Around 160 students and teachers from 19 primary and secondary schools joined the “HKUST-ExxonMobil iSTEAM Program 2023 – Spider Robot STEAM Challenge” on November 4, 2023 to gain hands-on robotics experience while developing teamwork skills and leadership capabilities. The event was organized by the Center for Global & Community Engagement of HKUST School of Engineering and supported by ExxonMobil Hong Kong Limited.

An opening ceremony was held in the morning to kick-start the event and welcome the participants. At the ceremony, Mr. Tony KWOK, HK and Macau Fuels Sales Director of ExxonMobil Hong Kong Limited, shared ExxonMobil’s business in Hong Kong and the company’s involvement in supporting youth education in STEAM. He emphasized the importance of STEAM education in cultivating future leaders and encouraged students to explore their potential relentlessly.

After the ceremony, participants attended workshops developed and conducted by HKUST undergraduates to learn about hardware and software, such as micro:bit, signal controlling and robot structure. They were divided into 38 two- or three-student teams to build a walking spider robot to take part in inter-team and joint-team games.

In the inter-team games, the robots needed to race on an obstacle track that included a seesaw and moved scattered blocks to the finish line. In the joint-team games, the robots competed on a designated mat where they moved the blocks and balls from the center pick-up zone to the home area located on each side. Participants also took a campus tour led by HKUST students and visited the Shaw Auditorium, Engineering Commons, atrium and sundial.

An award presentation ceremony was held at the end of the day. At the ceremony, Prof. Tim WOO, Director of Center for Global & Community Engagement, HKUST School of Engineering, encouraged students to follow their passion and embrace learning as a door to new opportunities. He expressed his gratitude to all participating schools and hoped the event would give primary and secondary school students chances of broadening their robotics knowledge as well as appreciating teamwork and others’ efforts.

The winners are as follows: