Ir Prof Alfred SIT Chief Executive and Secretary

On 13 September, we had the honour of hosting over 850 members and guests in this Session’s Presidential Address/Dinner. As always, we owed the occasion’s success chiefly to our event participants’ reassuring presence and support. It must be said, nevertheless, that President Ir Eric Ma was an equally important guiding presence, with his inspiring Address pointing the way to the Institution’s future direction. I must take this opportunity to thank him for sharing his vision with us (the Address can be revisited here) and to offer my heartfelt congratulations to those high-achieving scholars who were awarded the HKIE Best Transactions Paper Prize 2024 and the HKIE Outstanding Paper Award for Young Engineers/ Researchers 2024 during the Dinner.

The Address was not the first occasion in the month in which our President so forthrightly articulated his vision for the Institution. In the Media Gathering on 9 September, Ir Ma, joining forces with the rest of the Executive team, the Media Spokespersons, and other members, took the initiative to establish rapport and mutual understanding with the city’s major media outlets by expounding the significance of his Presidential Theme “Grow the Nexus, Link the Links”, outlining the activities catering to the Institution’s 50th anniversary next year, and explicating our recommendations in relation to the 2024 Policy Address’s formulation. The gracious presence of nearly 30 media representatives, and their earnest interactions with our members, pointed hopefully to a future where the public will attain an enhanced regard for our profession and a comprehensive understanding of its centrality in social progress. We are immensely grateful for these media friends’ participation in the gathering.

Our President’s aspiration to position the Institution for greater connectivity has led, on 10 September, to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong. This MoU will serve as a springboard for strengthened collaborations on promoting New Industrialisation and the advancement of the local industry’s connections with the Greater Bay Area.

Close on the heels of this partnership’s confirmation, President attended a meeting on 11 September with the Property Management Services Authority (PMSA) and, there, was presented by Dr James Wong (its Chairperson) with a letter signifying the newly arranged inclusion of eight HKIE Disciplines in the PMSA’s Recognised Professional Bodies list. This arrangement is expected to widen the scope of engineering practitioners’ professional activities in community building.

We have lately initiated the development of an e-booklet about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) and local engineers’ contributions to them. At our invitation, our Divisions and Disciplines have responded successively to our plea for raising sustainability awareness, by nominating projects, technologies, etc. that are representative of this worthy cause’s advancement through engineering means. With their submissions and numerous others from outside the HKIE being processed and selected for inclusion, we may expect the e-booklet’s completion within 2024. Meanwhile, in the hope of isolating an artwork mesmerising and inspiring enough to generate immediate interest among our potential readers, we wish to invite you to submit entries to the e-booklet’s cover design competition by deadline of 5pm, 31 December 2024. Please keep an eye on our social media platforms for further details.

A brand-new video campaign “工程師•話你知” has recently been launched to provide answers given by professionals to interesting, sometimes unconventional engineering questions raised by primary and secondary school students who are urged on in their inquiry by a natural curiosity. The first video, concerning building structure, was published on 30 September on our YouTube Channel here. Members are encouraged to view it and return from time to time for more videos in the series.

Assembled during the Hong Kong Engineers Week 2024 several months previously, the Engineer Alliance is a diverse group of young engineers who hold enormous promise as ambassadors for the profession. A social media campaign revolving around them was launched recently to instill in the public a positive and energising image for engineers. Forming part of the campaign is a video series in which the Alliance members recount their stories and explorations in the world of engineering. If you wish to lend your support to the younger generation’s endeavour to promote our profession, as I am certain you want to, please visit our social media platforms for posts about these youngsters and do not be sparing with your likes, comments, and sharing.

Our Young Members Committee will soon embark on a visit to the Sichuan Province from 9 to 14 October. Guiding the visit as advisors are Vice Presidents Ir Prof Frank Chan and Ir Rupert Leung, Executive member Ir William Luk, and Council members Ir Chiang Tung Keung and Ir Gloria Tang, while President Ir Eric Ma and 中聯辦教育科技部 serve as the honorary advisors. Under the theme “科技創新 • 永續發展 • 多元共融”and given reception by the China Association for Science and Technology, the delegates will be exploring cutting-edge technologies, learning from exceptional infrastructure projects such as the Dujiangyan irrigation system, and engaging in fruitful exchanges with university scholars and industry leaders. Beyond engineering, this visit will serve as our youngsters’ gateway to the unique Ba-Shu culture and a deeper friendship with their counterparts in the region.

1 October was the 75th Anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. I observed with pride that many of our members actively participated in that day’s public celebration events, extending their congratulations to the Nation and expressing their best wishes for its continued prosperity. With the festivities so widely celebrated, it is apparent that the bond uniting Hong Kong and the Mainland has elevated meaningfully with the years.