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The Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) has been ranked by the “QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017” as the 2^ndbest higher education institution in Asia in the field of hospitality and leisure management and the 18^th best higher education institution in this field in the world.The prestigious index ranks the world’s top universities, as well as by individual discipines. The 2017 Rankings were released on 8 March.IFT was the only higher education institution from Macao ranked by the QS World University Rankings under the subject area of hospitality and leisure management, being rated to be ahead of several highly reputed universities from countries – including Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia – with a great tradition in hospitality education.QS Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd has been compiling the World University Rankings by Subject annually since 2011. For the 2017 edition, it assessed more than 1,100 institutions in 74 countries.The QS World University Rankings by Subject are produced using four sources of information. They include surveys of academics and employers, which are used to assess institutions’ international reputation in each subject. The other two indicators assess research impact.The QS World University Rankings by Subject aim to help prospective students identify the world’s leading higher education institutions in students’ chosen fields of study, with the list of covered subjects extended year by year. The list now includes a total of 46 subjects from 5 broad subject areas.Hospitality and Leisure Management was introduced to the QS World University Rankings by Subject this year. The Rankings seek to identify the world’s 50 best higher education institutions in this subject area.The quality of education at IFT and the Institute’s contributions to the community have, over the past 2 decades, been recognised by many awards and international certifications. Earlier this month, IFT successfully completed an International Quality Review (IQR) from the UK's Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), making IFT the world’s first higher education institution to meet the standards set by this international system.Established in 1995, the Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao (IFT) offers the most extensive selection of tourism and hospitality related bachelor degree programmes in Macao, and about twenty thousand participants attend its vocational and professional training courses annually. IFT collaborates with 101 universities and tourism organisations around the world, and builds strong links with 500 leading tourism and hospitality corporations to offer internship opportunities to its students. Being the first institution accredited by the UNWTO.TedQual Certification System for tourism education, IFT has now 8 bachelor degree programmes with the Certification. Currently, the Institute has the most number of bachelor degree programmes certified under the System of any tertiary education establishment worldwide. IFT has received the Medal of Merit in Tourism from the Macao SAR Government, and won twice the Gold Award in ‘Education and Training’ from the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).
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Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) and Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) appeared at the 21^st Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART) currently held in Hong Kong, as they led a delegation representing several film and video production companies from Macao to participate in the event. A cocktail reception entitled “Experience Macao Cinematic Style” was held by MGTO in FILMART today (13 March) to present local film and video productions, as well as distinctive locations as ideal backdrops for films in Macao. Exhibitors and film media were invited to the reception whereby to connect and explore partnership opportunities with industry professionals from Macao.MGTO and IC once again teamed up to run a Macao Pavilion in FILMART this year. The Pavilion provides a floor of 90 square meters. Several film and video production companies were invited from Macao to introduce their business in the Pavilion, as well as to connect and explore partnership opportunities with filmmakers and industry professionals from around the world. The project was done to enhance the standard of local productions and encourage local industry professionals to venture into the international film market.MGTO held a cocktail reception named “Experience Macao Cinematic Style” in FILMART today (13 March). Coming from 26 countries and regions, around 300 industry buyers and members of the press attended the reception. Local film and video productions as well as extraordinary filming locations in Macao were introduced and recommended to the guests during the reception.During the cocktail reception, local film and video production companies shared about their filming and post-production process in Macao, while industry delegates from Macao exchanged perspectives with buyers and exhibitors of FILMART as well as film media of Hong Kong.In recent years, film crews from different parts of Asia, America and the world have chosen Macao as one of their filming locations. Their films have opened the eyes of audiences in various countries and regions to the charm of Macao through different camera angles, and created promotional effects that keep enticing visitors to come and explore the beauty of these filming locations in Macao.Personages who attended the reception include MGTO Director, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, IC Vice President Chan Peng Fai, Head of Destination Marketing Department of MGTO, Betty Fok, and Acting Head of Department for Promoting Cultural and Creative Industries of IC, Ho Hong Pan, among others.Organized by Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART) is the largest market fair for international films and TV entertainment programs in Asia and the second largest in the world, both in terms of number of exhibitors. Every year it attracts thousands of buyers and offers a platform for exhibitors to showcase their diverse film and TV productions. By taking part in the event, local filmmakers have the opportunity to connect with international clients and industry professionals.
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The tickets for the 28^thMacao Arts Festival (MAF), organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, went on sale on 12 March. Enthusiastic members of the public waited at different ticketing outlets to purchase tickets. Sales reached a satisfactory result as more than 5,000 tickets were sold up to 7pm on the first day of ticket sales. A number of programmes were highly sought after as tickets for more than 14 performances were sold out.This edition of the Macao Arts Festival, themed “Heterotopia”, will be held from 28 April to 31 May, establishing through texts, stories, images, music and imagery, a diversified space away from reality yet closely connected to it, bringing new possibilities to existence. With an enthusiastic response on the first day of ticket sales, tickets for the soundscape theatre play Back to the Catastrophic Typhoon of 1874, Songs of Migrants, Miss Revolutionary Idol Berserker, the children’s musical Metamorphosis under Starry Night and parts of the sessions of the performance Remote Macao; while sales for the operas The Tale of Lady General and The Butterfly Lovers had an enthusiastic response.The Festival offers a number of extraordinary shows, including the hypnotizing performance A Letter to My Nephewby internationally acclaimed North-American modern dance company Bill T. Jones / Arnie Zane; Double Bill by Hiroaki Umeda, a new work developed in cooperation with local dancers, as well as a solo piece; the ballet Hu(r)mano presented by emerging Portuguese choreographer Marco da Silva Ferreira. In addition, fascinating concerts Resonance through Space-Time by Macao Orchestra and The Soul of Macao by The Macao Chinese Orchestra are also not to be missed.Early bird discounts of 30%, subject to certain criteria, are available from 12 to 19 March and a 20% discount will be offered from 20 March onwards. For more information about the programmes, ticket purchase and other discounts, please check the 28^thMacao Arts Festival Booklet (the booklet PDF version can be downloaded at www.icm.gov.mo/fam); follow the MAF’s page on Facebook or subscribe to IC’s WeChat account. Ticketing hotline: 2855 5555. Online ticket reservation is available at www.macauticket.com.
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The Talents Development Committee launched a new version of the "Talent Information Registration” system on December 12, 2016. A Lucky Draw was organized to encourage more participation of Macao residents, and closed on March 12, 2017. Three lucky winners have been randomly selected from the pool. The list with related details have been published in the website of the Talents Development Committee (http://www.scdt.gov.mo/pdf/luckdrawlist_e.pdf）. The winners shall be notified via telephone and e-mail by the organizer.The winner shall take his/her original Macao Resident Identity Card, as well as a résumé printed through the "Talent Information Registration” system, to collect the prize personally at the Secretariat of Talents Development Committee, which locates at Unit B, 14^th Floor, Rodrigues Commercial Building, No. 599 Avenida da Praia Grande, Macao. A relative or friend of the winner is also permitted to collect the prize instead if needed. In this case, the representative is required to show (1) Copies of the Macao Resident Identity Cards of the winner and of their own; (2) A résumé of the winner printed through the "Talent Information Registration” system. For enquiries, please call the Talents Development Committee at: Tel. 28555108.The Talent Information Registration is of great importance for future planning of talent cultivation. So far, approximately 8,000 people have registered in the "Talent Information Registration” system. Your participation and support would contribute to the process of more pragmatic policy-makings of Macao SAR Government.Below is the website of the "Talent Information Registration” system: http://www2.scdt.gov.mo/register.
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Consumer Council conducted its first ‘Supermarket price survey’ in March on 13 March for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June. Surveyed locations included supermarkets near Areia Preta, Mong Há and Avenida de Venceslau de Morais in N. Sra. de Fátima Parish.The latest ‘Supermarket Price Survey’ is now available on Consumer Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo), ‘Supermarket Price Information Platform’ iPhone and Android apps, and on the Council’s WeChat account page. The survey is also available free of charge at the offices of Consumer Council, IACM’s Iao Hon and S. Domingos Markets, bookstores and libraries.With reference to the local seven parishes and the number of supermarkets in each parish, the Council has divided around 100 supermarkets into 8 areas for price collection. The Council collects prices from these supermarkets for the provision of a more comprehensive database for consumers to check price discrepancies and make price comparisons according to their desired locations.For inquiry, please call 8988 9315.
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In order to meet readers’ demands and enrich the Library’s collections, the Macao Public Library under the Cultural Affairs Bureau launches the “Annual Collection of Recommendations for Newspapers / Periodicals 2018”. Citizens are welcome to recommend the subscription of their favourite newspapers or periodicals from today until 6 April. They may complete the “2018 Newspaper / Periodical Recommendation Form” and submit it to any branch of the Macao Public Library or email it to inf.bp@icm.gov.mo. The submission of the desired newspapers and periodicals can also be made through the online recommendation form which can be downloaded at Macao Public Library webpage (on Service Guide – Book Purchase Recommendation). The Library will analyse the recommended materials collected, and include the newspapers and periodicals which are in line with the policy for the development of the library collection and therefore which will be inscribed on the 2018 Possible Acquisitions List.Currently the Macao Public Library holds a total collection of over one million volumes . It offers around 90 newspapers issued in different regions and about 900 assorted magazines are available to the public in its branch libraries .The “2018 Newspaper / Periodical Recommendation Form” can be obtained at any library service desk of the Macao Public Library or downloaded from the Macao Public Library website at www.library.gov.mo. For enquiries, please call through tel. no. 2856 7576 or 2837 7117, during office hours.
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Rector Wei Zhao has recently notified Dr. Peter Lam, Chairman of the University Council, and UM colleagues on March 12 that he does not intend to seek renewal of his rectorship appointment when it expires in 2018. On behalf of the University Council, Dr. Lam affirms the many contributions that Rector Zhao has made during his term of office. In order to ensure a smooth transition, the University Council will formally launch a worldwide search for a new rector in accordance with the University Charter and Internal Regulations.Dr. Lam noted that the University has made great progress in recent years in overall performance and in areas such as international reputation, research and publication, and the nurturing of talents. These achievements, which took place in leaps and bounds, are in no small measure due to the policy support of the central government and the Macao SAR government, the help of various sectors of Macao society, and the joint efforts of UM colleagues under Rector Zhao’s leadership.Serving as Rector of the University of Macau since 2008, Prof. Zhao has ably led UM colleagues to scale new heights. His passion, dedication and hard work have transformed UM from a local higher education institution with rather humble beginnings to a comprehensive university with a definite degree of influence in Asia. Under Rector Zhao’s leadership, long-term achievements have been made and UM’s higher global ranking in recent years reflects the rising international status of the University in the world of higher education. Dr. Lam is very appreciative of Rector Zhao’s contributions during his term of office.In the next stage, the University Council will form a selection committee for the recruitment of a new rector. The committee will abide by the important principles of fairness, justice and transparency in the worldwide search for the new rector to lead the next stage of UM’s development. Information on the progress of the recruitment process will be reported to all stakeholders in a timely fashion. The University Council also looks forward to the firm commitment and contribution of all UM colleagues in bringing about a new chapter in the history of the University.
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A paper co-authored by University of Macau (UM) professor Yuen Ka-Veng and Prof Mu Heqing from the South China University of Technology has been ranked the second most cited paper among over 120 papers published in 2015 and 2016 in Computer-Aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineering. Their study is expected to play a crucial role in the development of real-time structural health monitoring system for large infrastructure and buildings.Titled, ‘Real-Time System Identification: An Algorithm for Simultaneous Model Class Selection and Parametric Identification’, the paper proposes a novel Bayesian real-time system identification algorithm using response measurement for dynamical systems. It is applicable to general dynamical systems, such as air quality and structural systems, by analysing the complexity of mathematical models via real-time data. The study will be beneficial for the development of structural health monitoring system for bridges and buildings. This project has been fully supported by the Science and Technology Development Fund.This paper is an important extension of a previous work by Prof Yuen and Prof James Beck from the California Institute of Technology, titled, ‘Model Selection Using Response Measurements: Bayesian Probabilistic Approach’, which was published in the Journal of Engineering Mechanics(JEM) of the American Society of Civil Engineers. This paper is ranked among the top ten most cited of over 3000 papers published in JEM in its long history of many decades.Prof Yuen is the registrar and a professor from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, UM. Prof Mu Heqing is Prof Yuen’s former PhD student. He received his bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD degrees from UM. Immediately after receiving his PhD degree from UM, Prof Mu joined the South China University of Technology as an assistant professor. Because of his excellent research achievements, he received special early promotion to associate professor after only one year and a half.Computer-Aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineeringis a peer-reviewed journal focused on novel computational methods, which ranks the first among all 126 SCI/SCIE indexed journals in the field of civil engineering in terms of impact factor. The journal has a rigorous review process that requires ten referees.
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The University of Macau (UM) has launched a ‘3+2’ programme and a ‘4+X’ programme. Students participating in the programmes will be directly admitted to some of the world’s top graduate schools upon completion of a certain number of years of studies at UM. Participants in the ‘3+2’ programme will receive a bachelor’s degree from UM and a master’s degree from a top overseas university upon completion of the programme. The ‘4+X’ programme reserves places at top overseas universities for qualified students.Recently, UM signed agreements on two programmes with the University of Toronto (UT) and Temple University (TU), respectively. According to the agreement with UT, UM students who meet the criteria for academic performance will be directly admitted to UT’s Faculty of Medicine upon completion of four years of undergraduate studies at UM. According to the other agreement, signed between UM with TU, qualified students will receive a bachelor’s degree from UM and a master’s degree from TU upon completion of three years of studies at UM and two years of studies at TU. In addition to these two universities, discussions are also underway to reach similar agreements with other world-renowned universities, including Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, the University of Lisbon, and George Washington University. UM expects to conclude collaboration agreements with these universities soon.UT is one of the best universities in the world. Its Faculty of Medicine is ranked among the top medical schools in the world, with the latest rankings placing it at No 12. Because of its high quality, the Doctor of Medicine Programme at UT is very popular with students from around the world and admissions to the programme are extremely competitive. Starting from 2018, UM students who have completed their undergraduate studies at UM will have the chance to become a medical doctor by enrolling in the Doctor of Medicine Programme at UT.According to a separate agreement with TU, starting in 2017, UM will send outstanding students selected from the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science Programme, Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering Programme, and Bachelor of Science in Economics Programme, to TU for two years of master’s studies. Successful candidates will be automatically granted the ‘first-semester scholarship’, which is renewable. The selection process within the three departments has been completed, and the first batch of students is expected to be sent to TU this summer. TU has been ranked by Princeton Review as one of the best colleges in 2017 and No 1 in Graduate Entrepreneurial Mentorship.For enquiries about the above programmes, please contact Ms Candy Wong from the Academic Affairs Office at 88224807 or samiwong@umac.mo.
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The tickets for the 28^th Macao Arts Festival (MAF), organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, will be available from 12 March. This edition’s Outreach Programme features over 40 activities, including talks, master classes, workshops, meet-the-artists sessions, school performances, art critique, accessibility services and movie screenings. Applications will be accepted from 9am on 13 March (Monday).The MAF outreach activities will be launched in April. “One Day! Cantonese Opera”, to be held on 1 and 8 April, passes on the artistic essence of tradition, allowing participants to join hands with young actors and put into practice their Cantonese opera techniques and experience the world of Cantonese opera; famous Hong Kong expert in Japanese culture, Kengo, will hold the lecture “The Untold Secrets of Japan – Kengo’s Talk on Japanese Culture” on 8 April, helping participants understand the Japanese Yamato people and unveil crazy and bizarre secrets of Japan; the “Masterclass with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company”, to be held on 29 April, helps participants to explore themselves, practice and reflect on how to use one’s own body to express social issues; dancers of intermediate and advanced levels must submit dancing-related curriculum when registering; the activity “Workshop on Art Critique for Secondary School Students”, to be held between April and May, will continue to improve young critics’ writing and arts appreciation skills. The experienced instructors will impart their unique drama and dance appreciation techniques to students, who will put theory into practice by writing art critiques after watching the programmes.The MAF Outreach Programme offers many other activities. Most activities have free admission. Vacancies are limited and subject to availability. For more information, please refer to the MAF Outreach Programme booklet or visit the Festival’s webpage at www.icm.gov.mo/fam. Reservations are available online through www.icm.gov.mo/eform/event, or by phone. For more information and reservations, please call IC through tel. 8399 6699, during office hours.
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