Dear colleagues and students,

Career planning is important because it allows students to gain a deeper understanding of their interests so that they can develop the skills required for their future careers as early as possible. In this issue’s My UM, Vice Rector (Student Affairs) Mok Kai Meng discusses the purpose of introducing the Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF) training to UM faculty and staff and how it helps to guide students to recognise the importance of early career planning. Dr Jiang Yi, associate dean of Henry Fok Pearl Jubilee College; Dr Elvo Sou, head of Student Counselling Section; and Grace Chau, director of the Office of Sports Affairs, also share their experiences of participating in the GCDF certification programme and how they assist students in career development in their respective fields (Click here for the article).

Gui Changfeng, chair professor and head of the Department of Mathematics in the Faculty of Science and Technology, is known in the academic circle for his studies on nonlinear partial differential equation. His research on Gibbons’ conjecture has even caught the attention of Gary Gibbons, a physicist who was a student of Stephen Hawking. In the People’s Stories column, Prof Gui shares how he developed a passion for mathematics as well as innovating and solving problems in the world of mathematics (Click here for the article).

Su Tong, a renowned contemporary Chinese writer, shocked the world with his novel Wives and Concubines at the age of 26. He recently visited UM to share his experiences and techniques in creative writing with students, as well as the meaning of literature. How does one begin creative writing? In the article ‘Writer Su Tong shares his insights on creative writing at UM: Making up the stories as you go along’, you may find the answer to this question (Click here for the article).

Project-based Learning is a type of academic English course offered by the English Language Centre. With an emphasis on helping students put their knowledge into practice, the course encourages students to help those in need on campus and beyond by organising different community service activities revolving the project theme ‘Pay It Forward’. In this article, we interview two instructors in the course, namely Alice Lee and Miranda Ma, on the philosophy behind the curriculum design framework and how it allows students to apply their knowledge in real-life scenarios (Click here for the article).

Thank you for your support!

Best regards,
Communications Office