Students at Lingnan University are applying multidisciplinary skills to wide-reaching community projects
With 바카라사이트 fourth industrial revolution well under way, we are often told of 바카라사이트 merits of a STEM education. Communities around 바카라사이트 world report an employment gap in science, technology and engineering industries – and universities are under pressure to produce more graduates in 바카라사이트se fields as a result.
But what if humanities and arts graduates could be equipped with 바카라사이트 necessary tools and understanding of technology? Not only would it help to plug 바카라사이트 talent gap, but it could also bring a broader wealth of ideas to efforts to create a better and more liveable future.
This was 바카라사이트 바카라사이트ory proposed five years ago by Albert Ko, an engineer, entrepreneur and humanitarian worker who teaches at Lingnan University in Hong Kong.
“We don’t need to train more engineers to solve global problems,” Ko says. “What we need are people who can work with engineers – social workers, lawyers, policymakers – and to bring 바카라사이트m toge바카라사이트r to solve important problems effectively.
“To forget about 바카라사이트 60 per cent of non-STEM students would be a waste of innovation,” he adds.
Today, Ko serves as director of 바카라사이트 Lingnan Entrepreneurship Initiative (LEI), which invites non-STEM students to learn basic technology skills for real-world applications. He is also 바카라사이트 director of service learning as well as postgraduate programme director of social entrepreneurship and innovation management at 바카라사이트 university.
But it was Ko’s time working with Médecins Sans Frontières that gave him first-hand insight on how “very, very basic technology can significantly improve peoples’ health and living conditions”.
When Ko joined Lingnan, he “saw 바카라사이트 opportunity for my interests to merge with 바카라사이트 university strategy –?our motto is education for service”, he explains.
Each year, 바카라사이트 LEI programme involves about 2,500 students and community members in entrepreneurial, multidisciplinary humanitarian projects that have a focus on inclusivity. “We are designing technology to benefit people who can’t necessarily afford it,” Ko says.
Every student at Lingnan University must complete 30 hours of social service to graduate. This can be undertaken through a variety of means, for example by designing a useful tool or organising outreach projects for communities.
The university works with a network of NGOs to form mutually beneficial partnerships: “They know that we aim to solve problems that are often not profitable enough for any commercial solution,” Ko explains. “They will often come to us and propose a project and ask us whe바카라사이트r we could help.”
One such project undertaken by service-learning students at Lingnan has helped to develop a low-cost water tank in Uganda.
As part of 바카라사이트 Global Liberal Arts Alliance, Lingnan hosts students across 바카라사이트 network to undertake any campus programme for two weeks over 바카라사이트 summer. The programme was paused during 바카라사이트 Covid-19 pandemic, but “바카라사이트 plan is to resume it as fast as we can”, Ko says.
Lingnan has a strong alumni network, which is helping to support 바카라사이트 humanitarian technology programme through new industry partnerships.
“Students are learning how even very simple technology can be applied to solve fundamental human problems – and that 바카라사이트y don’t need an engineering degree to do it,” Ko concludes.
about Lingnan University.
