On 22^nd January 2019, the School of Human Resource Development & Psychology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) has received a visit from the University of Puangrimaggalatung Sengkang Makassar Sulawesi, Indonesia. A total of 25 postgraduate students participated in this visit accompanied by a senior lecturer from the university. Dr. Irmawati Norazman acted as the advisor for this visit and assisted by around 10 postgraduate students from our school.

The visit started with a welcoming speech by the Chair of School of Human Resource Development & Psychology, Associate Professor Dr. Siti Aisyah Abdul Rahman. Apart from that, a public lecture was also delivered by Professor Dr. Hamdan Said.  During the visit, an “International Colloquium on Management” was also jointly organised by the School of Human Resource Development & Psychology in collaboration with University of Puangrimaggalatung Sengkang Makassar Sulawesi, Indonesia. The colloquium was organised to provide opportunities for presentations on different topic specifically on the theme of management. This colloquium served as a platform in promoting a knowledge-sharing session between these two universities.

There was also a talk on possible future academic collaborations with University of Puangrimaggalatung Sengkang Makassar Sulawesi, Indonesia. This visit was not only beneficial to the students from the University of Puangrimaggalatung Sengkang Makassar Sulawesi, Indonesia, yet it also helped the postgraduate students from our school to have a good exposure on the organisation of an academic colloquium, to socialise with new acquaintances, to expand on networking for future research purposes, to have a better understanding about different cultures as well as to put forward their views on certain issues.

Dr Zuhra Junaida Husny, a senior lecturer at Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of Built Environment and Surveying, who is also the co-founder of HOLISTICS Lab Sdn Bhd, a UTM spin-off company, was selected to participate in the prestigious Leaders in Innovation Fellowships (LIF) program. The LIF program was held for 2 weeks from 14 to 25 January, 2019 in London, United Kingdom.

Dr Zuhra and her innovation was one of the 15 succeeded applicants handpicked by Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) and Oxentia out of 40 names forwarded by Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MiGHT) from 300 applications received. The LIF program was co-sponsored by the UK Government’s Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Newton-Ungku Omar Fund and the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MiGHT) worth RM85,000 for each participant.

The LIF program aims to enhance entrepreneurial capacity and commercialization skills of innovators from selected partner countries. LIF fellows are jointly selected by the Royal Academy of Engineering and MiGHT on the basis of the excellence of their research, the potentials of their innovations, the social and economic benefits of their innovations, and their potentials as entrepreneurs. The winning  innovationby Dr Zuhra  in the program is HACADEMY©, a one-stop centre for halal training programs, halal professional talent matching and organisational learning platform that is cost-effective and sustainable.

Dr. Zuhra with her Certificate of Completion

Group photo of all recipients during the program in London, UK

The Industrial Advisory Panels (IAP) for BSc. (Property Management) course gathered at Faculty of Built Environment and Surveying for a half day meeting to review the curriculum for the 21^stcentury and Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0) in January this year. The IAP comprises external representatives from the industrial community who provide a strategic view on the undergraduate course policies in respect of employability, teaching and hands-on knowledge. The IAP also will be keeping abreast of industry development which is essential aspects in preparing students for their future careers. The faculty and IAP are vital in creating a strong link between industry and the faculty and this link is expected to contribute in achieving the faculty’s goals and objectives. Members of the IAP are professionals in the industry and the government who collaborate and build cooperative efforts with the faculty, advise on academic programs, and help in building future programme direction. This collaboration will lead to each party having a better understanding of the objectives of the other as well as allowing each to better support the other in meeting the objectives. For this meeting, the delegate comprises top management in the industry such as Director General, Department of Valuation and Property Services (JPPH), Tuan Haji Sr. Ahmad Zailan Azizudin, Sr. Sivadas and Sr. Mahyudin Mustakim from Association of Valuers, Property Managers, Estate Agents and Property Consultants in the Private Sector Malaysia (PEPS), Dr. Soeb Pawi (Majlis Perbandaran Kulai), Tuan Haji Azmi Miswan (Majlis Bandaraya Johor Bahru), Mr. Imran Saleh (UDA Angsana Sdn. Bhd.), and Tuan Haji Samsubahri Selamat (Damansara Asset Sdn. Bhd.)

The Ambassador of Republic of Turkey to Malaysia, Her Excellency Dr. Merve Safa Kavakci, delivered the premier lecture entitled ‘Paradigm Shift in Foreign Policy: Humanitarian Approach’today at Dewan Azman Hashim, UTM Kuala Lumpur. The lecture showcased Turkish perspective in dealing with international humanitarian crises. Officiated by UTM Vice Chancellor – Prof. Datuk Ir. Dr. Wahid Omar,  the event was attended by over 300 participants, including distinguished guests the Ambassadors of Egypt, Ukraine, and Qatar together with diplomats from the Embassies of France, Kenya, Indonesia, Italy and Iraq. UTM Chairman, Tan Sri Abdul Halim Ali; Prof. Dr. Yusuf Ziya Kavakci and Prof. Dr. Gulhan Kavakci also attended the event.

HE Dr. Kavakci is internationally recognized for her background and legendary entrance into the political sphere. She was awarded the Public Service Award in Tribute and in Recognition of efforts for the advancement of human rights and Muslim Women’s empowerment by International Association for Women and Children (2000). She was awarded Service to Humanity Award by Haus Der Kulturellen Aktivitat und Toleranz (1999).

Sharing the Turkish way in dealing with humanitarian issues, HE Dr. Kavakci informed the audience that the Turkish government was the largest donor of humanitarian aids in the world. Last year, Turkey contributed 8 billion dollars, followed by the USA 6.5 billions, and Germany 3 billions. She remarked that the Turks have been, for the past centuries, emulating and upholding the familial relationships between Ansar-Mujahirun in the Islamic tradition, in which humanitarian victims are treated as ‘guests’ rather than as ‘refugees’.

AHIBS Global Dialogue is an initiative aligned with UTM Global Plan 2012 – 2020 (PGU) designed to push UTM’s visibility and branding as a global institution. AHIBS The program is a regular series held every two months . Previously, it has featured the Ambassador of Hungary, the Ambassador of The Gambia, the High Commissioner of Pakistan, the Ambassador of Denmark, and the Brigadier General from the United States. Next Global Dialogues will continuously feature interesting figures from high profile diplomatic officers assigned to Malaysia to speak about issues that can benefit bilateral relations and academic discourse.  The program is organized by teams at the Azman Hashim International Business School (led by AP Dr. Rossilah Jamil) and supported by UTM KL – UTM International,  Administration, and Corporate Affairs.

The CIMB 3D Conquest competition was held in Kuala Lumpur on 18 January 2019. UTM was represented by REK Team consisted of three computer science students who have made their university proud when they were announced as the 1st Runner up winner of the Data Science category.  The 2nd Runner Up was the E1 Team  from National University of Singapore (NUS). The first runner-up team took home USD5,000.00 each while the second runner-up team walked away with USD3,000.00.

The REK team representatives, Raymond Tan Wei Yi said that the CIMB Group’s inaugural 3D Conquest- a hackathon-style competition was open to university students across ASEAN.
“Three respected categories were contested in this competition namely Data Science, Fintech and Coding. Besides these main categories, there were also sub-categories for every main category contested namely Regional Championship, the First and Second Runner-Up.
“Three teams were crowned as Regional Champion namely Team Jet Et Al from Thammasat, Chulalongkorn and Mahidol Universities, Thailand. The two other teams were Team Jake from University of Reading, Malaysia (Fintech Category) and Tunku Abdul Rahman University College, Malaysia (for the Coding category),” he said.

He was met after the prize handing ceremony held at Le Meridien Hotel, Putrajaya. All the winners received their prizes from Dato’ Hamidah Naziadin, Group Chief People Officer of CIMB Group.
Each winning team of the Regional Champion sub-categories was rewarded with USD8,000.00 plus a trip to Silicon Valley and all the 115 contestants ‘fighting’ for this category were offered a standing job or internship by CIMB.
As many as 715 teams with over 2,500 participants from 200 universities across ASEAN begun the competition on September 18th, 2018 but only 213 teams from seven countries made it to the country level which was held in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. At the Grand Finale stage, a total of nine teams were selected as winners.
The 3D Conquest which ran on three tracks, the Data Science, FinTech and Coding as the main categories,  was organised to identify the region’s young digital talents as part of CIMB’s contribution towards ASEAN future development.
The Data Science track challenges students to build predictive models and segmentation frameworks that target revenue and profitability.
The Fintech track requires students to re-imagine banking solutions by developing innovative digital-related ideas that can improve the way we serve our customers and keep banking relevant, while the Coding track focuses on improving the mobile payment space with skills tested in coding, providing solution and developing prototypes for digital identity validation.

JOHOR BAHRU, 2 Feb. — Pada 29 dan 30 Januari 2019, Profesor Madya Ir. Dr. Sharifah Hafizah Syed Ariffin dan Dr. Nurzal Effiyana Ghazali dari Sekolah Kejuruteraan Elektrik, Fakulti Kejuruteraan bersama-sama dengan penyelidik dari lima buah negara ASEAN yang lain iaitu Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand dan Brunei telah mengadakan lawatan lapangan di Kuala Belait dan Wasan, Brunei Darussalam.

Projek yang sedang berjalan sehingga tahun 2021 adalah berkaitan dengan penerapan elemen ICT dan IoT untuk pemantauan kawasan berpotensi tinggi kepada kebakaran hutan tanah paya gambut serta masalah pembekalan air kepada kawasan padi di Wasan, Brunei.

Projek penyelidikan ASEAN IVO ini adalah di bawah National Institute of Communication and Technology (NICT) Jepun iaitu Projek ‘NAPC: Networked ASEAN Peat Swamp Forest Communities’ dan ‘A Mesh-Topological, Low-power Wireless Network Platform for Smart Watering System’.

Penyelidikan yang melibatkan negara-negara ASEAN ini memberi impak yang besar kepada penerapan ICT di dalam agrikultur setempat yang mana penyelidikan ini juga melihat kepada perbezaan situasi kawasan yang sangat bergantung kepada kawasan dan cuaca negara tersebut.

Data daripada penyelidikan ini diharap dapat membantu Malaysia dalam menerapkan ICT di dalam agrikultur penanaman padi yang terdiri daripada pelbagai jenis bagi kawasan-kawasan tertentu di semenanjung, Sabah dan Sarawak.

Lawatan lapangan di Kuala Belait, Brunei

12 January 2019 – Faculty of Technology and Informatics Razak (FTIR), STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and UTM KL through its spin-off company, Arus Infiniti Sdn. Bhd. have come together in organising the STEM Superhero Run in Putrajaya.  The run event was organised with the full support of Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS), Ministry of Education (KPM) and Malaysian Association of Creativity and Innovation (MACRI) as well as corporate sponsors such as The Institution Rishyakaran (ADUN Bukit Gasing) and many others.  The run has received an incredible response from the public as about 1000 participants have turned up at the starting line on the day of the run, donned in their respective STEM Superhero running t-shirt.

An energetic zumba session was set to bring the runners together to sweat it on even before the run started.  The 10km run was flagged off by Pro-Vice-Chancellor UTM KL, Prof. Dr. Shamsul Sahibuddin and Chairman of Yayasan MyPrihatin, Prof. Datuk Dr. Halimaton Hamdan at 7.15am followed by 5km fun run at 7.45am. There were 3 running categories; 5km Fun Run, 10km Competitive Run (men and women), and 1km STEM Explorace, which was only open to primary and secondary school students.  The event atmosphere was filled with excitement as the first 10km runner crossed the line at only 30 minutes after the flagged off.  All finishers were greeted by the cheering crowd at the finishing line with the crew handed out medals, mineral water and breads to the finishers.  All participants who have completed the run received a STEM Superhero T-shirt, medal race bib and e-certificate.

Category 1km STEM Explorace has received encouraging participation from schools around Kuala Lumpur and Selangor; a total of 7 schools with participation of 140 students.  The STEM Explorace received a great number of participation since it was the first of its kind that highlight the treasure hunt concept through a 1km run.  Each student had to answer a STEM-related question correctly at 12 checkpoints to complete the Explorace.  Student who had the most correct answers in the least time was announced as the winners.  For the Primary category, the first place was awarded to Nurul Aisyah binti Ahmad Yusni (SK Padang Tembak 1), followed by Priyashni Raja as second place (SJKT Batu Caves) and the third place to Qaseh Musliha Umairaq binti Abdul Wahab (SK Padang Tembak 1).  For the Secondary category, Victoria Institution had dominated the race by taking the first place by Izhan Rifaie bin Farish Affendy and third place by Mohammad Muadzin bin Mustamin.  The second place of STEM Explorace for this category was awarded to Nur Syazlyana binti Azhar from SMK Puteri Titiwangsa.

The STEM Superhero Run was organised to promote awareness of the importance of STEM education in creating innovation and scientific thinking society, while at the same time achieving a developed nation status through the development of the STEM elements in the education system in Malaysia.  The run which was open to the public has indirectly enhanced awareness, interest and excitement among participants in learning STEM related subjects.  In addition to the run, there were variety of exciting activities, namely zumba dance, food truck and exciting STEM-based exhibitions offered at the participating booths throughout the STEM Superhero Run.  Overall, majority of the participants expressed their appreciation towards UTMKL’s passion in promoting STEM education through physical and fun activities such as the STEM Superhero Run.  With high number of participants coupled with problem free management of the event throughout, the event was deem as a success which mainly the result of committed committee members, solid event management and a successful collaboration effort among UTMKL'[s staff and students.  Congrats to all finishers and shout out to the support crew!

More pictures can be obtained from STEM Superhero Run Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/STEMSuperheroRun2019)

Assoc. Professor Dr Yamaguchi, Engineer Ishibashi, and Researcher Dr Miyaoka from
Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan came to UTM on the 17 th of January, the main purpose of
which was to view the potential locations where 2 Daikin heat pumps will be placed.
Complete with all measuring devices and 2 separate data loggers, the heat pumps will be
the gifts from Waseda University in the research collaboration stated in the Memorandum
of Agreement (MOA). This MOA is still under consideration by UTM, where on-site data in humid tropical
Malaysian climate will be collected and shared. Similar units will be placed at  Universiti
Indonesia at Depok and the University of Philippines.

The Waseda University team together with the researchers from the School of Mechanical
Engineering (Prof Dr Normah Mohd Ghazali, Assoc. Prof. Dr Haslinda Mohamed Kamar,
Assoc. Prof Dr Nazri Kamsah, and Dr Ummikalsom Abidin) visited two possible sites for the
placement of the 2 heat pump units. For a real load pattern, the first location is in a house in
Taman Pulai Utama – the three visitors and the house owner had a serious discussion on the
best position which involves on-the-spot engineering drawing as well as pros and cons of
prospective sites to finally pin point the exact position where a unit of the heat pump will be
installed sometime in May of 2019.

KURDISTAN, IRAQ, 13 February 2019: Two members of Language Academy (LA), Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Mr. Ghazali Bin Bunari and Ms. Awis Rumaisya binti Azizan were sent to Qaiwan University (QU) in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan, Iraq from 5 to 10 February 2019. Upon arrival, the two delegates were greeted by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Norazman Bin Abdul Majid, Director of QU English Language Department and other members of the Language Department.

The main aim of this visit was to conduct Intensive English Program – Transnational Education (IEP-TNE) language assessment for the first batch of students from QU, the first UTM franchise campus abroad. The assessment encompasses two sections; Online Test and Oral Test. The online test was conducted in three QU computer labs where students’ reading, listening and grammar proficiency were assessed while students’ oral communication skills were tested through oral test. The oral test was conducted in groups and students were required to discuss issues related to students’ academic life. The evaluation criteria of the two tests were specifically designed to be aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).

A total of 66 students were involved in the test. Students who obtained CEFR Level B2 or above will be able to join the faculty as soon as possible whereas those who achieved B1 and below will have to attend IEP courses designed in three modular cycles.

The delegates were also invited to a dinner party held by the faculty members of QU language department as they celebrated the end of the students’ training session. Through the dinner party, delegates got to experience authentic Kurdish food, hospitality and culture.

As Mr. Ghazali and Ms. Awis left Sulaymaniyah for Malaysia, four more lecturers from Malaysia arrived to teach at the university. This was followed by the visit of UTM Vice Chancellor delegates to the university from 11 to 13 February 2019. It is hoped that the collaboration between LA and QU will help make the transnational education program initiated by SPACE, a huge success not only for LA but also for UTM.

Writers: Ghazali Bin Bunari and Awis Rumaisya Azizan.

Editors: Nur ‘Ain Binti Mohd Shahroom and Nur Hazwani Binti Mohd Muhridza

Congratulations! UTM Researchers, Associate Professor Dr. Mohd Azizi Che Yunus, a Researcher from the Lipid and Applied Engineering Research Center (CLEAR), together with his research team members, was one of the winners of the “Islamic Innovation Challenge (IIC)” competition organized by Platcom Venture Sdn Bhd under the Malaysian Innovation Agency (AIM). In collaboration with Eco Bee Shop Sdn Bhd (Eco Bee), UTM contributed to the program through the research project titled “Propolis Extract Production from Stingless Bees using Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE)”, worth RM45,000 in the form of research grant.

With the aim to increase up to more than 46 percent of employment opportunities in the local economy in the near future, Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development (MED), Datuk Dr Mohd Hatta Md Ramli, at the MOA exchange event, expressed his hope that SME should continue to contribute to at least 41 percent to the Output of The Gross National Income (GDP) by 2020 as set out in the National Entrepreneurship Framework (NEF).

The research grant won by Eco Bee Shop Sdn Bhd through the IIC was amongst 15 winners who have won the competition with a total of RM8million research grant awarded, to mostly selected from Halal Products & Services (which comprised of Health & Beauty, Flavor & Ingredients, Food Source Processing, Pharmaceuticals, Travel & Tour and Other Consumables), Equipment & Infrastructure (which included Machinery, Facility & Apparel) and Technology & ICT (basically for Software System & Apps and Personal Devices) project proposals.

Related Link:

1. https://www.utusanborneo.com.my/2019/01/27/med-yakin-pks-mampu-cecah-41-peratus-kdnk-menjelang-2020
2. http://www.nama.com.my/PRINT_NEWS/2019/01/26/20190126_N60_NST_BZ_20_FC_GOVT~CONFIDENT~SMES~CAN~CONTRIBUTE~41PC~TO~GDP.JPG
3. https://themalaysianreserve.com/2019/01/28/innovation-led-smes-must-leverage-on-halal-industry-to-meet-gdp-target/
4. https://www.bharian.com.my/bisnes/lain-lain/2019/01/523921/pks-sumbang-41-peratus-kdnk-tahun-depan

KURDISTAN, 12 Feb. — Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) has expanded its wing to a greater level of Transnasional Education (TNE) with the official visit of Vice Chancellor, Prof. Datuk Ir. Dr. Wahid bin Omar to Qaiwan University, the first UTM Franchise campus oversea from 11 to 13 February.

Prof. Datuk Ir. Dr. Wahid together with other representatives from UTM and UTMSPACE received a special welcome form the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Kurdistan, Dr. Yusuf Goran to discuss the strengthening of the UTM Franchise campus which has started its operation in Kurdistan since last year.

The Vice Chancellor had also been invited to share his expertise and experience in a forum organized by a local television station on “Globalizing the Higher Education in Kurdistan region”. Apart from that, he was also scheduled to meet the top management of Qaiwan Group, and a few other meetings and visits to discuss related matters during the trip.

Prof. Datuk Ir. Dr. Wahid said, the visit to Kurdistan region was very essential to explore other potentials in higher education which would pave the way towards strengthening the Malaysian higher education brand in Middle East countries to boost Malaysia and UTM’s name and prominence globally.

“The collaboration will not only give both parties a mutual benefit of academic knowledge but also the will provide proof that academic programmes in UTM are certified and acknowledged worldwide,” he added.

UTM established the first Franchise Campus oversea through a strategic partnership with Qaiwan University, where UTM would offer its academic programme in franchise mode to the local students in Kurdistan, and the students will get the degree from UTM.

At present, a total of 128 local students of Kurdistan have registered in four undergraduate programs offered by UTM.

The programmes are Bachelor in Computer Science (Software Engineering) and Bachelor in Computer Science (Computer and Network Security) under the School of Computing, Bachelor of Management (Technology) under the Azman Hashim International Business School (AHIBS), and Bachelor of Science (Human Resource Development) under the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities.

The students started their studies since Semester II, 2018/2019 session.

Prof. Datuk Dr. Wahid added that the number of students expected to grow significantly as UTM will offer another four undergraduate programmes and two postgraduate programmes under the Faculty of Engineering and AHIBS.

He also said that UTM received a positive feedback and response from the meeting with the Minister which was highlighted in the local media.

“They appreciate our presence in Kurdistan. Thus, we are positive that this collaboration would give more benefits for both countries and would have great prospect in the future,” he added.

Joining the visit was the Managing Director and the Chief Executive Officer of UTMSpace, Prof Ir Dr Azraai bin Kassim, Chair of Space, Prof. Dr. Othman Che Puan, UTMSpace General Manager of Transnational Education Division, Mr Zulkifli Osman, UTM Pro-Vice Chancellor (Strategy), Prof. Dr. Shahrin bin Mohammad and the President of Qaiwan University, Prof. Dr. Habibollah Bin Haron.

Soon Sri Lankans and neighboring citizens can be part of AHIBS MBA growing global network with the franchising of MBA program to the National Institute of Business Management (NIBM), Sri Lanka. This is an output of an earlier agreement signed between UTM and NIBM that aims to promote transnational education of UTM programs to other parts of the world. NIBM has a four-decade track record in the provision of education and development programs through its five campuses throughout Sri Lanka.

Under the agreement, NIBM will deliver the MBA program under close mentoring and monitoring by AHIBS and UTM SPACE. The program may also involve delivery of certain modules by AHIBS’ lecturers and outbound students mobility program in Malaysia.

To kick off the collaboration, AHIBS lecturers – AP Dr. Rohaida Basiruddin, AP Dr. Rossilah Jamil, AP Dr. Nomahaza Mahadi flew to Colombo to conduct a 3-day training-of-trainers and academic discussion with the NIBM counterpart. This was part of long and rigorous procedures for quality assurance.

This collaboration is an achievement for both ends. It is the first franchise program for AHIBS, while the first postgraduate program for NIBM (School of Business).

Well done to the AHIBS transnational education team, Dr. Nor Zafir Salleh and Dr. Suzilawati Kamaruddin, and UTM SPACE for pushing the boundary.

MBA students from AHIBS successfully organized BeachFunRun at Dataran Teluk Kemang, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan on 15^th December 2018. Over 350 participants from all walks of life, students, families, and friends took part in this event. With the theme  ‘Know AIDS, No AIDS’, the program aimed to enhance public awareness on AIDS while promoting social inclusion of AIDS patients. Other than running, other activities involved were blood donation drive, dental checks, health screening, kids’ coloring contest, and lucky draws.

This CSR event was organized by students of MBA (Healthcare Management), who are also medical doctors at Jabatan Kesihatan Negeri Negeri Sembilan (JKNNS), as part of their course curriculum. It was a tripartite collaboration between AHIBS UTM, JKNNS and AIDS Foundation Malaysia.