4 minute read
Michael Leung
Combining the elements
Michael Leung
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l Our third scholarship-winner is Michael Leung who did an internship with General Electric. l The advice of a wise mentor and a fruitful exchange at the
University of Liverpool complemented his experience. l As a talented electronic engineer, he discovered important elements of excellent preparation for a bright future career. l 梁同學分享他在通用電氣實習的經驗，坦言機會 難得。
l 他在利物浦大學交流期間，獲頂尖導師指導，豐 富了他的交流經驗和眼界。
l 梁同學是極具潛力的電子工程師，他在學習期間， 了解到如何為未來工作作出更佳準備。
I chose Liverpool for my overseas exchange because the university is famous for electrical and electronic engineering. Initially, my studies were mainly related to digital and wireless communication systems. I learnt about communication systems all the way from the 19th to the 21st centuries.
5G technology is now trending, but one of the professors, Dr Xu Zhu, explained how it is still unfeasible and incompatible with many environments, being too complex and too costly. The challenges involved in making 5G more widely available have encouraged me to do further research in this area, including even the latest 6G.
Learning practical skills is one of the main objectives of the university, as well as learning theory. Data processing and image processing both require the skills of software building and programming and by learning programming languages like MATLAB at Liverpool I made big improvements to both my practical skills and knowledge. So much so, that I am now confident that my programming skills can be applied in any future research and work environment.
I also had the pleasure to learn from experts during the courses on signal processing and data structure that followed. This was fundamental to my onward studies because signal processing provides the theory and principles behind today’s technology while data structure provides knowledge of software building.
Throughout the scholarship, Dr Roy Chung Chi-ping, GBS, JP, was my mentor. He is a successful businessman in the field of engineering who taught me a great deal. He explained how students nowadays don’t know enough before they choose a subject for research. Many of them just want to continue studying to avoid working straight after graduation, or they are encouraged by parents and teachers who see good academic results and think their children should go on to do a higher degree.
Such straight talk felt like a punch in the gut to me at first, but actually Dr Chung was presenting me with a key to success. That key opened a window through which I could see that although I was interested in various fields of research, my experience and knowledge in any specific field was insufficient for choosing between them. I also realized that if I wanted to innovate in modern technology, I first needed to gain experience in the business world and learn about society’s needs. Then, I could decide on the area where further research was required and make a valuable contribution.
I started looking for companies in telecommunication and signal processing and did a two-month internship with the General Electric [GE] in Hong Kong from July 2019 to September 2019. It was very rewarding, not only because it introduced me to an interesting field but also because I could immerse myself in a real business environment while gaining practical skills.
After training, I was assigned a job doing promotional and demonstration work for Smart Eyewear, the company’s newly acquired product. Smart Eyewear consists of a camera, a small monitor, and a speaker that allows you to communicate with others handsfree. I had to write a product brief and give demonstrations, so I learnt a lot about promotion and how to collaborate with my colleagues on the job.
Although it was just a short project, I gained both business and presentation skills and that inspired me to find out more about creating a practical and efficient electronic product with both social and industrial uses. The eyewear is being used by maintenance workers. It allows better collaboration with experts overseas. Moreover, the eyewear could also be used in other sectors as it allows people to work remotely.
GE also gave me tasks directly related to my study field, such as making up an Excel table to log the logic gate of one of their gas-insulated switchgears. During the process, I learned about the logic behind a real disconnector and a circuit breaker, an amazing combination of electronics and electrical gears. I also learned a lot from the people at GE and had the chance to meet a world-renowned expert in the UHV networks field of electrical engineering, Denis Dufournet. Overall, this internship gave me confidence and skill.
The experience and knowledge I have gained as a result of the scholarship have truly inspired me to pursue a career innovation and technology. The precious opportunities it provided have not only supported me financially but have broadened my horizons. They have deepened my appreciation of my chosen field of study while my inspiring mentor has taught me much about a successful career.
Michael Leung Ho-man will graduate from the Chinese University of Hong Kong this year.
