UM holds international symposium to promote development of STEM education

The Faculty of Education (FED) of the University of Macau (UM) held the International Symposium on STEM Literacy from 15 to 16 February 2025 to promote the implementation and teaching of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education. More than 200 participants attended the symposium in person or online. The event was supported by the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) of the Macao SAR Government and the UM Macao Base for Primary & Secondary STEM Education under the Centre for Science and Engineering Promotion of the UM Faculty of Science and Technology.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, UM Rector Yonghua Song encouraged students and faculty to invigorate global education through science. He also noted that with the establishment of the campus in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, UM is poised to make significant breakthroughs in disciplinary design, research collaboration, and internationalisation.

Fan Lianghuo, dean of FED, expressed hope that the symposium would spark new ideas, promote interdisciplinary innovation, and enhance the development of STEM education. Tang Wai Keong, head of the Department of Educational Resources of DSEDJ, said that Macao has been dedicated to enhancing students’ STEM literacy and upgrading its education system through teacher training and innovative education platforms to further promote the integration of technology and education and foster sustainable social development.

The symposium featured five internationally renowned scholars as keynote speakers, including Prof Lynn Bryan from Purdue University (US), Prof Sibel Erduran from the University of Oxford (UK), Prof David Fortus from the Weizmann Institute of Science (Israel), Prof Li Yeping from Texas A&M University (US), and Prof Gillian Roehrig from the University of Minnesota (US). It also included several parallel sessions to allow participants to engage in in-depth discussions on various topics.