UM FHS holds one-day camp for students in Principals’ Recommended Admission Scheme

12 secondary school students who have been admitted by the University of Macau (UM) through the Principals’ Recommended Admission Scheme recently joined a one-day camp organised by UM’s Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS). During the activity, the students participated in hands-on experiments and joined guided tours of research laboratories and residential colleges at UM. The activity aimed to give them first-hand experience of scientific research at UM, learn about various research equipment, and experience university life.

Guokai CHEN, associate dean (teaching) of FHS, warmly welcomed the students to join the family of FHS in the opening ceremony. According to him, the academic programmes of FHS are delivered by a team of excellent academic staff from different parts of the world with outstanding backgrounds and strong passion in teaching. He hopes that the students will benefit from this environment. Led by FHS Associate Professor Terence Chuen Wai POON, the students visited the faculty’s core facilities and learned about the research equipment. Prof. Poon also shared with the students the faculty’s recent development and the career prospects of its graduates.

In Teng HO, a student from Lou Hau High School, says that she has been curious about biology so she applied to the undergraduate programme in biomedical sciences offered by the FHS via the Principals’ Recommended Admission Scheme. According to her, she knew about FHS mainly through its official website. She is happy that she could visit the laboratories of the faculty in person and learn more about its facilities through this event. In addition, she was surprised by the impact of research on the improvement of people’s life after participating in the experiment of the production of the colloidal gold nanoparticles. She also came to realise that there is a great deal of scientific knowledge behind the seemingly simple things of everyday life. She says she has made the right choice for her upcoming undergraduate studies, and expressed hope to do well in her academic studies in the next four years.

Yi LI, a student from Chan Sui Ki Perpetual Help College, says that the activity was well scheduled and filled with topics easily related to his daily life. According to him, this one-day camp made him more confident about his decision on his future studies. He enjoyed the introduction given by Prof. Poon, through which students could immediately acquire some knowledge about biomedical sciences. He also realised that FHS has been dedicated to providing quality education by keeping a relatively high faculty–student ratio, and this is the competitive advantage of the Faculty.

The event combined experiments, tours, and student-teacher exchanges in an interactive way, allowing participants to meet professors and current students and to explore the world of research in a relaxed manner under the guidance of professors and students from the FHS. During the camp, the students visited Moon Chun Memorial College to have a peep into the diverse learning environment at UM. FHS Assistant Dean (Student Affairs) Xuanjun ZHANG and Assistant Professor Wa Kam CHANG also joined the camp.