Chinese (繁)

The Mushroom-X Social Team of 4 life sciences students from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has been awarded the Gold Award in China College Students’ Entrepreneurship Competition (“Chuang Qing Chun”) in 2018. The competition was held in November at Hangzhou this year. The project entitled “Mushroom for the Next” promote sustainability awareness to the public through mushroom science and education. The team is honored and grateful to receive the award as social entrepreneurship.

The four students, Lai Sok Ian (Helen), Tam Ka Wing (Caity), Ng Heung Yu (Crystal) and Tang Hoi Yan (Yannes) joined the Mushroom Social Project in 2017. With funding from CUHK, Mushroom-X Limited is established in Mar 2018, aiming to bring the impact of mushroom for the next economy and global need. The team has cultivated more than 800 mushroom bottles with upcycling of food wastes and thus demonstrated the practice of reducing carbon footprint.

Under the supervision of Prof Kwan Hoi Shan and coaching from Ms Beatrice Ho, the co-founders of Mushroom-X, the team is passionate to disseminating their belief of “mushroom can save the world” to the public. They voluntarily supported the Mini exhibition “The Beauty of Mushroom” at the campus in July 2017 to showcase the diversity, the growth and development of mushrooms and introduce the model of sustainable urban mushroom farming system. They have also showcased in HK Food Expo (Aug 2017, 2018), Peacemaker's Cultural Celebration by UNSECO (Feb 2018) and Maker Faire (Jul 2018) as public engagement.

In this summer, the team held a workshop to teachers from Macau to promote the mushroom STEAM workshop for embracing the beauty of nature and sustainability education. Throughout the summer of 2018, the team dedicated to the Mushroom Maker Programme in the university to drive fellow students in having a valuable experience of practicing science to daily life.

With their commitment to bringing humanity’s needs in balance with the resources of our planet, they won the Second Prize of Social Enterprise in the Challenge Cup, The 4th Hong Kong University Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition and were selected as one of the representatives of Hong Kong to participate in “Chuang Qing Chun” in 2018. “Mushroom for the Next” finally won the Gold Award in the social entrepreneurship category.

About the competition

“Chuang Qing Chun” and “Challenge Cup” National Competitions are renowned as the Olympics for innovation and entrepreneurship of Chinese university students and nurtured students’ ability in the past 20 years. This year, the competition received over 150,000 applications. Among the 369 teams of finalist in all categories, only 20 teams achieved gold in social entrepreneurship. (http://2018.chuangqingchun.net/)

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English

由香港中文大學4名生命科學學院學生組成的Mushroom-X 公益團隊於2018年榮獲“創青春”全國大學生創業大賽金獎，比賽於今年十一月在杭州舉行。參賽項目「菇創未來」透過菇菌科學和教育向公眾推廣可持續發展意識，團隊對獲得社會企業的獎項深感榮幸。

黎淑茵、譚嘉穎、吳香如及鄧凱欣於2017年參與Mushroom Social Project，項目獲得香港中文大學基金支持，於2018年3月成企業Mushroom-X Limited，旨在用自主研發的菇菌核心技術來發展新興經濟，以滿足全球糧食及可持續發展的需求。團隊已培植了800多瓶菇菌，以升級循環培養基來實踐減少碳足印。

在Mushroom-X的共同創辦人關海山教授和何穎芝小姐的指導下，團隊熱心向公眾傳播“菇菌救地球”的理念。於2017年7月團隊參與和舉辦了小型菇菌展覧，向公眾展示生物多樣性、菇菌的生長和發育和推廣可持續城市菇菌種植系統。除此之外，他們也在香港貿發局美食博覽、聯合國教科文組織的國際和平日和Maker Faire等推動公眾參與。

於今年夏天，團隊為澳門學校的老師提供了菇菌工作坊，推廣菇菌STEAM教育，鼓勵老師培育學生從菇菌欣賞大自然之美和可持續發展意識。在這個暑假，公益團隊在中大校園帶動同學參與Mushroom Maker Programme，啟發同學在生活中實踐科學。

「菇創未來」團隊致力於推廣將人類需要與地球資源平衡，贏得了「挑戰杯」香港大學生創新及創業大賽2018的社會企業二等獎，代表香港參加「創青春」2018。項目「菇創未來」最終獲得公益創業賽金獎。

關於比賽

「挑戰盃」/「創青春」被譽為中國青年創新科技的奧林匹克及打造青年創業的第一平臺，今年共有全國大學生逾15萬件作品參賽，在369件入圍終審決賽的作品中，公益創業賽只有20個隊伍獲頒金獎。

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3 Dec. 2024

A team of brilliant young minds from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has made a significant stride in the global fight against antibiotic resistance. The team, composed of students from the School of Life Sciences and Department of Biomedical Engineering, has developed a revolutionary rapid diagnostic test agent called ResiSense.

This innovative technology is poised to transform the detection of antibiotic-resistant infections, particularly those caused by the formidable blaKPC-2 gene. By participating in the prestigious International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition, the CUHK team has brought to light a solution that addresses a pressing global health crisis.

ResiSense offers a compelling advantage over traditional diagnostic methods, boasting the following key benefits:

• Rapid Results: Delivering accurate results in as little as 1.5 hours.
• Accessibility: Requiring minimal environmental setup and equipment, making it suitable for remote and resource-constrained areas.
• Affordability: Designed to be cost-effective, ensuring widespread accessibility.

The team's groundbreaking work has earned them a Gold Medal at the iGEM 2024 Grand Jamboree in Paris, France. This prestigious award recognizes the team's exceptional innovation, scientific rigor, and potential impact on global health.

The team's ambitious vision extends beyond the detection of blaKPC-2. They aim to develop a comprehensive suite of rapid diagnostic test agents capable of identifying a wide range of antibiotic resistance genes. By enabling early detection and targeted treatment, ResiSense has the potential to significantly curb the spread of antibiotic-resistant infections and improve patient outcomes worldwide.

This groundbreaking achievement underscores the ingenuity and dedication of CUHK students and the university's unwavering commitment to fostering innovation and addressing global health challenges.

>>Media:
1. 星島網: 研抗藥細菌試劑 中大生iGEM奪金 [2 Dec. 2024]