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.