The Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) and the Institute of Collaborative Innovation (ICI) of the University of Macau (UM) jointly organised the Summer Camp for Outstanding College Students for the first time. The summer camp attracted applications from over 600 outstanding students representing more than 80 higher education institutions from home and abroad. According to the participating students, the camp provided a platform for interdisciplinary academic exchange and practice, which had a positive impact on and provided inspiration for learning and personal growth.

The applicants are from 40 double first-class universities in mainland China and renowned universities in Singapore, Hong Kong, and other places. Around 70 outstanding university students were selected to join the camp, and they came from top universities in mainland China such as Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Zhejiang University, and Nanjing University.

During the four-day camp, students not only participated in a series of academic talks and departmental activities, but also had the opportunity to have meals with professors in the same discipline. They also visited the residential colleges, the exhibition hall, the UM Wu Yee Sun Library, and the laboratories in the FST and ICI. Through these experiences, the students gained a deeper understanding of UM’s admissions, academic programmes, and scientific research, and explored the university’s international education setup, its whole-person education system underpinned by residential colleges, and its strength in research and innovation. In addition, the students visited a number of world heritage sites in Macao to learn about the development and history of the city.

Liu Yaxuan, a student from the Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, said that many students in engineering are fascinated by UM’s advanced laboratory equipment, which clearly demonstrates the university’s strong commitment to scientific research. In addition, the professors are friendly and willing to answer students’ questions regarding further studies, and the arrangement of having meals with professors is very innovative. Another participant, Wu Zhishang, a student from Tianjin University, said that UM’s tranquil campus environment is impressive, and that the camp visits showcased cutting-edge research projects in various fields, which gave him a glimpse of UM’s strengths.

UM’s FST and ICI are committed to promoting the development of technological innovation and education in Macao and to actively expanding exchanges and cooperation with higher education institutions from home and abroad. The Summer Camp for Outstanding College Students is an iconic activity demonstrating the university’s ongoing development and exploration in the field of education, as well as an important initiative to give new impetus to higher education in Macao and mainland China.