Collection of award-winning essays on patriotism from UM Cheng Yu Tung College published

The book Voices of Elegance—A Collection of Award-Winning Essays on Patriotism from Cheng Yu Tong College of the University of Macau, edited by Interim Master Wong Seng Fat and Associate Master Gong Yingxue of Cheng Yu Tong College (CYTC) of the University of Macau (UM), has been published by Culture Hall. This publication marks a significant milestone in CYTC’s efforts in national education.

The book’s foreword was written by Mok Kai Ming, vice rector of UM. The book is divided into seven sections and features 23 articles, 20 of which are award-winning essays by 12 CYTC students who participated in various writing competitions. The competitions covered topics such as cultural security, cybersecurity, Chinese civilisation, reviews of the film ‘Macao: Back to Common Roots Narrative Film’, and reviews of Macao literary works. The collection also includes three essays on students’ writing experiences.

Prof Wong, who is also the editor of the book, said that UM’s residential college education aims to cultivate seven competencies among students: responsible citizenship, global competitiveness, knowledge integration, teamwork and collaboration, service and leadership, cultural engagement, and healthy lifestyle. Students have improved their responsible citizenship, cultural engagement, and knowledge integration through participation in writing competitions.

The book launch event was held at CYTC. The event was attended by Vice Rector Mok; Pang Chap Chong, dean of students of UM; and college representatives. During the event, Prof Wong introduced the background of the book and its significance for national education. Prof Gong, and student writers Cheang Nga U and Dai Ziyi, then shared their creative intentions and writing experiences. They mentioned that these works not only reflect the writers’ personal expressions, but also convey their deep understanding of the concept of patriotism. Their sharing and the book received positive feedback from those who attended the event.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/presss-release/detail/59912/

Li Fei praises UM’s efforts in national education

The University of Macau (UM) attaches great importance to the Constitution, the Basic Law, and National Security education, and continuously integrates resources to effectively carry out related work. On the National Constitution Day, the Macao Basic Law Promotion Association held a talk on upholding the constitutional order of the SAR established by the Constitution and the Basic Law. The speaker was Li Fei, chairman of the Constitution and Law Committee of the 13th National People’s Congress and former director of the Macao Basic Law Committee of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress.

During the event, Li praised UM for its efforts in promoting the Constitution and the Basic Law education, including the establishment of the Centre for Constitutional Law and Basic Law Studies, the implementation of a systematic curriculum for the Constitution and the Basic Law education, assisting the Macao SAR Government in training local teachers of moral and civic education on the two laws, and organising the UM Constitution and Basic Law Student Ambassador Training Programme.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/presss-release/detail/59911/

UM students win first prize in global AI competition

A team of students from the Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) of the University of Macau (UM) participated in the 2024 Tencent AI Arena Global Open Competition and won the first prize in the international final of the Intelligent Agent Gaming Algorithm Track. The team received a prize of RMB 100,000. The competition attracted over 2,000 teams from nearly 390 universities across 18 countries and regions, including the UK, Japan, Germany, the US, and Singapore.

In recent years, FST has achieved remarkable results in both AI research and education. In addition to attaching importance on teaching basic theories, the faculty has enhanced the curriculum to strengthen students’ practical skills. Tencent has supported these efforts by providing free computational resources and access to its reinforcement learning training platform, helping students improve their skills through hands-on experience. In addition, FST launched a master’s programme in artificial intelligence last year and plans to further develop AI disciplines at UM’s campus in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin. The award not only recognises UM’s efforts in AI education and research, but also highlights FST’s efforts in cultivating high-tech talent with international competitiveness. Looking forward, the faculty will continue to enhance research and teaching in AI to cultivate more innovative and skilled professionals for society.

The competition featured five tracks: Intelligent Agent Gaming Algorithm Track, AI Chip Operator Development Track, Intelligent Traffic Signal Scheduling Track, AIPC High Performance Gaming Track, and Mobile AI Model Lightweight Deployment Track. These tracks provided a platform for students from various research fields to showcase their skills and explore cutting-edge technologies. Under the guidance of Wang Ye, assistant professor in the Department of Computer and Information Science of FST, the UM team—formed by Leong Ka Hou, Si Jianing, Li Haolong, Leandro Schlosser Acosta, and Huang Zhongyu—won the competition, marking a significant breakthrough for UM students in AI competitions.

The competition was jointly organised by the Sichuan Provincial Department of Education, Chongqing Municipal Education Commission, Sichuan Provincial Department of Science and Technology, and Chongqing Science and Technology Bureau, and was co-hosted by Sichuan University, Talent Work Leading Group Office of the CPC Chengdu Municipal Committee, and Tencent. It was held on the Tencent AI Arena Open Research Platform. Themed ‘From Games to Reality’, the competition aimed to foster the cultivation of AI professionals in higher education institutions, deepen industry-academia collaboration, and promote the development of AI research and application.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/presss-release/detail/59901/

UM SKL-QRCM, Hubei Shizhen Laboratory co-organise seminar

The State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine (SKL-QRCM) of the University of Macau (UM) and Hubei Shizhen Laboratory co-organised the Traditional Chinese Medicine Frontier Seminar. The seminar aimed to explore new directions in the advancement of Chinese medicine, promote the development and innovation of Chinese medicine, and provide an exchange platform for clinical research and basic research in Chinese medicine. It was well attended by Chinese medicine experts, researchers, faculty, and students.

The seminar featured five academic presentations, which were given by Chinese medicine expert Zhang Liutong, President Chen Gang, and Professor Xiang Nan from Hubei University of Chinese Medicine; Chen Xin, director of the Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences and director of SKL-QRCM of UM; and Wang Shengpeng, assistant director of SKL-QRCM of UM. In addition, UM Rector Yonghua Song met with the delegation from Hubei Shizhen Laboratory and held in-depth discussions on cooperation in research and development of Chinese medicine, talent cultivation, transformation of research results, and collaborative innovation. Both parties expressed their commitment to leveraging the science and technology talent, technology platforms, and natural resources of Macao and Hubei to promote academic exchanges in Chinese medicine, accelerate the integrated development of the Chinese medicine industry in the two places, and enhance the international influence of Chinese medicine.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/campus-news/detail/59898/

Diploma programme jointly organised by UM and Sands China concludes with success

The Centre for Continuing Education (CCE), the Business Research and Training Center and the Executive Education of the Faculty of Business Administration of the University of Macau (UM), in collaboration with Sands China Limited, organised the seventh edition (2023-2024) of the one-year diploma programme in business management. A graduation ceremony was held to present certificates to 24 participants who completed the programme.

The participants were from various departments at Sands China, including asset and facilities management, food and beverage, security, and concierge. The diploma programme was specifically designed to meet the needs of Sands China staff. Based on the experience of previous editions, the programme was adjusted throughout the study period to accommodate the learning progress and work schedules of the participants.

CCE has offered the diploma programme since the 2014/2015 academic year. To date, more than 200 Sands China staff have completed the programme.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/presss-release/detail/59897/

UM professor Xu Qingsong honoured as IEEE Fellow

Xu Qingsong, professor in the Department of Electromechanical Engineering of the Faculty of Science and Technology (FST), University of Macau (UM), has been elected a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the design and control of robotic micro- and nano-positioning and manipulation systems. Prof Xu is the first scholar from Macao to receive this honour from the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society. His election not only reflects his significant contributions to scientific research but also highlights UM’s growing reputation in the international academic community.

IEEE, formed in 1963, is the world’s largest and most prestigious non-profit international society in the fields of electronics, electrical engineering, computer science, communications, and automation engineering. IEEE currently has over 460,000 members across more than 190 countries and regions, and IEEE Fellow is the highest grade of membership in IEEE. The selection process for IEEE Fellows is rigorous, with no more than 0.1% of the total voting membership being elevated to Fellow grade each year. This prestigious title is awarded to distinguished scholars who have made significant contributions to the advancement of science and technology and have had a profound impact on society.

Prof Xu is a professor in the Department of Electromechanical Engineering of FST at UM and is the founding director of the Smart and Micro/Nano Systems Laboratory (SMNSL) of FST. He obtained his PhD in electromechanical engineering from UM in 2008, joined UM as an assistant professor in 2010, and was promoted to associate professor and full professor in 2015 and 2019, respectively. In 2021, Prof Xu was elected a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), becoming the first scholar from Macao to receive this honour. Together with the IEEE Fellowship, he has become one of the few Chinese scholars to hold fellowships from both ASME and IEEE.

Prof Xu has published four monographs in English and over 400 papers in international journals and conferences. His research has earned him numerous awards, including several Macao Science and Technology Awards. Prof Xu has been listed among the top 2% of scientists in the world for six consecutive years, from 2019 to 2024. He currently serves as an associate editor for IEEE Transactions on Robotics and has held editorial positions for more than ten prestigious international journals, including IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering, and IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters. Prof Xu’s achievements have enhanced UM’s reputation in the international academic community and given new impetus to robotics and automation research worldwide. His success will continue to inspire more students to pursue excellence, explore the unknown, and contribute to societal progress.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/presss-release/detail/59876/

UM receives donation of over 1,400 specimens

The Centre for Macau Studies (CMS) of the University of Macau (UM) held the ‘Legacy of Biodiversity: Dr. Emmett R. Easton’s Specimen Donation Ceremony’. The specimens donated by Dr Emmett R. Easton were collected from Macao’s wild environment during his tenure at UM in the 1990s. They are invaluable for studying the evolution of Macao’s ecological environment.

At the donation ceremony, Vong I Tat, president of the University of East Asia Open College Students’ Association (UEASA), presented the specimens to UM on behalf of Dr Easton, and Rui Martins, vice rector of UM, accepted the specimens on behalf of the university. Martins also presented certificates of appreciation to Dr Easton and UEASA, which were received by Vong and Loi Chi Kong, president of the Executive Committee of UEASA, respectively.

The donation includes 1,491 specimens, of which 1,135 are dried specimens and 356 are fluid-preserved specimens. Leong Chi Man, adjunct assistant professor in CMS, said that after preliminary examination, at least one or more species among the donated specimens were found to no longer exist in Macao. The specimens, collected over 30 years ago, will provide important evidence for the study of species in Macao.

Upon his retirement in the 1990s, Dr Easton had already donated hundreds of specimens to the UM Library. Now residing in the United States, Dr Easton recently wished to donate his remaining specimens to UM. Facilitated by UEASA and supported by the UM Alumni and Development Office and the UM Wu Yee Sun Library, the specimens were successfully delivered to the university.

The ceremony was also attended by Wu Jianzhong, university librarian of UM, and Cindy Lam, director of the Alumni and Development Office.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/presss-release/detail/59877/

Symposium on Cloud Computing and Intelligent Driving held at UM 

The Faculty of Science and Technology (FST), the State Key Laboratory of Internet of Things for Smart City (SKL-IOTSC), and the Institute of Collaborative Innovation (ICI) of the University of Macau (UM), in collaboration with the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, organised the 4th Macao Symposium on Cloud Computing and Intelligent Driving (CCID). The symposium brought together nearly 100 renowned experts and scholars from China, the United States and Australia, as well as UM students and faculty. It aimed to provide a platform for promoting technological and academic exchange and innovation.

The three-day symposium was held at UM. It focused on cutting-edge areas such as high-performance computing, autonomous driving, large language models, and embodied artificial intelligence. Speaking at the event, Xu Cheng-Zhong, general chair of the CCID Organization Committee, dean of FST and chair professor in the Department of Computer and Information Science at UM, emphasised that under the new trends of global technological development, the innovative applications of computing technology, big data, and smart technology will have a profound impact on various industries. He expressed hope that the symposium would serve as a bridge for scholars to have in-depth exchanges and share their research results, thus further accelerating the transformation of research results into industrial applications.

The symposium featured several world-renowned professors of computer science as keynote speakers, including Rajkumar Buyya, Distinguished Professor at the University of Melbourne; Sun Xian-He, Distinguished Professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology; and Yang Ruigang, Distinguished Professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. They gave insightful presentations on their respective areas of expertise, and led participants to explore the direction of technological development. The symposium was supported by industry partner Alibaba Cloud.

Students and faculty from FST, SKL-IOTSC, and ICI actively engaged in the symposium. The event not only deepened the students’ understanding of the latest developments in high-performance computing, big data, artificial intelligence and cloud computing, but also laid the foundation for their future research.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/presss-release/detail/59847/