The University of Macau (UM) Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) held two sessions of orientations to welcome more than 120 new undergraduate and postgraduate students for the 2021/2022 academic year yesterday (16 Aug).
Speaking at the orientations, Prof. Chuxia DENG, Dean of FHS and Prof. Guokai CHEN, Associate Dean (Teaching) of FHS, warmly received the freshmen and introduced UM’s 4 in 1 educational model, the Faculty’s educational programmes, development history and the new structure. Prof. Deng introduced the Faculty’s important and continuous contributions to the various fields, including the recent achievements of precision oncology, stem cell research and the mental health research related to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. Prof. Deng mentioned that the Faculty’s progress is being recognised globally through the growing partnership with top academic institutions both at home and abroad. One of the successful collaborations is that FHS, Stanford University, and MD Anderson Cancer Center have achieved a breakthrough in their collaborative lung cancer research.
Prof. Deng particularly mentioned that UM has recently established the Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology upon the approval of the Ministry of Education, which is the first cutting-edge scientific research centre in Hong Kong and Macao. The establishment of this cutting-edge science center marks UM’s notable progress in the construction of the major national basic research platform, and also recognises FHS’s contributions in precision oncology.
Prof. Deng also emphasized that honesty and originality are the pillars of higher education, and students should pursue research achievements of high quality and have zero tolerance for plagiarism and substandard research ethics. He gave the students exhortation to follow the rules and regulations of the University strictly. In Prof. Deng’s speech for giving the undergraduate students some guidance, he mentioned that the combination of persistence and curiosity is a very good predictor of the success in studies as most of the breakthrough discoveries and remarkable inventions are the results of curiosity. Prof. Deng cited as an example the motto of Aaron Ciechanover, the Nobel Laureate, who thought that a synthesis of passion, supervisor, diligence and luck is the key to become a successful postgraduate student. He advised the postgraduate students that first and foremost they should be motivated by passion, communicate well with their supervisors, develop the habit of diligence, well prepare themselves, and luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.
At the end of the orientations, Prof. Deng encouraged the students to adapt to the new environment as quickly as possible and embrace diversity in the course to achieving excellence.
Chuxia DENG stresses that a synthesis of passion, supervisor, diligence and luck is the key to become a successful postgraduate student
Guokai CHEN introduces UM’s 4 in 1 educational model