UM Professor is invited to serve as Portugal’s science popularization consultant
澳大教授獲邀成為葡萄牙科普顧問

Prof Tam Kam Weng from the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of Macau has been invited by the Portuguese Agency for the Promotion of Science and Technology Culture (Ciência Viva) to serve as a science popularization consultant in Portugal, making him the only representative from Asia. Prof Tam Kam Weng will assist the International Advisory Committee of the Portuguese Agency for the Promotion of Science and Technology Culture in providing a broader cultural and scientific perspective. Through cross-cultural and cross-regional cooperation and communication, he will further promote the development of science and technology and facilitate cooperation and dialogue between renowned experts in science popularization from Portugal, China, and other countries.

In the early 1990s, Prof Tam Kam Weng was involved in the research and industrialization of the European Union’s Maritime Satellite Navigation Project in Portugal. He particularly focused on the development of the Inmarsat-C/GPS/GIS (MONICAP) system and its commercial applications in Africa and Northern Europe, as well as the research on signal interference resistance for the automatic landing navigation system at Lisbon Airport. The MONICAP system he participated in the development of advanced fishery monitoring technology, which was later transformed into an innovative industry in Portugal and became one of the licensing conditions for offshore fishing operations in Portugal, receiving recognition from the President and Prime Minister of Portugal.

Prof Tam Kam Weng has conducted extensive research in the field of wireless communications and has gained international recognition in areas such as radio frequency identification technology and microwave sensors. Since 2014, he has been elected as a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and a Chartered Engineer in the United Kingdom. He has also served as a member of the Chartered Engineer Review Committee of the IET, Vice Chairman of the Radio Frequency Identification Technology Council of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), recipient of the EU Visiting Professor Scholarship, IEEE International Science Ambassador, IEEE MGA Achievement Award, International Automatic Identification and Mobility Technology Award, Natural Science Award, Technical Invention Award, and Technological Progress Award from the Macau Science and Technology Awards. He is the Chairman of the Technical Committee recognized by the Macau Special Administrative Region, research advisor on radio frequency radiation safety in the Macau Special Administrative Region, and a board member of the Macau Science Center. He has published more than 200 papers and holds five domestic and international invention patents.

The Portuguese Ministry of Science and Technology established a national project called “Ciência Viva” in 1996. Through this project, the Portuguese Agency for the Promotion of Science and Technology Culture was established as a national institution for science and technology culture. Currently, there are 22 centers nationwide. The purpose of this institution is to promote science and technology culture to the public in Portugal, especially targeting young students.

The International Advisory Committee established by the Portuguese Agency for the Promotion of Science and Technology Culture aims to provide advice and recommendations on strategic planning issues for the national institution of science and technology culture in Portugal. It consists of senior external experts with long-standing reputation and experience. Experts are invited based on their expertise, knowledge, experience, representativeness, and potential networking effect as advocates for the Portuguese Agency for the Promotion of Science and Technology Culture and its science centers. Currently, the members of the International Advisory Committee include Dr. Robert Firmhofer, co-founder and CEO of the Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw, Poland, and Professor Nuno Miguel dos Santos Ferrand de Almeida, Director of the Museum of Natural History and Science at the University of Porto, Portugal.