The “2023 BOC STEM Talent Challenge” is organized by University of Macau’s Centre for Science and Engineering Promotion and the Alumni and Development Office, supported by the Macao Science Center and sponsor by BOC Macau.  The competition is available for application on 1 December 2023. With the aim of promoting national scientific and technological advancements, the competition focus on the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System’s technology and it aims to enhance students’ understanding of the nation’s scientific research and development efforts, thereby bolstering their proficiency in interdisciplinary knowledge and skills.

Participants can submit their entries on the website of the University of Macau’s Centre for Science and Engineering Promotion from 1 December 2023 to 28 December 2023 by 12:00noon; The competition is open to students currently studying in Macao from F.2 to F.6 in the 2023/2024 academic year.  In addition, there is newly added Teacher’s Award this year to recognize the dedicated teachers. Both interested teachers and students are encouraged to apply.

Awarded projects with practical applications in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) may be selected and provided with specialized guidance and training by the university. The aim is to apply students’ concepts to real-life situations and potentially nominate winning projects for participation in both national and international science and technology competitions. For more information about the competition, please refer to the Centre for Science and Engineering Promotion website at (https://umstem.um.edu.mo/2023boc-stem-talent-challenge/).

For inquiry: Centre for Science and Engineering Promotion of UM, Miss Tai, tel: 88224503, email: umstem@um.edu.mo

The University of Macau (UM) Centre for Science and Engineering Promotion and Alumni and Development Office jointly held an award presentation ceremony for the BOC STEM Talent Challenge. The competition was sponsored by the BOC Macau. The organisers hope to develop secondary school students’ interdisciplinary skills and inspire them to create innovative projects for the community, and at the same time, provide inspiration for technological innovation to local micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises. The entries covered a wide range of fields including pharmacy, services, biology, and environmental protection. 10 out of 34 projects from 9 secondary schools were awarded this year.

The award ceremony of the 2022 BOC STEM Talent Challenge will be organized on 26 June 2023 in N21-2003A of Centre for Science and Engineering Promotion of University of Macau at 5:30pm. The awardees are required to attend the venue at 5pm for sign in. The relevant information has been sent to the awardees via email.  Interested parties are welcome to join the ceremony.

Should you have any enquiry, please feel free to contact Ms. Tai at 88224503 or umstem@um.edu.mo

The Macao Base for Primary & Secondary STEM Education of the University of Macau (UM) has been selected by the China Association for Science and Technology as an outstanding organiser of the 2022 National Science Popularization Day. In addition, the On-the-Go Project of the BOC STEM Talent Challenge, an event organised by the base, has been chosen as an outstanding activity of the 2022 National Science Popularization Day. The activity is co-organised by the Alumni and Development Office of UM and sponsored by Bank of China (Macau Branch). The base will continue to launch various activities to promote science education and take advantage of UM’s scientific research resources to support science education and teacher training at primary and secondary schools in Macao.

Source: Macao Base for Primary & Secondary STEM
Media Contact Information:
Communications Office, University of Macau
Albee Lei	Tel: (853) 8822 8004
Cathy Cheang	Tel: (853) 8822 8009
Email:	prs.media@um.edu.mo

The BOC STEM Talent Challenge, an event co-organised by the Macao Base for Primary & Secondary STEM Education, a national science education base, and the Alumni and Development Office, with sponsorship from the Bank of China (BOC) Macau Branch, will take place from September 2022 to June 2023. As part of the challenge, the On-the-Go Project has been launched and science demonstration activities were recently held at four local schools, namely Lou Hau High School, Pui Ching Middle School, Keang Peng School, and Kao Yip Middle School. The activities attracted more than 500 teachers and students from primary and secondary schools.

The science demonstration activities were conducted via UM STEM Car, a special vehicle equipped with compact and interesting demonstration kits. Through the activities, the project aimed to increase primary and secondary school students’ knowledge of innovative technology, science, and engineering, as well as their interest in studying STEM subjects.

Led by Tam Kam Weng, director of UM’s Centre for Science & Engineering Promotion, the team responsible for the project is formed by members of UM and BOC. The team conducted science experiments with various technologies, including quadrotor, spectral display, and robot, at the four schools. The team members also explained the applications of the technologies in everyday life and the theories behind them. In the future, the team will conduct similar activities at more local primary and secondary schools.

Apart from the On-the-Go Project, the BOC STEM Talent Challenge will include activities such as practical science activities, visits to enterprises, and science popularisation competitions targeting secondary school students in Macao. The event also provides an opportunity for UM students to showcase their creative thinking and innovative designs with the goal of promoting science popularisation. For more information, please visit the website of UM’s Centre for Science & Engineering Promotion at https://umstem.um.edu.mo.

Source: Alumni and Development Office
Media Contact Information:
Communications Office, University of Macau
Albee Lei	Tel: (853) 8822 8004
Cathy Cheang	Tel: (853) 8822 8009
Email:	prs.media@um.edu.mo

The University of Macau (UM) Base for Primary & Secondary STEM Education recently held an opening ceremony for BOC STEM Talent Challenge: On-the-Go Project, which aims to popularise science education in local primary and secondary schools. As part of the project, science demonstrations will be conducted via UM STEM Car, a special vehicle equipped with compact demonstration kits, in various primary and secondary schools to increase students’ knowledge of science and engineering and their interest in learning. To learn more about the project, please visit the website of UM’s Centre for Science Engineering Promotion at https://umstem.um.edu.mo.

Source: Base for Primary & Secondary STEM Education
Media Contact Information:
Communications Office, University of Macau
Albee Lei	Tel: (853) 8822 8004
Cathy Cheang	Tel: (853) 8822 8009
Email:	prs.media@um.edu.mo

A certificate presentation cum plaque unveiling ceremony for the national science education base at the University of Macau (UM) was held today (21 September). The base is testament to the country’s recognition of UM’s efforts in science education. UM will leverage opportunities brought by Sino-Lusophone cooperation in science education, strengthen collaboration with science education platforms in mainland China, and provide more quality science education services to nurture more science and innovation talent.

At the ceremony, Xu Yanhao, deputy secretary of the Leading Party Members Group of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) and member of the Stand Committee of the National People’s Congress, presented the certificate of national science education base to UM Rector Yonghua Song. Afterwards, Xu, Song, as well as Xu Ting, head of the department of education and youth affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR, and Teng Sio Hong, deputy director of the Education and Youth Development Bureau of the Macao SAR government, unveiled a plaque for the base.

In his speech, Song said that UM has always attached great importance to science education. The university encourages the integration of scientific research and science education and uses its research platforms and resources to help nurture science and innovation talent in Macao. He thanked the central government and the CAST for their guidance and recognition of UM’s efforts in science education, as well as various units for their continued support of UM in establishing the base. In the future, UM will further integrate its technological and human resources and will leverage opportunities brought by Sino-Lusophone cooperation in science education. The university will also strengthen collaboration with science education platforms in mainland China and provide more quality science education services, in order to nurture more science and innovation talent needed for the future development of Macao, the Greater Bay Area, and China.

Xu spoke highly of UM’s work in science education in recent years. According to him, the university has achieved remarkable results in promoting science education and technological innovation as well as nurturing students who love China and Macao while reflecting the local characteristics of Macao. He added that the Chinese Association for Science and Technology cares about and supports the development of UM and expressed hope that the university would give full play to the strength of the science education base and promote the development of science education with an open and tolerant attitude, in order to contribute to economic diversification of Macao and the development of the Greater Bay Area as well as integrate into the overall development of China.

In 2018, UM established the Macao Base for Primary & Secondary STEM Education, leveraging the resources of the university’s three state key laboratories and cutting-edge research platforms to support the work of science education in local primary and secondary schools through collaboration with various sectors of the community. As a platform for nurturing science and innovation talent in Macao, the base provides educational and training activities for teachers and students on a regular basis. In March this year, the base was included in the first batch of 2021-2025 national science education bases by the CAST, making UM the first university in Macao to receive this honour.

Members of the CAST delegation who attended the ceremony also include Wang Ting, director of the China Research Institute for Science Popularization; Su Xiaojun, director of the China Centre for International Science and Technology Exchange; Song Yurong, deputy director general of the Department of Publicity and Culture of the CAST; He Wei, deputy director general of the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Exchange Office of the CAST; Wang Baohui, head of the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan section of the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Exchange Office of the CAST; and Lui Bo, secretary of Xu. Other guests who attended the ceremony include Cheang Kun Wai, member of the Administrative Committee of the Science and Technology Development Fund; Ip Chi Kan, member of the Administrative Committee of the Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau; Lai Sai Kei, principal of Keang Peng School; Chan Hong, president of the Chinese Educators Association of Macau; and Vong Iat Hang, member of the Board of Directors of the Macao Science Center. UM representatives in the ceremony and guest reception include Ge Wei, vice rector; Xu Chengzhong, dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) and interim director of the Institute of Collaborative Innovation; Tam Kam Weng, director of the Centre for Science and Engineering Promotion, and Wang Chunming, interim director of the Research Services and Knowledge Transfer Office.

Source: Research Services and Knowledge Transfer Office
Media Contact Information:
Communications Office, University of Macau
Albee Lei	Tel: (853) 8822 8004
Cathy Cheang	Tel: (853) 8822 8009
Email:	prs.media@um.edu.mo

The University of Macau (UM) Centre for Science and Engineering Promotion and Alumni and Development Office recently jointly held an award presentation ceremony for the BOC STEM Talent Challenge. The competition was sponsored by the Bank of China (BOC) Macau Branch. The organisers hope to inspire secondary school students to develop innovative projects for the community, mostly notably micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), as well as to establish a sustainable training platform through the cooperation of all sectors of the community to promote the development of science education in Macao. The competition is an important part of the Centre for Science and Engineering Promotion’s ‘STEM-40’ programme and also the first joint project between the Macao Base for Primary & Secondary STEM Education and the Macao Science Center. The competition was based on the technical aspects. In their projects, students were required to incorporate the characteristics of MSMEs in Macao, investigate the development of the main categories of MSMEs, and develop creative and intelligent technical solutions for them. Ten out of 73 projects from 11 secondary schools were awarded this year.

Source: Alumni and Development Office
Media Contact Information:
Communications Office, University of Macau
Albee Lei	Tel: (853) 8822 8004
Cathy Cheang	Tel: (853) 8822 8009
Email:	prs.media@um.edu.mo

The award ceremony of the 2021 BOC STEM Talent Challenge will be organized on 27 May 2022 in N21-2003A of Centre for Science and Engineering Promotion of University of Macau at 5:30pm. The awardees are required to attend the venue at 5pm for sign in. The relevant information has been sent to the awardees via email.  Interested parties are welcome to join the ceremony.

Should you have any enquiry, please feel free to contact Ms. Tai at 88224503 or umstem@um.edu.mo