The University of Macau (UM) held a talk titled ‘Curiosity Driven Research as Foundation for New Resource Recovery Processes’ as part of the University Lecture Series today (6 November). Mark van Loosdrecht, a renowned Dutch environmental engineering expert, professor and chair of the Department of Environmental Biotechnology in the Faculty of Applied Sciences at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, was the speaker. During the talk, he discussed environmental engineering issues from the perspectives of water resources management, technological innovation in water treatment, basic research, and the training of professionals.
Speaking at the event, Zhou Wanhuan, associate dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology and head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, said that water treatment plays a crucial role in developing cutting-edge science. It is not only related to our daily lives and environmental health but also plays a key role in addressing climate change and managing water resources. Therefore, water treatment is not just a technology but also an interdisciplinary field of research that provides a solid foundation for the continuous development of cutting-edge science and the sustainable development of society.
During the talk, Prof Van Loosdrecht pointed out that innovation is essential to the development of a green and sustainable society and a fully integrated water sector. However, innovation has been slow, partly due to the water sector itself, whose basic structure and design have remained unchanged for some 3,000 years. To stimulate innovation in the water sector, it is necessary to promote curiosity-driven research embedded in an engineering context. According to Prof Van Loosdrecht, science and engineering are the key to innovation in the field of water resources. However, innovation can only be achieved when different approaches are respected and effective communication is maintained over time.
The Q&A and discussion session was moderated by Hao Tianwei, assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Prof Van Loosdrecht actively discussed and exchanged ideas with the participants.
澳門大學今（6）日舉行“大學講壇＂講座，由荷蘭著名環境工程專家、代爾夫特理工大學應用科學學院環境生物技術系講座教授馬克．梵．洛斯德萊特以“好奇心驅動的研究是新型資源回收工藝的基礎”為題發表演說，從水資源管理、水處理技術革新、基礎研究、專業人才培養等方面對環境工程領域的問題進行了探討。
澳大科技學院副院長、土木及環境工程系系主任周萬歡致辭時表示，水處理在推動前沿科學發展上扮演著至關重要的角色，它不僅關係到日常生活和環境的健康，也在應對氣候變化和水資源管理方面發揮了關鍵作用。因此，水處理不僅僅是一項技術，更是一個跨學科的研究領域，為前沿科學的不斷進展和社會的可持續發展提供了堅實的基礎。
講座上，洛斯德萊特指創新對於發展綠色和可持續循環社會，以及完全一體化的水行業來說至關重要。可是這種創新進展緩慢，部分原因在於水行業本身，其基本結構和設計約三千年來一直未變。為了激發水行業的創新，他認為需要促進由好奇心驅動的、嵌入工程背景的科學研究。洛斯德萊特稱，在水資源領域得到創新，科學和工程才能發揮著關鍵作用。然而，創新只有在不同方法的時間動態中得到尊重，在有效溝通的情況下才能實現。
問答及交流環節由澳大科技學院土木及環境工程系助理教授郝天偉主持；講者與參加者交流互動，討論氣氛熱烈。
Mark van Loosdrecht
馬克．梵．洛斯德萊特
Zhou Wanhuan
周萬歡
The Q&A and discussion session
問答及交流環節