Courses Open to Non-majors

Course Aims:

Energy production and consumption is the biggest contributor of pollution and greenhouse gases worldwide. To avert the dire consequences of climate change and build towards a sustainable future, in particular for densely populated and energy intensive cities like Hong Kong, we have to develop and implement green energy initiatives across all sectors.

This course introduces students the basic concepts of green building, transport and city design with a focus on cutting-edge green energy technologies, e.g. energy-saving and renewable energy technologies. Case studies of green buildings and transportation systems as well as the most energy-efficient cities, such as Reykjavik (Iceland) and San Francisco (US), will engage students to apply their knowledge to assess green technologies in practice, propose measures applicable to Hong Kong, and formulate ideas for sustainable city development.

Course Aims:

This course will highlight how the interaction between technological development and entrepreneurial spirit is important in preparing us to embrace challenges of a new era. The course will start with an examination of the contemporary challenges on different aspects of our everyday life, followed by a discussion on the social, economic, and business impact of these challenges. Then there is a review on recent scientific/technological developments in the fields such as information communications, smart transportation and green living that we may employ/further develop to help us face these challenges and to build a sustainable future for our society. There will be a dialogue between business and science on how modern technology and business can be integrated to improve our quality of life. Students will also be exposed to real life cases in which entrepreneurs make good use of new scientific/technological ideas to develop new products, services, and/or businesses.