GENERAL

The HKIE Council Members' visit to MTR Tseung Kwan O Extension (Phase II) By Ir Colin CHUNG On 26 February 2009, Vice President, Ir Dr F C Chan, led more than ten Council Members of the HKIE to visit the MTR Tseung Kwan O Extension (Phase II). At the MTR LOHAS Park Station, the delegates were welcomed by the MTR management staff including Ir Henry Lam, General Manager - KSL/TKS, Ir Richard Keefe, General Manager - Infrastructure, Ir Dr Jacob Kam, Head of Operations Engineering, Mr T T Choi, Acting Head of Operations, Ir David Sorton, Project Manager - Civil, Miss Maggie So, Senior Manager - Projects & Property Communications and their colleagues. Ir Lam conducted an introduction at the station and Ir Keefe gave a detailed description of the overhead line, signalling and automatic train protection system. Mr Choi explained the headway for the new branch line, the passenger services level at Yau Tong Station and how it would be improved following the operation of LOHAS Park Station. The group was then given the opportunity to walk on the new concourse and platforms. At the initial stage of the train services commenced this year, the station was not expected to be very busy in terms of passengers flow. Hence, the escalators have been designed with energy-saving controls by the installation of infrared-sensors. When it is not in use, the escalators will be in standstill mode. When passengers approach the escalators, the sensors will react and the escalators will resume functional speed. The infrared-sensors offered a reduction of 30% in energy consumption, the energy saved was in line with the green approach of their corporate sustainability commitment. The delegation then boarded the train and experienced the first ride from LOHAS Park Station to Tseung Kwan O Station. The trip took approximately three minutes and the ride was smooth. Our delegates were also given a chance to see the driver cabin arrangement and the captain operating the train. After the visit, Ir Dr Chan expressed appreciation to the MTR's arrangement and the successful operation of the LOHAS Park Station to Tseung Kwan O Station Line.

The HKIE Council Members and the MTR’s staff at the LOHAS Park Station entrance and the platform The HKIE Council Members and the MTR's staff at the LOHAS Park Station entrance and the platform

Education and Careers Expo 2009 The Education and Careers Expo 2009 organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council was successfully held on 19 - 22 February 2009 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. This has been the 15th consecutive year of the HKIE’s participation in this meaningful event. With "engineering our future" as the theme, the HKIE booth aimed at promoting the engineering profession and the image of the Institution to the visitors. The Kowloon Station model displaying the ICC and some new residential apartments, together with the exciting block-building game named "chron blocks" were the highlights of the booth. Winners of the game were given a special HKIE souvenir tailor-made for the Expo. It was a golden opportunity for the Institution to keep the public abreast of the latest information on the accreditation of academic programmes, membership requirements, as well as routes to be a qualified engineer and training development. With a view to fostering a closer communication with students and those who wanted to know more about the engineering profession, the Institution also participated in the careers seminar organised during the Expo. Our School Ambassadors, Ir Lam Cheuk-fung and Ir Yim Kin-ping, delivered an informative presentation on the career development of a professional engineer, an overview of the HKIE and various routes to membership. Apart from students, it was encouraging to see that parents were also eager to learn more about the career prospects for engineers. The seminar ended with an interactive question-and-answer session with Ir Lee Wing-kin, Ir David Wong and Miss Eunice Chan shared their insights and personal experience with a full house. It was certainly a very fruitful and beneficial experience for the participants who attended the seminar. The Expo was considered as a great success of the Institution and the success was attributable to the generous support from all helpers and members. The Institution would like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude to Sun Hung Kai Real Estate Agency Ltd for providing the model of Kowloon Station as well as the members from the AMC, student helpers from the HKU and HKUST - Student Chapters and the Secretariat staff who devoted their valuable time to manning the booth and answering enquiries which made the four-day expo a rewarding experience for the visitors.

President Ir Peter Y Wong (left 5th) and members at the newly designed HKIE booth President Ir Peter Y Wong (left 2nd) building the "chron blocks" Students were fascinated by the game Visitors showing great interest in the model of Kowloon Station (L to R) Ir Yim Kin-ping, Miss Eunice Chan, Ir David Wong, Ir Lam Cheuk-fung and Ir Lee Wing-kin presenting at the careers seminar The AMC helper answering enquiries from visitors

The 4th International Conference on Autonomous Robots and Agents By Ir Dr Albert KO The generous fund from the HKIE provided me the opportunity to attend the 4th International Conference on Autonomous Robots and Agents (ICARA 2009) organised by Massey University and co-sponsored by IEEE New Zealand Section. The conference was held on 10 - 12 February 2009 at James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor, Wellington, New Zealand. As an engineer specialised in applied robotics and artificial intelligence systems, the content on ICARA 2009 could not be more interesting in every aspect. The conference covered a wide range of topics in advanced robotics. Keynote speakers were invited to present on emerging topics such as nanorobots and humanoid robot development. Research papers presented by engineers and scientists around the world covered even a wider scope of topics ranged from conventional mobile robots to biomechatronic robots, and from vision navigation to sensor network navigation. For practicing engineers in the research sector, nothing is more important than keeping their knowledge up-to-date and be aware of the most recent research trend in the community. Attending conferences such as this one was a helpful way to get in touch with the latest research trend and the intelligent minds that drives the trend. I am grateful for the opportunity given by the HKIE and wish all awardees in the future can enjoy equally wonderful experience in conferences they choose to attend.

Warm welcome by the conference organiser, Massey University, at Wellington Airport Exploring Auckland University during transit At the conference venue, James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor, Wellington, New Zealand

The HKIE Golf Society - The H K Cheng Cup and Friendly Competition The two-day event was held at the Mountain Course and Valley Course of the Nansha Golf Club in the PRC. The H K Cheng Cup held on the first day was an 18-hole stableford competition on allowed handicap. The Friendly Competition on the second day was team of two HKIE scramble teams with handicap calculated as 25% of the sum of the two team members’ allowed handicap. A total of 25 members and 22 guests joined the competitions on the first and second day respectively. Under the warm spring weather, the H K Cheng Cup was won by Ir Albert Ho who played exceptionally well and scored 41 stableford points. Ir Mak Chai-ming was awarded the gross champion trophy with 87 strokes. The trophies were presented to the winners during dinner after the game. On the second day, the Friendly Competition tested the teamwork of each team of two golfers. Other than golfing skills, each team required good coordination and strategic planning for each stroke. Unlike the usual golf game which played individually, you could observe the two team members walking side by side to discuss the strategy of the next stroke throughout the 18-hole game. The excellent performance by Ir C M Wong and Ir K C Lam enabled them to win the champion. It was a very close race for the gross champion between the two teams, Ir Dr H K Cheng with Ir Edwin Chung and Ir Ringo Yu with Ir Rommel Chien. The team led by our respectable Ir Dr H K Cheng, with experience and skills, narrowly edged the younger team and won the gross champion. The trophies were presented to the winners during lunch after the game. Last but not least, the HKIEGS committee would like to express their gratitude to the sponsor of the event, Tysan Foundation Ltd and Ir Dr H K Cheng.

Ir Edwin Chung presenting the prize to Ir C M Wong and Ir K C Lam, the winning team of the Friendly Competition Ir Dr H K Cheng presenting the H K Cheng Cup to Ir Albert Ho (R) Participants with Ir Dr H K Cheng

Career talk for HKUGA College By Ir C F LAM On 17 February 2009, Ir C F Lam was invited to give a career talk to over 150 Form three students of the Hong Kong University Graduate Association College (HKUGAC). Ir Lam started by introducing the ten engineering wonders in Hong Kong and the role of engineers in applying engineering principals to enhance the living standard of the society. He emphasised the contribution of engineers in providing the basic needs of human round the clock. The students were very impressed that they all enjoyed the outcomes of engineers' effort including infrastructure, public transport, telecommunication, water supply and building construction, etc. Ir Lam continued to introduce the academic pre-requisites to the students so that they could make the right choice on academic subjects to study in the coming years. Lastly, the history and operation of the HKIE was presented with focus on the international recognition of its membership and mutual recognition arrangement with overseas professional bodies. During the question-and-answer session, the students participated actively by asking a lot of sensible questions. Some were interested in the difference between engineers and architects; some were concerned on the effort to be put in various academic subjects in order to become an engineer while some female students were keen to know how they could cope with the working environment of engineers. This talk has successfully raised the awareness of the students in the role of engineers and the image of the engineering profession. It was so glad for us to see that some students would seriously consider becoming an engineer in the years to come!

The students of the HKUGA College found the career talk very useful in helping them make decision to become engineers and selecting the right academic subjects in coming years Ir Lam having good interaction with the students during the question-and-answer session

The best is yet to come - the HKIE Toastmasters Club By Mr Kit CHAN and Mr SO Pui Kei In the brand new year of 2009, the HKIE Toastmasters Club is creating the new pages of stories, starting from January and February events. A quality regular meeting on 7 January 2009, comprising 50 guests and members, marked the start of the HKIE Toastmasters Club in 2009. The theme "Happy New Year" attracted many ideas from the floor, from the celebration format to goal setting. Our speakers, Chapman Yung and Kit Chan, gave an annual review of Hong Kong major events in 2008 and an inspiration on how to contribute in the coming year. Another renowned Toastmasters meetings in 2009, "crash: when the HKIE Toastmasters meet Hong Kong toastmasters", a joint meeting presented by the HKIE Toastmasters Club and Hong Kong toastmasters, was held at Japanese Club on 2 February 2009. This meeting was proved to be a huge success when presidents from both clubs gave their closing remarks for the night. Chemical effect, ignited by engineers and non-engineers, brought a new view on message conveying, presentation skills as well as leadership skills. The night ended with dinner gathering, which provided a precious chance to meet new friends from different professions. The best is yet to come. Join us and see you on the first working Wednesday of every month. If you want to know more about our club, please contact our VPM, Ms Betty Wong, via email at vpm@hkietmc.com.

Meeting jointly organised with Hong Kong Toastmasters Club on February 2009 Full house in our regular meeting in January 2009