Beyond medals: The educational philosophy behind competition success

Over the past two years, University of Macau (UM) students have made their mark on the world stage, consistently winning awards in global competitions. Their success reflects not only their talent and hard work but also the dedicated guidance and support of their professors. UM faculty are exceptional at guiding students to translate academic theory into practical solutions. This mentorship transforms the learning process into a journey of innovation, effectively bridging the gap between classroom knowledge and real-world challenges. By encouraging participation in competitions, UM professors empower students to broaden their research horizons and refine their skills to tackle future challenges.

Winning after three years of competing

In the field of intelligent technology, relying only on textbook theory without practical experience often results in ideas that are either unrealistic or incomplete. This reality is well understood by many students in the Faculty of Science and Technology (FST), including Li Haobo, a third-year student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Since his first year at UM, Li, a creative and motivated student, has been inspired by the guidance of professors including Prof Wan Feng and supported by UM’s state-of-the-art laboratories. This encouragement has driven him to participate in numerous international competitions. For three consecutive years, Li has competed in the World Robot Contest, using it as a platform to test and refine his innovative ideas in intelligent technology. This year, he joined one of UM’s interdisciplinary teams—comprising around 30 doctoral, master’s, and undergraduate students—and achieved a remarkable victory, winning the Grand Prize in the ‘Brain-Computer Interface Controlled Robot’ category.

This achievement is the result of years of hard work by Li and his team, as well as the dedicated mentorship of Prof Wan. An associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Prof Wan specialises in interdisciplinary research on non-invasive brain-computer interfaces. With extensive industry experience, he has consistently guided students to achieve success in competitions. Under his mentorship, Li and his team turned their innovative ideas into a functional system. They developed an intelligent monitoring technology that can interpret human emotions with impressive accuracy through human-computer interaction.

‘During our weekly meetings, Prof Wan helped us identify key challenges and guided us in finding technical solutions,’ Li shares. ‘He emphasises the importance of building a strong academic foundation and encourages us to read more research papers to deepen our knowledge before trying to innovate.’ With Prof Wan’s encouragement, Li, who admits he does not read as much as he should, has also started reviewing academic papers, significantly improving his critical thinking. Prof Wan also emphasises collaboration, encouraging teamwork and cross-disciplinary exchanges. This approach allows students from different fields and academic levels to inspire each other and tackle problems from new perspectives.

For Li, the biggest reward of participating in the competition is not the prize, but the invaluable experience of transforming an idea into reality and cultivating a systematic engineering mindset. This mindset extends beyond individual technologies and includes a deeper understanding of a system’s reliability, responsiveness, and user experience. After the competition, Li and his team have continued to refine their project, with the goal of applying their system to real-world scenarios such as smart homes, health management, industrial safety, and driving safety. Their vision is to create solutions that can adjust environments based on users’ emotions and provide early warnings for fatigue or distraction.

The genetic engineering triumph of a 27-member team

The ultimate goal of science is to improve human wellbeing, a philosophy that lies at the heart of the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Competition. This prestigious annual event in synthetic biology challenges participants to combine knowledge and tools from biological sciences and other disciplines to address societal challenges and develop solutions that are both market-driven and environmentally friendly. Under the guidance of professors in the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS), UM students have developed the skills to transform theory into practical applications. Last year, at the iGEM competition held in Paris, the UM team won a silver medal, standing out among more than 400 teams worldwide with their groundbreaking exosome-based cancer therapy. This achievement marked the sixth consecutive year that UM has earned recognition in this global competition.

This success was the result of the team’s unwavering dedication and hard work. Wei Ning, an FHS student and the team leader, began preparing for the iGEM project during her first year at UM. Over the next three years, under the guidance of FHS professors, Wei and her team worked tirelessly to develop and refine their innovative idea. The team, consisting of 27 undergraduate students from different disciplines, was divided into three groups: biology, engineering, and humanities. Each group took on specific responsibilities, including building physical models, promoting the project, and devising fundraising strategies. Together, they successfully developed an innovative cancer therapy called ‘CarvengerX’, bringing their idea to life. 

Wei emphasises that every project milestone was achieved thanks to the academic and emotional support of their professors. At the heart of the project was a groundbreaking technology that used genetically engineered exosomes to deliver targeted signalling molecules to cancer cells, ultimately inducing cancer cell death. The related exosome detection experiments were carried out with the full support of Prof Zhao Qi’s laboratory.

Reflecting on the journey, Wei recalls a particularly touching moment with Prof Zhang Xuanjun. ‘During my first year, I felt overwhelmed by the responsibility of managing the entire project. Seeing my struggles, Prof Zhang shared his own experiences of overcoming academic challenges, reminding me that no one is born knowing everything—it’s through persistence and experience that we grow.’ She adds with a laugh, ‘At one meeting, he even brought us ice cream to help ease our nerves. Moments like that have become treasured memories for the team.’ In addition to Prof Zhang, the team received significant support from nearly ten other professors, whose advice on the project after the team’s initial results broadened the members’ research perspectives and played a key role in refining the project.

For Wei, the significance of iGEM goes far beyond winning a medal. ‘Although the competition has ended, it has opened up long-term opportunities for us.’ With the continued support of FHS and professors, the team is now working to establish a synthetic biology club at UM and to promote the establishment of the iGEM Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Alliance (iGBA). ‘As a team from Macao and the Greater Bay Area, we are committed to advancing health sciences and making a lasting impact.’

Building a structured way of thinking for debate success

The value of academic competitions extends beyond experimental sciences and thrives in intellectual pursuits such as debate. Debate competitions challenge participants to think critically and respond quickly to various topics, ranging from economics and politics to ethics, while strengthening their communication and analytical skills in the humanities and social sciences. Zhu Shuairong, a master’s student in data science, has represented the UM English Debating Team in numerous competitions since his undergraduate years. Over time, he has achieved remarkable success, including winning the championship at a national English debating competition for university students and earning the title of ‘Best Speaker’ at the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Universities Debating Championship. Reflecting on his journey from a novice to a top debater, Zhu shares that the biggest challenge is to ‘think fast’. He explains that when faced with unfamiliar topics, a skilled debater must quickly break down complex ideas and reorganise them into persuasive arguments. Throughout his journey, Zhu has been grateful for the support of his coaches and senior teammates. He is particularly inspired by Prof Tang Heng from the Faculty of Business Administration, whose teaching has helped him develop a structured way of thinking—a skill Zhu believes will benefit him for life.

Zhu credits Prof Tang’s immersive teaching in the ‘Business Intelligence and Data Analysis’ course with transforming how he thinks about communication. ‘I used to believe that presenting ideas was all about “less is more”, but Prof Tang showed me that a well-crafted, creative presentation can spark much deeper interest.’ Taking this lesson to the debate arena, Zhu began to weave vivid storytelling into his speeches to make his arguments more engaging and impactful. He realised that effective communication, whether in the classroom or on stage, is not just about ‘making the point’ but about ‘making people want to listen’.

The principles of data analysis taught by Prof Tang have also become powerful tools for Zhu in debates. When opponents use statistics to support their arguments, Zhu draws on a key lesson he learned from class—correlation does not equal causation—to effectively challenge and dismantle their claims. ‘In debates, arguments often escalate or become exaggerated,’ he explains. ‘Studying data analysis has trained me to approach issues from different perspectives. It helps me calmly break down my opponent’s logic and expose the flaws in their reasoning.’

Zhu believes that combining storytelling with critical analysis has not only made him a stronger debater but also prepared him for his future career. ‘Mastering the art of persuasion and in-depth analytical skills will undoubtedly give me an edge in the business world,’ he says confidently.

Strong academic foundations and expert guidance

Academic competitions, as an extension of classroom learning, play a vital role in fostering and testing students’ innovative thinking. UM students have consistently delivered outstanding performances in the prestigious Huawei ICT Competition, showcasing their exceptional ability to transform theoretical knowledge into practical, forward-thinking solutions. This year, Tan Hongye, Lei Wai Hong, and Ho Ka Meng, students from the FST Department of Computer and Information Science, stood out from over 210,000 university students worldwide. They won first prize in the computing track, setting a new UM record in this global competition.

This extraordinary achievement is a testament to the strong academic foundation the team developed throughout their university studies. Their award-winning project focused on critical areas like ICT operating systems and databases, demonstrating how concepts learned in the classroom can be effectively applied to solve real-world problems. Tan, the team leader, reflects on the collaborative nature of their success. ‘It wasn’t just one professor’s effort,’ he explains. ‘From computer networks to software engineering, every course played a role. The knowledge we gained from all our professors gave us the foundation to explore independently and tackle challenges with confidence.’

Another UM team, comprising FST students including Wong Iok Keong, also achieved great success by winning second prize in the cloud track in the Huawei ICT Competition in 2024. Their experience underscores the vital role of professor-student interaction. Wong highlights the pivotal guidance they received from Prof U Leong Hou, head of the Centre for Data Science under the Institute of Collaborative Innovation and associate professor in the Department of Computer and Information Science, during their preparation for the competition.

 

‘Prof U not only provided us with essential technical guidance and access to critical computing resources but also offered practical advice on teamwork, enabling us to achieve our goals efficiently,’ Wong explains. Under Prof U’s mentorship—offered both as a teacher and a friend—the team successfully completed their competition project while deepening their knowledge of cloud computing and artificial intelligence. They also honed their systems-level engineering thinking throughout the process. Whether through the cumulative knowledge gained from coursework or the expert mentorship of dedicated professors, the success of UM students in high-level competitions reflects the robust support system that fosters their innovative potential.

Transforming achievements into meaningful contributions

From the classroom to the competition stage, and from Macao to the global arena, the journey of UM faculty and students showcases the power of collaboration and shared growth. At UM, success is not defined by individual effort alone but by the collective strength of teammates who support one another and professors who provide guidance and care. The students who have achieved success in international competitions are now sharing their experiences and making meaningful contributions to society. As they move forward, we hope they continue to transform their achievements into practical applications, channel their knowledge into innovative solutions, and leverage science to enhance the wellbeing of humanity.