ECSS Glasgow 2024 broadens HPE student’s academic horizons and reaches a milestone in her Shi-Tu mentorship scheme
Faculty members of HPE participate in ECSS Glasgow 2024, the 29th annual congress of the European College of Sport Science (ECSS). A photo taken at the congress venue, from left to right on the front row: Dr Gary Chow Chi-ching, Dr Bob Sun Fenghua, Dr Zheng Chen, Lianne Chu Cheuk-ying, and Dr Carman Leung Ka-man. Far left on the back row is Mr Kenneth Ho Yik-kiu.
While students often acquire knowledge in the classroom, attending international academic conferences provides them a crash course to academic growth. Lianne Chu Cheuk-ying taking the Bachelor of Education (Honours) (Physical Education) programme (BEd(PE)) at the Department of Health and Physical Education (HPE), experienced such a timesaver when she joined HPE team to attend the 29th annual congress of the European College of Sport Science (ECSS), also known as ECSS Glasgow 2024, held between 2 and 5 July in Glasgow.
It is Dr Gary Chow Chi-ching, Associate Head of Department (Learning and Teaching) of HPE and her mentor under the Shi-Tu Scheme, who gave Lianne the opportunity to participate in the ECSS Glasgow 2024. “One day, Dr Gary Chow invited me to be his student research helper for his presentation at the congress. I wouldn’t imagine having such an opportunity to take part in such a prestigious academic event. Under Dr Chow’s guidance, I have conducted literature review, collected data, and drafted the PowerPoint presentation. I learnt different academic skills from the various preparation tasks for the conference presentation,” Lianne said.
The congress is attended by professors, researchers, scholars, and students pursuing their PhDs and master's degrees. Interacting with people from the academia has enriched Lianne’s academic insights. She took this photo with a Japanese PhD student after exchanging ideas on his project
Lianne joined the Shi-Tu Scheme — Shi, or Shi-fu, in Chinese means teacher and mentor, while Tu means student and mentee, managed by the Student Affairs Office in 2023/24. Since then, Dr Gary Chow has been coaching her in terms of academics as well as attitude. Throughout the years, Lianne and Dr Gary Chow have worked closely on a range of projects, including research work on primary students’ physical activity level, community-based educational initiatives, and preparation of instruction materials.
Lianne has been learning from Dr Chow since joining the Shi-Tu Scheme and the ECSS Glasgow 2024 marked a milestone in her mentorship. She is glad that the congress has greatly broadened her horizons and developed her global perspectives. “I was surprised and excited to be able to meet and connect with scholars and researchers around the world. The majority of the participants joining the congress are professors, scholars, researchers, and students pursuing PhD or master’s degree. I have gained valuable insights and experiences by communicating and connecting with these professionals,” Lianne said.
Under this year’s theme “Enhancing health, performance, and community sport”, ECSS Glasgow 2024 was composed of a broad programme of presentations across all sport and exercise disciplines. From 8am to around 6pm every day, about ten presentation sessions were conducted simultaneously during every timeslot. Apart from presentations, there were also public lectures, masterclasses, special interest group gatherings, and booth talks arranged during the four-day conference.
Lianne is glad to be able to talk with a world renown scholar in sports science like Professor Vincent Gouttebarge.
One of the presentations was given by Professor Vincent Gouttebarge, chair of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Mental Health Working Group. In his inspirational presentation titled “Elite Athletes are Humans First: Their Mental Health Challenges”, the professor elaborated several of his research studies on elite athletes’ mental health, including studies about contributing factors to mental health symptoms, and how to employ a holistic approach in performance management in elite sports.
“Professor Gouttebarge’s talk was truly stimulating. He reiterated that physical, technical, and mental factors are interlinked, for all of which can influence an athlete’s performance. Thus, it is crucial for coaches to assist athletes to maintain good mental health so as to optimise their performance,” said Lianne.
Expressing my ideas to a distinguished scholar like Professor Gouttebarge has boosted my confidence.
As a mentor, Dr Gary Chow takes every opportunity to enrich and empower his mentee. After Professor Gouttebarge’s presentation ended, Dr Chow, and Mr Kenneth Ho Yik-kiu also from HPE, encouraged Lianne to ask the eminent scholar questions. “Professor Gouttebarge listened carefully to my questions and gave me advice and suggestions regarding research directions for my future project. Expressing my ideas to a distinguished scholar like Professor Gouttebarge has boosted my confidence. It made me more confident of speaking up next time when attending other international conferences,” Lianne said.
Lianne helps her mentor Dr Gary Chow Chi-ching to prepare for his presentation at the congress. This is a photo taken after the presentation, from left to right: Lianne, Dr Gary Chow Chi-ching, Professor Raymond Sum Kim-wai from the Department of Sports Science and Physical Education of CUHK, Mr Kenneth Ho Yik-kiu from HPE, Professor Eric Poon Tsz-chun, a former faculty member of HPE, now a colleague of Professor Sum, and Dr Elean Leung Fung-lin, Director of Physical Education Unit of CUHK.
On 3 July, the second day of the congress, Dr Gary Chow gave a presentation named “Navigating the Transformative Landscape of Physical Education: Integrating Technology while Preserving Professional Identity”. Attending a presentation that she helped out from the start was simply memorable. “Participating in the preparation work of the presentation gives me a more comprehensive understanding of conducting a quantitative study. For instance, how to do a literature review efficiently and effectively, and the different methodologies of conducting research. I’ve also learnt how to present research findings clearly and concisely,” said Lianne.
Enriched knowledge was not the only take of Lianne from the congress, her career preference was also sharpened. “The four-day congress was packed with high-quality talks. It was especially rewarding to me to be able to discuss and exchange ideas on athlete burnout with Professor Gouttebarge. The congress has deepened my knowledge in sports science, and aroused my interest in research topics like athlete burnout and nutrition. It marked my first step to experience the world of academia. I recommend undergraduate students who are interested in research to participate in international conferences like ECSS Glasgow 2024 during their studies,” she said.
Under the Shi-Tu scheme, there is the time for serious coaching and time for friendship. Dr Gary Chow, left, takes photos with his HPE students after attending an off-campus learning activity. On the far right is Lianne.
Lianne demonstrated bravery in accepting every challenge I presented to her, which I believe is why she achieved and learnt more than she initially expected.
Dr Chow said leading Lianne to travel abroad and participate in the ECSS Glasgow 2024 was a peak experience for both of them. The HPE professor is proud of his mentee’s active participation and positive attitude towards challenges. “In Hong Kong and many places in Asia, many students are satisfied with their immediate surroundings and eventually lose the curiosity to explore the undiscovered world. However, Lianne demonstrated bravery in accepting every challenge I presented to her, which I believe is why she achieved and learnt more than she initially expected,” he said.
