The University of Macau (UM) will hold a talk titled ‘Virus-Host Interaction: Targets for Vaccines and Drug Discoveries’ on Wednesday 27 March as part of the Seminar Series of Ministry of Education Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, UM. Gao Fu, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), international member of the US National Academy of Sciences, and professor in the Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, will be the speaker. During the talk, he will discuss the importance of studying the mechanisms of virus-host interaction and developing vaccines and antiviral drugs to prevent and control pandemic diseases. All are welcome to attend the talk.

In addition to being an academician of CAS, Prof Gao is also a foreign member of many national academies, including those in the US, the UK, Russia and Germany. He is former director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and former deputy director of the National Natural Science Foundation of China. His main research interests include the molecular mechanisms and structural immunology of cross-species transmission of emerging and re-emerging pathogens. He has made significant research achievements in virology and immunology, with his research findings being widely published in top academic journals such as Science, Nature, Cell, The Lancet, and The New England Journal of Medicine. During the talk, Prof Gao will analyse and provide insights on the design and development of drugs and vaccines related to the mechanisms of virus invasion and transmission, as well as research on drug resistance mechanisms.

The talk will begin at 4:00pm on Wednesday 27 March in the Lecture Hall of the Research Building (N21-G013) and will be conducted in English. For enquiries, please call 8822 4406 or email dionhuang@um.edu.mo. To register for the talk, please visit https://isw.um.edu.mo/evmapp/register/ULSgaofu.

The University of Macau (UM) Archives today (22 March) held the opening ceremony of the ‘Popularizing and Implementing the Archives Law: Retrospect and Prospect of the University of Macau’s Archival Work’ Exhibition. The exhibition encompasses the key points of the current Archives Law and knowledge of archives management. It also provides a comprehensive review of the UM Archives’ achievements since its establishment in 2021.

UM Rector Yonghua Song, who officiated at the ceremony, said that archival work benefits both the present and future generations. The university will endeavour to promote the standardisation and regularisation of archival work, and establish a sound archives management system in accordance with the requirements of the new Archives Law.

The exhibition showcases not only valuable archives about UM, but also books on archives management, enabling the public to gain a better understanding of the university’s history and development from an archival perspective. The exhibition is held at the entrance of the UM Archives on the first floor of the UM Library and will be staged until 30 May. In addition, the Conservation Space of the UM Library was officially inaugurated today.

As part of the University Lecture Series, the University of Macau (UM) held a talk titled ‘The Impossible Quest from Academic Research to Entrepreneurship’. Francis Ka Leung Chan, Choh-Ming Li Professor of Medicine and Therapeutics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), was the speaker. The talk was well attended by UM faculty and students, scholars, representatives of government departments and private organisations, as well as members of the public.

Michael Hui, vice rector of UM, said in his speech that it was an honour of UM to have Chan, former dean of the Faculty of Medicine of CUHK, to give a talk at the university. He also highly praised Chan’s contributions to the field of gastroenterology and the international recognition he has earned.

During the talk, Chan recounted his childhood and journey of transforming from a scholar into an entrepreneur, where he overcame various challenges along the way. He also shared his research findings on cutting-edge topics such as microbiome and ‘Long COVID’. In addition, he talked about his entrepreneurship experience, such as how he utilised big data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to predict diseases, and how he transformed research outcomes into commercial products. Chan encouraged students to learn from failure, and step out of their comfort zone. He also engaged in the Q&A and discussion session with the audience.

Mak Pui In, director of the State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, deputy director of the Institute of Microelectronics, and professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Macau (UM), has been elected as a foreign corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon (Academia das Ciências de Lisboa, ACL), Portugal. He is also the first foreign corresponding member of the academy who was born and educated in Macao. This honour not only recognises Mak’s outstanding achievements in scientific research, but also helps strengthen the academic cooperation between Macao and Portugal.

Founded in 1779, ACL is one of the oldest and most prestigious academies in the world and is dedicated to the advancement of sciences and learning. The academy is a founding member of the International Council for Science (now known as the International Science Council) and a member of the European Science Foundation. Mak was elected to the position upon nomination by Rui Martins, vice rector of UM and permanent member of ACL. Both Mak and Martins are delighted with the announcement and believe that it will help strengthen the cooperation between institutions in Macao and Portugal.

Born and raised in Macao, Mak received his bachelor’s and PhD degrees from UM. Over the past two decades, he has focused on research on analogue and radio frequency integrated circuit design, interdisciplinary science, and engineering innovation. With high recognition both nationally and internationally, he was elected as an overseas expert of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and a fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) in 2018, a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in 2019, and a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) in 2020. In 2018, he founded Digifluidic Biotech Ltd, the first spin-off company of UM. The company’s flagship product, Virus Hunter, has entered into the markets for rapid tests and food safety testing.

In addition, Mak was awarded the Tencent Xplorer Prize in 2022 for his research on battery-less smart electronics, becoming the first Macao researcher to receive the award. He is currently the editor-in-chief of the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Letters, a prestigious journal in the field of electronics. He has also held several leading positions in the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society.

The University of Macau (UM) will hold the UM Career and Internship Fair 2024 on 21 and 22 March. During the event, a total of 115 enterprises and organisations from various industries will set up recruitment booths at the university, offering more than 2,300 job opportunities.

The Career and Internship Fair is an annual event of UM, which aims to help graduating students seek job opportunities and to assist students in finding summer internships. In addition, online career guidance, information sessions on enterprises and organisations, recruitment talks, workshops, and career advising services will be available at the fair.

The two-day fair will be held in the Multi-function Hall of the UM Guest House (N1-G008) from 11:00am to 5:00pm (last entry at 4:30pm). Students of Macao higher education institutions are welcome to bring their resume and wear formal attire for job applications. For enquiries, please contact the Career Development Centre of UM’s Student Affairs Office at 8822 4839 or email sao.career@um.edu.mo.

As part of the University Lecture Series, the University of Macau (UM) will hold a talk titled ‘The Impossible Quest from Academic Research to Entrepreneurship’ on Wednesday 20 March. Francis Ka Leung Chan, Choh-Ming Li Professor of Medicine and Therapeutics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and former dean of the Faculty of Medicine of CUHK, will be the speaker. Prof Chan specialises in the use of anti-thrombotic agents and analgesics for the prevention of gastrointestinal haemorrhage and has extensive clinical research experience in the field. During the talk, he will share his journey of transforming from a scholar into an entrepreneur, and talk about how he stepped out of his comfort zone to establish the first microbiome research centre in Hong Kong.

The talk will start at 11:30am in the Lecture Hall of the Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering (N23-G016) and will be conducted in English. Interested individuals can register at https://isw.um.edu.mo/evmapp/register/ULSfrancischan. For enquiries, please call 8822 9099 or email uls@um.edu.mo. All are welcome to attend.

The awards presentation ceremony of an essay competition on Chinese civilisation was held at the Student Activity Centre of the University of Macau (UM). The competition, jointly organised by the Centre for Macau Studies (CMS) and the Centre for Chinese History and Culture of UM as well as Well Link Bank, aimed to encourage young students to learn about Chinese history and culture, and enhance their interest and understanding of the country’s historical development and unique culture.

The essay competition included three categories, namely junior secondary, senior secondary, and higher education, and nearly 340 entries were received. Agnes Lam, director of CMS, said that as an important member of the Macao Base for Primary & Secondary Education in Humanities & Social Sciences, CMS co-organised the essay competition to encourage young people in Macao to reflect on the past and future of the city in the context of the 5,000 years of civilisation of the motherland, and to enable participants to explore the role of Chinese civilisation in today’s society from their own perspectives. Huang Ruisheng, executive director and executive vice president of Well Link Bank, said that the essay competition, which attracted many participants, reflected Macao students’ enthusiasm and interest in Chinese history and culture, and he hopes that the students will continue to nurture their thirst for knowledge and their pursuit of innovation.