Chief Investigator:

Dr. DENG Wenjing

Project Year:

2018-2019

Description:

Microorganisms are ubiquitous in the environment, not only do they cover virtually all surfaces we contact, they also cover our skin and are abundant in the air we breathe. Hong Kong’s worsening indoor air quality (IAQ) has attracted increased attention in the global press. Various studies have been conducted to assess the impacts on human health due to excessive exposure to bacteria polluted indoor air and these data provided evidence that rates of respiratory illnesses and symptoms could be elevated with high bacteria pollution. Most people in Hong Kong spend 80% of time in indoor environment, which presents a major health risk to city residents. The main aim of this proposal is to analyze the IAQ including airborne bacteria at the Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK). A seminar will be organized to introduce our findings and knowledge of IAQ. After that, we will convert our professional data to an educational kit which is easy to be used for general studies or science teachers to use in the primary and secondary schools. The teaching kit includes (1) one cartoon video introducing IAQ and bacteria; (2) some brochure about IAQ and the bacteria in the air we lived; (3) some compare experiments designed under the different condition (temperature, humidity, air flow, and so on) for science student teachers to cultivate the bacteria aimed to teach them what kind of environment is conductive to bacterial growth; (4) how to improve the air quality in where we lived; (5) related STEM and environmental education, such as the air flow calculation, design of an experiment to count the airborne bacterial, etc. The proposed initiative can support the strategic development of EdUHK. Our vision is to build our core capability in this important strategic research area through incorporating our existing strength expertise in analytical chemistry, toxicology, molecular biology, environmental engineering, and education,, with a view to establish EdUHK as the opinion leaders in environmental issues and education in the local community.