Study Tour to Macau 2014

Date: 28th October 2014 Location: University of Macau, Macau University of Science and Technology, Communication Museum of Macau, Macao Polytechnic Institute, City of Dreams Type: Technical visits Sponsor: CASH Education Fund Sponsored Activity

1. Acknowledgement

First of all, we would like to thank the financial support from the CASH Education Fund

Sponsored Activity, also the technical support from IEEE both Hong Kong and Macau

Section. Staff from SAO ( Student Affairs Office) also helped a lot during the preparation.

Last but not least, we thanks all the professors, laboratory staff and students helpers from

Macau and The Open University of Hong Kong. Our trip will not be able to proceed if

anyone is missing.

2. Introduction

Our memorable 3 days - 2 nights trip started on 28 October 2014. A group of full-time

students, professor and academic staff of The Opening University of Hong Kong

participated in the Study Tour to Macau 2014. Kenneth, the chairman of IEEE Macau, had

joined and guided us as a leader. The tour included visits to ● University of Macau ● University of Science & Technology ● Macao Polytechnic Institute ● Communication Museum of Macau ● City of Dreams This 3 days - 2 nights trip was co-organized by the Engineering Sciences Team, School of

Science and Technology of OUHK and IEEE OUHK Student Branch. Here is the list of OUHK student participants: The tour has broadened students' horizons in engineering successfully. They have a chance

to exchange ideas with students in Macau, as well as let them gain a clearer understanding

of their career prospect in Hong Kong and Macau. We hope our students can enjoy

learning outside the classroom environment.

3. Itinerary

In this 3days-2nights trip, we held a number of briefing, laboratory tour and discussion

forum. We also assigned students as person-in-charge of different parts of the tour, such as

photographer, group leaders, presenting souvenirs etc. The itinerary is show below:

Day 1 (28 Oct 2014, Tue):

Time Activity Venue Remarks

08:45 Assembly / attendance-taking / photo-taking

HK-Macau Ferry Terminal (Sheung Wan) (ticket office)

Check travelling documents (GL) Attendance (GL à LD) Group photo (banner) (PH)

09:15 – 10:15

Trip: HK à Macau (TurboJet)

-- --

10:30 – 11:00

Trip: Outer Ferry Terminal (Macau) à UMAC Hengqin (coach)

-- Group photo at terminal (banner) (PH) Attendance (GL à LD) Pick up by Macau rep Kenneth (KL)

11:00 – 12:30

Lunch 紅樹林餐廳, UMAC Makes sure group mates got lunch (GL)(HG) Payment (LD), Photos (PH)

12:30 – 14:00

Research lab & teaching lab visits (BME lab, Automobile Engineering Lab, Natural Language Processing & Portuguese Chinese Machine Translation Lab, Electric Power Engineering Lab, Electric Machines & Drives Lab)

University of Macau (UMAC)

Led by Lodge (LP) and colleagues Photos (PH)

14:00 – 15:15

Forum 1: challenges facing engineering students in HK & Macau (Part 1)

UMAC (Room G003, Block E12) (80 cap)

IET student reps join; Intro. to IEEE OUHK SB (ED) MC (LD), Photos (PH) Presentation of souvenirs (LD)(ED)(PH) Group photo (banner) (PH)

15:15 – 16:30

Hengqin Campus Tour

UMAC Official campus tour led by UMAC PR staff Photos / group photo (PH) Souvenir to PR (LD)

17:00 – 17:30

Trip: UMAC à Regency Hotel

-- Attendance (GL à LD)

17:30 Check-in hotel Regency Macau Group photo (banner) (PH) Assignment of rooms (LD)

18:30 – 20:00

Dinner & sharing 安德魯Lord Stow’s

(Old UMAC

campus)

Macau student reps join Facilitator (ED) Attendance (GL à LD) Payment (LD) Makes sure group mates got lunch (GL)(HG) Photos (PH) Reports / photos on Facebook (All àHR)

Day 2 (29 Oct 2014, Wed):

Time Activity Venue Remarks

08:00 – 09:00

Breakfast Regency Macau Breakfast available starting at 7:00am

09:00 – 09:30

Trip: hotel à MUST (coach)

-- Attendance (GL à LD)

9:30 – 11:00

Tour of MUST campus (campus facilities, teaching labs, research labs)

Macau University of Science & Technology (MUST)

Rep from MUST (Rowen & SL) Photos (PH)

11:00 – 12:00

Forum 2: challenges facing engineering students in HK & Macau (Part 2)

MUST Rep from MUST (Rowen & SL) Facilitators (LD, ED, GL) Photos (PH) Presentation of souvenirs (LD) (PH) Group photo (banner) (PH)

12:00 – 13:30

Lunch MUST canteen Payment (LD) Makes sure group mates got lunch (GL)(HG) Photos (PH)

13:30 – 14:00

Trip: MUST à CMM (coach)

-- Attendance (GL à LD)

14:00 – 15:00

Technical Visit to Communications Museum of Macau

Communications Museum of Macau (CMM)

Group photo (banner) at entrance (PH) Photos (PH) Payment (LD)

15:00 – 16:30

Sharing by experts and alumni: career prospects in the telecom. industry in Hong Kong & Macau

CMM (Auditorium) Sharing: Matthew, Lodge, Kevin Facilitators (GL) Photos (PH), Group photo (banner) (PH) Presentation of souvenirs (LD)(ED)(PH)

16:30 – 21:30

Free time (city tour) -- Photos (All)

21:30 Return to hotel Regency Macau Reports / photos on Facebook (All àHR)

Day 3 (30 Oct 2014, Thu):

Time Activity Venue Remarks

08:00 – 09:30

Breakfast / Checkout Hotel

Regency Macau Breakfast available starting at 7:00am

09:30 – 10:00

Trip: hotel à MPI (coach)

-- Attendance (GL à LD)

10:00 – 11:00

Campus tour (MPI-QMUL IS Research Ctr, MPI-BMM Testing Ctr, IPV6 lab, Melco Lab, MPI-GSA Asia Ctr, Research Ctr in Ubiquitous Computing)

Macao Polytechnic Institute (MPI)

Pick up by Jacky & Victor (MPI Entrance near 蘭桂坊酒店); Drop off bags in 216 Photos (PH), Group photo (banner) (PH) Student reps (CHAN Pek Leng, Lillian; LIANG Yijuan, Key)

11:00 – 12:00

Forum 3: opportunities for engineering students in HK & Macau

MPI (M608) Photos (PH) Facilitators (LD, ED, GL) Presentation of souvenirs (LD) (PH) Certificate of appreciate for study reps (ED)(PH) Group photo (banner) (PH)

12:00 – 13:30

Lunch 萬豪軒 Photos (PH) Makes sure group mates got lunch (GL)(HG); Payment (LD)

13:30 – 14:00

Trip: 萬 豪 軒 à CoD

(coach) -- Attendance (GL à LD)

14:00 – 16:00

Technical visit to I.T. facilities at CoD

City of Dreams (CoD)

Drop off at CoD Staff Entrance (near MUST); Submit tour forms (LD); Photos (PH); Presentation of souvenirs (LD) (PH); Group photo (banner) (PH)

16:00 – 16:30

Trip: CoD à Outer Ferry Terminal (coach)

Outer Ferry Terminal (Macau)

Attendance (GL à LD) Check travelling documents (GL)

16:45 – 17:45

Trip: Macau à HK (TurboJet)

-- --

17:45 Dismissal HK-Macau Ferry Terminal

Within next few days (reports / photos on Facebook (All)(HR)

4. Activities

4.1. Day 1

4.1.1. From Hong Kong to University of Macau

Thanks to the “morning-callers” we all managed to assemble at the Hong Kong - Macau Ferry

Terminal at 8:45am! After taking attendance and another briefing, off we went to Macau!

[ The long-awaited moment began on the TurboJet. All were excited, but some decided to catch

up with sleep. ]

[ To capture the historical moment, we took a group photo at the Outer Ferry Terminal in Macau.

The 50-seat coach came to the terminal at 10:30am. ]

In the coach, we were greeted by Kenneth (electrical & electronic engineering student

representatives from University of Macau).

4.1.2. Discussion Forum 1: Challenges facing engineering students in Hong and Macau

(Part 1)

[ Dr. Kevin Hung was leading our discussion. ]

After arriving UMAC, we were lead to a lecture room and had a discussion forum. With the

theme “Challenges facing engineering students”. We felt puzzled by the future of career, and

even did not know what we were learning. Nevertheless, Dr. Kevin Hung had tried to lead us and

make us believe that we have to make our greatest effort on studying, and also improving our

qualities in our prospect. It would be greater if we gain more other learning experience related to

engineering. It would help our future.

[We were presenting our greeting to Macau student. ]

4.1.3. Hengqin Campus tour

We visited three research laboratories in the University of Macau. Those labs showed us the

emerging technology in different domains of electronic engineering. For example, the simulation

of real life electricity generation in BME Lab, the low-cost and low-loss new generation current

quality compensator in Electric Power Engineering Lab and the I-fingers technology in Natural

Language Processing & Portuguese Chinese Machine Translation Lab. It could really widen our

horizon while we are not having chance to see that in Hong Kong. UMAC also mentioned us in its news feed as below:

http://news.umac.mo/nrs/faces/pub/viewItem.jspx?id=3

0216

[UMAC Staffs were explaining laboratory to us ] [Students were listening to them carefully. ]

[We have never gone to the laboratory that investigates car before! ]

4.1.4. Dinner and Sharing at Lord Stow’s

[ Kenneth, Student in Macau, are helping us to distribute our dinner ]

We have tried a lot of awesome food such as Portuguese egg tart, lasagna and brunches of

pastries and pies. The Portuguese egg tart of Lord stowe are great. We were told the egg tart from

Lord Stowe are famous which have been appealing to many tourists in Macau. We were able to

talk a lot with Macau’s students and exchange ideas such as related jobs through the dinner.

4.2. Day 2

4.2.1. Tour of Macau University of Science and Technology

On day 2, We visited library and labs of MUST. Through the visit, we know more about the

space technology and 3D technology. First of all, they show us a telescope. We seldom try this

before. It made us very excited. Meanwhile, some of us went to a room which mainly focus on

3D animation. They showed us a 3D animation. And there is a error in it. There is a white light

between the screen. They explained it is very difficult to make a prefect animation actually. And

it had broaden our horizons a lot.

4.2.2. Discussion Forum 2: Challenges facing engineering students in Hong Kong and

Macau (Part 2)

Also, during the meeting with Professor Tsoi, we know more about the path of our future and

what we should do. And what we need to do is to sometimes take a risk. If we are willing to take risk, our future will be great.

[ We were presenting our souvenir to Professor Tsoi, Dean, Faculty of Information Technology ]

4.2.3. Technical Visit to Communication Museum of Macau

The experience of visiting the Communications Museum of Macau is wonderful. The second

floor of the museum is about the history of digital communications. From bell telephone to the optical

fiber network. Each of these milestones of digital communication history are exhibited with word

description and practical objects which we can use them to simulate the real life situation and learn the

theory behind them. We think that this learning style is direct and effective.

4.2.4. Sharing by experts and alumni: Career prospects in the telecom industry in Hong

Kong and Macau

In this sharing, we are so pleased to have two guest speakers, one is an expert who has been

working in engineering field for a very long time in Macau and other one is one of our alumni

who has been working in Macau for few years after graduation, to share about the current

working environment in the engineering field in Macau and also the major difference between

working as an engineer in Hong Kong and working as an engineer in Macau. We find these

information very useful and it may encourage us to work in Macau after graduation in near future.

4.3. Day 3

4.3.1. Campus tour of Macao Polytechnic Institute

On day 3, after we had a breakfast in the hotel, we went to visit Polytechnic Institute.

[ We took a photo before we went into Polytechnic Institute . ]

After that, the staff of Polytechnic Institute brought us to a computer room and let us put down our

packet. Then he introduced something about Polytechnic Institute and he brought us to some interesting

lab such as the gambling lab and the IPv6 lab. We know the operation of those gambling machines in

casinos.

[ The staff of Polytechnic Institute introduced how the slot machines and the security system of baccarat were

operated .]

[ We visited the IPv6 lab and the staff of Polytechnic Institute introduced and modulated about the IPv6 .]

4.3.2. Discussion Forum 3: Opportunities for engineering students in Hong Kong and

Macau

Besides, we communicated with the students there and knew that Macao need thousands of IT

technicians every year but the supply of those technicians are not enough and they all already hired by

companies before graduation. Also, there were some different courses between Macau and Hong Kong. In

Macau , gaming programming courses were very popular. Such as, security system of baccarat and slot

machine programming. Therefore , Macau’s students who studied gaming programming can work in

casino. However, Hong Kong did not provide these courses. It is because Hong Kong did not have many

casino. Hong Kong’s students who studied programming can work in companies or made some

application systems of smart phones.

[ We communicated with the students who graduated in Polytechnic Institute and knew more about what were the

courses different between Macau and Hong Kong .]

4.3.3. Technical visit to I.T. facilities at City of Dreams

Moreover , we went to City of Dream after we visited the Polytechnic Institute. The staffs of

City of Dream brought us to visit the transformer room and introduced how these were worked.

Furthermore, the staffs introduced the organization of City Dream and how the computer and

engineering knowledge can apply in this company.

[ The staffs introduced the organization of City Dream and how the computer and engineering

knowledge can apply in this company..]

[ We took a great photo with the staffs before we left .]

5. Objectives Achieved

All students have enjoyed learning outside the classroom environment. They can also

acknowledge the importance of learning beyond textbooks. Through guided tours to

engineering facilities and laboratories, students are able to gain a better understanding of the

current engineering and I.T. development in Macau and nearby regions. The discussion forum

are also able to help students to exchange ideas and vision with engineering students in Macau.

The tour has certainly enhanced their appreciation of how innovation in engineering benefits

the society.

After this study tour, we have discussed in

● Planning for joint student activities in the future

● Planning for collaborative academic and research activities in the future

Since there will be a visit to HAECO in the near future, we have already invited them to join us

together! Students in Macau are very interested in joining us. Hope we will have more joint

activities in communicating more often.