Student Tech Zone

July – August 2026

EPGL (Summer Program 2026)

The Enrichment Program for Gifted Learners aims to nurture high potential students by providing them with opportunities to explore different interdisciplinary areas of study, so as to broaden their knowledge and let them experience the teaching style and learning environment of a university under the guidance of HKUST’s faculty and professional instructors.

Organised By	The Center for the Development of the Gifted and Talented (CDGT) / The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Official Website	About Enrichment Program for Gifted Learners: https://cdgt.hkust.edu.hk/epgl-overview Programme Information: https://cdgt.hkust.edu.hk/epgl-courselist
Online Application Form	https://ust.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cvRT0IhJtK3DlGu
Application Period	25 March - 22 April 2026
Delivery Mode	Face-to-face mode
Venue	HKUST Campus
Enquiry	Email: cdgt@ust.hk Tel: 3469 2006 / 3469 2643
Attachment(s)	Poster

(1) Programming Fun with mBot x Scratch

Target Participant	Primary students (P5 – P6)
Pre-requisite	Suitable for students with no or less background in Scratch. Each student is required to bring along with their own Makeblock mBot2 for lessons.
Description	Scratch is a programming language developed by MIT Media Lab. With drag-n-drop, learners can easily create projects with audio and video effects, and share creations with others. mBot is a do-it-yourself educational robot kit created by robotics experts. The first half of this course will focus on sharpening the basic logical skills of the students through Scratch while the second half will concentrate on teaching students to develop their own software to control the robotic device mBot. Students will build the mBot robots themselves from separate mechanical pieces in the first class. Then they will learn the basic skills for putting the intelligence into the otherwise dumb mBot and transforming the robot into an intelligent self-driving autonomous vehicle. This involves putting advanced abilities like dynamic sensing, dynamic decision-making, and inter-vehicle communication into the mBot robot and utilises them to do self-driving – which is one of the hottest topics in the industry today. Basic programming concepts, e.g. variables, arrays, controls, loops, data abstraction and objects, are infused into the course too. These are universal principles for any modern programming language, and will be beneficial if kids want to go further in coding. The course will conclude with a rally competition of teams of mBots on a “line-chasing” map to practice what they have learnt from this course.
Programme Schedule	Robot Assembly, Lectures & Practice Date: 17, 20, 22, 24, 27 July 2026 Time: 2:00pm - 5:00pm Project Demonstration & Presentation Date: 29 July 2026 Time: 2:00pm - 5:00pm (In case of bad weather, make-up class(es) will be held on 31 July and/or 3 August. Please refer to the latest updates by CDGT.)
Language	Cantonese supplemented with simple English (Lecture notes in Chinese)

(2) Introduction to Game Development with Godot Engine

Target Participant	Secondary students
Pre-requisite	Students with basic computer skills and interested in computer science and programming.
Description	This course is designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of game development using the Godot Game Engine. Throughout the course, students will explore: What is a Game Engine? Discover the functionality of game engines, with a special focus on the features of the Godot Game Engine. Programming Basics: Gain hands-on experience with GDScript, Godot’s built-in scripting language, while learning essential programming concepts. Game Mechanics: Dive into key elements such as animation and collision detection that make games captivating and fun. Game Development: Bring creativity to life by developing a 2D game under guidance. By the end of this course, students will be cultivated with skills and knowledge to continue the journey in game development and turn any game ideas into reality.
Programme Schedule	Date: 20, 22, 24, 27, 29 & 31 July 2026 Time: 2:30pm - 5:00pm (In case of bad weather, make-up class(es) will be held on 3 August and/or 5 August. Please refer to the latest updates by CDGT.)
Language	English supplemented with Cantonese (Lecture notes in English)

(3) Python: Beyond the Basics

Target Participant	Secondary students
Pre-requisite	Students who have completed “D002 Python for Everyone” or with basic programming knowledge, such as variables, control flow and functions.
Description	This course is a continuation of the introductory course “Python for Everyone”. After learning some programming fundamentals of Python, students can proceed to explore more advanced features and level up programming skills to solve complex problems. In this course, students will learn how to utilize functions in different ways to make the code more manageable and flexible. Advanced topics include basic file I/O, creating Graphical User Interface (GUI) using the turtle module, recursive functions (recursion) and introduction to object-oriented programming. Via lectures and programming exercises, students will be able to create an interactive program and visualise their creative ideas with file processing and GUI programming.
Programme Schedule	Date: 20, 22, 24, 27, 29 & 31 July 2026 Time: 10:00am - 12:30pm (In case of bad weather, make-up class(es) will be held on 3 August and/or 5 August. Please refer to the latest updates by CDGT.)
Language	English

(4) Digital Da Vinci - When Arts meet Web3 and AI

Target Participant	Secondary students
Pre-requisite	Students with below skills and knowledge: Prior coding experience in JavaScript, Python and Visual Studio Code. Students are required to provide related proof like certificate(s) with syllabus when submitting application. Proficient in using Google Chrome browser and browser add-ons. Owns a laptop (Windows/Mac, with at least 8GB RAM) for coding compiler execution. (No Tablets) Owns a free GitHub account (for submitting assignments and creating a project portfolio).
Description	This 18-hour course empowers highly capable secondary students with the complete technical and creative workflow required to transform generative AI outputs into copyright protected digital assets on the blockchain. Students will progress from conceptualising original IP using state-of-the-art text-to-image models to implementing industry-standard smart contracts with royalty support (i.e. ERC-721). The curriculum uniquely integrates creative direction, prompt engineering mastery, Solidity programming, front-end wallet integration, and Web3 copyright strategies — skills currently fully possessed by fewer than 10% of professionals worldwide. Through project-based learning, students could create and launch their own branded digital asset complete with on-chain provenance, royalties, and dynamic metadata. The course emphasises ethical AI practices, sustainable blockchain deployment (i.e. Polygon), and on chain network verification.
Programme Schedule	Date: 1, 5, 8, 12, 15 & 19 August 2026 Time: 10:00am - 1:00pm (In case of bad weather, make-up class(es) will be held on 22 August and/or 26 August. Please refer to the latest updates by CDGT.)
Language	English supplemented with Cantonese (lecture notes in English)