‘Regarding Books’ exhibition opens at UM, showcases charm of books

The exhibition ‘Regarding Books’, jointly organised by the University of Macau (UM) Library and the Department of Arts and Design in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, opened today (23 May). The exhibition showcases over 50 Chinese and Western rare books selected from the UM Library’s collection, allowing visitors to discover the charm of books and explore the unique value and cultural significance of printed books in the digital age.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Yonghua Song, rector of UM, said that the exhibition offers visitors both a visual feast and an opportunity to reflect on traditional culture and reading practices. Li Jun, head of the Department of Arts and Design, said that the exhibition allows visitors to appreciate books from various aspects, including their typography, layout, illustrations, binding, and marginal notes. Xu Hong, librarian of the UM Library, expressed hope that the exhibition will stimulate discussion about the evolving role and significance of printed books in the digital age.

The exhibition is taking place in the Exhibition Hall on the first floor of the UM Wu Yee Sun Library (E2). It is open daily from 10:00am to 7:00pm until 31 August, including public holidays. Admission to the exhibition is free, and guided tours are available on site and by appointment. For more details, please visit the UM Museum of Art website: https://library.um.edu.mo/museum/en/.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/press-release/detail/61211/

UM presents academic prizes to outstanding graduating students

The University of Macau (UM) held the Academic Prize Presentation Ceremony 2025 today (21 May) to present 15 academic prizes to 49 graduating students in recognition of their outstanding academic performance in various disciplines. Throughout this academic year, the university has offered more than 60 scholarships and academic prizes with a total value over MOP 4 million, benefiting more than 400 students.

Speaking at the event, UM Vice Rector Mok Kai Meng congratulated the scholarship and award recipients and thanked all the donors for their support. He said with the strong support of the central government and the Macao SAR government, UM has developed into a comprehensive research-oriented public university of international standing. The university attracts students with its distinctive features, including a multicultural environment, a whole-person education model underpinned by faculties and residential colleges, and an international setup. At the same time, the university recruits excellent teaching and research staff from around the world. Mok encouraged all the awardees to continue to strive for excellence, and pay more attention to the development of Macao, the country, and the wider world. They should share their knowledge with others, support their alma mater, participate in Macao’s development, integrate into national development, address global development needs, and become the innovators and leaders of tomorrow.

Chao Ian Tong, a graduating student who completed the Bachelor of Law programme (conducted in Chinese and Portuguese) in the Faculty of Law and the Honours College Certificate Programme, received the Jorge Alvares Foundation Academic Prize for her outstanding academic performance. She is grateful for the excellent learning environment and resources provided by UM, which gave her the opportunity to study at the Faculty of Law at the University of Coimbra in Portugal, and undertake internships at a law firm in Macao and a court in mainland China. These experiences broadened her horizons and enhanced her professional capabilities. During her time at UM, Chao greatly enhanced her logical thinking and legal writing skills through practical learning activities such as case studies and moot court sessions. She was also a student trainee of masters of ceremony in the Campus Training Programme, and a member of the Election Committee of the University of Macau Students’ Union. These roles honed her ability to think on her feet and public speaking skills, preparing her well for future challenges. Looking ahead, Chao hopes to leverage her bilingual proficiency in Chinese and Portuguese to pursue a career in the legal profession, while acquiring more knowledge across different fields.

A total of 15 academic prizes were presented at the ceremony, including: Henry Fok Foundation Academic Prize, Bank of China Academic Prize, Luso International Bank Academic Prize, MECOM Power – Hung Yip Group Academic Prize, BNU Academic Prize, Akrostar Academic Prize, Choi Kai Yau Academic Prize, Lou Tou Vo Mathematics Academic Prize, Jorge Alvares Foundation Academic Prize, Wu Zhiwei Group Academic Prize, WICH Law Firm and Private Notary Academic Prize, X Fintech Asia Academic Prize, LECM Academic Prize, ERS Academic Prize, and MIL Law Office Academic Prize.

List of awardees: https://sds.sao.um.edu.mo/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/pamphlet_21-may-2025.pdf

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/press-release/detail/61196/

UM’s Portuguese Language Summer Programme now open for applications

The 39th Portuguese Language Summer Programme, organised by the Department of Portuguese of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Macau (UM), is now open for applications. The application deadline is 20 June, and all interested individuals are welcome to apply. The summer programme is a key project of UM’s initiative to nurture bilingual talent.

This year’s summer programme will take place from 10 to 30 July 2025. It will include language courses, theme-based classes, and various cultural workshops designed to improve the participants’ Portuguese language skills, expand their sociolinguistic, pragmatic, and sociocultural knowledge, and enhance their intercultural awareness.

The language courses will be offered at four different levels in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR): Basic (A1), Elementary (A2), Intermediate (B1 to B2), and Advanced (B2 to C1). Participants will be placed in the most appropriate level based on their placement test results. All courses will run from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, with a total of 60 study hours.

The language courses will be supplemented by 15 hours of guided self-study. In addition to classes focusing on writing, listening and speaking, the language courses will include classes dedicated to grammar, vocabulary, and other level-appropriate content. The theme-based classes will cover literature, history, international relations, translation, and other topics related to the culture of Portuguese-speaking countries. Participants can also join evening clubs to explore different aspects of the culture of Portuguese-speaking countries, such as dance, music, poetry, body language, and gastronomy.

Participants will have access to free textbooks and supplementary materials for all language courses and cultural activities. Upon completion of the summer programme, participants who have attended at least 80% of the classes will receive a certificate containing information about their course performance. To apply for the summer programme, please visit: https://fah.um.edu.mo/dportsummerprogramme2025/.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/press-release/detail/61183/

39.º Curso de Verão de Língua Portuguesa da UM está aberto a inscrições

O 39.º Curso de Verão, organizado pelo Departamento de Português da Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Macau (UM), encontra-se aberto a inscrições até 20 de Junho. Esse curso faz parte dos programas-chave da formação de talentos bilingues da UM.

O Curso de Verão deste ano decorrerá de 10 a 30 de Julho, incluindo cursos de língua, cursos temáticos e vários clubes culturais destinados a desenvolver a proficiência em português dos participantes, a alargar os seus conhecimentos sociolinguísticos e pragmáticos, e a reforçar as suas competências socioculturais e a sua consciência intercultural.

Os cursos de língua estão organizados em quatro níveis diferentes, correspondendo, em linhas gerais, aos níveis do Quadro Europeu Comum de Referência: Básico (A1), Elementar (A2), Intermédio (B1 e B2), Avançado (níveis C1 e C2). Os cursos decorrem das 9h00 às 13h00, com um total de 60 horas lectivas.

Os cursos de língua devem ser complementados por 15 horas de estudo autónomo. Além do desenvolvimento das competências escritas e orais, os cursos de língua incluem sessões dedicadas à gramática, ao vocabulário e a outros conteúdos adequados a cada nível. Os cursos temáticos incluem literatura, história, relações internacionais, tradução e tópicos de várias áreas sobre a cultura dos países de língua portuguesa. Além disso, os estudantes podem também participar nos clubes nocturnos, que incluem workshops relacionados com os países de língua portuguesa, como dança, música, poesia, linguagem corporal e gastronomia.

Os materiais didácticos e outros materiais suplementares para os cursos e actividades culturais são gratuitos. Após a conclusão do curso, os participantes com frequência de 80% das aulas receberão o Certificado do 39.º Curso de Verão, no qual consta uma informação sobre o seu progresso no curso.

Para se inscrever no curso de Verão, visite https://fah.um.edu.mo/dportsummerprogramme2025/.

Para ler a notícia no sítio Web oficial da UM, visite a seguinte ligação:
https://www.um.edu.mo/pt-pt/news-and-press-releases/press-release/detail/61183/

UM Men’s Basketball Team wins CUBAL Division 3 Southwest championship, advances to national finals

The Men’s Basketball Team of the University of Macau (UM) has won the championship in the 27th Chinese University Basketball Association League (CUBAL) Division 3—Southwest Region with an undefeated record. They will compete against top teams from the other three regional divisions for the national championship in the CUBAL Finals to be held in Quanzhou, Fujian Province, from 3 to 11 June.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/press-release/detail/61186/

UM Congregation to be held on 24 May

The University of Macau (UM) will hold the Congregation 2025 at 4:00pm on 24 May (Saturday) in the UM Sports Complex (N8) to present graduation certificates to bachelor’s degree graduates. This year’s ceremony will continue to be held in a hybrid format, enabling graduates and their families and friends from around the world to celebrate this joyous occasion together.

This year, there are more than 1,600 bachelor’s degree graduates from seven faculties: the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Faculty of Business Administration, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Science and Technology, and Faculty of Social Sciences. Of these graduates, 70 are also students of the Honours College who have completed the college’s certificate programme.

On the day of the event, graduates will attend the ceremony in the Sports Pavilion. Families and friends with admission tickets can watch the live stream in designated areas: the Training Hall of the Sports Complex (N8), the University Hall (N2), or the Multi-function Hall of the UM Guest House (N1). The ceremony will also be live streamed on several online platforms for those unable to attend the event in person. The live stream will be available on UM’s official website: https://www.um.edu.mo/news/umtv/, WeChat channel: 澳門大學, Weibo account: 澳門大學, and YouTube channel: University Of Macau.

Those attending the ceremony can reach the UM campus by various modes of transport. Those who prefer public transport can take bus No 71 or 73 from the Macao peninsula, bus No 72 from Taipa, or a taxi. Those who prefer to drive can park in the Outdoor Visitor Car Park P1A near the UM Stadium (N9), or in the Visitor Car Parks P3, P5, and P6. For more details, please visit the UM Registry’s Congregation webpage: https://reg.um.edu.mo/graduation/congregation/current-year/general-information/.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/press-release/detail/61158/

UM rector participates in high-level dialogue and delivers keynote speech at World Digital Education Conference

Yonghua Song, rector of the University of Macau (UM), attended the 2025 World Digital Education Conference (WDEC) in Wuhan from 14 to 16 May 2025 as an invited speaker. During the event, he participated in the ‘High-level Dialogue on Digital Education’ of the plenary session and delivered a keynote speech at a parallel session, sharing his insights on the future development of digital education with experts from around the world.

This year marked the third edition of the conference, which was hosted by the Ministry of Education of China. Themed ‘Education Development and Transformation: The Era of Intelligence’, the year’s conference aimed to respond to the United Nations’ initiatives on global education transformation and to call for joint efforts to promote the development and transformation of education in the era of intelligence.

During the ‘High-level Dialogue on Digital Education’ of the plenary session, Song engaged in discussions with other guests, covering topics such as talent development standards in the era of intelligence, the promotion of educational equity, and the establishment of technology governance frameworks through collaboration between academia, industry, and government.

During the parallel session ‘Smart Education: Reshaping and Transcending Higher Education Teaching Systems’, Song shared his insights into trends in the integration of AI into education. He also presented UM’s initiatives in addressing these developments, as well as the latest research conducted by UM’s Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences in the field of emotional AI. Furthermore, Song engaged in in-depth discussions with experts and scholars on innovations in higher education in the context of AI.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/press-release/detail/61160/

UM holds first symposium on intersecting histories of Greater Bay Area and donation ceremony of tourist and promotional literature on Canton, Hong Kong, and Macao

The Centre for Macau Studies (CMS) and the Department of History of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities (FAH) of the University of Macau (UM) jointly held the First Symposium on the ‘Intersecting Histories of the Greater Bay Area (1820–1940)’ and the Donation Ceremony of Tourist and Promotional Literature on Canton, Hong Kong, and Macau on 6 May 2025. The event brought together scholars and researchers from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao to discuss the history and development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area through academic exchange and the sharing of archival resources.

UM Vice Rector Rui Martins said in his speech that as the Greater Bay Area is one of the world’s most dynamic and historically significant regions, studying its history and interconnectedness would enhance academic collaboration across the three places, deepen understanding of their interconnectedness, and yield valuable insights for regional development. He also highlighted UM’s commitment to advancing research on the historical, cultural, socio-economic connections of the Greater Bay Area, and expressed hope that the symposium would foster further exchanges and cooperation.

Sun Jiang, head of UM’s Department of History, said in his speech that Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao represent China’s earliest international gateways, and that their history is important to understanding the country’s contemporary and modern development. He expressed hope that Macao, as a bridge between mainland China and the world, will attract more attention from the academic community.

During the donation ceremony, Agnes Lam Iok Fong, director of CMS, introduced a collection of 50 travel-related documents donated to the UM Library by Paul Van Dyke, adjunct professor in CMS. Dating from as early as 1884, these materials will enable scholars to gain a deeper understanding of how global visitors perceived Macao, Guangdong, and Hong Kong at that time. Xu Hong, university librarian of UM, accepted the donation on behalf of UM and presented a certificate of appreciation to Prof Van Dyke.

The symposium featured three keynote speakers, including Liu Zhiwei, professor in the Department of History at Sun Yat-sen University; John Wong, professor in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Hong Kong; and Prof Van Dyke. Prof Liu gave a presentation titled ‘Reflections on “Canton-Hong Kong-Macao”: A historical examination of the urban landscape of the Greater Bay Area’. Using newspaper archives and historical materials as evidence, he analysed the distinctions between the concepts of ‘Canton-Hong Kong-Macao’ in the past and ‘Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao’ nowadays. He also presented several case studies, such as the Canton-Hong Kong strike and different Cantonese accents, to illustrate the level of integration between the three places. In addition, Prof Liu suggested that the urban pattern of the three places can be understood at three levels: the maritime, imperial, and modern world systems.

Prof Wong delivered a presentation titled ‘Shifting geopolitical topography: Hong Kong and other urban hubs in the Pearl River Delta/Greater Bay Area’, in which he examined the historical changes of Hong Kong’s population policy, jurisdictional boundaries, and currency. He analysed these changes in terms of population, capital, goods, and ideology and explained how the city has risen and evolved in its role among other urban hubs.

Prof Van Dyke gave a presentation titled ‘Three Cities, One History: Canton, Hong Kong, and Macao 1820–1940’, in which he analysed keywords from Portuguese and English newspaper archives from 1820 to 1940. Using materials such as travel literature, he identified patterns of word choice in Canton, Hong Kong and Macao, as well as the division of historical periods and other reference resources. He also made suggestions on future research directions.

The roundtable discussion, which was moderated by Prof Lam, explored interdisciplinary approaches to studying the intersecting histories of the Greater Bay Area. Wu Yixiong and Jiang Yinghe, professors in the Department of History at Sun Yat-sen University, and Sheyla Zandonai, assistant professor in the Department of History at UM, presented on Macao’s multilateral relations, visual sources in Canton’s trade history, and the depictions of Macao in Western travel literature, respectively. The participating scholars also engaged in discussions and exchanges on related topics. The symposium offered new perspectives on the history and development of the Greater Bay Area, further underscoring UM’s role in promoting historical, cultural, and social research in the region and contributing to its integrated development.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/press-release/detail/61153/

Fellow of Canadian Academy of Engineering gives talks on cutting-edge microgrid technologies at UM

The University of Macau (UM) held a two-session talk titled ‘Exploring the Full Spectrum of Microgrids: Definition, Technologies, and Examples’ on 12 and 13 May, as part of the IOTSC Distinguished Lecture Series. The speaker was Claudio Cañizares, fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, who shared insights into the current applications, key technologies, and future development trends of microgrids.

Speaking at the event, UM Rector Yonghua Song noted that Prof Cañizares is a University Professor and Hydro One Endowed Chair in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo, and executive director of the Waterloo Institute Sustainable Energy. He is a fellow of several prestigious professional bodies, including the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the Royal Society of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE), and the Chinese Society for Electrical Engineering (CSEE). He is also the chair of the IEEE Fellow Nomination & Appointment Committee. Rector Song also highlighted Prof Cañizares’s long-standing commitment to research in the areas of modelling, simulation, computation, stability, control, and optimisation of power and energy systems. His research has been widely cited internationally and has had a profound impact on the global power and energy sector.

During the talk, Prof Cañizares said that microgrids have emerged as a transformative solution for power and energy systems. However, he added that there are several technical challenges in terms of voltage regulation, transient stability, and multi-energy coordination. He emphasised that advancing microgrid research and applications is essential for enabling the large-scale integration of distributed renewable energy and ensuring the secure, low-carbon, and efficient operation of energy systems. He noted that this line of research also contributes to understanding the fundamental mechanisms underlying the operation of future energy systems. Prof Cañizares also presented case studies, cutting-edge research, and trends in microgrid development across several countries in the Americas, offering valuable insights and real-world examples to the students, faculty, and industry professionals in attendance.

In addition, Prof Cañizares engaged with the audience during the Q&A and discussion session, which was moderated by Zhang Hongcai, assistant professor in the State Key Laboratory of Internet of Things for Smart City at UM.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/press-release/detail/61135/

UM Stanley Ho East Asia College, Xinya College of Tsinghua University become sister colleges

Stanley Ho East Asia College (SHEAC) of the University of Macau (UM) and Xinya College of Tsinghua University have established a sister-college relationship, marking the beginning of academic and cultural exchanges between the two colleges.

The partnership was formalised through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on educational cooperation during a visit to UM by a delegation from Xinya College. The MOU was signed by Luo Qian, college master of SHEAC, and Mei Ciqi, dean of Xinya College, under the witness of Mok Kai Meng, vice rector of UM. Under the MOU, the two parties will foster student and faculty exchanges, strengthen cooperation, and promote innovative developments in residential college education models.

During their time in Macao, the Tsinghua delegation toured the UM campus and the Historic Centre of Macao. They also attended SHEAC’s valedictory dinner for the 2024/2025 academic year.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/press-release/detail/61128/