UM’s Faculty of Health Sciences holds the tenth session of its science outreach activity ‘The Pursuit of Research’
The Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) of the University of Macau (UM) held the tenth session of its science outreach activity ‘The Pursuit of Research’. About 40 secondary school students from Fong Chong School of Taipa, Sacred Heart Canossian College, Keang Peng School, and Escola Sun Wah participated in the activity.
In his welcome speech, Wakam Chang, assistant professor in FHS, encouraged the participants to cherish the immersive learning opportunity and enjoy conducting experiment. Led by Liu Weiwei, operation manager of the Biological Imaging and Stem Cell Core of FHS, the participants toured the faculty’s laboratories and learned about their cutting-edge research. They also conducted experiments in biomedical sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, and bioinformatics under the guidance of FHS technicians and students.
Wong Kai In, a student from Fong Chong School of Taipa, expressed excitement about doing experiments and described the activity as an eye-opening introduction to biomedical research. He hopes to pursue a career in biomedical research in the future. During the activity, he made an arbutin cream with excellent moisturising properties, turning theoretical knowledge into tangible results.
Lai Chi Kei, a student from Sacred Heart Canossian College, was particularly impressed by the plasmid restriction and electrophoresis experiment. During the experiment, she learned how to use restriction enzymes to cut plasmid DNA into specific fragments and then separate them by size using electrophoresis. She said, ‘At first, the steps seemed complicated, but with guidance and repeated practice, I gradually understood the principles behind the experiment and learned how to carry it out accurately.’
Chang Chai Lon, a student from Keang Peng School, thanked UM for giving them the opportunity to visit the Animal Research Core. He mentioned that before the visit, he was unaware that laboratory animals need to be taken care of in terms of daily life care, diet, and environmental hygiene to ensure their healthy growth.
FHS hopes that the science outreach activity can ignite secondary school students’ passion for science, nurture future scientists and researchers, and inject new vitality into the progress and development of society.
