Leading expert in microelectronics gives talk at UM on research experience

The University of Macau (UM) held a Doctor honoris causa Lecture titled ‘A Long Journey with the Fascinating (Micro)electronics’, with Franco Maloberti, member of the Board of Directors of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Division I Director (2022-2023) of IEEE, and honorary doctor of UM, as the speaker. During the talk, Prof Maloberti shared his experience in microelectronics research. He also met with UM’s management and researchers to discuss the development of cutting-edge research.

In his speech, Rui Martins, vice rector of UM and director of the Institute of Microelectronics (IME), shared his first encounter and interactions with Prof Maloberti during his PhD studies, and said that Prof Maloberti always maintains close interaction and communication with students in the State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI (SKL-AMSV). He also spoke highly of Prof Maloberti’s pragmatic and approachable demeanor, and looks forward to further collaborations with him in research and journal publications. Moreover, Martins highlighted that Prof Maloberti’s research career, which has spanned more than half a century with extraordinary achievements, is best described as the journey of an accomplished marathon runner.

During the talk, Prof Maloberti reviewed his 56-year research career in (micro) electronics, including his post-graduate experience, his first encounter with microelectronics, his first visit to China to attend a conference, his collaborations with the industry, and his representative inventions at different times. He also described his journey as a process of exploring slowly in a forest rather than driving on a highway. He stressed that curiosity is the foundation of creativity and innovation, and encouraged researchers to be passionate and resilient in their research endeavours, and focus on medium- and long-term goals. Meanwhile, he pointed out that while computer tools can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of information management, it is still crucial to maintain independent thinking. Finally, he encouraged the audience to enjoy the wonderful adventure of life to the fullest.

In addition, Prof Maloberti visited microelectronics-related research facilities at UM, attended the Fifth Academic Committee Meeting of SKL-AMSV, and IME’s Distinguished Lecture Series of Microelectronics. He exchanged views with UM’s management and researchers and learned about the latest developments of the university. He highly praised UM students for their innovative and proactive attitude.

Prof Maloberti is the author of more than 620 papers and 10 books, as well as the holder of 41 patents. In recognition of his significant contributions to the development of microelectronics at UM, the university conferred on him an honorary professorship in 2009. Prof Maloberti maintains a close partnership with UM. In 2010, he co-authored a paper on analogue-to-digital converters. The paper has been cited more than 600 times, making it the most cited paper in SKL-AMSV.

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/57337/

UM English Debating Team achieves great results in Northeast Asian Debating Championship

The English Debating Team of the University of Macau (UM) participated in the Northeast Asian Debating Championship (NEADC). The event also attracted the participation of more than 80 teams formed by nearly 200 debaters from different higher education institutions. The UM English Debating Team entered the competition with three teams: UM A team formed by Tang Cheok Man and Zhang Kai; UM B team formed by Lei Un Hin and Kae Wai, Chui Togashi; and UM C team formed by Zhu Shuairong and Michael Sun. Among them, Tang and Zhang of UM A team defeated Peking University, the University of Hong Kong, Renmin University of China, and Sun Yat-Sen University in the preliminary rounds. They then eliminated the University of Tsukuba and the Chinese University of Hong Kong in the round of 16, and triumphed over Beijing Foreign Studies University and Seoul National University in the semi-finals. Their outstanding performance led them to the grand final, marking the best results ever achieved by a university from China in this international debating tournament. Tang was also awarded the Sixth Best Speaker in the open division.

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/57321/

Exhibition area ‘Window of Shenzhen’ inaugurated in UM

The University of Macau (UM) inaugurated the ‘Window of Shenzhen’ exhibition area and the ‘Exhibition of Award-Winning Works of Shenzhen Writers’ at the UM library. ‘Window of Shenzhen’ is a collaborative initiative between the UM library and Shenzhen Library. The exhibition area showcases more than 200 carefully selected pieces of literature with distinctive Shenzhen characteristics. The area also includes an exhibition featuring award-winning works by Shenzhen writers. During his speech at the opening ceremony for ‘Window of Shenzhen’ and the award-winning works exhibition, Wu Jianzhong, university librarian of UM, expressed that ‘Window of Shenzhen’ will deepen Macao readers’ understanding of Shenzhen’s high-quality development in economy and culture, while fostering exchanges and cooperation between the UM library and Shenzhen Library. Zhang Yan, party committee secretary and director of Shenzhen Library, emphasised the shared similarities between Macao and Shenzhen, and said that the event is another example of the strong cooperation between libraries in the two cities. Through a combination of visual and textual displays, the event aims to enhance Macao residents’ understanding of the literary landscape and the city of Shenzhen, thereby promoting the exchanges and cooperation between the two cities.

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/57296/

UM confers honorary doctorates on five distinguished individuals

The University of Macau (UM) today (2 December) held the Ceremony for the Conferment of Honorary and Higher Degrees 2023. During the ceremony, the university conferred honorary doctorates on five distinguished individuals: Prof Cai Fang, Prof Leong Kam Weng, Prof Ching-Ping Wong, Prof Franco Maloberti, and Prof William Shiyuan Wang, in recognition of their outstanding achievements and significant contributions to society.

During the ceremony, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Ao Ieong U, acting as the representative of the chief executive of the Macao SAR and UM chancellor, conferred honorary doctorates on the distinguished individuals, in the company of UM University Council Chair Lam Kam Seng Peter and UM Rector Yonghua Song. Prof Cai Fang received a Doctor of Social Sciences honoris causa, Prof Leong Kam Weng received a Doctor of Science honoris causa, Prof Ching-Ping Wong received a Doctor of Science honoris causa, Prof Franco Maloberti received a Doctor of Science honoris causa, and Prof William Shiyuan Wang received a Doctor of Humanities honoris causa.

In her speech, Secretary Ao Ieong, on behalf of the Macao SAR Government, paid high tribute to the outstanding achievements of the five distinguished recipients of the honorary degrees.

In his speech, Rector Song said that with their extraordinary academic achievements, the five honorary doctors have made outstanding contributions to the development of the world’s economy, science, and culture, serving as role models for UM faculty and students. He added that a fine example has boundless power, and encouraged the graduates to seek to emulate them, serve, and give back to the community through their knowledge and hard work.

Hu Weixing, dean of UM’s Faculty of Social Sciences, delivered a citation for Prof Cai Fang. Part of the citation read: ‘Prof Cai Fang is a prominent demographer and economist who has contributed significantly to the understanding of China’s population and labour economics and their impact on the country’s economic development. He has received numerous awards and honours in recognition of his achievements. Some of the awards that Prof Cai has received include the title of Young and Middle-Aged Expert with Outstanding Contributions at the national level, and the Outstanding Achievement Award for Personnel Who Studied Abroad presented by the Seven Ministries of the State Council of China. He was also named one of the “100 Economists Who Influenced the Economic Development of China in the Past 60 Years”.’

Chen Xin, director of UM’s Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, delivered a citation for Prof Leong Kam Weng. Part of the citation read: ‘Prof Leong Kam Weng is an eminent scientist who has made significant contributions to biomaterials science and engineering, particularly in the development of innovative biomaterials for drug delivery and regenerative medicine. His trailblazing research has made him a leading figure in the advancement of the biomaterials field for the benefit of humankind. As one of the leading scholars in the field of biomaterials, Prof Leong has received wide acclaim for his important contributions to the discipline.’

Xu Cheng-Zhong, dean of UM’s Faculty of Science and Technology, delivered a citation for Prof Ching-Ping Wong. Part of the citation read: ‘Prof Ching-Ping Wong, a pioneer in science and engineering, has revolutionised the semiconductor packaging technology with his remarkable innovations. He is known as the Father of Modern Semiconductor Packaging for his groundbreaking achievements. Thanks to Prof Wong’s ingenious solutions, companies nowadays are able to manufacture a wide variety of electronic devices that are essential to our daily lives with enhanced performance and reduced costs. A distinguished individual like Prof Wong has received many awards and honours in recognition of his outstanding contributions.’

Rui Martins, vice rector of UM, delivered a citation for Prof Franco Maloberti. Part of the citation read: ‘Prof Franco Maloberti is a distinguished scholar and an acclaimed expert in the field of microelectronics—the driving force of our modern world. His achievements are outstanding, particularly in integrated circuit design for data converters. Prof Maloberti is among the leading figures in the world in the field of data conversion and signal processing. With a brilliant career spanning over half a century, his academic influence has spread throughout the world.’

Xu Jie, dean of UM’s Faculty of Arts and Humanities, delivered a citation for Prof William Shiyuan Wang. Part of the citation read: ‘Prof William Shiyuan Wang is a world-renowned linguist who has made world-class contributions to the fields of linguistic theory, language engineering, evolutionary linguistics, among others. His research has long pioneered the development of linguistics in many areas, making landmark contributions to Chinese and world linguistics. He enjoys an extraordinary reputation in the international academic community.’

Prof Cai Fang delivered a speech to express gratitude to UM for the honorary degrees on behalf of all the recipients. He said, ‘It is a great honour to receive a Doctor of Social Sciences honoris causa conferred by the prestigious UM. I feel honoured to receive this along with the other four distinguished individuals, and I extend sincere gratitude and the utmost respect to UM on behalf of my fellow recipients of honorary doctorate degrees. I wholeheartedly wish our motherland great prosperity and Macao sustainable development. I also hope that UM will continue to make more achievements and gain an even stronger reputation.’

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/57277/

UM holds activities to promote applications of satellite technology

The Centre for Science and Engineering Promotion of the University of Macau (UM) held four science outreach workshops, with the aim of promoting knowledge and applications of satellite technology. The workshops, which also served to prepare students for the BOC STEM Talent Challenge to be held in December, attracted the participation of teachers and students from 13 local secondary schools.

The four science outreach workshops all revolved around the technologies of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System. During the workshops, faculty and researchers from UM’s Centre for Science and Engineering Promotion introduced to the students the technologies employed in the satellite system, which consists of a space segment, a ground segment, and a user segment. The students also gained hands-on experience with the excellent performance and wide range of applications of the satellite system through the experimental kit, and explored its applications in various industries in Macao.

The BOC STEM Talent Challenge is jointly organised by the Macao Base for Primary & Secondary STEM Education, a national science education base, and the Alumni and Development Office of UM, with support from the Macao Science Center and sponsorship from Bank of China (Macau). The theme of this year’s competition is the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, which aims to enable students to learn about the country’s research development, understand the scientific and technological principles used in the Beidou System, and apply the relevant knowledge in their daily lives. In addition, it serves to inspire students to develop inventions for technological innovation in the community as well as micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises.

The BOC STEM Talent Challenge will open for entries from 1 December to 28 December this year. The competition is open to Form 2 to Form 6 students studying in Macao’s secondary schools in the 2023/2024 academic year. For the student category, there will be one first prize (MOP 8,000), one second prize (MOP 5,000), and eight third prizes (MOP 3,000). This year, there will be a new award category for supervising teachers, with one first prize (MOP 3,000), one second prize (MOP 2,000), and eight third prizes (MOP 1,000). Interested teachers and students are welcome to sign up for the competition. For details, please visit the website of UM’s Centre for Science and Engineering Promotion: https://go.um.edu.mo/qpt7w0ak.

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/57264/

Member of Chinese Academy of Engineering to give talk on digitalisation of civil engineering at UM

As part of the University Lecture Series, the University of Macau (UM) will hold a talk titled ‘From Civil Engineering to Civil-Informatics Engineering—The Opportunities for the Fourth Leap of Civil Engineering’ on Monday 4 December. Zhu Hehua, member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Distinguished Professor at Tongji University, will be the speaker. During the talk, Prof Zhu will discuss the insights gained from the first three leaps in civil engineering, before delving into the potential of digital empowerment in civil engineering. He will also analyse the roadmap for the transformation of civil engineering into civil-informatics engineering.

The lecture will start at 11:00am in the Lecture Hall of UM’s Faculty of Health Sciences (E12-G003) and will be conducted in Mandarin. Interested individuals can register at https://isw.um.edu.mo/evm/register/uls_zhu. For enquiries, please call 8822 9099 or email uls@um.edu.mo. All are welcome to attend.

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/57263/

UM students win first prize at international conference on sports science

Students in the Faculty of Education (FED) of the University of Macau (UM) won five awards at the 20th Annual Meeting of the Society of Chinese Scholars on Exercise Physiology and Fitness. The awards included two first prizes and a second prize for oral presentation, as well as a first prize and a second prize for poster presentation, making UM the most awarded delegation at this year’s conference. Their reports provide scientific support for different types of sports research and received positive feedback from the judges.

The conference featured a total of 81 oral presentations and 117 poster presentations from postgraduate students and scholars from the US, South Korea, mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. There were 10 first prizes (12.3% acceptance rate) and 10 second prizes (12.3% acceptance rate) for oral presentation, and 7 first prizes (6.0% acceptance rate) and 9 second prizes (7.7% acceptance rate) for poster presentation. The FED delegation delivered exceptional performance, with 6 participants winning 5 awards, reaching a success rate of 83%. This made UM the best-performing delegation at this year’s conference.

Hu Mingzhu, who holds a PhD in education from UM, won two first prizes for the oral presentation of her project ‘Physiological and Psychological Effects of a Ketogenic Diet Combined with Exercise under Hypoxia in Overweight Individuals’. Li Siqi, a master’s graduate in physical education and sport studies, was awarded a second prize for the oral presentation of her project ‘Exercise Enjoyment in High-intensity Interval Training and Moderate-intensity Continuous Training with a Low-carb Diet in Sedentary Young Women’. Li Jie and Yu Qian, PhD students in education, received a first prize and a second prize respectively for the poster presentations of their projects. Li’s project was titled ‘Research on the Relationship between Core Stability and Vertical Jump’, and Yu’s project was titled ‘Dose Response and Time Effect of Exogenous Ketone Supplementation on Blood Parameters’. The research results of these four projects provide scientific support for sports training, nutritional supplementation, and public health, as well as new perspectives and inspirations for interdisciplinary research that involves sports science, biomechanics, nutrition, and psychology.

Kong Zhaowei, associate professor in FED, was the supervisor of the award-winning students. He is one of the world’s top 30 experts in the field of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and is a renowned scholar in research on simulated hypoxic training. His research team is committed to improving the health of sedentary people by optimising physical exercise and dietary interventions. Recently, his team was awarded a grant for their research project ‘The Effects of Ketone Supplements and Ketogenic Diet on Brain Plasticity in Overweight Adults’.

The Society of Chinese Scholars on Exercise Physiology and Fitness (SCSEPF) is the only international platform for regular academic exchange in the field of sports science in the Greater China region. The English journal Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness of SCSEPF is a prestigious SCI-indexed journal in sports science in the Greater China Region.

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/57252/

UM to confer honorary doctorates on five distinguished individuals

The University of Macau (UM) will hold the Ceremony for the Conferment of Honorary and Higher Degrees 2023 on 2 December (Saturday), where honorary doctorates will be conferred on five distinguished individuals: Cai Fang, Leong Kam Weng, Ching-Ping Wong, Franco Maloberti, and William Shiyuan Wang. Doctoral and master’s degrees will also be awarded on the occasion.

In recognition of their outstanding achievements and significant contributions to society, five distinguished individuals will be honored at the ceremony. Prof Cai Fang will receive a Doctor of Social Sciences honoris causa, Leong Kam Weng will receive a Doctor of Science honoris causa, Prof Ching-Ping Wong will receive a Doctor of Science honoris causa, Prof Franco Maloberti will receive a Doctor of Science honoris causa, and Prof William Shiyuan Wang will receive a Doctor of Humanities honoris causa.

Prof Cai Fang is a member of the Academic Committee of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), a chief expert of the CASS China Top Think Tank, and a member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the People’s Bank of China. He is also a member of the Academic Committee of the Chinese Economists 50 Forum, and the chairman of the Academic Committee of the China Finance 40 Forum. Prof Cai has published more than 200 research articles and over 30 monographs in Chinese and English. He is the author of China’s Economy: Practical Exploration and Academic Understanding, The Development and Transformation of China’s Labour Market, and Beyond Demographic Dividends, as well as the editor of the Reports on China’s Population and Labor series. Recognised as one of the ‘100 economists who influenced the economic development of China in the past 60 years’, Prof Cai was the winner of the Second Zhang Peigang Development Economics Outstanding Research Achievement Award, the First China Soft Science Award, and the Fourth China Development 100 Person’s Award.

Prof Leong Kam Weng is a member of the US National Academy of Engineering, a fellow of the US National Academy of Inventors, and a member of the US National Academy of Medicine. He is currently the Samuel Y. Sheng Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and with a joint appointment in the Department of Systems Biology at Columbia University in the US. Prof Leong has published more than 450 papers and has been cited over 67,000 times, with an H-index of 133. In 2018 and 2022, he was listed as an ESI Highly Cited Researcher. He holds more than 60 granted patents and 14 published patents. Prof Leong is ranked No 8 in the World Scientists Engineering & Technology / Biomedical Engineering Rankings 2024 by AD Scientific Index. Since 2014, he has been the editor-in-chief of Biomaterials, a top journal in the field of biomaterials. Prof Leong was also a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences of UM in 2019.

Prof Ching-Ping Wong is a world-renowned scholar in electronic engineering and is known as the Father of Modern Semiconductor Packaging, second only to Nobel laureate Sir Charles Kuen Kao. He is currently Regents’ Professor and the Charles Smithgall Institute Endowed Chair in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the US. In addition, he is as an adjunct professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and has been granted the title of Emeritus Professor by the Department of Electronic Engineering at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Prof Wong’s research interests include polymeric electronic materials, electronic, photonic, and micro-electromechanical system packaging, interconnect and interfacial adhesions, as well as nano-functional material syntheses and characterisations. He has published over 1,000 technical papers, authored and edited 12 books, and holds more than 65 US patents.

Prof Franco Maloberti is a member of the Board of Directors of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and is currently the IEEE Division I Director (2022-2023). He is the author of more than 620 papers and 10 books, as well as the holder of 41 patents. In recognition of his significant contributions to the development of microelectronics at UM, the university conferred on him an honorary professorship in 2009. Prof Maloberti maintains a close partnership with UM. In 2010, he co-authored a paper on analogue-to-digital converters (ADC). The paper has been cited more than 600 times, making it the most cited paper in the State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI.

Prof William Shiyuan Wang is a world-renowned linguist and an academician of the Academia Sinica in Taiwan. He founded Journal of Chinese Linguistics, the most influential academic journal in the field of linguistics. Prof Wang was elected founding president of the International Association of Chinese Linguistics in 1992, and was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Shanghai Society of Anthropology in 2017. He was conferred the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters by the University of Chicago in 2018. He has also received honorary professorships from esteemed universities such as Peking University, Fudan University, and Nankai University. Over the years, Prof Wang has taken an interest in Macao and the academic development of UM. He has made multiple visits to Macao to share his academic insights, introduce cutting-edge research, and carry out academic exchanges and collaborations.

In addition, the ceremony for the conferment of higher degrees will also be held. This year, certificates will be presented to more than 1,500 graduates from the doctoral, master’s, and postgraduate certificate/diploma programmes across UM’s Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Faculty of Business Administration, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Science and Technology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, Institute of Collaborative Innovation, and Institute of Microelectronics.

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/57199/

UM offers diploma course in quantity surveying to bridge local construction industry to international standards

The Centre for Continuing Education (CCE) of the University of Macau (UM) held a closing ceremony for the third intake of the Advanced Professional Diploma in Construction Commercial Management (Quantity Surveying). A total of 30 participants completed the programme and received a diploma, which is also recognised by the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (CICES). During the event, Matthew Liu Ting Chi, director of UM’s CCE; Andrew Keung, chairman of CICES (Hong Kong Region) and CICES president’s representative (The Greater China); and Katherine Chan, supervisor of CICES (Macao Region), presented certificates to the participants. Wu Chou Kit, member of Macao’s Legislative Assembly and chairman of the Macau Institute of Engineers, also attended the ceremony. The diploma course is jointly offered by CCE of UM and CICES and consists of 210 study hours. The participants are mainly professionals from the sectors concerned and the instructors are from CICES.

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/57182/

UM team wins second place in entrepreneurship competition for university students

An entrepreneurial team from Cheng Yu Tung College at the University of Macau (UM) won second place in the 10th Xiangzhou District University Student Entrepreneurship Competition with their project ‘Malt Residue as Hard Carbon Anode Material’. According to the UM team, their idea was inspired by the thriving battery industry, leading them to explore the utilisation of malt residue as a raw material to produce hard carbon used in battery anodes, along with the potential of commercialising the technology. The team will continue to focus on the research and development of hard carbon anode materials, aiming to provide cost-effective and environmentally friendly electrode materials for enterprises that produce sodium-ion batteries and lithium-ion batteries. The development of such materials can promote the widespread adoption of renewable energy in the Greater Bay Area and Macao, thus contributing to creating a cleaner and more sustainable future.

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/57168/