UM delegation visits top universities in New Zealand to expand international network

To further expand the international cooperation network of the University of Macau (UM) and strengthen its level of internationalisation, Yonghua Song, rector of UM, led a delegation to visit top universities in New Zealand after visiting leading universities in Australia. The aim of the visit was to promote teaching and research exchanges and cooperation with higher education institutions in the Asia-Pacific region, and to explore joint efforts to cultivate innovative talent with global competitiveness.

Song said that the visit to the top universities in Oceania has resulted in the establishment of a number of cooperation projects, further expanding and deepening the network of exchange and cooperation between UM and higher education institutions in the English-speaking regions. During the visit, UM reached several important consensus with leading universities in Australia and New Zealand on talent cultivation, research collaboration and student exchange programmes, and set out the direction and plans for future cooperation. These collaborative projects will make a significant contribution to enhancing UM’s academic standards and international influence, as well as to the coordinated development of higher education in the Asia-Pacific region.

The UM delegation visited two renowned universities in Auckland. At Auckland University of Technology, the UM delegation was warmly received by Wendy Lawson, the university’s deputy vice-chancellor, as well as representatives of the business and engineering departments. During the visit, the two parties signed a memorandum of understanding and will carry out collaborative projects in teaching and research, faculty and student exchange programmes, co-hosting of academic conferences, and sharing of academic resources. In addition, the two universities agreed to establish an undergraduate student exchange programme. They also hope to further deepen cooperation in business administration and engineering disciplines, and establish joint talent cultivation programmes in signature disciplines such as international integrated resorts and tourism management.

At the University of Auckland, the UM delegation held in-depth discussions with Valerie Linton, the university’s provost, and representatives from the Business School, the Faculty of Engineering, the Faculty of Arts, and the International Office, on the establishment of faculty and student exchange mechanisms, collaborative research and talent cultivation in the fields of engineering, business administration and global studies. They also agreed on sending doctoral students to each other for exchange and research collaboration.

In addition, the UM delegation met with Chen Shijie, consul general of the People’s Republic of China in Auckland, and Yu Liqun, consul for education affairs. Song gave them an overview of the development of UM, its international strategic layout, as well as its cooperation with higher education institutions in New Zealand and future outlook. Chen spoke highly of UM’s internationalisation, and expressed the consulate-general’s strong support for fostering collaboration and exchanges between UM and institutions in New Zealand. The two parties also had in-depth exchanges and discussions on ways to strengthen cooperation between higher education institutions in the Macao SAR and New Zealand.

Members of the UM delegation also included Yu Jun, dean of the Faculty of Business Administration; Xu Cheng-Zhong, dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology; Pang Chap Chong, dean of students; and Wang Ruibing, director of the Global Affairs Office.

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/58229/

UM team wins ten consecutive championships in Macau University Volleyball Championship

Both the Men’s and Women’s Volleyball Teams of the University of Macau (UM) have won the championships in the 2023-2024 Macau University Volleyball Championship. The Women’s Volleyball Team successfully defended their title for the tenth consecutive year, while the Men’s Volleyball Team won the title for the fourth consecutive year, securing their ninth championship in the last ten years. The two teams demonstrated their sportsmanship and team spirit throughout the competition and clinched the championships with an undefeated record. The competition also attracted the participation of other local higher education institutions, including Macao Polytechnic University, Macau University of Science and Technology, City University of Macau, the University of Saint Joseph, and Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau.

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/58228/

UM professor Gui Changfeng elected as fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science

Prof Gui Changfeng, chair professor and head of the Department of Mathematics in the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of Macau (UM), has been elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He is the only scholar in Macao to receive this prestigious honour this year. AAAS is an esteemed scientific society. The fellowship, which is a lifetime honour, awarded to Prof Gui is not only a testament to his research achievements but also an international recognition of his outstanding contributions to the global scientific community.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a widely-recognised scientific society, with over 100,000 members worldwide. Its publication, Science Magazine, is widely recognised as the premier international scientific journal. Since 1874, the AAAS Council has annually selected outstanding scientists from its worldwide membership based on their academic impact and scientific contributions. The scientists selected are conferred with the title of AAAS Fellow, which is a lifetime honour that recognises their exceptional achievements.

Prof Gui was previously elected as an inaugural fellow of the American Mathematical Society (AMS) and a fellow of the Simons Foundation in recognition of his significant contributions to the study of partial differential equations. He has also received many awards, including the Research Achievement Award of the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences, the André Aisenstadt Prize in Mathematics from the Centre de Recherches Mathématiques, the Best Paper Award from the IEEE Signal Processing Society, and the Overseas Cooperation Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Prof Gui was the Dan Parman Endowed Distinguished Chair in Applied Mathematics at the University of Texas at San Antonio. In 2006, he was selected as a Chang Jiang Scholar Chair Professor by the Ministry of Education of China. His main research interests include non-linear partial differential equations and image analysis and processing. He has solved many of the world’s challenging mathematical problems. In addition, Prof Gui has published nearly a hundred papers in leading international journals, including Annals of Mathematics, Inventiones Mathematicae, and Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics.

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/58221/

UM rector leads delegation to Australia and signs agreements with several universities

To further expand the international cooperation network of the University of Macau (UM) and strengthen its level of internationalisation, Yonghua Song, rector of UM, led a delegation to visit several leading universities in Australia. During the visit, several cooperation agreements were signed to promote exchanges and cooperation in teaching and research, as well as to explore joint efforts to cultivate innovative talent with global competitiveness.

The UM delegation visited the University of Newcastle, where they were warmly received by the university’s vice-chancellor and president, Alex Zelinsky, and other representatives. The two parties signed a student exchange agreement and a memorandum of understanding, and exchange views on further collaborations in several areas, including exchanges of faculty and students, research collaboration, and the development of joint training programmes for civil engineering talent. At Macquarie University, Song held in-depth discussions and exchanges with Eric Knight, member of the university’s executive group and executive dean of Macquarie Business School, and Simon Handley, pro vice-chancellor, on the establishment of a dual PhD degree programme in Business Administration. The two parties also signed a memorandum of understanding.

During their visit to the University of Technology Sydney, the UM delegation had a meeting with the university’s pro-vice-chancellor, Leo Mian Liu, and other representatives, to discuss potential cooperation in strengthening exchanges of faculty and students, co-hosting academic conferences, and promoting joint research projects. The two parties also signed a memorandum of understanding. At Western Sydney University, the UM delegation was warmly received by the university’s interim vice-chancellor and provost, Clare Pollock. The two parties signed a student exchange agreement, established a visiting student researcher programme in the field of traditional medicine, and signed a memorandum of understanding. The UM delegation also visited the university’s NICM Health Research Institute, where Dennis Chang, director of the institute, provided an overview of the latest research developments in the fields of innovative research and clinical applications of traditional medicine, and regulatory science. The two parties also agreed on further strengthening research collaboration and talent cultivation in these areas.

At the University of Wollongong, Song met with the university’s vice-chancellor and president, Patricia Davidson, and agreed on setting up a student exchange programme. They also discussed in depth potential research collaboration in the fields of engineering, information technology, and business administration. The UM delegation also visited the University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney), where Song and Merlin Crossley, the university’s deputy vice-chancellor, discussed the promotion of reciprocal visits between faculty and students, the establishment of joint research projects, and the enhancement of the transfer of scientific and technological achievements as well as industry-academia collaboration. Furthermore, the UM delegation visited the University of Sydney and held discussions with its representatives on potential research collaboration in areas such as pharmaceutical sciences and artificial intelligence. Both parties agreed to jointly hold research workshops and send PhD student researchers to each other’s institutions.

During their stay in Australia, the UM delegation also met with Wang Chunsheng, acting consul-general of the People’s Republic of China in Sydney, and Lin Xiaoqing, consul for education affairs. During the meeting, the delegation presented an overview of the development of UM, its international strategic layout, as well as its cooperation with higher education institutions in Australia and future outlook. Wang spoke highly of UM’s rapid development and achievements in internationalisation over recent years. He also expressed the consulate-general’s strong support for fostering collaboration and exchanges between UM and institutions in Australia. The two parties engaged in in-depth exchanges and discussions on ways to enhance cooperation between higher education institutions in the Macao SAR and Australia.

Members of the UM delegation also included Yu Jun, dean of the Faculty of Business Administration; Xu Cheng-Zhong, dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology; Pang Chap Chong, dean of students; and Wang Ruibing, director of the Global Affairs Office.

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/58209/

UM FLL delegation visits several legal institutions in Beijing

To support the implementation of the ‘one country, two systems’ policy and cultivate foreign-related legal talent that the country needs, Tong Io Cheng, dean of the Faculty of Law (FLL) of the University of Macau (UM), led a delegation to Beijing and visited the Supreme People’s Court, the National Judges College, the School of Law of Tsinghua University, the Research Office of the Supreme People’s Court, and the China Applied Jurisprudence Institute. During the visits, the delegation had in-depth discussions on jurisprudence and the training of foreign-related legal talent with various parties.

During their visit to the National Judges College (NJC), the FLL delegation exchanged views with President Li Chengyu regarding the development of joint master’s and doctoral programmes for judges. Tong also presented a report on the implementation of the training programme for Chinese senior judges and Li spoke highly of FLL’s teaching resources and hardware and software facilities. In addition, both parties agreed to enhance cooperation in the development of the master’s and doctoral programmes for judges.

At Tsinghua University’s School of Law, the FLL delegation was received by Vice President Peng Gang, and Dean Zhou Guangquan and Vice Dean Gao Simin. They had in-depth discussions on the education setup of their respective law schools, the model of cultivating foreign-related legal talent, and other related topics.

During their visit to the Research Office of the Supreme People’s Court, the FLL delegation met with Zhou Jiahai, head of the Research Office. Tong presented a report on the completed and ongoing tasks of the Centre for Judicial and Legal Studies of China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries, which was jointly set up by UM and the Research Office. The Research Office acknowledged the centre’s achievements. Both parties also discussed the centre’s main tasks for 2024 and agreed on an action plan.

At the China Applied Jurisprudence Institute, the FLL delegation held a meeting with President Chen Zhiyuan and several researchers. The discussions revolved around topics such as writing proposals for national-level research about Macao or countries along the Belt and Road Initiative, joint training of foreign-related legal talent, and establishing an exchange mechanism for visiting researchers. The two parties also agreed on deepening cooperation in relevant fields.

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/58199/

UM scholar gives talk on how Panax plants resist pathogen invasion

The University of Macau (UM) held a talk titled ‘Natural Defense Shield: Deciphering the Two-component Chemical Defense System of Panax Plants’ as the 19th UM Scholar Research Forum. Wan Jianbo, professor and programme coordinator at the Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences and the State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, was the speaker. The talk was well attended by faculty members and students.

During the talk, Prof Zhou first presented the efficacy, geographical distribution and chemical composition of Chinese medicine Panax notoginseng. He also explained how he discovered the two-component chemical defence system in the leaves of Panax notoginseng, which contributes to our understanding of how Panax plants resist pathogen invasion and provides insights into the development of green pesticides.

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/58198/

UM wins championship in Chinese debate competition for three consecutive years

The Mandarin Debating Team of the University of Macau (UM) won the championship in the university category of the ‘Walk with the Constitution and the Basic Law – The 3rd Chinese Debate Competition for Higher Education Institutions in Macao’. This victory marks their third consecutive year of winning the championship title.

Members of the UM Mandarin Debating Team, including Wang Ruisi, Shi Yuheng, Liu Yuxiao, He Ziqi, and Lam Cheok Seng, showcased their exceptional debating skills in the competition. They triumphed over teams of the City University of Macau and Macau University of Science and Technology in the preliminary and final rounds, respectively, securing the championship title. Lam Cheok Seng was also awarded the best debater in the preliminary round. In addition, a roundtable conference was held after the competition, where students from higher education institutions and secondary schools engaged in discussions on the promotion of the Basic Law of the Macao SAR and the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China.

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/58192/

UM, CUHK jointly hold symposium on stem cells and regenerative medicine

The Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) of the University of Macau (UM) and the School of Medicine of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) jointly held the 10th CUHK International Symposium on Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine and the 3rd Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area International Conference on Regenerative Medicine. The two-day event attracted more than 100 renowned scholars, clinical medical experts, industry professionals, researchers and students from overseas, mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao. They engaged in in-depth discussions on the advancements in the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine, as well as their clinical translation.

In his speech, Ge Wei, vice rector of UM, said that the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is an important region for the development of medical science and technology in China. To support the country’s implementation of the Greater Bay Area development strategy, UM is committed to biomedical research and the training of outstanding talent in regenerative medicine, providing impetus to the sustainable development of the biomedical industry in the Greater Bay Area. The conference not only deepened the academic exchanges and cooperation between UM and CUHK, but also provided a valuable opportunity for students from both universities to exchange ideas.

Rocky Tuan, vice-chancellor and president of CUHK, said in his speech that regenerative medicine is a major breakthrough in biomedicine in the 21st century. Significant advances in stem cell biology and the development of smart biomaterial engineering have provided a solid foundation for future tissue regeneration to treat injuries and diseases. The conference provided a platform for the exchange of innovative research ideas and an opportunity to inspire students and young scientists to learn and collaborate.

The symposium featured eight keynote lectures and 39 sub-forum presentations, delivered by domestic and foreign experts in stem cell biology, regenerative medicine, bioengineering and other cutting-edge fields, which marked the highest number of presentations in the history of the event. During the keynote lecture session, Tuan presented the latest developments in stem cell technology and social problems that need to be solved; Qin Ling, fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and renowned professor of orthopaedics and traumatology, shared the research progress of biodegradable metal-derived magnesium in bone regeneration and its clinical translation; Chang Jiang, fellow of the UK Royal Society of Chemistry and professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, talked about the prospects for the application of bioactive ceramics and composite materials in different tissue regeneration and disease treatment. In addition, a student forum was held during the symposium for the first time, providing students from both universities with a platform for academic exchanges and presentation of their research results.

Xu Renhe, associate dean of UM’s FHS, and Li Gang, professor in CUHK’s School of Medicine, served as co-chairs of the organising committee of the symposium. Co-organisers of the symposium included the Prince of Wales Hospital and the Center for Research Excellence of CUHK. Chuxia Deng, dean of UM’s FHS also 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/campus-news/detail/58176/

Founding president of L’association Peindre en Normandie gives talk at UM on birth of Impressionism

The University of Macau (UM) held a talk titled ‘Normandy Impressionism – The Birth of Impressionism’ as part of the University Lecture Series. Alain Tapié, founding president of L’association Peindre en Normandie and honorary curator of French museums, was the speaker. The talk was well attended by UM students and faculty members, as well as art lovers.

Speaking at the event, Xu Jie, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, said that Tapié is a leading figure in the arts community of Normandy, France. He began his career at Direction des Musées de France (predecessor of Service des Musées de France), where he was responsible for designing and organising continuous training for provincial museum directors, and that he has a wealth of teaching experience.

During the talk, Tapié talked about the birth of Impressionism and shared his views on the development of art and design. He said that artists gathered in Normandy and captured the different elements of nature through a combination of colour and texture, which became a distinctive feature of Impressionist painting. He also sees Impressionism as a revolution in painting technique and an attempt to express modernism. In addition, Tapié engaged in exchanges with the audience during the Q&A and discussion session.

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/58175/

UM organises ‘The Pursuit of Research’ to cultivate secondary school students’ interest in learning

To enhance Macao secondary school students’ understanding of health sciences and improve their scientific literacy, the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) of the University of Macau (UM) organised the eighth session of the science outreach activity ‘The Pursuit of Research’. Through a series of hands-on experiments, students discovered the fascination of health sciences, which stimulated their interest in learning.

Chang Wa Kam, assistant professor in FHS, welcomed 46 students and teachers from Kao Yip Middle School, Escola Sun Wah, Our Lady of Fatima Girls’ School, Colégio Mateus Ricci, and Lou Hau High School. He introduced to them the academic team, research achievements, structure, and academic programmes of the faculty. Chang also led the participants to visit the core facilities, where they learned more about the state-of-the-art laboratory equipment of the faculty. Under the guidance of technicians and current students of FHS, the participants conducted several experiments related to biomedical sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, and bioinformatics to acquire experimental skills and gain hands-on research experience.

Cheang U Cheng, a teacher at Escola Sun Wah, said that the activity made good use of UM’s first-class laboratory equipment and excellent academic team to enhance secondary school students’ knowledge and skills in the field of health sciences. He mentioned that the activity not only allowed the students to conduct hands-on experiments, but also deepen their understanding of the discipline, which helped improve their scientific literacy.

Ming Xuejian, a student at Kao Yip Middle School, said that the ‘big health’ industry is an emerging industry with huge market potential. As he intends to pursue a career in the industry, he joined the activity in order to gain more insights about undergraduate programmes related to health sciences. He added that it was his first time conducting a health science experiment, and it was more difficult and rigorous than he had anticipated. He came to realise that seemingly simple equipment like a pipette controller also requires a high degree of precision in its operation.Lo Kit Hei, another student at Kao Yip Middle School, said he was fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in the activity and gain first-hand experience in UM’s research environment and equipment. He mentioned that although he had acquired knowledge about experiments from textbooks, the activity enabled him to gain practical research experience and develop experimental skills, which further stimulated his interest in research.

Choi Chi Cheng, a student at Our Lady of Fatima Girls’ School, said that the visit to the Animal Research Core was an eye-opener for her. She learned that the unique body structures and physiological characteristics of experimental animals are essential to scientific research and are closely linked to the development of health sciences.

‘The Pursuit of Research’ organised by FHS not only aims to expand students’ knowledge base and practical skills in the field of health sciences, but also to foster critical thinking, exploration of new scientific concepts, and the cultivation of their interest and scientific literacy, thereby inspiring them to plan for their future academic pursuits.

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/58170/