UM opens Centre for Regional Oceans

The Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of Macau (UM) has unveiled a new center that aims to symbolize the university’s dedication to promoting research in regional oceanography
The Centre for Regional Oceans is a research unit, which also targets to support economic diversification and contribute to the long-term development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, UM informed in a statement.
For the time being, Zhou Wanhuan will run the center as interim head.
During the plaque unveiling ceremony, UM rector Yonghua Song reaffirmed that the purpose of the center was to assist the local government in tackling challenges in the use of the ocean, marine disaster prevention and control, as well as marine environmental protection. UM has also made regional oceanography a research field and one of the key research areas in the university’s research blueprint.
The center is expected to promote exchange and collaboration between Macau and other countries in oceanography. According to UM, this “will help to realize economic diversification and contribute to the long-term development of the Greater Bay Area.”
The Centre for Regional Oceans focuses on three aspects: marine multi-circle dynamics and environmental regulation mechanisms, natural disaster prevention and engineering in coastal cities, and coastal environmental governance and resource development.
According to Zhou, due to the number of severe typhoons that have hit Macau in recent years, “the first task of the center is to solve current scientific problems in with marine environment and ocean engineering, to enhance Macau’s capacity for marine disaster prevention and control, ocean engineering construction and maintenance, marine ecological environment protection, and marine resource utilization.”
Currently, over 10 laboratories are operating as part of the center. Similar facilities are currently under construction so as to expand capacity.
The center will also be one of the university’s new platforms for technology and innovation.