The China Science and Technology Summit was recently held at the University of Macau (UM). With the theme of ‘Opportunities and Challenges Facing Macao in the New Corridor of Science and Technology in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area’, it was the first time that the event was held in Macao. The summit was followed by the 34th China Adolescents Science and Technology Innovation Contest. During the seven-day event, contestants participated in various activities, including exhibitions, debating activities, and discussions on the final results. Nearly 1,000 participants and science instructors stayed in UM’s unique residential colleges. In addition to the various prizes awarded by the organiser, some contestants received special awards for their outstanding performance. One of the special awards was offered by UM and was awarded to 15 outstanding teams, in order to encourage students to show their creativity in their invention. UM hopes that the special award will encourage adolescents to love science, learn science, use science, in order to nurture more innovative science professionals for China.

Established by UM, the University of Macau Science and Technology Innovation Special Award was awarded to 15 teams. Five of them come from Macao. Hui I Sam, a student from Pui Ching Middle School (Macau), won the special award for her project related to the application of nanoparticles to anti-cancer drugs. She thanks her secondary school teachers and professors at UM for their teaching, adding that she studies in the labs of UM during free time and the summer holiday helped her initiate interesting research projects. Hui hopes to donate half of the prize money to UM, and another half to Pui Ching Middle School for educational purposes. Another winning team is formed by three students from the Affiliated School of the University of Macau. They developed a gas detector based on the structure of the wings of insects. The students say that the award has strengthened their determination to pursue a path in science.

A team from Portugal, formed by Inês Lourenço, Maria Marcelino, and Jéssica Valente, also received the special award for their research study on the elimination of mercury in water using peanut shells. Lourenço says that UM’s learning environment and facilities are very good, adding that she hopes to study here as an exchange student. A team from Sichuan won the award for their study on polysaccharide in the treatment of oral ulcers. A member of the team says that she is impressed with UM’s State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, adding that she would like to study Chinese medicine at UM.

The China Science and Technology Summit was co-organised by the Macao SAR government and the China Association for Science and Technology. The event aimed to grasp the important strategic opportunity brought by the Greater Bay Area (GBA), as well as to make use of Macao and the ‘One Country, Two System’ policy’s unique strengths, to integrate the resources of Macao, and to combine the strengths of the industries in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, with the aim of promoting science and technology development in the west of the GBA. The 34th China Adolescents Science and Technology Innovation Contest is co-organised by the China Association for Science and Technology, as well as various departments, including the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Macao SAR government. This year’s event attracted more than 900 adolescents and science instructors from 56 countries, who have created more than 500 innovative works of science and technology.

Source: Communications Office

Media Contact Information:Communications Office, University of Macau

Albee Lei  Tel：(853) 88228004Kelvin U  Tel：(853) 88224322Email：prs.media@um.edu.moUM Website：www.um.edu.mo