellite project.

Next, Prof. SU Hui, Global STEM Professor at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, introduced the features and applications of the HKUST-FYBB#1 satellite, highlighting its broad uses in providing early warnings for disasters, as well as in environmental monitoring and digital agriculture, with particular emphasis on the importance of satellite data in accurately projecting agricultural production and promoting the green food industry.

Mr. Philip NG, Chairman of the EBZ Group and AI Farming Technology Limited, then showcased AI farming and the EBZ Consilium Education Foundation’s “Less Water, More Food” project in Togo, Africa, especially on how the project is currently helping to solve food shortage and human trafficking problems in the country.

During the discussion and Q&A session that followed, the young audience actively engaged in learning more about space satellite technology and AI in agriculture. All in all, the forum successfully highlighted the importance of collaboration between academia, governments and businesses in order to better address global challenges through technological innovations. HKUST and its partners look forward to working closely together, especially through cross-border collaborations, to further promote sustainable development.