Media

Science, Mathematics, and Art (SMArt) Project 2016 for junior secondary school students

14 Jan 2016

Sugar makes up an important part of our diet: it is an ingredient that we use in cooking all the time, not to mention desserts and candies. Our proper consumption of it is crucial to our body, especially to ensure healthy aging. Have you ever imagined sugar, such a common household item in everyone’s kitchen, can be made into a wide variety of forms? Sugar connoisseurs make use of the unique properties of sugar to transform it into different amazing artwork, such as cotton candy, pulled sugar, and sugar-paste doll. Under what conditions would sugar exhibit properties suitable for our manipulation? How should we twist the sugar paste into complex but highly symmetric shapes? Sugar art not only is an art; there is also a lot of science and mathematics hidden behind it.

Such examples which involve science, technology, mathematics and art are ubiquitous in our everyday life. A lump of soft clay must go through chemical and physical changes before turning into various long-lasting ceramic arts. Ceramics not only can serve practical functions but also can demonstrate a vivid past of our own civilization, especially our advancement in technology. Upon scrutiny every branch of fern looks similar to the whole plant, in a way similar to the world-renowned Russian dolls. These self-similar objects concretely demonstrate the concept of fractals in mathematics. Fractals are not only visually attractive; they have been applied in technological areas such as pharmacology and integrated circuit design as we are advancing into the era of smart living. Empowered by the optical principles that underlie the working of cameras, photographers can manipulate light so as to transform objects around us into artistic photographs. All these examples show us that science, technology, mathematics and art are inseparable.

The Faculty of Science of the University of Hong Kong (the Faculty) and the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) are both dedicated to enhancing scientific and technological literacy in society, as well as nurturing the passion and interest of our younger generation in science and technology. The Science, Mathematics and Art (SMArt) Project 2016, co-organised by the Faculty and the HKSTP, aims to achieve these objectives through offering to participants interactive lectures and hands-on workshops that integrate science, mathematics and art. The project seeks to inspire more junior secondary school students to be well-rounded who can appreciate the integration between science, technology, mathematics and art. The artworks of participants from the two-day workshops will be showcased in a series of exhibitions at venues such as MTR Central station, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, HKSTP, InnoCentre, HKU and various schools.

Media representatives are invited to join the event, details is as follows:
Date: January 16^th , 2016 (University of Hong Kong) and January 17^th, 2016 (HKSTP)
Time: 9am – 6pm

Closing Ceremony
Date: January 17^th, 2016
Time: 4:30pm
Venue: Charles K. Kao Auditorium, Science Park E Ave, Science Park

Highlights of the SMArt programme include:
    (16^th January, 2016 at the University of Hong Kong)

• Sugar connoisseurs, Vimi and Keith from Doux, will demonstrate and teach how to make sugar art, while Professor Aleksandra Djurišić from HKU will explain the underlying scientific principle;
• Professional photographers, Ms. Ceci Liu and Mr. Stanley Ng, from Studio de Dimension de Tofu will teach how to make DIY pin-hole cameras and develop films in a darkroom; Dr. Chi-wang Chan from HKU will discuss the scientific principle behind photography and the evolution of cameras.
• Participants will have hands-on activities in HKU laboratories to experience the strange behavior of ferrofluid and super-hydrophobic surface.
• Ceramics artists, Mr. Terence Lee and his assistants, from Gitone will instruct our participants to create their own ceramics, while Dr. Edmond Leung from HKU will elaborate on ceramics science.
  
  (17^th January, 2016 at HKSTP)
• About 100 participants will use balloons to construct together a fractal pyramid as high as 7m; the mathematical concepts behind fractals will be explained by a lecturer from HKU.

For program rundown, please visit (link)
For more information about the event, please visit: www.scifac.hku.hk/smart/
For media enquiries, please contact Dr. Benny Ng, Project Director, HKU Faculty of Science, at tel: 5410 3822 or email ngbenny@hku.hk.