• Student Corner
• Expressions Winter 2021

Planting Seeds of Innovation

BDS Students Received Innovation and Technology Scholarship

From left: Mr Jasper Leung, Dr James Tsoi and Miss Katherine Lau

Two Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) Year 6* students, Mr Jasper Leung Ka Chai and Miss Katherine Lau participated in the Innovation and Technology Scholarship Award Presentation Ceremony 2020 and 2021 in June this year and received the Innovation and Technology Scholarship 2020.

The Innovation and Technology Scholarship, jointly supported and sponsored by the Innovation and Technology Commission and HSBC, and organised by The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, selects 25 local undergraduates with enthusiasm in innovative and technology (I&T) every year. It aims at helping students explore their I&T potentials for pursuing a career in the field and contributing to Hong Kong’s I&T development.

Jasper Leung: Aspiration of Digital Dentistry and Oral Surgery

Jasper is passionate about digital dentistry and oral surgery. He believes it is the growing trend in dental technology, especially in education. He developed the preliminary idea of virtual reality simulation in surgical training and presented it to the scholarship panel.

“I feel very grateful and honoured to receive this award, and it is a recognition of my innovative mind,” Jasper said. The scholarship allows Jasper to gain exposure to academic research in oral surgery and explore beyond dentistry in HKU. He has participated in various conferences recently, such as The International Association for Dental Research (IADR), The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAMOS) and the Asian Congress on Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (ACOMS).

“I wish to join the overseas exchange activities and promote innovation and technology to the younger generation in the future,” he said.

I am pleased to learn about the achievement of Jasper and Katherine, and our dental students have been successful in securing this important scholarship in innovation.

Katherine Lau: In Pursuit of Chairside Digital Dentistry and Go Beyond

Katherine has an ardent interest in chairside digital dentistry, such as digital smile design and Artificial Intelligence-assisted operation in clinical practice. She believes that the digitalization of dentistry can benefit dentists and help patients receive treatments with better quality.

“It is no doubt that technology takes us to the next level of life and breakthroughs. I started to think recently: other than enjoying the convenience, what could I do more?” Katherine said. She presented her thoughts on utilizing technology in the dental industry and her willingness to promote Hong Kong as a hub of I&T.

Delighted to receive the award, she wishes to take part in local and overseas internships and attachment programs. She would also like to utilize the chance to learn from her mentors and scholars of different fields and hope to contribute to the Hong Kong society.

Serve the Community

In addition, Jasper and Katherine have been working together on a community project with the support of the scholarship. They presented the science behind dental caries by demonstrating an experiment to a group of primary school students in an online workshop. “We hope that we can give back to the society and initiate another project to promote I&T to the young adults,” they said.

They also express their gratitude to Dr James Tsoi, Associate Professor in Dental Materials Science cum Assistant Dean (Innovation), for his guidance and endless support.

Innovation in the Faculty

“I am pleased to learn about the achievement of Jasper and Katherine, and our dental students have been successful in securing this important scholarship in innovation,” Dr Tsoi said. Being the Assistant Dean (Innovation), he hopes to foster the culture of innovation and develop more research activities in the Faculty.

“Innovation is inextricably intertwined with quality research,” Dr Tsoi said. He speaks of his goal which is to encourage students and academic staff to develop the innovative mindset and know-how which can transform their creative ideas into reality.

“It is notable that quite a number of projects funded by the latest General Research Fund (GRF) of our Faculty are related to Artificial Intelligence (AI),” Dr Tsoi said. He highlights that AI and some other technologies such as smart manufacturing and next generation smart city with 5G/6G will be very influential in modern and future dentistry. He wishes to extensively promote dental materials science which is the core of these innovative technologies, enabling the generation of long-term social and academic impacts via a green, sustainable and digital deals.