Team Project Challenge 小組項目大比拼

澳門現在的土生葡人是怎樣過生活的？跟一百年前有什麼不同呢？

What is the life of Macanese like? How is it different from 100 years ago?

我想當公務人員，那……澳門的公務人員都在做什麼？

I want to be a civil servant and I wonder what they actually do.

讓一台飛機起飛，澳門機場的人要做多少事？

What are the tasks involved at the Macau International Airport in order to enable its smooth running?

澳門的土地是怎樣填出來的？試對比400年前的澳門，那些區域是填海的結果？

How is land reclaimed in Macau? Contrast the state of land now with that of 400 years ago.

每年11月都有澳門大賽車，那是誰辦的？辦的過程要做哪些事？

Who hosts the annual Macau Grand Prix? What is the workflow of hosting this event?

澳門的氣象是誰在做預報的？天氣預報準或不準又是為什麼？

Who is responsible for the local weather forecast? What are the factors affecting accuracy of weather forecast?

澳門往香港的船是誰製造的？怎樣運到這裡來？

Who manufactured the ferries from Macau to Hong Kong? How are they shipped here?

澳門有那麼多餅店，憑什麼鉅記、英記、咀香園就做得這麼大？

What contributed to the success of Koi Kei Bakery, YengKee Bakery and Choi Heong Yuen Bakery among the numerous bakeries in Macau?

澳門有誰在搞所謂的文化創意產業？他們怎麼做？文創真的可以養活他們嗎？

Who are the people working in the cultural and creative industries in Macau and what are they doing?  Can they really earn a living from it?

澳門的法院都在忙啥？

What are the workers of the courts of the Macau SAR actually working on?

澳門的城區世界遺產是怎樣訂出來的？跟其他世界遺產比較，城區世界遺產有什麼獨特之處？

How were the Macau World Heritage sites chosen? What are the distinctive features of the Macau World Heritage?

澳門的交通和道路是誰設計的？為什麼要這樣設計？新建的輕軌系統，真的可以舒緩汽車道路嗎？

Who designed the roads and transport system in Macau? Can the new light rail help relieve traffic pressure?

澳門的垃圾究竟去了哪裡？坊間傳聞，回收物品雖然在垃圾站分類，但運到垃圾場後，很多其實是放到焚化爐燒掉的。試透過實證調查此事的真偽。

Where does our garbage end up in Macau?  Rumor says that the recycled materials in Macau, even though they are sorted as required, go to the incinerator. Please verify whether this is true or not.

不同國家/地區的人要來澳門工作的話，要經過哪些過程？

What do people from different countries or regions have to go through in order to work in Macau?

到底澳門的這些房子是誰蓋的？

Who built the houses and buildings in Macau?

澳門有許多社團組織，例如街坊會聯合總會、婦女聯合總會等。他們是怎樣的組織？他們都在做些什麼實際工作？

There are different associations in Macau, like OuMun Kai Fong VuiLün Hap Chong Vui and The Women’s General Association of Macau. What kind of organizations are they and what do they actually do?

我們在澳門吃的菜/米/油是從哪裡和怎麼來的？

Where do vegetables, rice, oil and other food consumed in Macau come from?  How are they shipped here?

澳門有什麼監獄設施？被關的是哪些人？整個懲教系統是怎樣運作的？

What are the facilities in the Coloane Prison? Who are the prisoners? How is the Macau prison system run?

為什麼路環蓋的房子這麼少？而且絕大部分都很矮？

Why are there not many houses in Coloane and why most of them are not tall buildings?

為什麼澳門幣是兩家銀行發出的？他們怎樣決定要印多少鈔票？鈔票又是在哪裡印的？

In Macau, why are banknotes issued by two banks only? How do they decide the amount to be issued and where are the banknotes printed?

澳門有人在拍電影嗎？他們過去做了什麼？最近又在做什麼？

Does anyone in Macau shoot movies? What did they do in the past and what are they doing now?

Shortly after the Ebola virus disease that killed over 11000 people in western Africa, Mr. Bill Gates made a timely TED talk (Gate, Bill 2015).  He argued that the world, especially the developed countries, should put all their good ideas into practice, from scenario planning to vaccine research and health worker training to prepare for the next pandemic.  Otherwise, we would not be ready.

Unfortunately, no serious work was done since then and the world was caught off guard by COVID-19.

Presume you receive a small grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Develop materials to alert world leaders on the next potential pandemic.  Specific topics may include:

• Epidemic model and when to start/stop society lock down
• The importance of social distancing and mask wearing
  
• Conceptual design of software architecture for real-time monitoring of virus carriers globally
  

References:

• Gate, Bill (2015). The next outbreak? We’re not ready.  https://youtu.be/6Af6b_wyiwI
• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. https://www.gatesfoundation.org/

According to traditional wisdom, Macau culture is unique and important.  What really defines Macau’s culture.  Who are the ones working or doing researches on it?

2020年3月25日，澳門特區行政長官賀一誠在記者會表示，政府不希望動用綜合體酒店作醫學觀察，因為涉及內裡的博彩業、餐廳等，影響很大。但在迫不得已的時候，在酒店已找無可找的情況下，還是要考慮。

在疫情的第二波，大量海外居民及學生返澳，需接受十四日隔離觀察，令借用隔離地點極度緊張。然而，政府無法找到一間逾三千間房的大型酒店，被逼在澳門社區找近民居且房間少的酒店。

賀一誠形容，今次疫情是對政府管理團隊的“大考”，也是對六家博彩企業的“大考”。他說，“不是在幾張報紙上作宣傳或捐獻物資就是社會責任，而是當社會有問題時，大家共同面對、承擔、負起責任，才叫社會責任。”

博彩企業是澳門經濟的龍頭，在社會面對困境時，他們應該負起什麼責任呢？政府每年向他們徵收巨額賭稅，他們的社會責任是否已經完成？試了解和比較周邊地區，例如香港、大灣區等地的龍頭企業，特別是上市公司，他們都承擔了什麼社會責任？

The Chief Executive of the Macau SAR, Ho Iat Seng mentioned in the March 25, 2020 press conference that the hotels with entertainment complex were not the first choice on the list for medical observation because they had to shut down all restaurants and shops, but would still be considered when the government had no other choices.

During the second wave of the epidemic, a vast number of residents and students returned to Macau and had to be quarantined for 14 days, resulting in an increase in the demand for hotel rooms. However, the government failed to find a large hotel with 3000 rooms and was forced to seek help from hotels with fewer rooms and closer to the local residence areas.

The Chief Executive said this was like a final exam for the government as well as for the six licensed casinos. He mentioned that social responsibility doesn’t just refer to donation of money and materials nor to publicizing oneself on the media.  It should include facing problems and shouldering responsibilities together when in need.

The Gaming Industry is the leading economic force in Macau.  In times of adversity like the COVID-19 pandemic, what responsibilities should they shoulder?  Is the high tax levied on them each year sufficient in fulfilling their social responsibility? Compare and contrast with the leading industries in neighboring regions like Hong Kong or cities in the Greater Bay Area, especially those publicly listed corporations, about the social responsibilities that they shoulder.

在下列教育與心理層面的研究方向，選擇一個題目。戶外冒險教育或體驗教育與…

• 領導力
• 團隊凝聚力
• 復原力
• 問題解決能力
• 環境態度
• 自我概念與自我認同
• 社會責任發展

Select a topic related to education and psychological development.  For example, a cross-disciplinary topic related to outdoor adventure or experiential education with …

• Leadership
• Team cohesion
• Resilience
• Problem solving skills
• Environmental attitude
• Self concept and self identity
• Social responsibility and development

Uber是類似滴滴的叫車服務，但目前在澳門是非法的。經濟環境好的時候，澳門的士十分難找。特別是，在住宅區或醫院，更加難找到的士。而電召的士數量不足，經常無法叫到車。這對行動不便的長者，或其他需要坐車的市民，尤其嚴重。

請透過多個渠道搜集資料，分析澳門的士問題，並從三個角度（市民、法律、社會）入手，探討解決方案。也可以參考周邊地區（大灣區、香港、台灣），提出以服務市民為出發點的政策，推薦給政府參考。

Uber is similar to Didi car calling, but is illegal in Macau. When the economy is booming, it is extremely difficult to get a taxi, especially in the residence areas or near hospitals. Insufficient radio taxis also make one difficult to get a cab, affecting the elderly with difficulties in moving around or other residents who need taxis urgently.

Based on multi-channel research, analyze the taxi woe in Macau and give suggestions for solving the problem from different aspects, including citizen, law and society, or suggest a policy for the government based on the policies in neighboring regions (cities in the Greater Bay Area, Hong Kong or Taiwan).

Everyone who has ridden on Macau bus felt how bumpy the ride was.  It was not just one bus, but all routes.  Some may even witness elderly people fell inside a moving bus.

To improve the situation, one may take a social media approach to pressure the bus companies to better train their drivers.  Here however, we take a scientific approach.

In this project, your team will develop a conceptual design for a device to measure the bumpiness of buses in Macau.  The handheld device will have a sensor communicating with a smart phone App to record the data.  Your team will calibrate the data on different types of vehicles in Macau (bus, taxi, light rail, free casino bus, private vehicle, etc.).  You team will also develop a plan to publicize the results, communicate with the public, convince the bus company or government to include the index in bus Apps, and propose a mechanism to reward drivers who provide good service.

Different messaging Apps dominate different regions and countries around the world.  This is the current reality for economic and geopolitical reasons.  However, during a global crisis, such as the COVID-19 Pandemic, it is imperative to maximize the free flow of information across App boundaries.

One approach is to adopt a open standard for all messaging Apps to exchange data.  We will call this effort the Global Messaging App Initiative.  It aims at allowing unobstructed message exchanges across all messaging Apps, including Wechat, Whatsapp, Facebook, Telegram, LINE, etc.

Please assess the feasibility of such an idea, from technical, economic, and geopolitical aspects.  Develop an action plan to push ahead with the initiative.  How would you team convince the big companies, such as Tencent, Facebook, and Google, to collaborate on the initiative?

References:

• Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) [https://xmpp.org/about/technology-overview.html]

In 2004, writer Ralph Keyes published the book “Post-truth Era”, in which he argued that deception is becoming prevalent in the media-driven world. For example, both sides of the US media were agenda driven.  Many people felt that they could not trust the media.

Was this true also in the COVID-19 Pandemic period?  Did western media turn the coronavirus issue into “party against party”? How did high-profile people, most notably the US President, WHO Director-General, and the like, use social media to argue their points? Was common folks such as Pastor Landon Spradlin a victim of the Post-truth Era? [cf. story by Maqbool, Aleem (2020)]  What are some possible ways for the global community to rescue itself from this trap?

References:

• Keyes, Ralph (2004). The Post-Truth Era: Dishonesty and Deception in Contemporary Life. New York: St. Martin’s.
• Stokes, Sonya (2020). Epidemics and Infodemics in the Post-Truth Era, from Ebola to COVID-19. https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/epidemics-and-infodemics-post-truth-era-ebola-covid-19
• Maqbool, Aleem (2020). Coronavirus: Pastor who decried ‘hysteria’ dies after attending Mardi Gras.  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-52157824

Vertical farming [Kashyap Vyas, 2018] is an emerging technology that uses vertically stacked layers to cultivate plants with limited space and water in controlled environments.  It promises a more sustainable way of farming by cutting down on costs and being more eco-friendly.

An investment company is interested in the potential commercial application of vertical farming technology.  For example, it is looking into the fine dining business for young consumers in Macau.  Specifically, a high-end restaurant may include a tiny vertical farm right inside the restaurant.  Diners may pick their favorite farm fresh vegetables on the spot.

The investment company commissions your team to develop a concept of operation and feasibility study for this idea.  It likes to know the upfront capital investment cost, a viable business model, and whether the business is sustainable.

References:

• Kashyap Vyas (2018) 13 Vertical Farming Innovations that Could Revolutionize Agriculture. https://interestingengineering.com/13-vertical-farming-innovations-that-could-revolutionize-agriculture
• Boaz Toledano (2019) The second generation of vertical farming. https://agfundernews.com/the-second-generation-of-vertical-farming-is-approaching-heres-why-its-important.html