Young Scientists Side Event

Inside the conference center

One of the events that hit me close to heart is the young scientists’ side event during the conference. I am a young scientist, hence I felt much more involved.

Although there can definitely be improvements on the process of the event, the outcome has made me proud. I was very impressed seeing the enthusiasm of the young scientists. As young scientists are often disregarded in the science community due to young age and lack of experience, their opinions are often ignored. The young scientists’ platform accumulates the power of young scientists from all over the world and acts as a bigger spokesperson with higher bargaining power in order to make young scientists’ voices heard. Young scientists’ biggest asset is creativity as they are not bound by societal rules. This can be beneficial when novel inputs are needed where ideas are exhausted, such as identifying research gaps.

Hong Kong’s young people are never afraid to let their voices be heard. However, there is no effective young scientist platform as such, where young scientists can congregate and share knowledge and form partnerships. While there are a lot of student associations and organisations for youth, there is no big voice that represents young professionals. In order to show the science community the assets we have, young scientists have to unify to form a formal platform in order for ideas to be shared. I believe the passion a lot of young people have can make a significant impact on the research scene in Hong Kong.



A visit to Geneva will not be complete without the obligatory photo of the broken chair.