Prof. Sun Qiao, Dean of the Faculty of Innovation Engineering; Prof. Yang Lei, Director of undergraduate studies (Outreach) of FIE, Prof. Marta Filipa Simões of Department of Space Science and Technology and student representatives were invited to attend the EmpowHERed event organized by the Robotics Committee of The International School of Macao on February 1, 2026. The event aims to address the current low participation of women in technology and engineering fields. Through hands-on experiences, professional sharing, and interactive exchanges, it seeks to increase participants’ interest and confidence in STEM disciplines and encourage more women to pursue careers in STEM.
Group photo
During the event, Dean Sun Qiao delivered a presentation titled “Rewriting the Code: Overcoming Bias in STEM”. Drawing from her own journey from a STEM student to a scholar, she emphasized that diverse perspectives are at the core of innovation. She focused on the impact of unconscious bias as a barrier preventing women from entering STEM, practical strategies to recognize and overcome these biases, and encouraged participants to leverage their unique viewpoints and strengths to help build a more balanced, creative, and genuinely innovative field.
Dean Qiao Sun delivers a presentation
On the same day, Director Yang Lei gave a talk titled “Math Powers Her - She powers Math”. Using mathematics as the entry point and supported by concrete examples, she vividly illustrated the outstanding contributions and vast potential of women in the field of mathematics, challenging common stereotypes about women and math.
Director Yang delivers a presentation
In addition, Ms. Dou Yuqin (a Year 4 student from the School of Computer Science and Engineering) and Ms. Yi Zhenna (a graduate student from the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering) respectively hosted a workshop and gave a sharing session. They encouraged participants to apply for STEM-related programs and enter the STEM field, conveying the message that women have limitless possibilities in technology.
Through the sharing by faculty members and students from FIE, the event provided participants with diverse perspectives on STEM disciplines while delivering a powerful and positive message about women pursuing careers in technology, thereby encouraging and advancing greater female involvement in STEM fields.
