UM receives donation of over 1,400 specimens

The Centre for Macau Studies (CMS) of the University of Macau (UM) held the ‘Legacy of Biodiversity: Dr. Emmett R. Easton’s Specimen Donation Ceremony’. The specimens donated by Dr Emmett R. Easton were collected from Macao’s wild environment during his tenure at UM in the 1990s. They are invaluable for studying the evolution of Macao’s ecological environment.

At the donation ceremony, Vong I Tat, president of the University of East Asia Open College Students’ Association (UEASA), presented the specimens to UM on behalf of Dr Easton, and Rui Martins, vice rector of UM, accepted the specimens on behalf of the university. Martins also presented certificates of appreciation to Dr Easton and UEASA, which were received by Vong and Loi Chi Kong, president of the Executive Committee of UEASA, respectively.

The donation includes 1,491 specimens, of which 1,135 are dried specimens and 356 are fluid-preserved specimens. Leong Chi Man, adjunct assistant professor in CMS, said that after preliminary examination, at least one or more species among the donated specimens were found to no longer exist in Macao. The specimens, collected over 30 years ago, will provide important evidence for the study of species in Macao.

Upon his retirement in the 1990s, Dr Easton had already donated hundreds of specimens to the UM Library. Now residing in the United States, Dr Easton recently wished to donate his remaining specimens to UM. Facilitated by UEASA and supported by the UM Alumni and Development Office and the UM Wu Yee Sun Library, the specimens were successfully delivered to the university.

The ceremony was also attended by Wu Jianzhong, university librarian of UM, and Cindy Lam, director of the Alumni and Development Office.