Briefs | USJ congregation awards 207 degrees

USJ congregation awards 207 degrees

The University of Saint Joseph’s (USJ) class of 2017 graduated on Saturday at the Macau Cathedral. The ceremony was separated into morning and afternoon sessions, with 207 graduates and more than 800 witnesses. Bishop Stephen Lee, Bishop of Macau and Chancellor of USJ, officiated the event. Six PhD degrees, 41 master degrees and 160 bachelor degrees were awarded in the presence of the bishop, USJ rector Peter Stilwell, and representatives from the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau and Caritas Macau, among other guests.

Chan denies ‘special channel’ for recruitment

The Secretary for Administration and Justice, Sonia Chan, said yesterday during a public event that the government “does not have a special channel for staff recruitment.” Last week, several media reported  the case of a graduated student from mainland China who had reportedly been recruited through a special channel to enter the civil service. According to a statement issued by the Government Information Bureau, Sonia Chan also noted that regarding the specific case of the translation services under the responsibility of the her office, “recruitment is done mostly inside the public services and only in urgent situations an external recruitment system is adopted.” Chan noted that such scheme is the same existing since 1989.

Rui Cunha Foundation to hold talk on Brexit

The Rui Cunha Foundation will host a talk on the consequences of Brexit from the Irish perspective, scheduled for 6.30 p.m. tomorrow at its headquarters. The foundation has invited Peter Ryan, Consul General of Ireland to Hong Kong and Macau, to discuss the impact of Brexit on Ireland. Brexit refers to the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union (EU), which was decided in a vote last year. Negotiations between the EU and the United Kingdom have just begun. The talk will be conducted in English and admission is free.

Four-year-old dies at hotel pool

A four-year-old South Korean child died yesterday afternoon at the pool of an hotel in Cotai. TDM reported that the child was spending the afternoon with its parents at the pool. Around 6 p.m., the parents noticed that the child was suddenly missing, shortly before they saw him unconscious.  Hotel staff attempted to resuscitate the child. The child was taken to hospital and was declared dead on arrival. An autopsy is to be performed, but the police believe the cause of death was drowning.

UM graduates first doctor from Colombia

Gilberto Ortiz, a Colombian doctoral student at the University of Macau (UM), became the first doctor from a Spanish-speaking country to graduate from UM. Ortiz is a student of civil and earthquake engineering from UM’s faculty of science and technology (FST). In his dissertation, Ortiz proposed a new Bayesian (relating to Bayes’ theorem) nonparametric technique that has a wide range of applications, such as predicting peak ground acceleration, modeling of seismic attenuation and assisting with structural health monitoring. Ortiz’s supervisor was Professor Yuen Ka Veng, an FST professor who specializes in real-time structural health monitoring systems for large infrastructure and buildings.

Grand Prix and Wine Museum to close from July 1

The Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) announced that the Grand Prix Museum, the Wine Museum and the Tourism Activities Center (CAT) will be closed for renovations starting July 1. MGTO plans to remodel the current Grand Prix Museum. Admission to both museums will be free until June 30. Both museums are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, but are closed on Tuesdays. The Grand Prix Museum features a number of automobiles and motorbikes on display. The Wine Museum brings visitors through the process of winemaking with exhibitions on the history of wine, as well as a showcase of tools used in wine production.  

US Independence Day reception in Macau 

The U.S. Consulate General of Hong Kong and Macau hosted a reception last Friday to celebrate the 241st anniversary of the independence of the United States of America. The reception was held at the Clube Militar de Macau. Consul General Kurt Tong and Secretary for Administration and Justice Sonia Chan were present at the reception. During the event, Chan stated that “bilateral trade and investment flows [between Macau and the U.S.] have increased significantly [and that] a good and stable Sino-American relationship is vital to the continued success of U.S. corporations operating in Macau.” She added that Macau’s long-term policies of economic diversification and regional integration will provide ample opportunities for U.S. corporations in all sectors to flourish.

Delegation from Hubei Province visits IPM

Nie Changbin, Vice Secretary-General of the People’s Government of Hubei Province, led a group of delegates to visit the Macau Polytechnic Institute (IPM) last Thursday. The delegation met Hubei students at IPM to learn about their campus life and encourage them to pursue excellence in their studies. During the meeting, Nie stated the main purpose of the trip was to visit Hubei students in Macau and better understand their academic progress. IPM has admitted outstanding students from Hubei to pursue undergraduate studies in Sino-Lusophone trade relations and Chinese-Portuguese translation and interpretation, among other courses.