Undergraduate Team Clinched Second Runner-Up in IET YPEC 2026 with Advanced Underwater ROV Innovation

Representing diverse engineering disciplines and cultural backgrounds, the HKUST team comprised (from right) Selma Reblitz, Law Yuan, Yip Yee-Lam and Minche Lee. [Download Photo]

A team of four undergraduates from the HKUST Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Team emerged as the Second Runner-Up in the Undergraduate Section at the Young Professionals Exhibition & Competition (YPEC) 2026.

Organized by the Younger Members Section of The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Hong Kong on July 19 at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the YPEC 2026 attracted 82 teams from Secondary School Section (17), Sub-degree Section (20), Undergraduate Section (27), Postgraduate Section (13), and Open Section (5). The annual event provides a platform for prospective and young engineers to demonstrate technical expertise, innovative problem-solving, and presentation skills to a panel of academic and industry leaders.

The HKUST team comprises four female undergraduates of different engineering disciplines and countries/regions. They are supervised by Prof. Tim WOO, Director of the Center for Global & Community Engagement, School of Engineering. Team members include LAW Yuan (Year 2, BEng in Computer Engineering) from Malaysia, Minche LEE (Year 2, BEng in Bioengineering) from Korea, Selma REBLITZ (Year 1, BEng in Mechanical Engineering) from Germany, and YIP Yee-Lam (Year 2, BEng in Electronic Engineering) from Hong Kong SAR.

Competing under the theme “Empact – Empowering the next generation of engineers through innovative projects in Electrical, Mechanical, Power systems, Automation & Computing Technologies”, the HKUST team presented their project, titled “Engineering Impact Below the Surface: ROV Marine Monitoring & Exploration”. Participants are encouraged to apply cross-disciplinary engineering knowledge to address real-world technological and societal challenges.

In addition to developing engineering solutions, the teams are required to operate in a professional capacity to pitch and demonstrate their projects. This involves promoting their innovations through presentations, technical papers, posters and product demonstrations. The panel of judges comprises experts and professionals from academia, industry enterprises, government bodies, and professional engineering institutions.

IET is one of the world’s largest professional engineering societies, with IET Hong Kong representing the largest local network outside the UK with 5,000 members in Hong Kong and Macau.