Qi Yaning, associate master of Choi Kai Yau College (CKYC) of the University of Macau (UM), led six students from CKYC, Lui Che Woo College, and Cheng Yu Tung College of UM to participate in the ‘Smart Cities, Smart Transportation’ summer exchange programme jointly organised by CKYC and Tongji University’s Guohao College.
The exchange programme was the first student exchange activity since the signing of the memorandum of understanding on educational cooperation between the two colleges in April 2024. It aimed to create an interdisciplinary and cross-regional exchange platform for participating students and faculty, while integrating education and technological innovation, an educational philosophy upheld by the college. The exchange programme focuses on exploring the smart and green transformation of urban transportation in Shanghai and Macao, contributing to the development of smarter and more sustainable urban transportation systems.
On the first morning in Shanghai, a guide took all participants on a tour of the History Museum of Tongji University. As one of the oldest higher education institutions in China, Tongji University has produced many outstanding alumni who have made significant contributions to the modernisation of the country over the past century. In the afternoon, students and faculty from both universities participated in ice-breaking games to strengthen their friendship. At the opening ceremony, representatives from both universities gave speeches and exchanged souvenirs. Participants then attended a lecture on smart transportation in Shanghai by Liu Chenglong, professor at Tongji University’s College of Transportation Engineering.
The next day, the participants visited the laboratory of the College of Transportation Engineering at Tongji University’s Jiading campus to learn about various traffic simulation systems, including advanced autonomous driving simulators, smart traffic management systems, and vehicle-road coordination technologies, to gain a deeper understanding of smart transportation. On the third day, they visited the Shanghai Museum and the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center, gaining knowledge about Shanghai’s history, development, and future development plan, which provided valuable references and insights for research topics.
After their activities in Shanghai, students and faculty from both universities travelled to Macao for the next phase of the exchange programme. On the first day in Macao, the students were divided into four groups to explore the city by bus, light rapid transit, hotel shuttle and taxi to experience the differences between urban transportation in Shanghai and Macao. On the second day, the participants visited the State Key Laboratory of Internet of Things for Smart City (IOTSC) of UM and attended a lecture on smart transportation by Janny Leung, college master of CKYC. In the afternoon, they toured the UM campus and Lui Che Woo College.
On the final day of the exchange programme, students from both universities presented their group reports. After conducting in-depth research on the current state and differences of urban transportation in Shanghai and Macao, each group proposed solutions to smart transportation problems in both cities. Janny Leung, college master of CKYC, and Li Zhenning, assistant professor in IOTSC, served as judges. They provided feedback on the presentations in terms of progress and achievements, significance and contributions, innovation, and presentation skills. The judges highly praised the students’ efforts and awarded certificates to all the participants.