CW Chu College The Chinese University of Hong Kong eNewsletter

An online Night Talk was given by Dr NG Man Cheuk Alfred on 31 March 2022, about the key steps to take in order to carry out research in technological advancement, borrowing his example of developing the ‘AI pet face recognition’ technology. Mr NG is an accomplished computer scientist and industrialist with both Asian and North American experience.

To survive and succeed in the fast-changing tech world, Dr NG stressed that it is important to zero in on the problem of one's work quickly. This can be done effectively by setting up a mini proof-of-concept project, to consider how to verify the solution beforehand. Moreover, to avoid reinventing the wheel, we should study the work of others with a deep understanding and make adjustments that are specific to our application. In terms of pricing and time-to-market, removing bugs that frequently occur can be the top priority in our work list, as cost-effectiveness is the core tenet of running a business. Besides, our invention should also be user-friendly. In Dr NG's project on ‘AI pet face recognition’, his company did many rounds of refinement to ensure the features of the pets can be detected accurately and easily. In the process of developing the technology, Dr NG and his team faced many setbacks—each time when they solved some problems, they discovered some more. Sometimes they even ended up with a terrible result. However, they never gave up enhancing the skills, and they have already set up their future goals, which include improving the alignment of detected features, updating the model with real-time training, accommodating pet aging in the system, and designing some spin-off projects such as pet counting. Thanks to Dr NG, the audience learned more about how the technology world works and were equipped with useful problem-solving skills.

Psychology of Socializing

Another intriguing talk was delivered by Mr Mills WONG on 20 April 2022 on how we should socialize with others in a step-by-step manner. Mr WONG is a registered Industrial-Organizational Psychologist; host of a radio programme (《捉心理》) at RTHK and columnist for the Mind & Life Magazine (《心活誌》). He also served as the Regional Head of L&D and Talent Management at Fortune 100 Multi-National Corporations and a management consultant in a global consulting firm.

Mr WONG first laid forth an interesting proposition on the importance of having ‘similarity’ with other—people are usually attracted by those who appear to be similar to themselves, no matter in terms of appearance, personality or social background. Another way to build proximity is to match a topic with others rather than to chat on a subject that other people want us to talk about. Digging deep into a personal interest can also help us to connect with people; so starting off with an interest that one is very familiar with is advisable.

Another inspiring section of the talk is about building liking and trust. To achieve these goals, Mr WONG emphas ized competence, passion and integrity. Not only should we gain trust by treating others whole-heartedly and with integrity, but also by showing our own passion in life. For example, we could take the initiative to catch up with friends and maintain our relationship.

The insights that Mr WONG shared in his talk captivated his young audience. Many reflected that his propositions had overthrown their past conceptions on what makes an attractive person. The emphasis on virtues like trust, politeness, appreciation, integrity and so on are undoubtedly beneficial to students' psychological wellness.