The "Lightning Detector Design Competition" is organized by Faculty of Engineering, The University of Hong Kong (HKU), Hong Kong Observatory (HKO), and Hong Kong Meteorological Society (HKMetSoc), and is supported by the HKU Knowledge Exchange Fund. It aims to enrich students' knowledge in both engineering and meteorology.
All primary and secondary school students of Hong Kong are welcome to take part in the competition. Teams fall into either of the two categories: Junior and Senior. A team should comprise 1 teacher advisor and a maximum of 5 students. A student can participate in only one team, while a teacher is allowed to act as an advisor of more than one team. At most three teams can come from each school. Each team is required to submit one set of deliverables as follows:
| Category | Deliverables | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning Detector | Report | Presentation | |
| Junior | Design and implementation of a lightning detector that detects the existence of lightning | Documentation on the design and operation of the lightning detector, circuits and software (if applicable), how readings can be taken, trial records, etc. | 15 minutes |
| Senior | Design and implementation of a lightning detector that detects the existence and direction of lightning | ||
Both Junior and Senior teams should observe the requirements R-01 to R-05 below:
| Reqt. | Description |
|---|---|
| R-01 | The lightning detector should be capable of detecting the existence of lightning. |
| R-02 | There is no restriction on the choices of materials for the lightning detector. The cost for the design and fabrication of the detector, excluding computers (for data archival and analysis, if applicable), should be less than HKD 1500. There will be no subsidy from organizers for making the lightning detector. |
| R-03 | The report should be concise, preferably with a length of no more than 10 pages (cover page excluded, diagrams included). Submission of soft copy-only report in PDF format is encouraged, and should be included in the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM containing other deliverables. In case hard copy report is produced, it should be printed on A4-sized paper. |
| R-04 | Each group will be allocated 15 minutes for presentation. Participants are suggested to spend about 10 minutes for presentation and/or demonstration, and 5 minutes for questions and answers from the judges. VGA connection and a computer with projection facility will be provided at the presentation room. |
| R-05 | Submission of deliverables should be sent to the specified address, otherwise it will not be entertained. |
Senior teams should observe the following additional requirement R-06:
| Reqt. | Description |
|---|---|
| R-06 | The lightning detector should be capable of detecting the direction of lightning. |
Registered participants are eligible for attending workshops and visits organized by the HKU Faculty of Engineering, Hong Kong Observatory and Hong Kong Meteorological Society. A tentative schedule of the activities, with highlighted important dates, is tabled in the Schedule page. Attendance certificates will be issued to registered team members and teacher advisors participating in talks and workshops.
Registration should be completed on or before 2012-10-31[Wed]. Participants can register online, or print out this page as registration form and fax to 25598447. Late registration will not be entertained.
The deliverables should be sent to the following address on or before 2013-04-30[Tue] 1700:
| Address |
Hong Kong Observatory Headquarters, 134A Nathan Road, Kowloon Attn: Mr SW Chow |
| Office Hours |
Mondays to Fridays: 0900–1300; 1400–1700 Saturdays: 0900–1300 Sundays and Public Holidays: Closed |
| Method | Please inform Mr. SW Chow at 29268347 before delivery. Update! |
Submission checklist:
Presentation materials can be submitted on the day of presentation. The deliverables shall be accompanied by a duly completed deliverable submission form. The submission time will be based on the date of postmark. Late submission will not be accepted.
The judging panel consists of professionals from HKU Faculty of Engineering, Hong Kong Observatory and Hong Kong Meteorological Society. The judging criteria are as follows:
| Criterion | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| J-01 | Research | Content of report, data collection and testing methodologies. |
| J-02 | Creativity | How creative ideas have been used in the design of lightning detector. |
| J-03 | Appearance | Does the instrument look sleek, neat and tidy. |
| J-04 | Presentation | Performance in the project presentation session. |
The prizes of each category are as follows:
| Prize | Award |
|---|---|
| Champion | A trophy, book coupons and a HKO 130th Anniversary souvenir will be awarded to the team, and a certificate to each team member. |
| First runner-up | |
| Second runner-up | |
| The most creative lightning detector award | Book coupons and a HKO 130th Anniversary souvenir will be awarded to the team, and a certificate to each team member. |
| The most attractive lightning detector award | |
| The best presentation award |
All participating teams are invited to an award presentation ceremony tentatively scheduled on 2012-05-25[Sat] 10:30-12:30 when they will be presented participation certificates and the results will be announced. The list of winners will also be published in this web site.