News

Nobel laureates Prof Robert C Merton and Prof Mo Yan will speak at the University of Macau's (UM) two Doctor honoris causa Forums to be held on 6 December and 7 December respectively. Prof Robert C Merton, the 1997 Nobel laureate in economics, will give a talk entitled "On the Role of the Science of Finance in the Global Practice of Finance: Past, Present and Future". Prof Mo Yan, the 2012 Nobel laureate in literature, will speak on the "Achievements of Chinese Literature and Its Future". The first Doctor honoris causa Forum, whose theme is "Finance and Social Responsibility", will be held in the University Hall on Saturday 6 December. It will begin at 2:30pm and Prof Merton will be the keynote speaker. Prof Merton is noted for putting finance theories into practice and has re-shaped the world of finance and economics with his Option Pricing Theory and Intertemporal Capital Asset Pricing Model. His replicating portfolio strategy remains a standard approach to pricing derivative securities. Prof Merton received the Nobel Prize in economics in 1997 in recognition of his significant contributions to the development of a new method for pricing derivatives. At the forum, Prof Merton will share his insights on the Role of the Science of Finance in the Global Practice of Finance: Past, Present and Future. Tian Guoli, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bank of China, will speak on "Have the courage to shoulder the responsibility of building social sustainability", as a guest speaker. The second Doctor honoris causa Forum, whose theme is "Achievements of Chinese Literature and Its Future", will be held in the University Hall on 7 December. It will begin at 3:00pm and Prof Mo Yan will be the keynote speaker. Prof Mo is the first Chinese citizen to win the Nobel Prize in literature. At the forum, he will discuss the global impact of Chinese literature, its geographic and cultural diversity, as well as the difficulties facing Chinese literature and its future. Dr Wu Zhiliang, president of the Administrative Committee of the Macao Foundation; and Prof Yang Yi, chair professor at UM, will be the guest speakers. Prof Mo Yan is a renowned contemporary Chinese writer. In 2012, he received the Nobel Prize in literature for his ability to merge "hallucinatory realism" with "folk tales, history and the contemporary" in his work. Prof Mo became noted for having written a corpus of in-search-of-roots works with infusions of the raw rural culture in the mid-1980s. His 1986 novel Red Sorghum Clan was the first neo-historical novel in modern Chinese Literature and would be later published around the world in nearly 20 languages. Simultaneous interpreting between Chinese and English will be provided for the two forums. For enquiries, please call 88228400 or email to prs.event@umac.mo. For registration, please visit http://isw.umac.mo/evm/register/merton (Robert C Merton)/ https://isw.umac.mo/evm/register/moyanforum (Mo Yan).
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Consumer Council conducted its first 'Supermarket price survey' in December on 2 December for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June. Surveyed locations included supermarkets near Areia Preta 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), and the 'Supermarket Price Information Platform' iPhone and Android apps. 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. Consumers may also access the resources through WAP channels on their mobile phones. With reference to the local six 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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The Macao Government will continue to co-operate with the China Disabled Persons' Federation and the China Foundation for Disabled Persons, offering various kinds of support in artistic and intellectual development. In the past three years, the Government not only played an active role in offering support to maximise their capabilities in culture, art, sports and other areas, but also facilitated exchanges between related associations in the mainland and Macao, laying a solid foundation to optimise services for the physically challenged. The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, was speaking in a meeting in Government Headquarters with the Vice President of the China Disabled Persons' Federation, Ms Tang Xiaoquan, who is also the Director of the China Foundation of Disabled Persons. Ms Tang, who was in Macao on an official visit, thanked the Macao Government for supporting the people in the mainland, saying their mutual co-operation was influential and beneficial to many in need. She said the disabled persons' associations she represented strived to strengthen the management on project co-ordination, uplifting it to meet international standard levels. Supporting the intellectual development of the disabled could help them better integrate into the society and live their lives with more dignity, added Ms Tang. Also present in the meeting were Chief-of-Office of the Chief Executive's Office, Mr Tam Chon Weng; Secretary-General of the Executive Council, Ms O Lam; China Disabled Persons' Federation's Head of International Division, Mr Wei Mengxin; and Director of the Publicity and Cultural Department of the Federation, Mr Wang Tao.
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To test and train the personnel with the capacity to handle emergencies, the annual full-scale emergency exercise was carried out in the Macau Heliport in the late evening of 02 December 2014 till early next morning to simulate a helicopter engine failure while landing that led to an accident and injuries. All relevant entities cooperated with each other to handle this emergency in accordance with the respective contingency plans. The exercise was deemed smooth. The exercise started at 23:30 with the participation of 50 people. It simulated the scenario of an accident with a helicopter carrying passengers that was making final approach at the heliport. An engine failure occurred and the helicopter lost propulsive power and landed heavily onto the main pad. The accident resulted in the detachment of some parts from the aircraft and caused two injuries. The Flight Operation Control Centre immediately activated the emergency response procedures and notified all relevant entities. The Heliport Emergency Operation Centre was then activated. Representatives of the relevant entities and the rescue team arrived on site in a short time to rescue the injured, evacuate people, maintain order in the terminal, attend to enquiries and so on. The exercise was concluded in an hour. East Asia Airlines Ltd, the present operator of helicopter services between Macao and Hong Kong, was the coordinator of this exercise. Participants included the Customs Bureau, the Public Security Police Force, the Fire Brigade, the Marine and Water Bureau, and the Civil Aviation Authority.
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A delegation from 19 independent schools in Malaysia recently visited the University of Macau (UM) and was warmly received by Prof Wei Zhao, rector of UM; and Prof Da-Hsuan Feng, director of UM's Global Affairs Office and special assistant to the rector. Both parties exchanged ideas on talent development and discussed opportunities for future collaboration. The guests visited UM Wu Yee Sun Library, the University Hall, and the residential colleges (RC). During the meeting, Rector Wei Zhao told the guests about UM's latest developments and the "4-in-1" model of education. Prof Feng Da-Hsuan said that UM has been developing new global strategies best suited to the 21st century since its relocation to the new campus. He added that the exchange between UM and the Malaysian independent schools is an important step in the university's endeavour to build partnerships with institutions in East Asia. He expressed hope that the visit could enhance East Asia's understanding of UM's latest developments. Members of the delegation felt the visit increased their understanding of UM. They said they liked the buildings on the new campus as well as the ideas behind the RC system and how the RCs are run at UM, adding that they have high expectations for UM's future development. The delegation included representatives from Chung Hua High School, Tsun Jin High School, Jit Sin Independent High School, Sekolah Menengah Foon Yew – Kulai, Hin Hua High School, Han Chiang High School, Penang Chinese Girls' Private High School, Kluang Chong Hwa High School, Chung Hua High School, Confucian Private Secondary School K L, Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School, Chung Hua Middle School, Perak Yuk Choy High School PTE, Chung Hwa Independent High School, Chung Ling (PTE) High School, Chong Hwa Independent High School, Foon Yew High School, Pay Fong High School, and Catholic High School.
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The University of Macau (UM) has appointed the linguist Chair Professor Hong Gang Jin as the dean of its Faculty of Arts and Humanities (FAH). Prof Jin was a William R Kenan Professor of East Asian Languages and Literatures and a professor of Chinese at Hamilton College. She also served as the general director of the Associated Colleges in China headquarters. Prof Jin has outstanding achievements and rich experience in empirical research, teaching and administration. After assuming office as FAH dean, Prof Jin will formulate new teaching and research strategies according to the FAH's strengths and advantages in order to enhance the faculty's visibility and position at the international level. Prof Jin is a linguist. Her research interests include second language acquisition, cognitive processing of languages, transfer of learning, input analysis, interaction analysis, curriculum design, and teacher development. During her 25-year tenure at Hamilton College, she published numerous books and research articles. Prof Jin has over ten years of experience in collaborative research with numerous universities in the United States, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and mainland China, and she has secured several major federal and private grants from the US, mainland China, and Taiwan for ten consecutive years. She has also served as the president or a member of the board of directors at numerous teachers' associations in the US. She is currently the chair of the AP Chinese Development Committee. She was named the 1998 CASE National Outstanding Baccalaureate College Professor of the Year. She also received Hamilton's 1963 Award of Teaching Excellence in 1996. In 2013 she received the NCOLCTL Walton Lifetime Achievement Award, in recognition of her outstanding achievements in teaching and research. Prof Jin noted that UM is determined to become a world-class university, as is reflected in its unique "4-in-1" model of education that meets the demand of the 21st century, its dual emphasis on teaching and research, as well as its comprehensive reforms in various areas including the establishment of the residential colleges. "I have received education in the US, and I have worked as an education professional at liberal arts colleges in the US for many years," Prof Jin says. "I have experienced firsthand how liberal arts education emphasises well-rounded development and how it impacted the students' lives and helped produce outstanding graduates for the US society. I hope to bring the philosophies and advantages of liberal arts education that I know to Macao and Asia so we could also produce world-class graduates." She adds, "Macao is a multilingual and multicultural society, which provides a treasure trove of material for teaching and research. UM students' ability to communicate across different languages and cultures not only gives the FAH an advantage in teaching and research, but also serves as a solid foundation on which we can develop the FAH into a faculty with local characteristics." After assuming office as FAH dean, Prof Jin will formulate new development strategies according to the FAH's strengths and advantages. Such strategies are expected to include further expanding a research-oriented faculty team in line with international trends, and systematically reviewing the current curriculum setup and teaching process so as to establish a scientific set of curriculum evaluation criteria and a reform plan. On the student recruitment front, Prof Jin hopes to attract outstanding students from Macao and elsewhere, including overseas countries. She also hopes that the multilingual and multicultural environment of the FAH will expose students to different disciplines in the field of humanities, such as linguistics, literature, history, philosophy and religion, thereby guiding students to analyse the different human experiences in different parts of the world, explore the meanings of different things in the world, acquire positive morals and values, as well as develop a global mindset. UM believes that with Prof Jin at the helm, the FAH will be able to further enhance its teaching and research, promote high-quality, high-level international collaborative research with other universities, and achieve a higher position and a greater impact in the Greater China region and beyond.
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The University of Macau (UM) has appointed Chair Professor Chuxia Deng, a leading American Chinese scientist in the field of life sciences, as the dean of its Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS). He was a senior investigator of the Senior Biomedical Research Service (SBRS) at the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH), the chief of the Mammalian Genetics Section at the United States National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), an investigator of the NIDDK's Genetics of Development and Diseases Branch, and a postdoctoral fellow of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School. After assuming office as FHS dean, Prof Deng plans to focus on building a state-of-the-art infrastructure and operating system for the faculty and will assist the faculty to make important scientific discoveries in medical sciences and health care to fill the gaps in these areas in Macao. Prof Deng has outstanding achievements in academic research and administrative management. He has made significant contributions to research on cancer and metabolic diseases, cancer and ageing, cancer stem cells, and the breast cancer susceptibility gene, BRCA1, particularly in the pathogenic mechanism of breast cancer. He is the author or co-author of over 310 papers with a total citation frequency of over 30,000 and an H-index of 96. Prof Deng is a tenured investigator of the NIDDK, and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has received numerous awards in recognition of his outstanding achievements in teaching and research, including the NIH-APAO Outstanding Achievement Award (2000, NIH, USA), the Outstanding Overseas Scholar from National Science Foundation (2002, China), and the NIDDK Director's Award. "UM entered a phase of rapid development after former Chinese President Hu Jintao expressed his 'five first-rates' expectations for the university in 2009," Prof Deng says. "And the new campus has made it possible for UM to achieve a quantum leap and reach a higher ranking in a relative short period of time. The new campus brings unprecedented opportunities, but also a big challenge. I hope to contribute my knowledge to the development of education and science, and it is a great honour to be a part of UM's team effort to develop the university into a world-class institution." UM's FHS, which was founded in 2013, will conduct basic research, applied research and translational research in several major areas of life sciences, including chronic diseases, aging, immunology, infectious diseases, neurological disorders, and cancers. "After assuming office as FHS dean, I will focus on building a state-of-the-art infrastructure and operating system for the faculty to realise first-class teaching and research," says Prof Deng. "I will also carry out research in the fields of cancer, medical sciences, and health care, and assist the faculty to make important scientific discoveries to fill the gaps in these areas in Macao. I hope that these efforts will help the industrial diversification of Macao in the long run." UM believes that under the leadership of Prof Deng, the FHS will achieve its mission to train the next generation of scientists and professionals in health sciences for Macao and the region, and become a regional education hub with international reputation for biomedical sciences at both postgraduate and undergraduate levels.
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Mr Chui Sai On today announced members of his new cabinet who would serve with him as he embarks on his second as Chief Executive, describing them as relatively young and who would uphold the traditions and bring in vitality and innovation to the Government. These designated officials, together with the Prosecutor General-designate, will assume their positions as Mr Chui is sworn in on 20 December to head the fourth-term government of the Macao Special Administrative Region. They met the press today in Government Headquarters. The new cabinet comprises Ms Chan Hoi Fan as the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Mr Leong Vai Tac as the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Wong Sio Chak as Secretary for Security, Mr Tam Chon Weng as the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Raimundo Arrais do Rosário as the Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Mr Cheong Weng Chon as Commissioner Against Corruption, Mr Ho Weng On as the Commissioner of Audit, Mr Ma Io Kun as Commissioner General of the Unitary Police Service, Ms Lai Man Wa as the Director-General of the Macao Customs and Mr Ip Son Sang as Public Prosecutor-General of the Public Prosecutions Office. Mr Chui expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the Central Government for trusting him and endorsing his suggestions for the positions, and said both he and his cabinet would strive to serve the people, maintain social harmony, sustain pace of development and facilitate livelihood betterment. Mr Chui admitted it was a tough decision to make since there were concerns that the leading officials would become conservative after taking office for too long, while the Basic Law does not specific the maximum tenure for these top positions. But taking into account various factors and learning from the experience of the mainland and other regions, Mr Chui said he selected his team based on their qualifications, expertise and working experience. He said the Government would consider revising tenure regulations for the principal officials and the Prosecutor General, to improve the system and serve as a reference to the forth-coming government team. To the incumbent principal officials, Mr Chui expressed his most sincere appreciation for their contributions and efforts to Macao's economy and social harmony. In the 15 years since the establishment of the MSAR, Mr Chui and the team have gained friendship and have overcome numerous difficulties and challenges; but he admitted there was still room for improvement. Meanwhile, Mr Chui also announced that Ms O Lam as Chief-of-Office of the Chief Executive's Office-designate, Mr Chan Chi Ping as Government Spokesperson-designate and Mr U Man Fong as the Deputy Government Spokesperson-designate. After the press conference led by the Chief Executive, the designated principal officials and Prosecutor General held individual briefing sections with the press, stating their appreciation of the appointments and sharing their policy vision and planning.
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To celebrate the Commemorative Exhibition of 15th Anniversary of the Establishment of Macao Special Administrative Region which will be taken place in Beijing, Macao Post announces that a Temporary Post Counter will be set up at our Philatelic Shop located at Macao Post Headquarters at 9:00 to 13:00 on 8th December 2014 providing the commemorative postmark cancellation service for the "Commemorative Exhibition of 15th Anniversary of the Establishment of MSAR". A commemorative envelope priced at MOP2.50 will be issued. Welcome to visit us and collect Macao Stamps!
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