The 2013 Congregation of Macau University of Science and Technology Showcased the University’s Remarkable Achievements

The Officiating Guests of Congregation
The Officiating Guests of Congregation

Macau University of Science and Technology held its 2013 Congregation at 3 pm on June 8 (Saturday) in the University’s Sports Complex – Gymnasium. Nearly 1200 bachelor, master, and doctoral graduates attended the ceremony. The Chief Executive of Macao SAR, Mr. Fernando Chui Sai On officiated at the ceremony; other guests attending the Congregation included: Mr. Cheong U, Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of Macao S.A.R; Mr. Tam Chon Weng, Chief of Cabinet of the Office of the Chief Executive of Macao S.A.R.; Mr. Sou Chio Fai, Director of Tertiary Education Services Office of the Government of the Macao S.A.R; Mr. Liu Xiao Hang, Director of the Education Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Macau S.A.R.; Mr. Feng Tie, Deputy Commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Macao S.A.R.; MUST Foundation members, University Council and Advisory Committee members; and representatives from other governmental departments, scholarship sponsors, enterprises, higher education institutions and secondary schools.

Rector of MUST, Chair Professor Liu Liang encouraged the graduates to see, in their upcoming new journey, the society as their new classrooms, the new colleagues as their new teachers and new friends, difficulties and frustrations as their new homework, and the realization of their own values as the compulsory exam questions in life; he alerted the graduates that how well they are going to perform in this new exam depends on the aspirations they hold and the amount of effort that they are willing to put in. He has strong beliefs that the graduates present at the Congregation will soon become the pride of their alma mater and the alma mater will always stand behind them to support and cheer for them.

Ever since its establishment in 2000, MUST has long been committed to its mission, expressed in its motto – “dedication to practical studies, enhancement of knowledge, ability and quality” – to strive for perfection; since 2011, MUST has risen rapidly to be ranked by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University in the Top 100 Universities in the cross-strait region; what is more impressive is that MUST is the youngest in this top one hundred. Recently, to address the trend of internationalization in tertiary education and the demand for talent in Macau, the University has updated and optimized its curricula and teaching practices. The University is also fully committed to advancing its academic performance; it has formulated its own distinctive features and strengths in fields such as: quality research and innovative drug research in Chinese Medicine; analysis of the exploration data of Chang’e mission and space science research; research on Macau society, Macau culture, and Macau’s sustainable development; and human resources, gaming and tourism management. MUST has also taken significant steps to bring in remarkable academic pioneers and young scholars. This has greatly strengthened the University’s academic team and research capacity; the number of publications in top international journals and the number of applications for national and international patents have significantly increased. Lately, the University has been awarded the National Prize for Progress in Science and Technology of China, which is the first-ever in Hong Kong or Macau in the field of Chinese Medicine research. Our students have also brought back many excellent awards from different competitions in Macau and other regions.

Chairman of the University Council, Prof. Zhou Li Gao conducted a summary of the past thirteen years of the University, affirming that MUST has made tremendous achievements and won recognitions from the community. He then took the opportunity to thank all M.U.S.T. staff for their hard work and congratulate them on their achievements. He pointed out that in this academic year, the University has successfully completed the transition of rectors and the teaching quality and teaching facilities have been improved. The University has built a Training Restaurant for the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Management, so as to offer internship opportunities in the relevant programs of the faculty. In order to better advance the University’s pace of internationalization, the University International College was founded in 2010, and up to the present, the University has signed cooperation agreements with more than one hundred teaching and research institutions, undertaken collaborations in different forms of teaching and research, and provided opportunities for many students to study overseas. The State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine has attained fruitful achievements in the past two years. Under Rector Liu Liang’s leadership, with its outstanding research achievements, the Chinese Medicine research team has beaten many fierce competitors in the appraisal for the “2013 National Science and Technology Progress Awards”; this is the first-ever such award in research in Chinese Medicine in the Hong Kong-Macao region and therefore it is worthy of celebration. MUST has also made great achievements in lunar and space study and gained recognition from peers in the field. It has been agreed that M.U.S.T. will build a Partner Laboratory for the Key Laboratory of Lunar and Deep Space Exploration, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Research outcomes of high quality and high significance are booming. The University Council of M.U.S.T. has set up a new plan for the development of the University to provide better teaching facilities and environment for our teachers and students. The university is now preparing to build a large-scale teaching complex of eleven floors and a dormitory building of fifteen floors; the construction of the two buildings is expected to start soon.

At the end of the Congregation, the representatives of the graduates delivered speeches and drew a perfect “full stop” mark to the Congregation; the ceremony concluded successfully with the graduates’ happy cheers.

逾千名畢業生出席典禮
逾千名畢業生出席典禮