Professor Li Zexiang, Hong Kong University of science and technology: I'm wrong. Why is engineering consciousness more important than the best university?

 

What kind of majors do you apply for in the college entrance examination , And 4 The choice you face when you graduate from college after years has a lot to do with . Everyone believes , The best major , I can catch up with the industry dividend when I graduate .

 

at present , Our country is experiencing from “ Demographic dividend ” to turn to “ Engineer bonus ” The transformation of , In direction The development of high-end manufacturing and technology industries A new period .

 

meanwhile , Coincides with the digital age , Traditional engineering is evolving towards intelligence , Accept higher education 、 Middle and high-end talents with innovative ability will become a key link in this round of transformation and upgrading .

 

Have reason to believe , The innovation of excellent engineers in the future 、 There is great potential in entrepreneurship .

 

Successfully incubated the global UAV leader Dajiang innovation 、“ Tesla on water ” After a series of star technology start-ups such as Yidong Technology , Professor Li Zexiang of Hong Kong University of science and technology once was on the stage of chaos , Shared the core thinking model of entrepreneurial success —— Engineering awareness .

 

Li Zexiang said ：“ I used to recruit students , It's all about finding best Of School 、 The best , Finally, I found that I was wrong , Engineering consciousness is more important than achievement .”

 

* The following is based on Li Zexiang 2017 year 9 month 2 Day in chaos course 《 Incubation password for science and technology entrepreneurship 》 Sort out .

 

Teaching teacher ｜ Li Zexiang   Professor, Department of electronic and computer engineering, Hong Kong University of science and Technology

 

 

Entrepreneurship is often divided into two steps ： Find and solve problems .

 

Finding problems is only half done , Choosing a good model to solve problems may help entrepreneurs avoid many detours .

 

at present , There are mainly the following modes to solve problems ：

 

First of all ,“ shanzhai ” Pattern . Target similar enterprises or enterprises that encounter the same problems , Adjust according to their way .

 

second , Make decisions based on long-term engineering awareness .

 

Third , Through mathematics 、 Scientific methods such as physics , Simplify complex problems , By finding out the core of the problem Key points to solve the problem .

 

In these three models , The first mode is difficult to have breakthrough innovation , The third mode is the best, but it is difficult for ordinary people to do , Second mode —— Engineering awareness is very important and worth cultivating , It is also the core ability to organically combine academic research and business practice .

 

I can't give a clear definition of engineering consciousness , But through this course , I can tell you , How to cultivate engineering consciousness , And the important role of engineering awareness in improving the success rate of entrepreneurship .

 

Engineering awareness is much more important than exam results

 

In the first year after resuming the college entrance examination, I was admitted to Central South Institute of mining , And go to the United States to study after admission . Summarize my learning process , The college entrance examination is a turning point ; I received an American education in Pittsburgh , Discover the importance of engineering thinking for college students ; The University of California at Berkeley taught me the basics of critical thinking and Mathematics . These educational experiences , Let me lay the theoretical foundation of engineering consciousness .

 

Design thinking

 

It comes from 1979 In, I went to Carnegie in Pittsburgh as one of the first public undergraduate students in China · The experience of studying abroad at Mellon University . Before that , I always think that keeping good grades is the most important , And good grades mainly depend on theoretical courses .

 

however , A course teacher asked us to stay at a crossroads for three hours , Come back and write the report . So I sat foolishly at the intersection , I thought I should count pedestrians , Or counting vehicles , Such courses have become my weakness .

 

Today we know , This kind of learning is design thinking —— It is a thinking training to find problems through observation and thinking .

 

Hands on ability

 

I am here 1983-1989 When studying at the University of California, Berkeley, I realized , work One of the key abilities of Cheng consciousness is hands-on .

 

This comes from a roommate with very poor academic performance , He can test multiple choice questions 7 branch ,8 People who have only graduated from undergraduate courses in , But his hands-on ability is very strong . When we did the experiment together , The oscilloscope doesn't work , He just kicks .

 

Later I learned that it was called engineering consciousness . Because you have to know where to kick 、 How much can you kick your equipment well .

 

After graduating from college, this roommate founded a company that made colored lanterns , Created a new industry , His company finally 10 Billion dollars sold to Philips , Then he set up twoorthree companies , Often come to Shenzhen Baoan to produce his products .

 

critical thinking

 

Critical thinking is what I learned when I was a master at the University of California, Berkeley .

 

There are many seminars at the University of California, Berkeley , Instead of asking students to accept the ideas instilled by Daniel , Instead, we debate with each other . Listen to a lecture here , Don't be blasted for an hour , It's a great thing .

 

Critical thinking is also a spirit of Silicon Valley Culture , It had a big impact on me , Let me learn how not to fry others' cold rice , Look for problems from others' papers .

 

Mathematical tools

 

I learned the basics of mathematics when I graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a Ph.D .

 

At that time, my Ph.D. graduation project was the operation of smart robot hands , Although the experimental equipment allows me to do a little experiment simply , but This simple experiment cannot satisfy the research , So I learned a lot of mathematical tools , In the process , I found the requirements of the University of California at Berkeley for mathematics surprising .

 

When I was in Pittsburgh , Math grades have never been lower 100 branch , But I really don't know anything at the University of California, Berkeley , So learn mathematical analysis from scratch 、 Differential manifolds 、 Differential geometry , A series of math courses , Just like physical theory , Even if you don't have a hands-on experimental device , You can also do experiments with brain seeds .

 

Now , Every student in my lab has to go through this “ torture ”, We must master mathematical tools and apply them to scientific research , This will form their left and right hands ： Call hands with one hand , It's called math .

 

The whole process of the project

 

Last , At MIT （MIT） Postdoctoral experience , Let me harvest MIT The essence of industrial influence , Is to see the whole process of the project .

 

Famous military machine “ Big dog ” The creator of mark · Labot , Used to be MIT Professor of , But then he quit teaching and founded Boston Dynamics , But the company hasn't sold any equipment for more than 20 years .

 

I asked Mark if he regretted . He said , Yes For an engineer , Only experienced the whole process of the project , From putting forward the concept , Make an engineering prototype , Find the application scenario , Finally, it becomes a product , You can say that you really understand this technology .

 

This is actually MIT The core of industrial influence ,40 For many years ,MIT Altogether 8—10 Ten thousand graduates , They founded 25000 The value of many companies is $2trillion a year , Equivalent to Russia GDP. This kind of originality 、 application 、 The whole process of entrepreneurship , It has created the industrial influence of this world-class university .

 

If you want to summarize the whole process of the project , That is to dare to take risks and challenge yourself , Dare to subvert yourself when your career is at its best .

 

Design thinking 、 Hands on ability 、 Mathematical tools and the whole process of Engineering constitute my understanding of engineering consciousness .

 

The cultivation of engineering consciousness is more important than the examination results , Because it doesn't just mean thinking ability , But a kind of self-study ability 、 Research capability 、 Comprehensive ability including hands-on ability and creativity , It needs continuous practice and application in life and learning to get its essence .

 

Engineering awareness is the competitiveness of the first line of entrepreneurship

 

When you have scientific research achievements , How to turn scientific research achievements into products and play a greater value ？ This is the question you need to think about .

 

I sum up , The successful industrialization of science and technology must meet three conditions ： The correlation 、 Appropriate policies and close to the front line of the industry .

 

The first condition is relevance . This research is when you set the question , It should be related to practical application .

 

The second condition is to have appropriate policies . Schools should have a set of supporting teachers / The policy of students' industrialization of scientific research achievements , When technology is industrialized , Have rules to follow .

 

Take the Hong Kong University of science and technology as an example , The vice president in charge of R & D is based on the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University , Formulated the industrial transfer policy of Hong Kong University of science and Technology . Startups like Gugao benefit from such policies .

 

Specifically, the following two points ： First of all , Teachers are allowed to spend one day a week outside consulting , Do professional activities . second , If you use school IP To start a business , And participate in the incubator of the school , You have to give it to the school 3% Shares of ,20 Top ten thousand , Let entrepreneurship and schools take what they need .

 

The third condition is to be close to the front line of the industry .

 

We all know , Hong Kong has no manufacturing chain , But Shenzhen, close to Hong Kong, is the frontline of manufacturing . therefore , At the end of last century, when Shenzhen's industry was undergoing transformation and upgrading , They took “ Borrow chicken to lay eggs ” The pattern of , Shenzhen provides land and funds , Teachers and students in Colleges and universities come to do projects or start businesses .

 

At that time, the Hong Kong University of science and technology was only five years old , Shenzhen government officials are very proactive , Knock on the door one by one in the laboratory of Hong Kong University of science and Technology . however , Many teachers at ust are foreigners , The language , Some local teachers are not familiar with Shenzhen .

 

They finally found me , Let me help as a fellow villager in Hunan .

 

therefore ,1999 In, we registered with Gugao company with a control card . But the manufacturing industry in Shenzhen is more processing with supplied materials , No one knows how to use the control card . therefore , We have conducted a lot of training in motion control , Teach these peasant brothers who have just landed from the fields , How to use motion control technology to develop its equipment .

 

We also call this training mode “ Guangdong Peasant Movement Control Institute ”, You also know that the farmer brothers have mastered a new way of thinking 、 New technological means , They can create many great things , So it develops step by step .

 

Now Gugao has become the largest motion control company in China , The product is applied to 60 Multiple industries , Also trained many school students 、 teacher , Let them be closer to the needs of the enterprise .

 

I learned a lot from it , It's not just how a university teacher operates and manages an enterprise , what's more Recognize what skills students need , Only then can he be competitive in the front line of entrepreneurship .

 

I used to recruit students in the best schools 、 Students with the best grades , Finally, I found that I was wrong . We cannot intentionally pursue achievements , While ignoring the cultivation of engineering consciousness .

 

I have the honor to open a course called robot competition at the Hong Kong University of science and Technology , This course is about mechanical electronics 、 Computer 、 More than 20 students majoring in mathematics mix and match , use 8 Months to design 、 Make 、 Debug several machines .

 

In order to pursue good grades , They have to speed up iteration , At that time, there was no Taobao , So they went to Huaqiangbei , Machining around the university town , This is at least faster than using school facilities at HKUST 2-3 times , This is the beginning of all changes .

 

Wang Tao, the founder of Dajiang UAV, came out from here .

 

Wang Tao liked model aircraft since childhood , But the model aircraft at that time were difficult to operate , So when doing the graduation project , He chose to design a helicopter controller . unfortunately , His flight controller failed to fly successfully during his graduation defense , The results are not ideal .

 

But he didn't give up , Use the summer vacation to continue research , Finally it flies . Then he followed me to continue Graduate School , I registered a small company in Shenzhen during my postgraduate study , Trying to sell the flight controller to some model enthusiasts .

 

Wang Tao once tried to communicate with Gopro Company cooperation , But in the end, as an entrepreneur, Wang Tao wants to do something different , He decided to build his own brand , Mount the camera directly on the four rotors , Redefined a new market .

 

2014 year , This product won the third place in the world's top ten consumer electronics products by time magazine , Ranking iPhone 6、iPad Before , This is a zero breakthrough in brand and design in Shenzhen, China .

 

There is also a background that cannot be ignored , At that time, the Hong Kong University of science and technology and the Chinese Academy of fine arts had a summer course , When choosing a topic , They chose Dajiang UAV as a background to design , Put art 、 Design 、 The three aspects of engineering are better combined , From technical thinking to business thinking .

 

Scientific and technological products should not only give people beauty , It is more important to solve practical problems . Dajiang has done a good job of consumer UAV , Always thinking , How to make some industries really benefit . Because of this , Dajiang can open up a market for unmanned aerial vehicles to spray pesticides .

 

   The best path for science and technology entrepreneurship ： Fast trial and error and iteration

 

Entrepreneurship is a high risk 、 High failure rate behavior , Hardware entrepreneurship is even worse .

 

Silicon Valley “ Huangpu Military Academy ” Called entrepreneurial incubator YC, Once hatched successfully Dropbox、Airbnb Other enterprises . Many entrepreneurs prefer to lower valuations , I also need to go for training , But its acceptance rate is very low , And the admitted company 93% Will fail , That means 200 Only one application company can succeed .

 

According to the data released by Zhenge fund and Innovation workshop . They cast 300 Multiple projects , Hardware accounts for less than 10%, This scale ranges from 100 Wan to 900 ten thousand ,1000 Wan to 9000 Wan Wan , Finally can IPO There are very few enterprises .

 

I think the reasons for the failure of these start-ups are as follows ：

 

• Product positioning is wrong , The product does not meet the market demand ;

 

• Cash flow breaks ;

 

• Team inappropriate , Quarrel every day ;

 

• Competitors are stronger 、 faster ;

 

• Price 、 The cost is wrong .

 

How can we improve the success rate of entrepreneurship ？ At this time, engineering awareness is crucial .

 

Engineering awareness allows you to predict the industry , Know what is valuable , What is not feasible . and Learn engineering consciousness , The key is to be able to test and iterate products quickly .

 

such as , Walnut Technology , A company that wants to make electric skateboards . When they started, there were already several companies making electric skateboards , Finally, after a lot of research , They decided to make a portable 、 Light 、 Smart skateboard . They quickly built something , Verified some basic possibilities , Iterating from generation to generation . Crowdfunding has just been completed some time ago , It's not bad .

 

We can see the whole process of this company's entrepreneurship ：

 

From finding problems to market research 、 Proof of concept , Then to the prototype and small batch production release , There are many problems in each stage , At this time, it is crucial to grasp the most critical issues and make breakthroughs .

 

I have summarized the commonalities of successful technology entrepreneurship ：

 

• Leaders have comprehensive qualities

 

In terms of intelligent hardware , Leaders must have mixed cross backgrounds , He should not only understand machinery and Electronics , Also understand software and design ; He is not only a product manager , And the marketing manager 、 Personnel manager 、 Operations Manager .

 

Although people have no three heads and six arms , But we should be the leader of start-ups in the hardware field , These are essential qualities .

 

• Good ideas

 

How to produce good ideas ？ Design thinking 、 Critical thinking 、 Market Research 、 Brainstorming 、 Benefit by mutual discussion , This is an essential process .

 

• Team building

 

Iterate with the process of product trial and error , Equipped with the right team can really have combat effectiveness .

 

• Make a different product

 

Don't look at what others do , I'll go to the cottage . If you want to do it, make a different product .

 

• Core competitiveness

 

Don't always try to fool resources , Only with core competitiveness , You are not easy to be replaced .

 

Japanese CNC machine tool companies are the most typical cases , Because of its core competitiveness , So it is not easy to be replaced . But many Chinese companies pursue large and comprehensive , Leading to the loss of core competitiveness , Finally, we cannot see the future in the changes of the market .

 

Not to memorize encyclopedias is called interdisciplinary learning

 

If engineering awareness is one of the key factors for the success of entrepreneurship , that How to cultivate innovative talents with engineering consciousness ？

 

Can we fundamentally reform our college education ？ Let students study for four years , Find problems with innovative thinking , Use scientific and technological means to solve problems , Realize personal value and promote social progress .

 

I don't think this is a fantasy .

 

At NOKIA 、 After Ericsson and other mobile phone manufacturers were overthrown by Apple , My graduate classmate 、 Paul, chairman of Qualcomm · Jacob spent a lot of time studying the apple model , At last he came to a conclusion ：

 

Single subject learning mode is no longer available , Future engineers should learn to cooperate with interdisciplinary teams , Learn the fast iteration from design to manufacturing , Learn to put art 、 Integration of engineering and design , To face the global market .

 

therefore , He donated a sum of money to his alma mater, University of California, Berkeley, to promote the reform of Engineering Education .

 

This actually makes us reflect on our educational concept .

 

I used to think of interdisciplinary study , Is to study at home , You may have to memorize all the encyclopedias before you think you have learned .

 

however Now you just need to know what your goal is , Know how to do it , How to learn , Then it's good to iterate continuously in the process .

 

Entrepreneurs we know well , bill · gates , Steve · Steve jobs , Elon · Musk is like this , Starting a business after reading for more than 20 years is not the best use of social resources .

 

Comprehensive, , To redefine engineering education, we should start from these four aspects ：

 

• We should be problem-oriented ;

• Multidisciplinary integration ;

• Project based learning ;

• International vision and taste .

 

To make a long story short , The cultivation of innovative talents requires the design 、 art 、 Culture and technology are fully integrated .

 

I often communicate with entrepreneurs like Wang Tao , What makes them maintain a good state of mind in the difficult process of dealing with crises every day ？

 

Their answer is love of this thing , It's not that this thing can immediately bring you money in return .

 

I hope my sharing can bring some inspiration to chaos students , Use interdisciplinary learning and continuous hands-on to cultivate engineering awareness , Finally achieve something you love most .