JOHOR BAHRU, 19 December 2017 – Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Global Day is one of the internationalization initiatives taken by the management to internationalize the University and its community as well.

It was also organized with the aim to provide more exposure to the local UTM community about the higher learning environments in other countries.

The Pro-Vice Chancellor (International), Prof. Dr. Nordin Yahya in his speech said that only through global educational engagements can the UTM community stand more chances to communicate with foreign universities representatives.

“This is the day when you stand a chance to meet and ask them directly about the prospectives of studying at their respective universities.

“You can also gain as many information as you want including courses offered, the fee structures , the programme recognition and the environment at that particular place,” said Prof. Nordin.

Also attending the launching ceremony were Deputy Director (Global Strategy and Engagement) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Ariffin Abu Hassan and Director (Global Education & Student Experience), Prof. Dr. Nor Haniza Sarmin.

Eight foreign universities participated in the event, namely Beifang University (China), Universitas Sriwijaya (Indonesia), Binul Universiti (Indonesia), King Mongkut University of Technology (Thailand), State University of As-Syarif Kasim (Indonesia), Krabuk University (Turkey), Bayburt University (Turkey) and Karamanoglu University (Turkey).

UTM currently has academic collaborations with about 200 universities around the world. The collaborations undertaken are in the field of Research and Development (R&D), the exchange of expertise, student and staffs and publication materials.

The UTM Global Day programme was held at the Banquet Hall, Sultan Ibrahim Chancellery Building for two days beginning from December 19th 2017.

Source: Global Day to internationalize UTM and community

EDINI CITY, ISKANDAR PUTERI, Johor, 20 December 2017 – Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Johor today inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Medini Iskandar Malaysia Sdn Bhd (MIM), the first development/private company from Iskandar Puteri.

The MIM sets out the basis of cooperation between UTM and MIM in enhancing the talent pool and prepare the UTM graduates for employment.

The signing took place at Medini Investor Centre @ Medini 6 in Medini City, where the MoU is expected to broaden the opportunity for both parties to build young talents that provide necessary exposure and skill-set development programme.

UTM is represented by the Vice Chancellor Prof. Datuk Ir. Dr. Wahid Omar, while MIM is represented by Dr James Tee, the Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of Medini Iskandar Malaysia Sdn Bhd.

Also present were Deputy Vice Chancellor (Student Affairs) Professor Dr Durrishah Idrus, Director of UTM Career Centre, Assoc Prof Dr Othman Ibrahim and Director of Alumni UTM, Assoc Prof Dr Mohamad Ibrahim Mohamad.

“MIM is the first company in Iskandar Puteri that UTM is signing with, and we are privileged that they MIM is very supportive of local universities like UTM.

“Being the master developer and master planner of the 2,230 acres thriving township of Medini City, I can see that the development is robust and I understand there is a strong need to retain and grow skilled workforce,” Professor Wahid said.

He cited, through the collaboration, UTM will give the opportunities to their bright students to garner experience from MIM and hone their skills while learning more about township development in the process of building a sustainable and smart Central Business District.

“The first intake will be in February next year, where MIM will recruit undergraduates and postgraduates to fulfil internship programmes at MIM, particularly in the fields of engineering and construction.

“These programmes are intended to be implemented within a timeframe of three to six months,” he added.

He said, the internship programme is a good platform for the students to learn, and get first-hand experience to build a well-planned city.

“There will be many other companies from Iskandar Puteri expected to adopt this initiative within the next few months. For now, we are happy to have kick-started the process for student placement at MIM,” he said.

Meanwhile, Managing Director / Chief Executive Officer of MIM, Dr James Tee,  said, MIM is very committed to implement the industrial partnership initiative because as a thriving Central Business District, they are building and creating new opportunities for the younger generations to acquire, learn and contribute to the success and sustainability of Medini City.

“Youths are our future leaders and this initiative of educating and nurturing crop of young people in the business of city development will make them better aware of what it takes to build a city.

“As the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and programmes like this would make the interns better understand the requirements and appreciate the fine details of city development,” he said.

Dr James added, they chose UTM to implement the programme because of its status being one of the most prestigious and respected local universities in Malaysia that is leading in the academic and research fields of engineering, science and technology.

“We seek bright local talents to be part of this exciting and distinctive journey where Medini City also aspires to be the benchmark for future city development in Malaysia and for the region too,” he cited.

Dr James who graduated with fisrts class degree from UTM in 1995 said, more then 10 percent’s MIM staff graduated from UTM and he thanked to UTM for setting up a corner stone for his career and future.

Source: UTM and MIM, Ink Industrial Partnership Initiative

JOHOR BAHRU, 20 December 2017 – Prof Dr Khairiyah was invited to participate in a study visit to Kyoto on Problem-Based Learning (PBL) for Low Carbon Society (LCS) Education for secondary school students in the Iskandar Region project from 9th December 50 15th december 2017.

The program is funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in collaboration with the Kyoto Environment Activities Association (KEAA) and the Kyoto City.

Thirty teachers from six schools were trained at the UTM Centre for Engineering Education (CEE) and mentored to implement PBL for educating Form two students on LCS in 2017.

The visit is a part of the prizes of the PBL-LCS final competition as the finale of the implementation of PBL-LCS in 2017.

Four students and two teachers from Sekolah Menengah Johor Jaya 2, the winners of the LCS final competition, Hj Amiruddin Abdul Manaf from the Johor State Education Department (JPNJ) and Dr Ihsan Ismail from the Ministry of Education were also part of the Malaysian delegate.

The five day study visit comprised of participating in the Kyoto+20 conference in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Kyoto Protocol, meeting with the Kyoto City Mayor, presentations and discussions at two middle and high schools At Notre Dame high school in Kyoto after  students and Dr Khairiyah’s presentation to exchange information on PBL implementations, presentation on PBL by Prof Khairiyah and presentations by students from Malaysia and the Japanese schools.

The teachers and school principle, as well as officers from KEAA expressed interest in the syatematic PBL model, implementation, training and collaboration.

They were also impressed with the solution and presentations from the students who won PBL-LCS competition.

This project will be continued to 2018 with another six new schools, which make a total of 12 schools in Johor to implement PBL at their schools.

This is also in line with the STEM education and 21st century learning initiatives in Malaysia.

Source: Prof Dr Khairiyah participating in in a study visit to Kyoto

12 December 2017: A full-day training programme with Astro Awani journalist, Hilal Azmi, was carried out in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Johor Bahru to develop the necessary skills for students to become UTM Awani Rangers. The programme, which was organised by the Centre of Community and Industry Network (CCIN) in collaboration with Language Academy, aimed to provide students opportunities to enhance soft skills, gain professional media content practice, engage with community, and create content to be published on an online platform provided by Astro Awani.

A total of 86 students from 12 faculties signed up for the programme with 76 undergraduates and ten postgraduates, including 12 international students from seven countries (Bangladesh, Egypt, Turkmenistan, Yemen, Pakistan, Syria, and Iraq). WhatsApp Group Chat has been created and is in use to sustain the community of UTM Awani Rangers and to support other students who could not attend all the sessions due to classes and other academic commitments.

The programme, which was hosted at Language Academy, UTM Johor Bahru, provided students an overview of independent and mobile journalism, with self, social media and smartphone as tools. The first half of the programme also entailed students interacting with Astro Awani newscaster, Ashwad Ismail, in a live question and answer session, and culminated in the students engaging with both on and off campus communities, collecting facts and opinions, to create content in the form of texts, photos and videos, completely immersed in the role of an Awani Ranger.

In the second half of the programme, Hilal Azmi reviewed the content produced by students and engaged them into thinking and discovering other ways to make their stories better, while the Deputy Director of UTM Corporate Affairs, Dr Abdullah Mohd Nawi, briefed them about rights and responsibilities, autonomy and accountability as UTM students. The pinnacle of the event was the prize-giving and appreciation session where two UTM students were awarded the Best UTM Awani Rangers; Sakeshraj Narajah of the Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering, who is also the President of the UTM Aces Toastmasters Club, won for the male category, and Nur Adnin Alwany binti Abd Razak of the Faculty of Biosciences and Medical Engineering for the female category.

For more information on UTM Awani Rangers for UTM Johor Bahru campus, contact Associate Prof Dr Johari Surif, CCIN Director at johari_surif@utm.my, or Dr Farhana Diana Deris, Senior Lecturer, Language Academy at diana@utm.my.

#UTMAwaniRangers #UTM #AwaniRangers #UTMLanguageAcademy #UTMawesome #UTMstudentexperience #IamUTM #push4excellence #globaltalents

Source: Educate, Entertain, Inform: UTM Students Leveraging Smartphones and Social Media, Creating Content as Awani Rangers

JOHOR BAHRU, 16 December 2017 – Six Merdeka Award recipients shared their views on the state of science education in Malaysia, and their experiences and reflections over their work together with over 80 young scientists, academic staff, and postgraduate students in the inaugural 2017 Merdeka Award meeting jointly organised by the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM), the Merdeka Award secretariat, and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) at UTM Johor Bahru, today.

The six recipients were Academician Tan Sri Dr Salleh Mohd Nor FASc, Professor Dato’ Dr Ahmad Fauzi Ismail FASc, Professor Datuk Dr Halimaton Hamdan FASc, Professor Datin Paduka Dr Khatijah Mohd Yusoff FASc, Distinguished Professor Datuk Dr Harith Ahmad FASc and Professor Dato’ Ir Dr Wan Ramli Wan Daud FASc.

The recipients engaged with the participants through a Merdeka keynote address, a Merdeka lecture, a Merdeka roundtable session, networking lunch and Merdeka Masterclass during the one day event.

ASM President, Professor Datuk Dr Asma Ismail who officiated this event, explained that the 2017 Merdeka Meeting is a platform for participants to learn from distinguished experts, who are adept at optimising resources available within the country to advance knowledge in their respective fields. It also encourages participants to identify potential collaborations which enable them to work with one another in the future.

The format of the 2017 Merdeka Meeting mimics the annual Lindau Nobel Laureate meeting held in Germany, where Nobel Laureates and selected members of the global scientific community gather and network with each other in a series of events over the course of one week. Malaysia usually participates though a delegation of two to three representatives annually, through a stringent selection process done by the Lindau meeting committee.

The Merdeka Award recipients were unanimous in sharing their concerns over the worrying state of science education in Malaysia today. In his keynote address, Academician Tan Sri Dr Salleh Mohd Nor informed participants that there was an acute decline of students enrolling in the science stream.

The workforce of the future, explained Professor Datuk Dr Halimaton Hamdan, is in urgent need of skills and competencies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), which is a requisite in cultivating a society of innovative prosumers (producers and consumers).

The dwindling public interest in science, according to Distinguished Professor Datuk Dr Harith Ahmad, has serious ramifications for Malaysia’s progress as a developed nation. He noted that the public must be able to see a future in science, and are given opportunities to work in areas related to the sciences.

Additionally, the industry should bring the scientific community on board in the country’s development projects, working together in providing solutions to real-world problems.

Professor Datin Paduka Dr Khatijah Mohd Yusoff remarked that Malaysia is not short of policies in science, technology and innovation, and should have no problem in driving the science, technology and innovation (STI) agenda forward.

That said, current policies lack solid footing in implementation. The policies are also in favour of applied research, which will not help the country in developing the critical mass of fundamental research needed for Malaysia to bring the Nobel Laureate back to its shores.

Professor Dato’ Ir Dr Wan Ramli Wan Daud advised participants to uncover new fields of research within their respective disciplines. They should also focus on research that has high growth value and high impact, particularly in energy, chemical engineering and medicine.

Commenting on the decreased public grants allocated for public universities, both Professor Dato’ Dr Ahmad Fauzi Ismail and Distinguished Professor Datuk Dr Harith Ahmad encouraged the young scientists to look at the current situation as a golden opportunity to soar higher.

The lack of resources should not be an excuse to be complacent. Rather, they should reach out to more stakeholders, and innovate within existing resources and networks. For Muslim scholars, their work in science cannot be separated from their religious beliefs, since the pursuit of knowledge is an obligation for every individual.

They can find inspiration and conviction for their work through the Quran. Religious organisations should also consider supporting the scientific community in their scholarly pursuits, through research grants and endowments.

Maria Zainal, the Secretariat for Merdeka Award and joint organiser for the event, hoped that the inaugural 2017 Merdeka Meeting, and the subsequent meeting editions in the future, will enable the Merdeka Award to continue its legacy of excellence and service to the nation within the scientific community, passing the torch of success from one generation to the next.

Source: Merdeka Meeting: Uphold Science With Passion, Commitment and Conviction

JOHOR BAHRU, 19 December 2017 – Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) SPE Student Chapter has organised plant seedlings last month at Dataran N20, Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering (FCEE) as one of the SPE-UTM Go Green Month 2017.

Director of SPE Go Green Month, Dhevaruphan Sambathu said, the event was a collaboration with FCEE which was later changed the name to “Sayangi FKT”.

“There were 50 participants which were divided into two groups to plant the seedlings into “SPE-UTM” wording at the slope nearby faculty and another group was assigned to plant pineapple plants into respective vases around the premise.

“Those volunteers also arrange large bricks into a nice pathway near NO1a Block at FCEE,” he said.

Dhevaruphan said, before that the SPE Student Chapter has successfully organised Earth Hour at Dataran Pavilion, Kolej Tun Hussein Onn (KTHO).

He said, they encourage every person in UTM especially the KTHO residence to turn off the light for one hour.

All the participants start to walk with candles around the KTHO path along with guests.  Meanwhile the rest of the committee arranged some candles as a symbol of earth hour.

“The committee members gathered and prepared 250 earth hour kits which included glowing sticks, candles in a paper bag,” he added.

“We hope this program will create awareness to students and public about the seriousness of environment, for a better earth we live in,” he said.

Source: SPE Student Chapter organises plant seedlings

JOHOR BAHRU, 18 December 2017 – Ending a year end by winning a reputable award is a great moment. For Dr Yeong Che Fai, the year 2017 is full of sweet memories. He won several awards in national and international competition and exhibition.

An academician from Faculty of Electrical Engineering (FKE), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) stand tall after grabbing first place in the  Royal Academy of Engineering’s Leaders in Innovation Fellowships final pitch session 2017/18 sponsored by Newton – Ungku Omar Fund.

Dr Yeong Che Fai won the first place presenting his research product Compact Rehabilitation Robot (CR2) to improve stroke rehabilitation.

The product has underwent clinical trial and currently sold to China.

Dr Yeong is a serial entrepreneur and has mentored and collaborated with several start-ups and companies in entrepreneurship world such as www.techcareinnovation.com, www.dfautomation.com, www.i-stone.com.my, www.cytron.io, www.charbycharge.com, www.deltaglobal.com.my and www.sandwichmultimedia.com.

Most interestingly, his wife Dr Eileen Su Lee Ming from FKE, UTM has won this award in February early this year.(http://www.utm.my/2017/02/28/congratulations-to-dr-eileen-su-lee-ming/).

The  Royal Academy of Engineering’s Leaders in Innovation Fellowships final pitch session 2017/18 is a tough competition as only 15 academic staffs being shortlisted in Malaysia for this prestigious two weeks programming running from 4^th  to 15^th December 2017.

This program was jointly organised by The Malaysian Industry – Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT) and the Royal Academy of Engineering and co-sponsored by Newton Fund and Ungku Omar Fund.

One of the main criteria is the product must has high commercial potential. This program ran concurrently with participants from Mexico and Vietnam.

Besides Dr Yeong, two others staffs from UTM were Associate Professor Dr Hazlina Selamat for her project Ekso-C: A Smart Exoskeleton System for Oil Palm Harvesting and Associate Professor Ir Dr Sharifah Hafizah Syed Ariffin for her research project Wireless Water Quality Clound Monitoring System.

Dr Yeong’s passion is to bring research to commercialisation which he thinks is very important to country economy.

He has won many innovation awards, more than 50 awards since 2002 such as British Invention Show, Korean Inventor Award, Philips Young Inventor Challenge, MaGIC e@Standord, Robofest, MOHE Best Mentorship Award and APICTA.

In 2010 when Dr Yeong came back from Imperial College after finishing his PhD, he thought he needs to do something more rather than just winning innovation competition. He wants to commercialise the research product.

He has since then established several award winning start up companies such as www.techcareinnovation.com and www.dfautomation.com. The journey was not easy and full with challenges. As an academic,

Dr Yeong needs to learn about business while serving responsibilities as academic. During these 5 years of journey, Dr Yeong has equipped with knowledge in both world, academic and entrepreneurship. He has since then mentoring some students for entrepreneurship as well as establish collaboration between UTM and Industries.

This notable achievement shows UTM in the right direction in commercialising research products.

Source: Dr Yeong Che Fai wins first place in the  Royal Academy of Engineering’s Leaders in Innovation Fellowships

On the 7th of December, the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Vice Chancellor Prof. Datuk Ir. Dr. Wahid Omar and the Malaysia Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT) Dean Prof. Datin Dr. Rubiyah Yusof attended the 2017 Global Technology Initiative (GTI) Consortium Symposium at Shibaura Institute of Technology in Tokyo, Japan.

As members of the GTI Advisory Committee, their roles are crucial to assist GTI in improving the quality of education, foster global human resources, drive innovation and enhance industry competitiveness. In addition, their expertise is required in dealing with environmental issues and disaster prevention in the Southeast Asia region.

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Source: UTM Roles In Strengthening International Industry-Academia-Government Alliance In Japan And Southeast Asia

December 10, 2017 by Office of Corporate Affairs

JOHOR BAHRU, 10 December 2017 – Faculty of Electrical Engineering (FKE), UTM Skudai has organised the 2017 International Conference on Electrical Electronics Communication and Control Engineering (ICEECC 2017) from December 5 to 6, 2017 at the Menara Anjung Razak, UTMKL.

The conference chair, Prof. Dr Mohamad Kamal A Rahim said that the successful organization of ICEECC 2017 has required talents, dedication and time of the conference committees, Dean of FKE, many volunteers from IEEE UTM student branch and strong support from sponsors.

The second conference of ICEECC 2017 is held at UTM Kuala Lumpur, mainly to introduce and promoting the Faculty to be recognized as a world class center within the field of Electrical engineering.

The conference is to provide an international platform for researchers, engineers, academicians as well as industrial professionals from all over the world to present their research results and developments in Electrical Engineering subject which include control and instrumentation, mechatronics, communication, electronics and power.

Among the participants of the conference are from Japan, Nigeria, Indonesia Thailand, Singapore, Philipines, Vietnam, India, Iraq, Pakistan, South Africa, UK and local institutions in Malaysia such as UM, UKM, UPM, UNIMAP, UNIMAS, UMP, UiTM, UTP, USM, USIM, UTeM, UTHM, UIAM, UNITEN, UniKL, MMU, UTAR, Swinburne University of Technology Malaysia, SEGI Universuty and Curtin University Sarawak Malaysia, to exchange new ideas and application experiences face to face, to establish business or research relations and to find global partners for future collaboration.

A total of 215 papers have been submitted to this conference and only 170 papers are accepted for oral presentation after the reviewing process.

The conference will continue to be held annually to ensure continuity in the endeavor for excellence for all the ICEECC participants, the sponsors and all the collaborators involved.

Four keynote speakers have been invited to this conference. The first keynote speaker is DR Mazlan Abbas CEO FAVORIOT Sdn Bhd.

The second keynote speaker is Prof Dr Tharek Abdul Rahman Director of HiCOE Wireless Communication UTM.

The third keynote speaker is Dato’ Ir Dr Ali Askar Sher Mohamad managing director Sher Engineering and Consultancy Sdn Bhd and the last keynote speaker is Assoc Prof Dr Gary Tan from National University of Singapore.

Source: FKE organises The ICEECC 2017