UMSU holds May Fourth Youth Summit

The University of Macau Students’ Union (UMSU) organised the 26th May Fourth Youth Summit to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Macao SAR, and to commemorate the 105th anniversary of the May Fourth Movement. The five-day summit brought together student leaders from student unions of higher education institutions and student associations in Macao and mainland China.

The summit featured three forums, each dedicated to a specific theme. Lam Ka Vai, member of the executive committee of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, gave a talk on Macao’s development opportunities after its return to the motherland. Agnes Lam, director of the Centre for Macau Studies at UM, took the stage in a separate forum and talked about Macao’s return to the motherland and the significance of the establishment of the Macao SAR. In another forum, Lok Wai Kin, director of the Centre for Constitutional Law and Basic Law Studies of the Faculty of Law at UM, and Chui Tinlop, member of the All-China Youth Federation, discussed the main content of the Basic Law of the Macao SAR and the implementation of the ‘one country, two systems’ policy.

In addition, a series of cultural exchange activities, including visits to the Macao Museum and the Historic Centre of Macao, as well as networking dinners, were organised to deepen the participants’ understanding of Macao and to strengthen the friendship between students from UM and mainland universities.

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/58292/

President of East China Normal University leads delegation to visit UM

A delegation led by Qian Xuhong, president of East China Normal University (ECNU), visited the University of Macau (UM) today (7 May) and was warmly received by UM Rector Yonghua Song. The two parties held in-depth discussions, with a view to jointly promoting cooperation between Shanghai and Macao in the field of teacher training.

Song said that UM is committed to nurturing talent who love the country and Macao, and to building a strong educational system. Over the years, UM and ECNU have enjoyed fruitful cooperation in terms of student and faculty exchanges, college activities, as well as joint academic and research projects. The two universities have also jointly launched a dual bachelor’s degree programme in mathematics education. He hopes that UM and ECNU will continue to complement each other’s strengths and promote deeper cooperation in various disciplines, especially in the field of teacher training, and the joint cultivation of outstanding research-oriented education professionals. The delegation also visited the University Gallery, the UM Library, the State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine and Henry Fok Pearl Jubilee College, and spoke highly of UM’s development.

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/58285/

UM students win second prize in information communications technology competition

A team of students from the Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) of the University of Macau (UM) represented Macao in the 8th Huawei ICT Competition Asia Pacific 2023-2024 and won the second prize in the Cloud Track. The UM team will participate in the global final of the competition in Shenzhen in May.

The competition, held in Jakarta, Indonesia, witnessed the participation of over 6,400 top students from 14 countries and regions in Asia Pacific. Under the theme ‘Connection, Glory, and Future’, the competition included four tracks: Innovation, Network, Cloud, and Computing. The UM team, comprising FST students Wong Iok Keong, Zhou Wenjie and Xie Daixu who won the regional competition in Macao last year, competed in the Asia Pacific final under the guidance of U Leong Hou, head of the Centre for Data Science of the Institute of Collaborative Innovation and associate professor in the Department of Computer and Information Science of FST 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/campus-news/detail/58269/

UM develops advanced nano-radiosensitizer to improve radiotherapeutic outcome of breast cancer

A research team led by Dai Yunlu, associate professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Macau (UM), has developed a novel nano-radiosensitizer capable of significantly improving the radiotherapeutic outcome of breast cancer. This nanomedicine not only improves the efficacy of radiotherapy but also relieves the MYC-correlated immunosuppression induced by radiation, thereby triggering a systemic anti-tumour immune response and effectively inhibiting the growth, recurrence, and metastasis of breast cancer. The research has been published in the internationally renowned journal Advanced Materials.

Although radiotherapy is clinically effective in inhibiting tumour growth, patients often suffer from severe immune tolerance and immunosuppression. One main reason is that cancer cells increase the expression of MYC protein after receiving the radiation. This protein possesses the capacity to repair DNA damage caused by radiotherapy, which promotes the proliferation of cancer cells and inhibits the type I interferon (IFN-I) signalling pathway. Impaired IFN-I signalling further impedes antigen presentation, disturbs the activation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), and triggers the expansion of tumour-associated regulatory T (Treg) cells. These cascade effects that MYC overexpression brings in highly inhibit the radiotherapeutic outcomes. Therefore, downregulating the MYC level of tumour cells may overcome the critical immunosuppressive barrier and elicit robust immuno-radiotherapy.

The research team designed an advanced nano-radiosensitizer (PWAI) to launch a dual-epigenetic reprogramming in radiotherapy. The PWAI can coordinate high-Z tungsten metal ions (W6+) with PEG-polyphenols by utilising a metal-phenolic network and load 5-Aza (a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor) and ITF-2357 (a histone deacetylase inhibitor) into the hydrophobic core.

Under the stimulation of exotic radiation, X-ray-sensitive W6+ efficiently destroyed the DNA strands of tumour cells by generating plentiful reactive oxygen species and meanwhile, two types of epigenetic inhibitors were released to modulate MYC dual-epigenetically. 5-Aza alone did not trigger IFN-α/IFN-β generation although it downregulated MYC protein. To combine 5-Aza and ITF-2357, apparent MYC inhibitory effect was still recognised in treated cancer cells; and more importantly, cellular levels of IFN-I signal-related proteins involving IFN-α, IFN-β, and the major histocompatibility complex I were significantly enhanced. To treat 4T1 tumour-bearing mice with PWAI nano-radiosensitizers, the research team identified the awakened anti-tumour immune response after radiotherapy, including the maturation of dendritic cells, cytotoxic T lymphocytes recruitment and their memory-phenotype formation, as well as the immune polarization of tumour-associated macrophages from immunosuppressive state to immunosupportive condition. Bringing dual-epigenetic reprogramming in radiotherapy may provide a potential strategy for advanced immuno-radiotherapy.

The corresponding authors of this paper are Dai Yunlu, and Li Bei, research assistant professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at UM. PhD graduates Wang Guohao, Yan Jie, and Tian Hao are the co-first authors. Postdoctoral fellows Li Wenxi and PhD students Yu Xinying, Feng Yuzhao and Zhou Songtao also made important contributions to the study. The research project is funded by the Science and Technology Development Fund of the Macao SAR (File no: 0103/2021/A, 0002/2021/AKP, 0133/2022/A3, 0009/2022/AKP, and 0006/2023/ITP1), UM (File no: MYRG2022-00011-FHS and MYRG-GRG2023-00013-FHS-UMDF). The full text of the research paper is available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/adma.202312588

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/58271/

UM starts accepting undergraduate applications from mainland students on 3 May

The University of Macau (UM) starts accepting applications for its undergraduate programmes from mainland students (Gaokao candidates) from 31 provinces, cities, and autonomous regions across the country on 3 May. Eligible applicants can submit their applications through UM’s official website. The deadline for applications is 5:00pm on 26 June.

Approved by the Ministry of Education, UM’s admissions for mainland students are not included in the nationwide college admissions scheme in the mainland. Therefore, applying for UM’s undergraduate programmes will not affect students’ applications to mainland universities. In addition, UM does not entrust any institutions or intermediaries to process student admissions and applications. All applicants must complete the application procedures on the official website of UM.

Eligible applicants must have taken the national college entrance exam (Gaokao) in 2024 and achieved the scores required for admissions to key universities in China, as well as a score of 110 or above for the English subject. UM offers full scholarships (waiver of tuition and accommodation fees) to applicants with excellent Gaokao results. In addition, the university offers special scholarships for students from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Applicants who will take the Gaokao in Beijing, Guangdong, and Zhuhai, as well as those residing and studying in Hengqin, will also receive additional scores.

UM also admits mainland students who have completed an international curriculum or attained international examination results instead of Gaokao results. Applicants must be recent secondary school graduates. Eligible applicants can submit their applications through UM’s official website between 8 May to 22 May.

For further information on admissions and programmes, please visit the Registry’s webpage at https://reg.um.edu.mo/gk (Chinese only). Contact information of the Registry is available at https://reg.um.edu.mo/gk/enquiry (Chinese only).

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/58266/

UM professor appointed associate editor of three prestigious power electronics journals

Lam Chi Seng, associate professor in the State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, the Institute of Microelectronics, and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of Macau (UM), has been appointed associate editor of IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics and IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Power Electronics. Along with his current role of associate editor of IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, Prof Lam now serves as an associate editor of three prestigious journals in the field of power electronics. These three journals are among the top three international journals in the field and are all SCI Q1 journals. In addition, Prof Lam is the first scholar in Macao to be appointed to such positions.

After a rigorous review by the editorial board of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Power Electronics Society (PELS), Prof Lam was appointed associate editor of IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics and IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Power Electronics. Both are peer-reviewed journals published by the IEEE Power Electronics Society. They aim to promote the development and innovation of power electronics in the areas of electrical appliances, commercial environment, energy efficiency, power systems, portable devices, industrial environment, and transportation and logistics, as well as the exploration of new power electronics applications within emerging and selected topics.

Born and raised in Macao, Prof Lam is an outstanding power electronics scholar trained at UM. He is also a student of Prof Han Yingduo, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Supported by the Science and Technology Development Fund (FDCT) of the Macao SAR and UM, Prof Lam’s research focuses on the integration of power electronics and microelectronics technologies, as well as the efficient conversion and energy-saving aspects of power electronics, including power electronic converters, integrated circuits for power management, wireless power transfer, power quality compensation and energy-saving devices, and photovoltaic power generation systems. To date, Prof Lam has co-authored or edited four international monographs, published nearly 200 journal and conference papers, and holds 11 patents for his inventions in the US and China.

Prof Lam was awarded the IEEE Power and Energy Society (PES) Chapter Outstanding Engineer Award in 2016, a gold medal at the 48th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva in 2023, and a second prize and a third prize of the Macao Science and Technology Invention Award in 2018 and 2014 respectively. He was also included in the list of the world’s top 2 per cent scientists by Stanford University for three consecutive years since 2020. Prof Lam is currently chair of the IEEE Macau Industrial Electronics Society (IES) Chapter, chair of the IEEE Young Professionals of Circuits and Systems Society (YP CASS), and secretary of the IEEE IES Power Electronics Technical Committee.

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/58264/

East Lighthouse Talent Development Scheme supports international development of UM

Initiated by Dr Anthony Lau, an alumnus of the University of Macau (UM), the East Lighthouse Talent Development Scheme was established with a MOP 4 million donation from East Lighthouse Limited. The aim of the scheme is to support the international development of the university and promote talent cultivation.

The signing ceremony of the donation agreement was held at UM. Yonghua Song, rector of UM; Lau Veng Lin, chair of the Executive Committee of the University of Macau Development Foundation; and Vivian Lau, director of East Lighthouse Limited and chair and CEO of Pacific Air Holdings Limited, signed the agreement. Song expressed gratitude to East Lighthouse Limited for its support of UM, especially to Dr Lau’s care and support of his Alma Mater and its development. He added that the university will actively leverage its strengths to foster academic exchanges and cooperation with higher education institutions around the world, and create more cross-cultural exchange and learning opportunities for students.

After the donation ceremony, Vivian Lau gave a talk on ‘Future Proof You’, where she shared with the students her entrepreneurial experiences and insights on finding purpose and meaning in career development. She also encouraged the students to develop their ‘internal compass’ to identify their interests, values, and goals, which will help them find the right direction in life.

The East Lighthouse Talent Development Scheme will fund scholarships for incoming exchange students and a summer learning programme, with the aim of attracting more international students to participate in exchange activities at UM and facilitating their cultural exchange and networking with UM students through a series of learning and experiential activities. The university believes that the programme will broaden the global perspective of the participants and UM students, promote cooperation between UM and overseas institutions, and further enhance the university’s academic standards and international influence.

Rui Martins, vice rector of UM, and Cindy Lam, director of the Alumni and Development Office of UM, also attended the donation ceremony.

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/58257/

President of Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine leads delegation to visit UM

A delegation led by Yao Chun, president of Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, visited the University of Macau (UM) today (30 April), and was warmly received by Yonghua Song, rector of UM. The two parties held in-depth discussions, with a view to promoting technological innovation and talent cultivation in Guangxi and Macao.

Song said that UM is committed to nurturing talent who love the country and Macao and producing more research achievements to help the Macao SAR promote economic diversification and integrate into national development. He expressed the hope that the two universities will make use of the natural, scientific, technological, human, and platform resources of Guangxi and Macao to promote the coordinated development of the Chinese medicine industry in the two places and the joint training of talent for the internationalisation of traditional medicine, thereby contributing to Macao’s industrial diversification and enhancing the influence and competitiveness of Chinese medicine in the international arena. In addition, the delegation visited the University Gallery and the State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, and spoke highly of UM’s research development.

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/58240/

UM Macao Humanities Forum discusses New Culture Movement

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities (FAH) of the University of Macau (UM) held the Macao Humanities Forum, featuring Chen Pingyuan, first-class professor of Philosophy and Social Sciences of China, Boya Chair Professor at Peking University, and director of the Institute of Modern Chinese Humanities at Peking University, as the guest speaker. Prof Chen delivered a lecture titled ‘The Facets of the New Culture Movement’, which attracted the participation of many on-site and online participants, including students and faculty members of UM.

Speaking at the event, Joaquim Kuong, assistant dean of FAH, first mentioned Macao’s pivotal role as a hub for cross-cultural communication. He then discussed the significance of the New Culture Movement in the history of modern China, and encouraged participants to carry forward the movement’s spirit. Zhu Shoutong, director of the Centre for Chinese History and Culture, presented Prof Chen’s recent publications and anthologies. He highlighted that as the most renowned contemporary researcher in the field of literary history, Prof Chen is among the few contemporary humanities scholars who has made an outstanding contribution to the fields of Chinese literary education, culture education and higher education within his own discipline.

During the lecture, Prof Chen first examined the distinctions and similarities between the May Fourth Movement and the New Culture Movement in terms of their naming, characteristics, goals, and basic discourse. He then interpreted the New Culture Movement from the perspective of the history of education, using Peking University under the leadership of Cai Yuanpei as a case study. He also examined how Cai Yuanpei’s confrontations with his opponents, such as Lin Qinnan, were subsequently presented in historical accounts as conflicts between old and new forces.

Prof Chen attempted to challenge the premise that good and evil are mutually exclusive and reconstruct the stories of underappreciated historical figures, such as Gu Hongming, Liu Shipei, Zhang Houzai, and Feng Xingsan. He also discussed sociologist Zhang Jingsheng and the great controversy surrounding the book The History of Sexuality. Prof Chen concluded that many voices have been left out of historians’ accounts and that, in order to add depth to the discourse, researchers studying the New Culture Movement should think from multiple perspectives and bring in the hidden and shifting perspectives. During the Q&A session, Prof Chen engaged in in-depth discussions with UM students and faculty members.

This was the fifth lecture of the Macao Humanities Forum in the 2023/2024 academic year. Each year, the forum invites renowned scholars in different fields of the humanities to share their latest research findings with students and faculty members in Macao. Previous lectures of the forum have covered a wide range of subjects, including literature, linguistics, history, translation, and arts.

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/58237/

UM, Fudan University sign cooperation agreement on establishment of dual degree programme

A delegation led by Qiu Xin, secretary of the Party Committee of Fudan University, visited the University of Macau (UM) today (29 April) and was warmly received by Yonghua Song, rector of UM. The two parties signed a cooperation agreement on the establishment of a dual degree programme between the two universities, to promote joint cultivation of outstanding students.

In the presence of Song, Qiu, Michael Hui, vice rector of UM, and Chen Zhimin, vice president of Fudan University, Loi Chi Ho, acting dean of the Faculty of Business Administration at UM, and Huang Yang, head of the Department of History and the Department of Tourism at Fudan University, signed the agreement. Based on the principles of complementarity and mutual benefit, the two universities will establish a dual bachelor’s degree programme in the field of tourism management. Song said that after the establishment of their strategic partnership in 2021, UM and Fudan University have strengthened their cooperation in various fields. Initiatives include the launch of a dual bachelor’s degree programme in finance, as well as the establishment of the Asia-Pacific Academy of Economics and Management at UM and the China Tourism Education Alliance. He expressed the hope that the two universities will continue to join forces to develop into first-class universities with Chinese characteristics.

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/58233/