In line with the positioning of Macao as a platform for cultural exchange between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, the University of Macau (UM) in recent years has placed an emphasis on admitting postgraduate students from Portuguese-speaking countries. According to Eurico Martins from Timor-Leste and Stephanie Ramos from Portugal, two postgraduate students at UM, the university’s outstanding research background, unique cultural advantages, and international teaching environment can meet their learning needs and they hope to strengthen the ties between Portuguese-speaking countries and Macao as well as UM with what they have learned at the university.
Eurico Martins is currently a student in the Master of Social Sciences in International Relations and Public Policy programme offered by the Faculty of Social Sciences of UM. According to Martins, there are not many people in Timor-Leste who have obtained a master’s degree overseas and he appreciates the opportunity to study at UM. ‘The beautiful campus, the high-calibre professors from all over the world, the high-quality facilities, the inclusive environment, the diverse culture and atmosphere, the students from different backgrounds around the world, and the growing international reputation of the university all make me feel that I have made the right choice,’ says Martins, who hopes to use his professional knowledge to foster relations between Timor-Leste and other countries after graduation. He also plans to recommend UM to young students in Timor-Leste so that more will follow in his footsteps and study at the university, which will help to strengthen ties between his country and Macao as well as UM.
Stephanie Ramos is currently a PhD student in the Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Sciences programme offered by the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS). She has joined a research project on genetic integration between Portuguese and Macao populations. The project aims to understand the distribution of Portuguese genetic factors in the Macanese population by studying the variation of genes associated with diseases originated from Portuguese in the Macanese population, with a view to provide important genetic information for medical diagnostics for the Macanese population. ‘I am honoured to be able to contribute to the study of the genetics of Macanese and Portuguese people,’ she says. ‘I also hope to take this opportunity to further strengthen the ties between Macao and Portuguese-speaking countries from the perspective of human genetics.’
As part of its global strategy, UM focuses on the positioning of Macao as a platform for cultural exchange between China and Portuguese-speaking countries and attaches great importance to nurturing talent who are not only capable in their fields but also fluent in Portuguese. A number of studies on Portuguese-speaking countries and Sino-Lusophone relations have been conducted at UM and they have yielded high quality results. UM has also redoubled its effort to collaborate with universities in Portuguese-speaking countries and admit outstanding postgraduate students from these countries. In the future, UM will continue to deepen exchange with universities in Portuguese-speaking countries on talent development, research innovation, and community services. It will also initiate more collaborative projects and promote higher education development by taking advantage of Lusophone networks.
