The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) debuted “The Junior Researcher Mentoring Programme” (the Programme) last year, providing secondary school students with the chance to participate in various research projects under the guidance of PolyU academics, thereby opening the door for their future research endeavours.

We are thrilled to announce that the Programme has returned this year! More than 70 PolyU scholars have vowed to provide their support to the scheme, and they have already come up with nearly 40 projects tailored for the new cohort of students.

For this year’s Programme, many exciting research topics are available spanning areas like rehabilitation, economics, hotel and tourism, biomedicine, nursing, language, design, and various specialisations of engineering. Research topics specially designed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic are also included in the list.

PolyU’s Vice-President (Student and Global Affairs) Prof. Ben Young is happy to see the JRMP enter its second year. He remarked, “The Programme has been established to provide opportunities for secondary school students to learn and practise. They can furthermore gain a deeper understanding of the special features of PolyU’s different undergraduate programmes, so as to facilitate their future career planning.”

Good Hope School participated in the Programme last year. Dr Harfitt, principal of the School, expressed his appreciation for the Programme. He said, “Under the guidance of PolyU academics, our students participated in various research projects including ‘The Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Pain and the Associated Risk Factors among Adolescents in Secondary Schools’. It was indeed an invaluable opportunity for them on their road to learning biological science.”

PolyU attaches much importance to the holistic education of young people and encourages them to acquire different learning experiences through interdisciplinary studies. The Programme is expected to run from April to August this year.

To learn more about the JRMP and to view the positive feedback of the mentees of the 2021 cohort, please visit the official website.