The competition was organised by the Center for Language Education (CLE), under the School of Humanities and Social Science, together with VoicED, a UGC-funded oral communication platform, with support from the School of Science and the School of Engineering.
Communicating complex STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) ideas through creative busking-style performances, students brought their ideas to life for diverse audiences. At its core, the competition celebrates effective communication and public engagement, and provides an experiential, interdisciplinary learning platform for HKUST students.
Following rigorous screening of initial submissions, seven finalists were selected from the School of Science, the School of Engineering and the Academy of Interdisciplinary Studies. Their topics ranged from the science behind makeup to the stardust within us.
On stage, they drew on creative strategies such as large-scale props and direct audience participation. They performed before an experienced judging panel: Professor Leung Shing Yu (Associate Dean, School of Science); Professor Henry Lam (Associate Dean, School of Engineering); science communicator Dr Helen Hok Lun Ma; and Associate Professor Nora Hussin (Interim Director, CLE). Guests of Honour Professor Andrew Li (Dean, School of Humanities and Social Science) also graced the event.
Two themes ran through the guests' and judges’ remarks. Professor Li and Associate Professor Hussin returned to what AI cannot supply — the human thinking that makes frontier research accessible, and the authentic voice each student has to find for themselves. Professor Leung highlighted the difficulty of the brief: an audience of non-specialists that need to be convinced. Professor Lam hoped the competition would seed a wider culture of STEAM communication at HKUST, while Dr Ma offered the practical counterpart, drawing on 20 years in the field to talk the finalists through holding a room and recovering when something goes wrong.
For the finalists, the journey ran from audition through CLE-facilitated coaching to the Grand Final stage, and their reflections came back to the same thing: they had learned to stand in front of people and be understood. Daniel Parman, winner of the Grand Prize, summarized: “Your creativity and preparation is only half the story, you need to have the confidence to deliver your messages and the skills to react on the spot if something doesn't go well.”
The STEAM Busking Competition was an Experiential Engagement event within the VoiCED arena platform. Look out for their next competition!
