The Macao Polytechnic University (MPU) said in a statement on Friday that it has recently been shortlisted as one of the top eight finalists for the “Outstanding Contribution to Environmental Leadership” category in the Times Higher Education Awards Asia 2024, often referred to as the “Oscars of Higher Education”.
The winner in the category is set to be announced in April, the statement noted, with the award aiming to honour higher education institutions “demonstrating leadership in environmental contribution”. The education awards have been recognising “excellence in higher education” for 14 years in the UK and were first introduced to Asia in 2019, according to the statement.
The statement pointed out that MPU was shortlisted due to collaborative efforts between its Faculty of Applied Sciences’ staff and students in developing the environmental technology project and long-term research endeavour “Canarin”, which is a cloud-based real-time environmental monitoring system that utilises artificial intelligence (AI) and big data technologies to collect various real-time environmental data such as UV radiation and humidity.
The statement did not explain the meaning of “Canarin”.
The statement said that it enables real-time monitoring of air quality changes, providing decision-makers with “actionable environmental data to protect cultural heritage from damage due to delayed or incorrect responses”.
The research findings have received international patents, with Canarin having been practically applied in environmental conservation settings in countries such as France, Italy and Thailand, as well as implemented at the University of Coimbra’s Joanina Library.
The statement said that Canarin, which has also been integrated in the public university’s curriculum, has received multiple honours and awards, and was presented at the G7 Environment Summit in Italy and garnered high praise from experts and scholars worldwide.
This undated handout photo provided by the Macao Polytechnic University (MPU) shows students and staff from its Faculty of Applied Sciences posing. MPU did not provide the names of those pictured or where and when the photo was taken.
