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AUGUST–OCTOBER 2018 A QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER FOR UNIVERSITIES BY QS ASIA

Beyond The Future

Creating the future female tech talent

ISSUE NO

30The Art of Neanderthals

Italy – Artistic objects and artefacts from our past tell us a lot more than we can imagine...

Read more on page 86

Researchers identify new type of depression

Japan – Depression is a mental disorder that affects over 300 million people

globally...


Can plants beat cancer?

New stem cell culturing method

reduces carcinogenic risk


Patients learn to self-rehabilitate

through new AI system


South Africa – A young scientist from the University of Pretoria, Danielle Twilley achieved international recognition for her contribution to science with her research on the use of indigenous plants to treat cancer...


Noise cancelling device by NTU EEE scientists halves noise pollution through open windowsSingapore – Researchers from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (NTU EEE) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore have developed a device that can reduce noise pollution entering buildings through open windows... Read more on page 58

Russia Federation – A research team from NUST MISIS and Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University (RNRMU) has successfully conducted preclinical trials of a new anticancer drug...


NUST MISIS scientists develop a capsule against cancer

“Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death”

Albert Einstein

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MAY–JULY 2018 A QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER FOR UNIVERSITIES BY QS ASIA

Beyond The Future

Creating the future female tech talent

Bahrain – The University of Bahrain (UoB) has recently launched an exciting project in partnership with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). . .


RIT researchers develop innovative 3D-printed guitar

United States – Researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology’s AMPrint Center are turning heads with a new guitar . . .


Hong Kong – Myopia, otherwise known as short-sightedness, is a growing global health problem and is expected to affect as many as 2.5 billion people worldwide by 2020 . . .


PolyU developed myopia-controlling contact lens to hit the market

SUTD researchers develop single cell level sorting technology using sound waves

Singapore – Single cell analysis, for example the ability to examine DNA mutations at single cell level, is essential for assessing the genetic heterogeneity of cancers . . .


Effat University hosts Ford’s training course for safe drivingSaudi Arabia – Each year, Effat University, the first non-profit educational institution specialized in offering higher education for girls in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, celebrates International Women’s Day by adopting a theme that highlights . . .


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A changing world needs humanities and social sciences researchWritten by Pieter Stek, Adviser at QS Branding and Conferences by QS Asia

The Cliché

“The world is constantly changing” or “change is today’s only constant” is an often-repeated cliché. It is one of those insightful-sounding observations that everyone agrees with and which is completely meaningless at the same time. And that, in a nutshell, is the problem, or the “crisis” for those who are more melodramatically inclined, in the humanities and social sciences today. We know the world is changing fast, very fast, but we do not know what it really means.

That technology has changed, is obvious. Today after lunch, I power up my old tablet and let my young children “talk” via video link to their grandparents who are 12,000 km and 6 time zones away. A useful distraction as I clear up the mess. And something unimaginable just 30 years ago when I was growing up.

But we often forget how widely spread these “new” technologies are. Refugees who risk their lives on rickety boats will often carry almost nothing else but their smartphone. That’s why refugee camps have WiFi: in a stressful and traumatic situation at least refugees can get in touch with their loved ones back home.

Because the internet is so dominant, the majority of the world’s people now get their news from social media, and this brings about social and political change. While there is plenty of attention on the effect that social media may have had on the 2016 American presidential elections and Britain’s European Union membership or

“Brexit” referendum, the impact of social media on the developing world may be greater still. Social media was seen as an important catalyst of the 2011 uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt while during the ongoing Rhoyingha crisis in Myanmar, Facebook has become an effective platform for fermenting racial hatred and genocide. Hong Kong’s umbrella revolution appears to also carry many of the same hallmarks of the 2011 Arab Spring, with social media playing an important role, youthful leadership, and so far, limited political impact.

While political movements grab headlines, they are supported by deeper social changes. While social media is usually blamed for rising immorality, consumerism and extremism, some suggest that social media also helps in developing the 4C’s (communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking) in its users. Digital

natives, people who grew up using social media, tend to be more aware that you should not believe everything you read, critical thinking skills that are not always fostered in traditional and authoritarian education systems. These same group of students will fact-check their professors once they enter university, if they can be bothered to, and are constantly in touch with each other about how best to ace an assignment with as little effort as possible. All admirable qualities in terms of collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking and efficiency. Although one would be understanding if an old-school academic would have some difficulty in keeping up with it all.

Finding Meaning: Academia to the Rescue?

All these changes can be bewildering: refugees with smart phones, hate speech next to funny cat memes and birthday party photos, populist election results, and students who question authority and protest. And we have not even started on the dislocating effects of economic globalization. It is a world that is difficult to understand based on our conventional thinking about society and humanity: what do these people want? Why are they doing this? What should I do? What is my place in this world?

Academia has an important role to play because it educates the elite who will help people find answers to these questions while the research it produces will help shape our understanding of this new world. However it is not entirely clear that the academic community has successfully managed to seize this role. In the public discourse there is a lot of anti-expert sentiment, the “post truth”-era is said to be upon us. In that sense academia itself has become politicized, a very unfamiliar position for many academics. It’s the pundits who are influential with their talking points and not the academics with their evidence and theoretical frameworks.

So while the way forward for the academic community may be clear: help the public understand the new world that communications technology and other technologies have brought about, and ideally prepare them for future changes too, it is not entirely clear how the academic community is going to carry out this mission. While its authority and independence as a source of truth have been drawn into question, however unfairly, this may be a sign that universities

and academics need to communicate more and differently with the public. Maybe scientific journals are not the always the best outlet for research. Maybe a well-followed Twitter account or Facebook group is more important and influential in this day and age.

Rather than concluding that something is inherently wrong with the structure and purpose of modern higher education, although a little self-reflection is never a bad thing, the academic community, especially when it comes to social sciences and humanities education and research, may need to approach matters differently.

We appear to be entering another era in which there is a battle of ideas, which we perhaps did not expect. When capitalism triumphed over communism during the early 1990s, Francis Fukuyama famously wrote The End of History, although around that time Samuel Huntington also came out with the Clash of Civilizations. Looking back, history did not end and civilizations appear to be clashing internally at the moment, but perhaps these thoughts lulled the humanities and social sciences into a political sleep. Publish or perish while we disconnect from the public discourse.

Great Change, Great Ideas

The re-emergence of divisive political and social issues may well be what kick-starts a new era of growth in the social sciences and humanities. Social, economic and technological upheavals are often accompanied by a flowering of the arts and humanities, whether it’s the renaissance, the first industrial revolution or the end of World Wars. While “industrial revolution 4.0” and mentions of artificial intelligence are fast be becoming another cliché, these ideas signal the realization that more profound changes are already underway. For social science and humanities research, such major changes provide a vast source of material and a need for new theories and ideas.

But more than that, great changes and the resulting human and social challenges require that academics participate boldly in public discussions and debates. Modern communication technology has implicitly erased the classroom walls: there is no need to be limited by physical distance. And while many academics may be very comfortable to teach from behind a lectern and to publish behind a paywall, they are essentially hiding from the wider world.

At a time when the world appears to be screaming for new ideas and is desperate to understand itself, now may be the time for academics in the humanities and social sciences to realize that the walls no longer exist and that the whole world is there, right behind their screen. It can be a scary thought, but if change is not scary, it probably does not mean much.

About QS Subject Focus Summit – Humanities and Social Sciences Research

Organised in collaboration with Ca’ Foscari University, the Summit will be held from 29 to 31 August 2018 in the historic city of Venice, Italy.

The aim of the Summit is to foster a shared understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing humanities and social sciences research and to begin articulating a practical vision for moving the field forward. It brings together senior leaders from humanities and social science departments as well as other important thought leaders; and provides a platform for the sharing of new ideas and best practices, as well as a unique opportunity for networking and dialogue.

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Think smart. Think smart city. Think smart city seminar

3 – 5 October 2018, Singapore – probably the world’s first smart city – hosts a top-level seminar on this vital topic for social, environmental and economic survival. The upcoming QS in conversation seminar University – Public Sector Partnership: Smart Cities provides an opportunity to reach beyond the jargon and understand how university-public sector partnerships can shape the smart cities of the future. Tony Martin reports.

An online map that shows accessibility for wheelchair users across 500,000 locations across the world.

In Seoul, a car–sharing company, websites that help people share things with their neighbours, schemes that match students struggling to find affordable housing with older residents who have a spare room.

Jakarta’s Smart City Platform that includes an issue–reporting app, a flood map that crowdsources citizen flood reports from Twitter, and a crowdsourced traffic management tool.

The above are a few examples of the fast-growing phenomenon of smart cities around the world. But what is a smart city exactly? Wikipedia’s definition is (abbreviated):

“A smart city is an urban area that uses different types of electronic data collection sensors to supply information which is used to manage assets and resources efficiently. This includes data collected from citizens, devices, and assets that is processed and analyzed to monitor and manage traffic and transportation systems, power plants, hospitals and many other community services.

The smart city concept integrates information and communication technology (ICT), and various physical devices connected to the network to optimize the efficiency of city operations and services and connect to citizens.”

Achieving the benefits of smart city projects requires vision, collaboration and civic energy. The smart city, fortunately for society, excites government and academic leaders to lead progress in this powerful weapon against waste, pollution, social malaise and many other potential obstacles to the quality of our lives.

Organised in partnership with the rapidly rising Singapore Management University (SMU), QS in conversation seminar University – Public Sector Partnership: Smart Cities will address collaboration between government and academia to realize the promise of “smart” public services and infrastructure.

Powered by new technologies such as Big Data, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), the public sector has the potential to be radically transformed, significantly raising the quality of community services while reducing costs. Delivering these smart services and infrastructure raises interconnected technical, managerial, social, political and ethical challenges which require innovative and interdisciplinary thinking.

The smart city requires skilled manpower to build itself in a way that is not only efficient, but also sustainable and responsible. This need for new thinking and expertise makes universities natural knowledge partners for governments in smart-city endeavours. The achievement of deep university-public sector partnerships poses a number of important challenges, including the need to bridge the culture gap between government and academia.

This unique QS in conversation seminar provides a platform to discuss university-public sector partnerships for the building of smart cities. It will provide an opportunity for the sharing of best practices from leading smart city projects in the United States, Japan, India and Singapore, as well as opportunities to learn about and discuss smart cities with expert colleagues from the Asian region and beyond.

Reflecting one of his key research interests - urban systems and operations - Professor Steven Miller, SMU’s Vice Provost (Research) and Professor of Information Systems (Practice), has been highly instrumental in ensuring the delivery of the seminar, while

strongly backing it is is Professor Arnoud de Meyer, SMU’s dynamic president since 2010.

Previously Professor de Meyer was Professor of Management Studies at the University of Cambridge and Director of its Judge Business School, and was the founding Dean of INSEAD’s Asia Campus in Singapore.

Professor de Meyer explains the importance of this edition of QS in conversation: ‘This topic is of particular significance in our present digitally-enabled world as Smart City solutions hold the promise to improve how we approach urban issues and shape how we live. Smart City solutions play a pivotal role in improving urban and community liveability, mobility, security, healthcare and efficient allocation of resources among many other areas.’

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He continues: ‘The seminar will bring together prominent academics and experienced public sector leaders who will share their experiences and insights on how universities can develop new capabilities and engage governments to drive impactful projects. It will showcase successful examples of how universities, government agencies and other organisations are collaborating to leverage data-driven systems to power the rapidly changing landscapes of Smart Cities, and highlight lessons learned from these efforts.’

Sharing this passion is Mandy Mok, global head of fast-expanding, thought-leading QS Branding and Conferences division. A native Singaporean, she has first-hand experience of her city’s pioneering role in optimising resources.

She strongly encourages participation in the seminar because, as she points out:

‘While university-public sector collaboration has already yielded many fruitful results in areas such as scientific research, defence and medicine, smart cities offer a brand new area of collaboration that is multidisciplinary in nature. It stretches from

“smart” infrastructure to alleviate congestion and reduce energy consumption to “smart” services enhanced by automation, artificial intelligence and decision-support system. Crucial to its success is the engagement of citizens through smartphone technology.’

A long and distinguished list of speakers will deliver the knowledge, wisdom and stimulus about smart city collaboration that will send delegates away with their heads spinning with ideas and possibilities for how they too can make a difference to the world we live in.

Speakers from top universities, government bodies and other major organisations in eight countries will include (alphabetical by country):

Professor Mark FoxAssociate Director for Research, School of Cities, University of Toronto,Canada

Professor Krithi RamamrithamMajor Bhagat Singh Rekhi Chair ProfessorDepartment of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, India

Professor Hiroshi Esaki Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Japan

Ms Maimunah Binti Jaffar Head of Department, Planning & Compliance, Iskandar Regional Development Authority, Malaysia

Professor Archan Misra Associate Dean (Research), Director - Centre for Applied Smart-Nation Analytics; LiveLabs, School of Information Systems, Singapore Management University, Singapore

Ms Jyoti ShuklaDirector, Singapore Infrastructure and Urban Development Hub, The World Bank, Singapore

Dr Katharina LangeExecutive Director, Executive Development, Singapore Management University, Singapore

Professor Lily KongProvost and Lee Kong Chian Chair Professor of Social Sciences,Singapore Management University, Singapore

Mr Ong Eng KianDirector - Centre for Liveable Cities, Ministry of National Development, Singapore

Professor Steven MillerVice Provost (Research) and Professor of Information Systems, Singapore Management University, Singapore

Mr Tan Kok YamDeputy Secretary, Smart Nation and Digital Government Office and Strategy Group, Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore

Associate Professor Kwon Young-SangAssociate Professor of Urban Design, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Seoul National University, Republic of Korea

Dr Passakon PrathombutrSenior Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Thailand’s Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA), Thailand

Professor Ramayya KrishnanDean, H. John Heinz III College of Information Systems and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University, United States of America

QS in conversation seminar University – Public Sector Partnership: Smart Cities

For your calendar: 3-5 October 2018

For your booking: http://qsinconversation.com/singapore-2018/registration

For your destination: Singapore Management University Law School, 55 Armenian StreetSingapore 179943

For your accommodation: http://qsinconversation.com/singapore-2018/official-hotels

DON’T MISS!

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Up to 5,000 complimentary copies of the print edition are sent to the presidents of universities around the world. Copies are also distributed at QS events worldwide, including QS-APPLE and QS-MAPLE international higher education conferences, QS Summer School and QS Subject Focus Summits and QS WorldClass and QS in conversation seminars.

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Russia Federation – A research team from NUST MISIS and Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University (RNRMU) has successfully conducted preclinical trials of a new anticancer drug based on magnetite nanoparticles. The test results demonstrated a double life expectancy of sick mice that have consumed the said drug. The research results have also been published in Nanomedicine.

This innovative drug consists of two components: spherical nanoparticles of magnetite which contains a cytostatic drug (a toxic substance that destroys tumor cells) and a vector molecule that delivers the drug to its destination. Essentially, the molecule leads the poisoned particle specifically to the affected organ, ensuring that healthy tissues are not exposed.

“The team of NUST MISIS scientists, led by Maxim Abakumov, Candidate of Technical Sciences and Head of the NUST MISIS Biomedical Nanomaterials Laboratory, have been working on magnetite nanoparticles for four consecutive years, and they are currently using them to create anticancer drugs. The research team is working on the preparation of the preclinical trials stage which are planned for 2019”, said Alevtina Chernikova, Rector of NUST MISIS.

The vector molecule is an antibody to the protein of vascular endothelial growth factor - a signaling protein produced by cells to stimulate the formation of embryonic vascular system. The molecule works as a key-lock, finding and joining only to certain

NUST MISIS scientists develop a capsule against cancer

types of cells. In this study, the scientists were among the first in the world to use a vector molecule in such an unusual function, considering its use historically as an independent drug. However, monotherapy using these antibodies has not shown high efficiency. Nevertheless, this does not make the protein less promising as a solution for drug delivery, which has been demonstrated in the current work.

“The studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed therapeutic scheme through vitro experiments where animals’ life expectancy when treated with the new drug exponentially increased by 50 percent between 23 and 39 days. Further, the proposed substance showed a good visualization of tumor tissue during MRI examination. This can potentially be used to facilitate the work of surgeons during surgery for marking and fixing the edges of affected organs”, said Maxim Abakumov, Head of the project and Head of the NUST MISIS Biomedical Nanomaterials Laboratory.

In addition to the drug delivery scheme which is included in the current study, the iron oxide particles demonstrate good results as a method of therapy by hyperthermia.

The process is outlined as follows: the magnetite nanoparticles are introduced into the affected organ where they accumulate and are subsequently exposed to an alternating electromagnetic field with certain parameters. As a result of this exposure, the nanoparticles are heated to 43-45 degrees; and with heat surrounding the cancer cells, it causes them to die.

It is important to note that previous research has shown that cancer cells are more sensitive to temperature changes than healthy ones; thereby allowing healthy tissue to possibly remain intact.


UTP scientists develop a portable easy-to-use system that puts mass screening for diabetic retinopathy in the line of sight

Malaysia – The retina at the back of the eye is technically out of sight and out of mind. Hence, the least talked about complication of diabetes is diabetic retinopathy. The prolonged high sugar glucose levels can damage the blood vessels within the retina and lead to blindness.

Symptoms of diabetic retinopathy is typically reflected in eye examination. Images will be taken by using a specialised camera to capture the damaged blood vessels within the retina. The image will then be studied by a doctor or an ophthalmologist, who grades the severity of the retinopathy and provides further advice to patients.

However, given Malaysia’s increasing number of diabetics, the backlog of image reading

can sometimes be overwhelming; and these delays can result in patients losing the sense of urgency. Thus, scientists at the Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) have looked into ways to shorten the screening time of diabetics, have their retinopathy graded (mild, moderate, severe, proliferative) and be immediately directed to the right doctor thereafter.

In 2007, the team spearheaded by Professor Ir Dr Ahmad Fadzil Mohamad Hani collaborated with doctors at Hospital Selayang, Selangor to create novel way in sending the same image directly to a computer for analysis and grading of the severity of retinopathy. The computer will create a preliminary report and patient can be directed to his regular doctor or ophthalmologist.

To establish the reliability of the grading system, patients in the clinical trial were asked to do a fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA). The FFA is a hospital procedure that involves injecting dye into the bloodstream to highlight the blood vessels within the retina. An image will then be captured and be used by doctors to get a highly detailed report of retinopathy. Scientists used the FFA to view and measure the FAZ, or foveal avascular zone (where capillaries are located on the fovea, the centre and visually the most important part of the retina). This provided critical information needed to develop the algorithm.

By 2010, the trial proved to be a success as screening now only takes about three minutes and retinopathy can be identified at an earlier stage. Patients can then be referred to a medical professional for further advice and/or evaluation quickly and effectively.

Doctors have also given valuable feedback to make the diabetic retinopathy grading system portable so that mass screening can be done even in rural areas. Associate Professor Dr Fawnizu Azmadi Hussin of UTP’s Faculty of Engineering and his team partake in the project with funding from UTP’s Centre for Intelligent Signal and Imaging Research. They successfully developed the portable diabetic retinopathy grading system, RetinoGo and filed a patent for it in 2013.

The system is in its final fine-tuning phase to ensure that it can work anywhere in the world, and the team is also studying the best model for commercialisation.

Dr Fawnizu and his team made the apparatus smaller and portable

by winning a world competition titled Ideas for Action 2018. Previously, the team also won a world championship in a food security innovation competition, Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) 2016, in Cambodia. Their innovation was selected as the winner after beating 2,100 project proposals from around the world listed in this prestigious competition. As many as 13,000 young innovators in 4,000 teams from 162 countries joined the competition.

The competition took place online and participants were asked to design ideas for financing and implementing sustainable development goals. The team ranked first in 14 Innovations to Help Solve the World’s Toughest Problems.

Mino Microbubbles technology has been developed with the aim of improving fish

farming. This innovation is believed to be able to enhance farmers’ welfare and boost sustainable development as well. The new technology can increase the amount of dissolved oxygen for accelerating fish growth. At present, the existing systems can only increase the amount of dissolved oxygen up to 3-4 ppm. further, this technology has been proven to shorten the harvest time and improve fish production up to 40 percent. Launched in 2016, the innovation has been applied by a group of fish farmers, Mino Ngremboko in Yogyakarta; and has since witnessed a significant advancement within three generations.

The winning team also gained the opportunity to present their idea at the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. In addition, they have received support from a startup accelerator at the Wharton School and an opportunity to visit the university.

Mino Microbubbles technology

UGM wins Ideas for Action world competition 2018

Indonesia – The UGM’s Mino team has earned another international achievement


Nick Willis with sensors

Excellent cooperation model of industry-academy-university and medical research

South Korea – Professor Byeong Hwa Jeon, MD, PhD, the Director of Research Institute of Medical Science at Chungnam National University College of Medicine, received a grant award from the National Research Foundation of Korea funded by the Ministry of Education in 2014. Since then, he has successfully operated a vascular inflammation laboratory focusing on the development of vascular inflammation control and efficacy evaluation technology.

Professor Jeon has concentrated on presenting the cooperation model of industry-academy-university and specialisation of the vascular inflammation laboratory through the establishment of basic technology and applied research related to vascular inflammation. Due to their efforts, Professor Jeon and colleagues discovered the efficacy of red pigment substance derived from a natural product, Korean cabbage. The Korean cabbage inhibits vascular inflammation and the results were published in the International Journal of Molecular Science in 2018. This achievement is expected to serve as an innovative opportunity to elevate current consumption and industrial processing of natural health foods.

Recently, Professor Jeon and lead researcher Sunga Choi, PhD have achieved remarkable result in the discovery of the role of acetylated APE1/Ref-1 that leads to the apoptotic cell death in Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC). They suggested the possibility of acetylated-Ape1/Ref-1 as a new anti-cancer protein drug and presented pre-clinical in vivo evidence of the therapeutic efficacy of Ac-APE1/Ref-1 in TNBC treatment. The results were published in the global open access journal Scientific Reports, as a Nature Journal.

They also obtained a patent and proprietary knowledge for anti-cancer effects of Ac-APE1/Ref-1 in TNBC. Since its validity as an anti-cancer drug has been proven, the research team expects it to be used directly on TNBC patients. The research team’s technology in mass production of protein-cancer drugs will sufficiently meet the demand for “fewer side effects and better treatment effects” in the global pharmaceutical market.

*Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC): TNBC refers to any breast cancer that does not express the genes for estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and Her2/neu.

Technological breakthrough for monitoring and predicting landslides

New Zealand – New technology from a student-led research project at Victoria University of Wellington looks set to revolutionise the way geotechnical engineers monitor and predict landslides, potentially helping to save countless lives and cut costs. Engineering and Computer Science student Jonathan Olds was looking for a research project for his Master’s and his supervisor, Professor of Network Engineering in the School of Engineering and Computer Science Winston Seah, suggested developing and testing an automated solution for the long-term monitoring of landslides. The result of that research is AccuMM, which Jonathan validated with a pilot installation in Taiwan.

“The holy grail of managing landslide risk is prediction,” says Nick Willis, of VicLink, Victoria University’s commercialisation office, who is working with the researchers to bring the product to market. “But predictions can only be made if movement—or, more importantly, the acceleration of land mass—can be measured right down to the number of millimetres per day, over a long period of time.”

He says the traditional method of measurement involves sending a surveyor or engineer out into the field each day to

measure land movement with theodolites, which is a manual and costly process. Even the higher tech options involving robots or drones are costly or have their drawbacks.

In contrast, AccuMM uses low-cost solar or battery-powered wireless GPS sensors together with a unique, cloud-based algorithm to calculate the location of each sensor, relative to a fixed-base station. This enables daily measurements to be taken at multiple points on a landslide without the need for site visits with no line-of-sight or cabling requirements. It also does not require intervention at the site for five or more years.Following the pilot in Taiwan, the technology is now being trialled in areas where landslides have occurred in parts of New Zealand.

“Approximately 66 million people—one percent of the world’s population—are currently in high-risk landslide areas,” says Mr Willis “Adding to that, events such as global warming, changing rainfall patterns and aging infrastructure, it is not hard to see the increasing need for this kind of technology.”

Professor Seah says, “By exploiting the similarity in wireless channel conditions between sensors placed in close proximity, we are able to achieve a high degree of accuracy compared with much higher cost systems. We can power the wireless network by energy harvesting, which means our system can operate for long duration to meet the monitoring needs of geotechnical engineers.”


HUFS Department of Industrial and Management Engineering wins the 2018 INFORMS O.R. & Analytics student team competition

South Korea – Students from the HUFS Department of Industrial and Management Engineering won third prize at the 2018 INFORMS O.R. & Analytics Student Team Competition. At the competition, they gave a presentation on “GAN-MP Hybrid Heuristic Method for Non-convex Portfolio Optimization.”

INFORMS is the world’s largest organisation of operations researchers

and management scientists. This year’s competition witnessed participation of some 180 student teams from around the world; and only the top eight teams can advance to the final round.

The HUFS student team which was made up of undergraduate students was one of the finalists. The achievement was particularly meaningful given that the other teams were mostly made up of graduate students.

Using interdisciplinary tools to study an age-old weaving tradition in the Philippines

Philippines – In the Cordillera region of northern Philippines, there is a rich tradition of weaving that goes back several centuries. Each of the different indigenous community in the region possesses a unique weaving technique, with the resulting forms and patterns dictated by distinct religious, socio-political and artistic origins, functions and values. But with the absence of a new generation of weavers willing to learn the art, the Cordillera weaving tradition is dying. This is the reason why the interdisciplinary Cordillera Textiles Project (CordiTex) of the University of the Philippines set out to vigorously document and research on these unique textiles. The project, led by Dr. Analyn Salvador-Amores, provides more than a comprehensive database of anthropological information accessed from the local narratives. By utilising the tools of materials science, it gives a quantitative assessment of the traditional scientific know-how applied in every step of the weaving process – from the selection of raw materials to dyeing and curing. The project looks at these aspects to improve the technical characteristics of the Cordillera textile without compromising its age-old identity.

The research also highlights the distinctive mathematical symmetries found in Cordilleran garments and blankets. With the textile pinilian, for example, weavers combine a continuous supplementary weft technique and a floating weft technique to create complex curvilinear designs of human figures, horses, constellations and many others.

A sample of a pinilian blanket with horse and skeiner motifs.

in the Geology and Geophysics Department who conducted this research shared that he will be working with his scientific adviser, Konstantin Litasov, to study other samples of meteorites from the same group. They hope to determine whether these meteorites have a common parent body. The meteorites’ internal parts and surface could come from an earlier, even larger cosmic body from which they acquired their composition and structure.

This research will be carried out on iron meteorites with silicate inclusions and observations will be conducted to determine the interaction between the metallic and silicate parts. The objectives are to supplement and/or modify existing models of their formation to expand the classification and possibly, isolate common parental asteroids for these types of meteorites.

NSU student studies 4.5 billion year old meteorite

Russia Federation – A student at Novosibirsk State University (NSU) has recently established the chemical composition of a meteorite that fell in the Novosibirsk region more than a quarter of a century ago. The estimated age of the meteorite is 4.5 billion years. This research provides the basis for further discoveries.

The meteorite, found in the Maslyanino area of Novosibirsk in 1992, has not been comprehensively studied until now. It has been merely classified as a relatively rare type of iron meteorite that contains silicate minerals - olivine, pyroxenes, feldspar. Thus, to classify the meteorite with greater accuracy, it is essential to study its chemical and trace element composition in detail. The result of the research shows that the meteorite belongs to a subgroup of a larger group of iron meteorites IAB.

Denis Ponomarev, a fourth year NSU student

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Mapúa University, one of the leading universities in the Philippines, delivers topnotch education and provides opportunities for learners to harness their full potential in various disciplines, training them to face challenges in the global economy of today. With internationally accredited academic programs under outcomes-based criteria, not to mention its extensive roster of partnerships and collaborations with industries and international institutions, Mapúa offers innovative learning opportunities—even transcending the traditional classroom setting—thus enriching one’s education with global experiences.

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Taiwan – On 19 April 2018, NCCU President Edward Chow was awarded the Honorary Doctorate in Education from Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU). President Chow was nominated for this degree in recognition of his vigorous efforts and long-term dedication to international education; as well as for the remarkable advancement in academic cooperation between both universities. Close to a hundred high-ranking

and distinguished guests attended this prestigious ceremony to welcome President Chow to the SKKU alumni association. Amongst them was SKKU President Chung Kyu-Sang who bestowed the degree. At the ceremony, President Chow avouched that he will not only cherish the spirit and motto of both universities; but also continue to further the joint development with the goal of achieving the status of being one of the top-notch international universities. Further, he placed emphasis on the aim of inspiring local and international societies, extending the global reach of both institutions and the establishment and fostering of innovative ideas.

The collaboration between National Chengchi University – one of Taiwan’s leading universities, and Sungkyunkwan University – one of South Korea’s research-oriented universities, can be traced back to decades ago. The partnership also involves the frequent dispatching of professors to respective institutions for supporting professional education in Chinese and Korean. In addition, NCCU’s College of

Commerce and the Department of Korean Language and Culture have been running successful student exchange and double degree programmes to promote and enhance international mobility of students at both universities.

Lee Soon Won, the Dean of SKKU’s Graduate School complimented President Chow for his leadership in piloting NCCU to become an indicator of what a global university of social sciences and humanities should constitute of – that is the recognition of the importance of (and actively taking steps towards) the expansion of international cooperation; while simultaneously aiming to cultivate outstanding graduates.

President Chow also shared his realisation that a top-notch university should be one that contributes to social change and is aware of its role and influence on society. Therefore, NCCU has extensively invested and successfully implemented innovative transformations in its education and scientific research, aimed at creating a premier learning and learning environment.

NCCU furthers joint development with SKKU to achieve the status of being a world-class university

Philippines – On 25 May 2018, Mapúa University President Dr. Reynaldo B. Vea signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the co-establishment of the Taiwan-Philippines Joint Water Quality Research and Innovation Center (TP-WQRIC) with National Cheng Kung University (NCKU). NCKU was represented by Professor Tsair-Fuh Lin of its Environmental Engineering Department and Director of the TP-WQRIC.

The now established research facility is a product of the project conducted by Mapúa University and NCKU in August 2016. The

Mapúa to conduct research on PH’s water sources with NCKU

universities co-headed a programme to monitor the water quality in Laguna Lake, the largest lake in the Philippines and one of the sources of drinking water in Metro Manila. Monitoring results confirmed the presence of harmful cyanobacteria such as cyanotoxins, taste and odor compounds, and other cyanobacteria metabolites in the lake.

According to Dr. Delia Senoro, Head of Mapúa’s Office of International Linkages for Research and Development and Co-Director of TP-WQRIC, the current and future research may be similar to or different from the research carried out in 2016; depending on the progress of discoveries in TP-WQRIC.

“The data gathered in our research in August 2016 paved the way to co-establish the TP-WQRIC. Therefore, we are now targeting to work on bigger research projects in cooperation with the water industry and water regulatory agencies,” said Dr. Senoro. “The TP-WQRIC envisions to contribute solutions to existing and unforeseen problems in the surface water and groundwater including the quality of sediments.”

The primary goal of the TP-WQRIC is to provide solutions to the growing number of water quality concerns and challenges in the Philippines and the neighboring countries. It

From left to right: Professor Tsair-Fuh Lin of National Cheng Kung University and Mapúa University President Dr. Reynaldo B. Vea with the signed memorandum of agreement.

aims to convert the country’s highly affected bodies of water into assets by enforcing research, including the monitoring and detection of contaminants detrimental to the environment and public health. It also aims to create remediation and water purification materials, devices, and systems. TP-WQRIC will offer professional services related to water treatment and purification and develop more integrated project services, patents, and utility models in the Philippines and beyond.

The said partnership will also open more doors for scholastic collaborations between Mapúa and NCKU. Both universities target the development of dual doctorate programmes in both campuses, opening doors for students and professors exchange.

“This will entail the conduct of capacity building not only for the joint center; but also, for Mapúa to produce competent human capital for the Philippines needed to contribute solutions to the huge concern on water quality,” added Dr. Senoro.

Mapúa University has 42 international partners with collaborative scientific publications for research and academic advancements across the globe.

NCCU President Edward Chow (second from the left) solemnly receives the Honorary Doctorate in Education from SKKU President Chung Kyu-Sang (far left).


CityU BVM students at Cornell University for animal husbandry studies

to spend 12 weeks in the first two years of study gaining animal husbandry and management experience with dairy cattle, beef cattle, horses, dogs, cats, pigs, poultry and fish. The collaboration has brought about opportunities for students to experience the North American farming practices.

This summer, twelve CityU BVM students spent five weeks in Ithaca, New York, on a farm rotation programme, including beef and dairy cattle and sheep farms as well as an equine centre, as part of the extra-mural studies. They learned about the handling and management of animal species which are not readily available in Hong Kong’s normal farm setting. Further, they had the opportunity to experience the true life of a veterinarian in livestock production.

As biosecurity considerations stipulated a week of quarantine on arrival in the United States, the students also took part in a leadership and team building course which included abseiling and other outdoor activities in the forests of Upstate New York.

The success story of S.Seifullin KazATU

Kazakhstan – S. Seifullin Kazakh Agrotechnical University is the oldest university located in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan with over 60 years of history. Today, the university has more than 70,000 specialists graduates from KazATU and have continued to make great contributions to the development of the nation’s economy. At present, the university is writing a new page of its history as it transforms into a modern research university that consists of (1) interdisciplinary curriculum and learning (2) integrated global scientific and educational space (3) successful combination of fundamental and applied science, training personnel and introduction of scientific results into practice.

In recent years, comprehensive measures have been taken to fundamentally transform its training system, with focus on the practical direction of training and enhancement of competency in digital technologies. In 2015, the institution established a centre of GIS-technologies with assistance from the Korean University and investments from ERSI. With support from foreign partners in digitalisation, scientists successfully mastered the basic methods of digitalisation in agriculture and space monitoring. A strong relationship is also built between the university and its industry partner, Kazakhstan Garysh Sapary, where the branch of GIS-technologies is launched. The branch currently employs about 20 graduates from KazATU.

KazATU is the current leading university among the nation’s agricultural universities with regards to the quality of educational programmes and system of training specialists in information technologies, according to the ratings of educational programmes of universities by the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs “Atameken”. At the beginning of this year, the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan has set its sight to have KazATU become a scientific and methodical centre of digitalisation agriculture. The aim of project is to provide scientific and methodical guidance to the processes of piloting precision farming technology in 9 farms within the Akmola, Karaganda, Kostanay and north-Kazakhstan regions. These farms will also subsequently be used as centres of knowledge dissemination and schools of learning.

Hong Kong – City University of Hong Kong (CityU) established its first veterinary school of Hong Kong in collaboration with the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. In the autumn of 2017, the first cohort of Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (BVM) students embarked on the six-year degree, following a curriculum model that is strongly aligned with the accreditation requirements of the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council. Students are required

Dr. Mardeni Roslee awarded the prestigious International Excellence in Creativity Award from the National Inventics Institute of Romania on 19th May 2018.

Malaysia – On 19 May 2018, Dr. Mardeni Roslee from the Faculty of Engineering (FOE), Multimedia University (MMU) and Research Institute of Digital Connectivity (RIDC) was awarded the prestigious International Excellence in Creativity Award from the National Inventics Institute of Romania; and is the only recipient of this special honour. The 10th European Exhibition of Creativity and Innovation was held at the Palace of Culture, Romania. The event was officially launched by Prof. Dr. Nicolae Burnete, Romania’s Minister of Research and Innovation. The world-renowned exhibition is the largest innovation-related event in Europe and aimed to recognise and strengthen the implementation of innovation and creativity, as well as highlighting outstanding contributions. It involves 35 countries including United States of America, United Kingdom, Poland, Portugal, Croatia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Russia, Ukraine, Morocco, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand.

At the event, Dr. Mardeni was also awarded the Gold Medal (First Prize) for the project titled `Device to Device Communication for Realtime University Management Information System (D2D RUMIS).’ The

team comprised Prof. Dr. Mohd. Ridzuan Mokhtar and Mr. Khairil Anuar, also from FOE. The project was evaluated by a panel of international jury members, based on the originality of the innovation, scientific return and opportunities, project feasibility, potential users and applications, risk management, market opportunities, social and economic impact in the world.

MMU researcher receives prestigious European award

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At Singapore Management University (SMU), we focus on real-world problems and opportunities to create academic, economic and societal impact. We create value for a diverse range of stakeholders through integrating multi-disciplinary research, teaching and knowledge transfer, outreach and collaboration. SMU will continue to build capabilities within and across the major disciplines of the University and make SMU the best place in Asia to do interdisciplinary research in the world of management, social sciences and computing.

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Singapore – The London School of Business and Finance (LSBF) and Bridge Business College have collaborated to offer Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) programmes in Sydney.

The partnership has established LSBF-Bridge in Sydney as an ACCA Silver Approved Learning Partner (ALP) – the first ALP to be introduced in Australia. The ALP status is awarded by ACCA Global to learning providers for the quality tuition and support that they offer to ACCA students.

The ACCA programmes at LSBF-Bridge will incorporate online and classroom learning to give students a blended learning experience. Students can have access to recorded video lessons by qualified local tutors, as well as quizzes, mock exams, eBooks and

an E-Revision Kit – all geared to helping students to understand and pass the exams.

In Singapore, LSBF is an ACCA Platinum Approved Learning Partner and has successfully produced ACCA Prize Winners every year, bringing the total number to 188 within 17 exam sittings. LSBF ACCA students have come in first, second or third place in Singapore and are placed in the top 30 worldwide for the foundation and professional level papers.

LSBF-Bridge will also offer students the option to pursue diplomas in both Australia and Singapore as part of the LSBF Global Learning Experience. The LSBF Global Learning Experience allows student movement from other LSBF destinations to LSBF-Bridge in Sydney to further their studies.

With LSBF-Bridge dual qualifications, students can choose to study* with any of LSBF’s university partners and any Australian university.

Kiaran Green, CEO of Bridge Business College, said: “I am very excited about this partnership. Singapore is fast becoming the financial hub of Asia. This makes LSBF in Singapore an exciting place for any student to be learning.”

Rathakrishnan Govind, LSBF Global CEO, said: “Sydney is a popular education destination. I’m looking forward to this new chapter in the LSBF Global Learning Experience.”

*Dependent on students’ GPA and upon meeting the requirements of chosen university

Australia’s first ACCA ALP to start classes in Sydney

Hong Kong – Earlier this June, Lingnan University launched a two-day symposium together with City University of Hong Kong and Shanghai University of Finance and Economics to explore ‘The Role of Housing in China’s Social Transformation’.

Professor Ray Forrest from Lingnan University, with Professor Ngai Ming Yip from City University of Hong Kong, and Professor Jie Chen from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, led a group of professors from China and around the world to discuss their findings on the fundamental subject.

The rapid development of China over the last few decades has triggered monumental changes in many aspects of social and economic lives, and housing is perhaps the domain where changes have been the most intense

and far-reaching. Nonetheless, land and housing policy have been highly skewed towards homeownership and real estate interests with the rapid increase in house prices exacerbating the already worsening income and wealth gap, and housing quality between homebuyers and those who rent.

In light of this, professors of the symposium have launched investigations to critically evaluate the issue. Professor Lian Hongping from Beijing Normal University explored

‘The Beijing dream: Housing differentiation and experiences of young, middle-class Beijingers’, and identified key current challenges that younger Beijingers who are climbing the career ladder encounter.

“The Beijing youth face many housing challenges today. The study shows that the housing market is extremely marginalized,” says Professor Lian. “Only a handful of young

Beijingers, such as those who work in the government sector, have access to public housing. Parental support and marriage also have a big impact. Those who have parental support are in an entirely different situation, while for those who do not, marriage is a common way to access their own housing,” continued Professor Lian.

Professor Zhu Jin from University of New South Wales’ Faculty of Built Environment, explored the ‘Policy Ambiguity and Commercial Property Converted Apartments in China’. “The uncommon homeowner protest in Shanghai in mid 2017 which captured extensive overseas media attention really highlights the existing problem,” says Professor Zhu.

“Residents were outraged by the changing regulations on apartments converted from commercial buildings. Such apartments have become an important form of housing in China’s major cities and this episode of unrest really displays homeowners’ concern over an insecure tenure.”

“Housing issues are at the heart of China`s changing society and economy. The rise of home ownership has had tremendous positive impacts but has also produced new and deep inequalities. This is a complex problem which is exactly why our Centre for Social Policy and Social Change has brought the issue into the spotlight.” says Professor Forrest.

Exploring the role of housing in China’s social transformation

Experts from different universities at the two-day sympoisum

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South Korea – The combination of crises can result in grave food shortage. Therefore, to resolve this critical issue, Professor Jong-Seong Jeon of Kyung Hee Graduate School of Biotechnology has recently announced promising research findings that can contribute to resolving future food crisis. Professor Jeon and Professor Gynheung An (Crop Biotech Institute) made use of the ‘OsDoF11’ gene found in rice to uncover the world’s first sugar transport modulating gene.

The findings were published in April 2018 in the online top-ranking plant journal, Molecular Plant. This study examines plants that can enhance productivity by means of efficient photosynthesis and carbon metabolism (burning of carbon into energy through organic activity i.e. breathing) even in high temperature.

Since joining Kyung Hee University in 2002, Professor Jeon has published 141 papers in SCI-rated journals. He was the first to discover that the fibrillin 5 gene can assist photosynthesis under adverse environmental conditions such as immense heat and water shortage. His paper was published in August 2017, in a prestigious plant journal, Frontiers in Plant Science.

The Fibrillin 5 gene influences the chlorophyll function. When this gene loses function, rice cannot survive in high heat. Therefore, by producing excess amounts of fibrillin 5, Professor Jeon aims on strengthening the growth and productivity of rice.

Professor Jeon shared his motivation behind the research, saying “When the chlorophyll function improves, rice is bound to grow

better and to produce more. But research is still lacking in the function of proteins that exist in the chlorophyll. That is why I began this research.”

At the plant genome lab that Professor Jeon supervises, a wide variety of studies focused on rice such as plant genome structure, modulation and function analysis are actively underway. Professor Jeon also stressed the significance of the Crop Biotech Institute (CBI). “The Kyung Hee CBI has created approximately 10,000 mutant rice strains. As the world’s largest facility, the Center is responsible for quality rice research. We receive requests for rice mutants from around the world.”

By researching on photosynthesis and carbon metabolism, Professor Jeon intends to develop rice that can adapt to the changing global environment. Plants photosynthesize to create glucose that is crucial to growth and reproduction. When humans take in too much food, the satiety causes us to want to rest. Likewise, when plants take in large volume of photosynthesis in a short period of time, the glucose remains on the leaves, causing poor metabolism of carbon. Professor Jeon explained, “When there is plenty of sunlight, rice stops photosynthesis at around 2 p.m. To overcome this failure,

‘OsDoF11’ gene is used to expedite the sugar transport, causing the plant to continuously photosynthesize.” By expanding on this study, Professor Jeon intends to redefine the theory of carbon metabolism and to establish a system that enhances the productivity and function of rice; with the goal of commercialising the new findings.

Resolving future food shortage by researching rice

Fatin Nadhirah Muhd Royani with the IUKL President and Vice Chancellor, Prof Dr. Roslan Zainal Abidin.

Malaysia – Fatin Nadhirah Muhd Royani made Infrastructure University Kuala Lumpur (IUKL) proud when she was selected as one of the recipients of the IEM President Gold Award 2018.

Fatin, a Bachelor of Civil Engineering (Hons) graduate from the Faculty of Engineering and Technology Infrastructure was awarded the Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) Gold Award.

The award was presented at the IEM 59th Annual Dinner and Awards Night 2018, held in April at the Sunway Lagoon Hotel, Subang Jaya, Selangor.

IUKL President and Vice Chancellor, Professor Dr Roslan Zainal Abidin expressed his delight during the ceremony and shared that this was a great achievement for IUKL and motivation for other students to compete in future competitions.

He also shared that Fatin was part of the winning team in a competition organised by the Research Management Centre titled

“Formwork using Damp Proof Membrane (DPM)”. The team comprising of Noor Amirah Mohd Annuar and Nik Arfiah Faten Nik Ariffuddin from IUKL managed to clinch a Bronze medal.

Infrastructure University Kuala Lumpur (IUKL) student receives the ‘IEM President Gold Award 2018’

ITS won Shell Eco-Marathon Drivers’ World Championship 2018

Indonesia – On 9 July 2018, Sapuangin team from the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) Surabaya, Indonesia, won the first championship at Eco Marathon World Driving Championships events held at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London. Starting the race from ‘Pole Position’, the 10-lap race aims at identifying the quickest and most durable energy-efficient vehicle. At the beginning of the lap, the Sapuangin kicked off at a consistent speed while remaining in the top four. The team took calculated risks during the final lap by accelerating because the remaining fuel was sufficient which eventually led to its success as the team took the lead in crossing the finishing line.

The leading team was closely followed by other entrants including nine Canadian Sask Eco teams, French team, USA Team, Italy Team and three other teams from Indonesia.

The winning teams will receive an invitation to visit the Scuderia Ferrari headquarters in Italy; and, to participate in workshops and learn from experts at Ferrari.


Year 5 students Joey Wong (front) and Ching Han (back) discuss the next actions for their patients with the medical team

UTM celebrates women at the forefront of R&D

Malaysia – Several female academic staffs and researchers at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) have been acknowledged by their peers for their expertise; and were invited to give a talk at international events.

These outstanding individuals include Prof Dr Ida Idayu Muhamad from Food and Biomaterial Engineering Research Group (FoBERG), Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering. She was invited to deliver a keynote speech at the Food Safety & Municipality Conference 2018 (FSMC 2018), by the Ministry of Regional Municipalities & Water Resources, Oman.

In addition, Dr. Rozzeta Dolah, a post-doctoral fellow at MIT Department of

Mechanical Engineering under Microfluidics and Nanofluidics Research laboratory, was given the opportunity to deliver a technical short course for MIT and Harvard affiliates, universities and industrialist at the IAP 2018 (Independent Activities Period), an event organized by MIT. It was an honour for her to be given such opportunity at MIT.

Another female researcher, Assoc. Prof Dr Norhayati Abdullah was conferred the Top 50 Most Impactful Leaders in Water & Water Management (A Global Listing) award in conjunction with the World CSR Day at the Taj Lands End Hotel in Mumbai, India, earlier this year.

Prof. Dr. Khairiyah, a champion in Engineering Education and an expert on Problem-based Learning (PBL) received the Student Platform in Engineering Education Development (SPEED) Mentorship Award at the World Engineering Education Forum (WEEF 2017).

Citing a source that explained the achievement, “Her innovation in teaching and learning via Cooperative Problem-Based Learning has positively impacted students’ problem-solving assets and developed more constructive skills. With appropriate scaffolding such as motivation, encouragement, and facilitation, she has helped her students to construct new engineering knowledge and coached them to refine their existing skills.”

Recently, another two female academics and researchers from UTM were selected to be the recipients for 2018/2019 ASEAN Science and Technology Fellowship award. Prof. Dr. Haslenda Hashim and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hazlina Selamat from Faculty of Engineering were chosen by the ASEAN committee of Science and Technology through a competitive process involving experts from the ASEAN member states, ASEAN Secretariat for Science and Technology Division, U.S Agency for International Development (USAID) and the US Mission to ASEAN. This fellowship provides opportunities for early and mid-career scientists from ASEAN member states to apply their knowledge and analytical skills to solve public policy challenges. Prof. Dr. Haslenda is the Deputy Director of Process Systems Engineering Centre, and the Head of Green Energy and Environmental Planning Research Group; while Dr. Hazlina is the Director of Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics of UTM, and the co-founder of Malaysian Society for Automatic Control Engineers.

The university is proud of the tenacity and passion shown by them in their field of studies, and that their work are highly recognized.

Singapore – In August 2013, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) a partnership between Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and Imperial College London (Imperial), welcomed its first students. This new undergraduate medical programme, developed collaboratively by faculty at both institutions, put in place an innovative student-centric curriculum, adopting principles of active learning and teamwork. Team-based learning (TBL), the School’s principal classroom pedagogy, is implemented across the entire five-year curriculum, dispensing with face-to-face lectures. Students learn on campus in purpose-built classrooms and simulation labs, and gain clinical experience in the hospitals and polyclinics across Singapore. Professionalism, communication skills and patient-centred care feature across the entire curriculum. A customised e-learning ecosystem provides seamless support for all aspects of the student learning experience, from the campus to the clinics.

Boldly going where no one had gone before, the young men and women of LKCMedicine’s inaugural cohort took a leap of faith, entering Singapore’s newest medical school and championing innovative ways of learning. Five years later, LKCMedicine has come of age, with the first class receiving their MBBS degrees on 24 July 2018. There are high expectations of this talented pioneer cohort.

NTU President and Distinguished University Professor Subra Suresh said, “We are confident that these graduates will serve patients in Singapore well and make NTU proud.”

LKCMedicine Dean Professor James Best pointed out that, “Building a patient-centred medical curriculum was the first step. Our graduates are now well prepared for further education in any branch of medicine. I am confident they will excel in their chosen field.”

The Class of 2018, now young doctors deployed at seven hospitals across

The Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine sees first cohort graduate

Singapore, have been well prepared for modern medical practice. Throughout their five years of study they learned to be self-directed, collaborative and equipped for the digital age. Perhaps most importantly, they have retained a focus on the human side of medicine; putting patients’ needs at the heart of their practice.

Dr Charmaine Lee was in no doubt about this, “Patients’ care and experience depends a lot on what you do, and I want to do the best for them.”


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Hong Kong – Our interaction with the environment has been increasingly recognised to have detrimental effects both on the environment itself and human health. While country parks can help lower temperatures as trees and plants help to mitigate air pollution, the careful balance of these ecosystem services will be affected by rapid urbanisation.

These global challenges call for sustainable solutions if we want to have a healthy, strong and resilient planet to call home. It is the aim of ENSURE, a new HK$20 million (US$2.5 million) research centre established by the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)

and University of Exeter. The centre aims to address some of the most critical challenges we encounter today, including safe access to food, clean water and breathable air.

Drawing on complementary expertise in areas such as climate and environmental change, public health, marine science, and sustainable agriculture, in June 2018 the two institutions formed the Joint Centre for ENvironmental SUstainability and REsilience (ENSURE) to advance global sustainable development. One of the key aims of the centre is to interpret and communicate the science behind climate change and sustainability to facilitate meaningful

New centre aims to ENSURE our environmental well-being

and substantial benefits for the world’s population. Spearheaded by climatologist Gabriel Ngar-cheung Lau at CUHK and data scientist Gavin Shaddick at the University of Exeter, the centre will promote an integrated approach to investigating the multi-faceted impacts of environmental changes on human well-being and ecosystem health.

A recent ENSURE workshop in Exeter brought together 30 researchers from a wide variety of disciplines with the aim of identifying the most pressing issues related to the environment, climate and health, and forming large-scale international projects to address them. These include the effects of changing dietary patterns in China on land-use, ecosystems and human health; using remote-sensing laser network to identify the vertical distribution of air pollutants and associated variation in the effects on health; examining the interplay between climate change policy and economic growth; and tracking the impact of climate change on coastal communities in subtropical locations such as Hong Kong.

ENSURE strives to communicate potential solutions to the public, promote behavioural change, and foster greater understanding of the potential co-benefits associated with environment and health.

Prof. Rocky S. Tuan (1st left, back), Vice-Chancellor and President, CUHK; Prof. Sir Steve Smith (1st right, back), Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, University of Exeter; and other officiating guests at the launch

South Korea – The research team led by Professor Ki-Sun Kwon of the Aging Research Center of the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB) School of the University of Science and Technology (UST), developed a drug for sarcopenia and conducted technology transfer via joint research with Seoul National University Hospital.

Sarcopenia is a disease associated with the progressive loss of skeletal muscle that comes with aging. The prevalence of sarcopenia is over 10% in people aged 60s and is rapidly growing with the aging population. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognised sarcopenia as a condition with an International Classification of Disease Code in an attempt to treat a rapidly increasing number of patients resulting from population aging. This has given rise to a new drug market. A great deal of sarcopenia drug development research has been performed, mainly by global pharmaceuticals, but thus far no drug has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating the disease.

In their drug development process, Professor Kwon’s research team employed drug-repositioning, a drug development

approach that guarantees safety and reduces development costs. As a result, the team was able to identify cetylpyridinium chloride, or CPC, which effectively helps strengthen muscles, in an aged mouse (an experimental animal). The researchers injected CPC into aged mice and measured their limb grip strength and exercise endurance. The results showed that the CPC-injected mice exhibited 20 to 25% muscle improvement compared to normal aged mice.

The team revealed that CPC can be applied to the treatment of sarcopenia and other muscle-weakening diseases. They have also filed patent applications for related technologies in Korea, the US, China, Japan, and the EU. In addition, the team conducted technology transfer to BTC Corporation, a new drug development company.

Development of sarcopenia drug at UST


C. elegans, which have a relatively simple nervous system structure and function, as an experimental animal model.

The researchers detected the entire body movement of C. elegans and by employing mutant screening methods. They discovered the gene ‘TRP-1’ and ‘TRP-2’, which are genes that enable balanced and smooth body movements.

While wild-type C. elegans move straight, the mutant C. elegans that lost the two genes, TRP-1 and TRP-2, showed an abnormal expression pattern by moving only to the left instead of going straight. This abnormal expression pattern revealed that TRP-1 and TRP-2 genes act as driving wheels to help C. elegans move in a straight line.

The gene TRPgamma from the fruit fly, which is similar to TRP-1 and TRP-2, was injected into the mutant C. elegans. As a result, it was observed that normal movement of

South Korea – An international team of researchers led by Professor Kyuhyung Kim from Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences identified the motor mechanism of the proprioception sense that detects and controls the movement of the body. Proprioception sense, called the sixth sense of animals, is a sensory system that detects and controls the position, orientation, and movement of the body. When abnormality occurs in the proprioception sense, body movements become unnatural. Cerebellar hypoplasia patients or degenerative brain disorder patients will suffer from walking difficulties; however, research on the motor mechanism of proprioception sense or related genes is still in the early stages.

Professor Kim’s research team has been conducting research to identify the mechanism of proprioception sense that comprehensively detects and controls the entire body movement of animals by using

the mutant C. elegans was restored. This suggests that the TRP-1 and TRP-2 genes are proprioception sense receptors and that their functions are preserved in an evolutionary fashion, even in higher animals, including fruit flies.

In a world-first, the research team also discovered that TRP-1 and TRP-2 are proprioception sense receptors that detect and control the movement of muscles. Further, when TRP-1 and TRP-2 are artificially revealed in the olfactory nerve of C. elegans, it was observed that the olfactory nerve, which has nothing to do with movement, can detect motion; thus, their study found that TRP-1 and TRP-2 are proprioception sense receptors that control neural activity.

Professor Kim said, “Although the cerebellum is known to control various movements of animals including walking, the motor mechanism, which detects movements of each muscle and joint and that induce smooth and balanced movements, has not been known. By identifying TRP-1 and TRP-2 genes as proprioception sense receptors that detect and control movements, we expect to provide a clue to study the discovery of genes that cause walking disorders and the development of treatments.”

This research outcome was published on 9 June 2018 in the online edition of PLoS Biology; the research was conducted with support from DGIST’s Neuron Aging and Regenerative Process Research Project, Korea Research Foundation’s Basic Lab Support Project, and the Korea Institute of Brain Research’s Cerebral Cortex Project.

Functional Diagrams of TRP-1 and TRP-2 in Proprioception Sense

Revealing the mechanism behind animals’ sixth sense

Making the world a better place with street children from Alkhidmat Foundation

that is running a school for street children.

The goal of the project is to enrich the creative experience of these street children and help them discover their talents through books, arts, music and many more.

Lessons on the value of education, storytelling, painting/coloring/soft board designing, importance of health and hygiene, learning through role play technique, outdoor/indoor games, discussions on empathy and bullying were conducted. The children learnt to express their creativity in a positive manner, maintain a clean environment and work in groups. Since a major part of the project is centered on tackling the issues faced by the street children, these students received guidance in relation to the challenges faced daily like bullying, poor hygiene, illiteracy or land pollution. The observed positive change in behavior among these children such as being respectful, frequent hand-washing and adoption of recycling practices clearly demonstrated the successfulness of the project.

Pakistan – Every child is a galaxy unto himself. A helping hand can guide a child to open windows of opportunities for himself. For this purpose, a group of Psychology students at the Kinnaird College for Women, Lahore has collaborated with Alkhidmat Foundation

Keeping our environment clean and green


Hong Kong – The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) recently invested over HK$15 million to set up a new branch of State Key Laboratory in Marine Pollution (SKLMP) (EdUHK Branch). This commitment serves as a cornerstone to advance research frontiers on marine pollution.

The SKLMP is chosen by the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China with the aim of gathering top experts in the field to conduct pioneering research, provide professional advice on important national

issues, foster technological advancement and undertake mega projects in China. The University will collaborate with other sister universities in the SKLMP consortium, share its expertise in marine pollution and bring SKLMP to a greater height.

EdUHK President Professor Stephen Cheung Yan-leung said, “Environmental studies has been designated as one of EdUHK’s strategic areas. Our strength includes the adoption of a multidisciplinary approach which encompasses the sciences, social sciences, policymaking and environmental education, to tackle complex environmental issues”.

The new laboratory is overseen by Professor Rudolf Wu Shiu-sun, Research Chair Professor of Biological Sciences at EdUHK, who is also the founding Director of SKLMP. Since joining EdUHK in 2016, Professor Wu has built a team comprising 12 experts in environmental chemistry, ecology, toxicology, statistics, education and socio-economics. Currently, he is spearheading a HK$3.5 million project to characterise endocrine disrupting chemicals with epigenetic and transgenerational effects.

Professor Wu and his team will attempt to quantify these chemicals in the local population and environment, assess their environmental and public health risks and socio-economic implications, and develop novel technologies for their in-situ detection and removal. Professor Wu envisages that this new class of toxic chemicals will not only be of great public health and environmental concern for Hong Kong and the mainland; but will also become a major focus worldwide in the coming decades.

EdUHK opens a new branch of State Key Laboratory in Marine Pollution

EdUHK strives to share its expertise in marine pollution through the State Key Laboratory

Malaysia – Food supply and safety are major concerns in a hungry world. Researchers from Management and Science University (MSU) have discovered that just a little lemongrass oil provides sufficient natural preservation.

Heritage traditional local snack keropok lekor is a type of fish crackers made by small-scale industrialists concentrated in the east coast of Malaysia. It is widely popular among the health-conscious individuals for its all-natural main ingredients of fish fillet and tapioca flour. When fried, good quality keropok lekor fully puffs up yet stays crispy, indicating low oil absorption and low moisture content. Yet the snack is still highly susceptible to microbial spoilage. Freshly fried keropok lekor usually lasts for only one day at room temperature.

Crucial to food preservation are antimicrobial properties present in herbs and spices. Essential oils also have medicinal/health benefits thereby making them good candidates for natural preservation of food products. Studies on lemongrass oil’s antimicrobial properties reported antibacterial, antifungal, and pharmacological benefits. Mainly composed of citral, lemongrass oil also has natural biocide potential.

MSU researchers boost food technology with natural additive

As part of the study, investigators incorporated food-grade lemongrass oil into the keropok lekor recipe. Three samples of the snack were prepared; containing zero lemongrass oil (the control sample), slightly below 1% lemongrass oil (sample 1), and slightly above 1% lemongrass oil (sample 2). Their yeast/mould/coliform/moisture contents were tested according to the AOAC International Official Methods of Analysis standard.

At the outset, no coliforms were detected (< 1 log CFU/ g) across the samples. Whilst the existence of coliform bacteria may not necessarily indicate direct fecal contamination, it may instead indicate poor hygiene/sanitary practices during the food processing or handling. The absence of coliforms thus proved the samples to be sanitarily processed and handled without cross-contamination.

During storage, microbial growth was observed to be higher in the control sample than in either of the other two samples.

Low moisture content, associating with low water activity, translates into stable state and longer shelf life. The control sample was found to exhibit the highest moisture

content, 63.7±0.5% versus 6.22 ± 0.02% and 6.20 ± 0.03% in samples 1 and 2, respectively.

Post-frying and despite lemongrass oil’s citrusy fragrance, the samples showed no detectable differences in aroma or colour upon their sensory evaluation. A hundred semi-trained sensory evaluators from MSU took to the task of evaluating the snack’s texture and taste as well as their overall acceptance. Their evaluations were translated into questionnaire responses across the hedonic scale of one (extremely dislike) to nine (extremely like).

Demonstrating the lowest yeast/mould/coliform/moisture contents and the longest shelf life of four days versus three in sample 1 and one day in the control, the snack sample containing a little above 1% lemongrass oil was found to last significantly well in terms of its taste, smell and appearance.

The use of minimal lemongrass oil as natural antimicrobial additive in food products is thus recommended over pricier, synthetic ones. In addition, a longer shelf life unlocks numerous other possibilities – not least in the food supply and distribution chain.


Noise cancelling device by NTU EEE scientists halves noise pollution through open windows

Singapore – Researchers from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (NTU EEE) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore have developed a device that can reduce noise pollution entering buildings through open windows. Designed to be mounted onto window grilles, the device can reduce up to 50 per cent of noise coming from nearby environments such as busy roads, train tracks or from construction activities; and uses ‘active noise control’ technology – found in many high-end headphones that cancels external noise

– and adapted to work in a large open area.

The benefits are two-fold: windows can be left open for fresh air without disturbance from external noise pollution and reduces the need for air-conditioning to keep the interiors of buildings and homes cool.

NTU EEE Professor Gan Woon Seng, Director for NTU EEE’s Centre for Infocomm Technology (INFINITUS) who led the research said, “In comparison to noise cancellation headphones, what we have achieved is far more technically challenging as we need to control the noise in a large open area instead of just around the ear.”

Currently at the prototype stage, the device uses 8 watts of power, similar to a small portable Bluetooth speaker. Several units are placed together to form a grid-like array on a window grille to reduce external noise. The device uses a special sound emitting mechanism which works like a speaker and is hooked up to a processing unit. Equipped with a microphone, it can detect noise even before it reaches the window and computes the attributes of the incoming noise in real-time.

It quickly emits a countering sound or “anti-noise” that has the same waveform characteristics of the invading noise but with one difference: it is inverted or “flipped”. When both outside noise and anti-noise converge, they cancel each other out,

resulting in a softer ambient sound entering living spaces.

“Our innovation not only computes the right amount and type of “anti-noise” to emit; but also, does it faster than the detected noise can reach within a building,” explained Prof Gan.

The NTU EEE research team is now developing the technology further by improving its noise cancellation efficiency, making them smaller, and more cost-effective to produce. The researchers are also working with government agencies in Singapore to further enhance the technology to make it viable for commercial and residential applications.

The project is jointly developed with the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom, and Tottori University in Japan. It is supported by Singapore’s Ministry of National Development and the National Research Foundation in the Prime Minister’s Office, under the ‘Land and Liveability National Innovation Challenge’ (L2 NIC) Research Programme.

This initiative seeks to leverage R&D to develop innovative technological solutions to increase Singapore’s land capacity for its long-term development needs and provide tech-based options for future generations.

Russian Federation – ITMO University, one of Russian Academic Excellence Project participants, has recently launched its first Art & Science international master’s degree programme which will be conducted in English.

Dimitri Ozerkov, an art historian, curator and Director of the Department of Contemporary Art, the State Hermitage Museum, has been appointed the academic supervisor. This progamme is a part of ITMO University’s innovative initiative.

“The new programme is centered on students who learn how to study, gain knowledge and be creative, rather than on knowledge as a “finished product”. The Art and Science programme is aimed at creating an atmosphere which is to form a leader of the future: an innovator, a creative person who is actively involved in social life,” says Ozerkov.

ITMO University is one of the first Russian

Russia launches its first Art & Science master’s degree programme

higher education institutions to place emphasis on Art and Science development prospects. The university has been implementing relevant projects since 2013; and in 2017, the institution formed the Art & Science Cluster which serves to integrates all projects into a single sphere. The success of the projects and growing interest in the field are the influencing factors for the creation of the Art & Science master’s degree programme.

The programme is designed to allow students to understand the achievements of science and high technology (IT, photonics, optics, robotics and biotechnology) from the art perspective. Lectures and workshops on creative technology, thinking, ethics of advanced technology, history of Art & Science and the contemporary art are supplemented with project-oriented classes. Students will learn how to work with big data, VR/AR solutions, robots and new high-tech materials. The objective of the progamme is to have students work with famous scientists and artists to create several high-tech objects

d’art. In addition, they will need to prep their own individual projects by utilising the institution’s research laboratories.

Educators of the programme will include opinion leaders and experts from various spheres (scientists, curators, and local and foreign artists). Bachelors and specialists in both technology and art can enroll in this programme.

Professor Gan Woon Seng (centre) with NTU EEE researchers

60WOW News | Asia & OceaniaWith NSUYou will get there

Center of Excellence in Higher EducationNORTH SOUTH UNIVERSITY

Dhaka, Bangladeshwww.northsouth.edu

Knowledge Hub in Bangladesh


Deforestation is identified as the driving factor behind the loss and shortage of water access. To prevent water crisis from worsening, it is important to protect the forest and its biodiversity. Hence, the recommendation for the community is to opt for forest conservation. Therefore, a team from NSU Department of Environmental Science and Management (ESM) arranged a series of workshops and consultation meetings to motivate the community to make sustainable sacrifices. This discouraged deforestation and contributed to the prevention of water related issues that was otherwise disrupting their daily activities.

Another persisting issue is the seasonal streams of Pablakhali. This meant the community will sometimes may be without water supply for an extended period. However, due to the innovative application of integrated water resource management techniques, people now can bathe, wash and reside without any difficulty.

The biggest challenges are the water accessibility and the distance in which people in the community must commute to obtain water for their usage. This problem was resolved by digging up small ring wells near streams where water can be collected over time. This helps to ease the commuting woes and allow citizens to better facilitate their daily activities. Installation of filtration devices to clean water from pathological contamination also helped to address and improve the hygiene condition of the community.

The last follow-up survey was done at the beginning of 2018 which demonstrated the drastic change to the water crisis in Pablakhali. The condition of the forest has vastly improved, thereby improving access to water. The health and hygiene of the community are also being ameliorated through the integration of community participation, indigenous knowledge, expert consultation and structural innovation.

NSU collaborates with World Bank and Forest Department to improve water access and conserve biodiversity of Pablakhali

Digging up small ring wells to solve water crisis during off-season

Bangladesh – Water scarcity affects more than a billion people worldwide. In Pablakhali, the story is no different; people in the community have to travel miles to obtain water for their usage. Therefore, as one of the sustainable development goals, the Department of Environmental Science and Management at NSU has partnered the World Bank and Forest Department of Bangladesh, to implement a project designed to ensure hygienic, healthy life and easy access to clean water.

The primary objective of this study is to develop a water shed management plan (WMP) that can help improve the condition of the spring stream systems while identifying the existing flora, fauna and water. The team targeted the vulnerable community of Pablakhali to find a solution to this vital problem. The project started in mid-2014 with the baseline survey, follow-up survey and watershed management being completed at the end of 2017. The team intend to do a follow-up survey once every year.

Philippines – Dr. Catalina C. Platon, Associate Professor V and the Director for Intellectual Property and Research Utilization at Pangasinan State University, Lingayen, Pangasinan has recently patented a revolutionary new stethoscope with three multi-colored binaural tubes. This new stethoscope enables simultaneous auscultation of physiological sounds for students and instructor. The three headsets are connected to a tunable chest piece using a three-way metal port adapter with an angle of separation at about 45 degrees and an extension tube.

In an experimental research conducted by Dr. Platon in 2015, found that the device is comparable to a single binaural stethoscope in terms of accuracy and speed in measuring systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The study further revealed that the said device was acceptable to users. In a laboratory activity for first-year nursing students, they were asked to take vital signs of clients using a single binaural stethoscope and sphygmomanometer. As noted by Dr. Platon, a clinical instructor herself, this procedure is time-consuming since the instructor and students must take turns to check for the client’s vital signs. Moreover, this causes distress to clients and who, as a consequence, may develop bruises or marks due to repeated blood pressure taking.

The use of the triple binaural stethoscope, however, enables the clinical instructor and two students to check clients’ blood pressure simultaneously; and checking of the accuracy of data taken by students can immediately be done by the instructor. As such, the likelihood of causing distress and physical pain to clients is decreased. Private schools in the province of Pangasinan offering health-related courses have been trained to use said device.

Instructional multiple binaural acoustic stethoscope


Researchers identify new type of depression

Japan – Depression is a mental disorder that affects over 300 million people globally. While treatments exist, many of them are based on one hypothesis of how depression arises. Patients that do not fit in this mold may not be receiving the related benefits. A study led by Hiroshima University (HU) published online this May in Neuroscience, shed light on how one protein called RGS8 plays a role in depression behaviors.

Scientists think depression is caused by monoamine hypothesis, the type of two chemicals that depressed people lack: serotonin and norepinephrine (NE). Ninety percent of antidepressant drugs are made based on this idea. They aim to recalibrate these two monoamines. For some of these patients, however, it may not be enough.

“Thirty percent of people on these drugs do not experience any effect,” said Yumiko Saito and Yuki Kobayashi, neuroscientists at HU’s Graduate School of Integrated Arts and Sciences.

This study builds upon previous work in which the team found that RGS8 controls a hormone receptor called MCHR1. Parts of the brain involved with movement and mood regulation show signs of RGS8 expression. MCHR1, when active, helps regulate sleep, feeding, and mood responses. The researchers found that RGS8 inactivates MCHR1 in cultured cells.

Therefore, less RGS8 can lead to increased depressed behavior. Here, the team studied depression in mice at the behavioral and immunohistological level.

First, the mice did a swim test, which is a common behavioral analysis method to assess depressive behaviors in animals. Researchers measure the time each mouse was active, then subtract it from the total test time, leaving researchers with an immobility time.

Mice with more RGS8 in their nervous system recorded shorter immobility time than those with a normal amount of RGS8. When given an antidepressant drug that

acts on monoamines the RGS8 mice had even shorter immobility time. However, when the mice were given a drug that stops MCHR1 from working, immobility time did not change.

“These mice showed a new type of depression,” Saito remarked.

“Monoamines appeared to not be involved in this depressive behavior. Instead, MCHR1 does.”

With that conclusion, the team looked at the mice’s brains under the microscope to determine the relationship between MCHR1 and RGS8. More specifically, they examined the size of cilia sprouting from cells in a region of the hippocampus called the CA1, where RGS8 concentration was highest. Cilia are TV antennae-like organelles involved in cellular communication.

The team found that RGS8 mice not only had less depressed behavior than those without extra RGS8, but they also had longer cilia. That is, mice that took the drug that stopped MCHR1 from working had longer cilia.

In the past ten years, scientists have witnessed a correlation between dysfunctional cilia and disorders like obesity, kidney disease and retina disease. However, not much is known about their relationship with mood disorders. Hence, these led the team to think that RGS8 is a promising candidate toward the development of new antidepressant drugs, which is a focus for future experiments.

Thirty percent of patients on typical antidepressants do not experience an effect, and researchers are getting closer to understanding why.

OYAGSB receives CEEMAN IQA accreditation

when the Othman Yeop Abdullah Graduate School of Business (OYAGSB) successfully secured an accreditation from the CEEMAN International Quality Accreditation (IQA). The recognition by CEEMAN IQA helps to improve the competitive advantage and position of OYAGSB at both the national and international levels. Institutions accredited by CEEMAN IQA can gain various benefits through collaboration with reputable and credible international businesses and academic partners. CEEMAN (The Central and East European Management Development Association) is an international management development association established in 1993 with the aim

of improving the quality of management and leadership development in Central and Eastern Europe.

Thus far, OYAGSB has also received accreditations from other international bodies including the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the Association of MBAs (AMBA) and the Alliance on Business Education and Scholarship for Tomorrow (ABEST21). These accreditations have helped OYAGSB to further strengthen its position among the top business schools in the world. The school is also a proud Global Partner of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). MBA graduates are eligible to be awarded the ‘Chartered Manager’ title.

Malaysia – Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) obtained another international recognition

UUM OYAGSB aims to produce future business leaders with broad international scope, excellent decision-making abilities and capable of executing changes for the betterment of business, society, and environment.


Core of KoreaCore of Seoul


Hong Kong – A research team from Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) invented a specific nanotechnology layer for the proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs) in vitro. Compared to traditional methods, the team’s novel matrix can substantially reduce the risk of carcinogenesis or inflammation in stem cell therapy. This pioneering invention won the team a Gold Medal with Congratulations of Jury at the 46th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva.

Certain kinds of cells in the human body are unable to regenerate upon damage.

However, stem cells have the remarkable ability to develop into many different cell types, tissues and organs. Stem cell therapy is a treatment that uses stem cells to cultivate new and normal cells or tissues in vitro, which are then transplanted back to people to restore physiological function by replacing damaged or dead cells. It is becoming a viable and potent remedial treatment for many incurable diseases.

One of the keys to successful stem cell therapy is the cultivation of desired cells. Conventional stem cell culturing techniques in artificial conditions require many additional growth factors in a culture medium. High concentrations of polypeptide growth factors may stimulate the growth of abnormal cancer cells and therefore increase the risk of developing tumors after transplantation.

Instead of relying on growth factors or other biochemicals to cultivate cells, the new medical device invented by the HKBU research team, jointly led by HKBU Department of Biology Professor Ken Yung and Department of Physics Associate Professor Dr Jeffery Huang, found a novel way of using a physical process to induce stem cell differentiation. Dr Jeffery Huang describes the mechanism as stem cells resting on a “massage mattress”.

“Our invention is a silica plate coated with a nanostructure layer. The thickness of the layer is only 500 nanometers yet there are trillions of vertical zigzag structures on the surface. When the NSCs come into physiological contact with the matrix we developed, the

‘physical massage’ which resembles the Chinese medicine acupuncture technique causes the cells to differentiate into the desired functional cells”, explained Dr Huang.

The novel matrix enables the cultivation of NSCs without the addition of organic compounds in the process; thereby, greatly reducing the carcinogenic risk. “Our invention can provide a safe platform for research into stem cell therapies. I hope it gains approvals from regulatory bodies such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to boost the development of regenerative medicine,” says Professor Ken Yung. This invention offers hope of a cure for incurable diseases such as neurodegenerative diseases, chronic systemic diseases and degenerative joint diseases.

Patent applications to the US and China have been filed. The team has established a start-up company Mat-A-Cell Limited with the aim of providing an advanced device to research institutions and companies that develop stem cell therapy.

New stem cell culturing method reduces carcinogenic risk

Professor Ken Yung (right) and Dr Jeffery Huang (left) jointly invent the award-winning medical device for safe growth of neural stem cells using nanotechnology. Dr Huang is holding a piece of device.

South Korea – A team of researchers from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Seoul National University (SNU) and Yonsei University College of Medicine has succeeded in developing artificial intelligence (AI) that can effectively predict the efficiency of CRISPR, the revolutionary gene editing tool.

Curing the most devastating human diseases by genome editing has been a goal of precision medicine; CRISPR, a vital gene editing technology, holds tremendous potential in turning this dream into reality. The technology provides a universal method for precision cutting and editing of DNA in a broad range of organisms and cell types.

However, there are still many hurdles for biotechnology researchers to be overcome to realise the full potential of CRISPR-based gene editing.

One of the biggest challenges of this technology is the identification of the exact part of a gene to target when a researcher wants to edit the gene. Different target sequences within a gene tend to have different CRISPR efficiencies; thus, choosing a target to rectify aberrant gene sequences with maximum efficiency has been a major concern for researchers from across the world. Till date, various researchers have manually tested synthetic targets in lab-based experiments, but very few have the expertise, time, or budget for the laborious work.

The SNU and Yonsei University research team has developed AI that can streamline the process by accurately predicting the efficiency of CRISPR targets. The AI provides an unprecedented level of high accuracy by considering two most important criteria of gene targeting: first, the DNA sequence of the target, and

secondly, the structural accessibility of the target for the CRISPR nuclease. Their work is detailed in a paper titled “Deep learning improves prediction of CRISPR–Cpf1 guide RNA activity”, which was recently published in the internationally renowned academic journal, Nature Biotechnology.

Led by Professor Sungroh Yoon of SNU and Professor Hyongbum Kim of Yonsei University, the research team has achieved a breakthrough in the development of CRISPR therapeutics for human diseases. Through the newly developed AI, researchers can now easily identify which of the thousands of sites within a gene should be targeted to achieve maximum efficiency. This will remarkably reduce the amount of time, effort, and money invested in the CRISPR genome editing; thereby, brightening the future of precision medicine.

Other researchers who were involved in the research include Seonwoo Min of SNU, Hui Kwon Kim, Myungjae Song, Soobin Jung, Jae Woo Choi, Younggwang Kim, and Sangeun Lee of Yonsei University.

South Korean researchers develop AI for predicting the efficiency of CRISPR gene editing


Pakistan’s First European-commission certified facility for cardiac stent production

Pakistan – The World Health Organisation (WHO) has placed Pakistan in the 17th position for coronary diseases globally. Over 70 percent of the country’s diseased population is deprived of appropriate coronary treatments because of the high cost incurred from imported stents and other devices. According to the Business Monitor International, medical devices market in Pakistan is worth USD457.1 million (as of 2017) and is projected to increase to USD537.5 million by 2020

– a CAGR of 6.2 percent. The current imported medical devices in Pakistan made is out of reach for the common mand and adds onto the hefty cost for imports. As such, the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) has taken the initiative to carry out research in areas of national importance and with

high socioeconomic impact; one of which being healthcare.

The Medical Devices Development Centre (MDDC) is the first local medical devices production facility established in 2017 by NUST; and is a ground-breaking achievement for both the university and country-wise. MDDC has acquired ISO-13485:2016 certification for its production facility from the European Commission accredited Notified Body; and has initiated trial production of cardiac stents and angioplasty balloon catheters. Soon, these devices will be made available to the public at a 1/5th the cost of imported devices; thereby saving millions of dollars in imports as well as taking quality healthcare to the masses.

MDDC is the first facility in Pakistani academia to be established based on a university-industry collaboration model. At present, MDDC is working closely with industrial partners in Europe for R&D, design and production technology. It has a fully-equipped research wing with Prosthetics, Implantology, Fabrication and Design laboratories, where state-of-the-art research is being carried out in

collaboration with research groups from Kroto Research institute UK as well as universities in Europe.

Research in these laboratories focuses on:(a) Design, development and analysis of medical devices and implants used for the treatment of non-vascular cancers, insulin pumps for diabetes management, artificial heart valves, neonatal incubators, smart biosensors and wound management devices. These advanced medical devices and implants are designed with the objective of reducing the costs needed for frequent wound dressing replacements, bio-functional 3D scaffolds for soft and hard tissue accelerated repair etc. Research conducted in these labs has since resulted in several patents.

(b) Development of new testing machinery to produce these devices. MDDC has laid the foundation for the indigenous development of new devices, medical implants and industrial systems; thereby resulting in a discernible social impact and improvement in the country’s overall technology index.

Indonesia – Transportation accidents are one of the biggest problems in the world. According to WHO statistics, transportation accidents are among the top 10 causes of death in the world today. The facts show that about 70 percent of traffic accidents are caused by human error.

Based on these facts, Telkom University aims to create a device that can help to reduce the number of traffic accidents. A Team led by Dr. Dodi Qory Utama, lecturer of Telkom University School of Computing, developed the Integrated Traffic System (ITS) by adding a unique component, a brainwave sensor device termed as Brainstat, which can monitor the stress levels and alertness of drivers.

Brainstat is a device used to monitor the driver’s brain condition through the wave activity using EEG (Electroencephalography). Brainstat provides early warning of a driver’s condition thushelping to reduce accidents caused by human error.

The ITS system has been tested in real-life conditions for more than 1,000 hours of

Telkom University creates future intelligent transportation systems

operation by transportation drivers from pilots, machinists, to public bus drivers. All parts of the ITS will come together in a mobile app, turning a driver’s phone into an interactive safety manager for both car owners and public transport operators.

This innovation has garnered successful achievements in various global competitions. and is expected to be implemented in Indonesia by 2020.

This device, which integrates technology and neurology as well as physics, has received full support from the Indonesia Ministry of Transportation. Its successful implementation is Telkom University’s contribution to society through the advancement of transportation safety management in Indonesia.

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TMU pioneers the “College of Interdisciplinary Studies” to cultivate a new generation of entrepreneurs

TMU i College advocates interdisciplinary learning, such as 3D printing technology and health science, to enhance students’ learning experience.

Taiwan – Taipei Medical University (TMU) inaugurated the grand opening of its College of Interdisciplinary Studies (i College) in April 2018. With a mission to nurture biomedical talent through the means of creativity education and design thinking, i College encourages students to acquire knowledge and skills that can help them solve problems, develop ability to connect innovation with entrepreneurship,

and apply multi-disciplinary training to their learning and future career. The college offers a much wider range of choices as opposed to the traditional double majors.

The College of Interdisciplinary Studies anticipates social and global developments and applies artificial intelligence, big data, programming, entrepreneurship and digital content to build solutions. All TMU students

and eligible and highly encouraged to take the micro-learning course programme which has a duration between 3 and 6 weeks.

“Education is no longer only taught for the present but for the future,” TMU President Chien-Huang Lin said. He added that although medical education is TMU’s founding mission, the University must tackle this era of information overload by adopting artificial intelligence in all matters. He also said that the i College can help TMU cultivate a broader vision.

For example, after a medical student has completed a micro-learning course programme on artificial intelligence, one is likely to be more helpful in developing smart hospitals. If respiratory therapy or geriatric care students study A.I., perhaps they can use these approaches to provide advanced health services and long-term care.

The College not only helps TMU students to develop humanistic qualities, innovation capabilities and an international outlook; but also serves as a base where academic units can set up practical courses and workshops, including carpentry, 3D printing and Lego robotics workshops to strengthen students’ hands-on experience.

UCSI University alumni make the Forbes Top 30 Under 30 Asia 2018 list

Malaysia – UCSI University alumni Suzanne Ling Sook Shian, Lee Swee Lin and Lim Yuet Kim have made the Forbes Top 30 Under 30 Asia 2018 list for their efforts in social entrepreneurship.

Acclaimed for their efforts on The Picha Project – an initiative that empowers refugee families through food catering and delivery services – the trio are now internationally acclaimed for coming up with sustainable solutions that help to address the plights of refugees.

When contacted, Suzanne made it a point to thank all stakeholders of the Picha community, especially their mentors, partners, clients, alma mater and the refugee community.

“We are thankful and felt encouraged to be receiving this recognition because it shows that the world cares about the plight of refugees,” enthused Suzanne who serves as Picha’s chief marketing officer. “We do not see this as a personal achievement but the success of the entire team behind us.

“This recognition pushes us to work harder and strive towards creating greater impact. We can - and will – do more.”

Encouraging UCSI students to realise their aspirations, Suzanne said that it is crucial to align one’s goals with the impact one can make to the community.

The trio currently work with approximately 60 refugees from 12 families who hail from some of the world’s most war-torn and oppressed nations like Syria and Afghanistan. Together, they have served more than 52,000

meals from clients like the World Bank, Bank Negara, UNICEF, EY, Bain & Company, BFM, The Edge and Maybank, among many others. In addition, half of the revenue generated is given back to the community with the aim of empowering refugee families; with more than RM600,000 being disbursed to date.

Moving forward, they are hoping to expand their reach by working with 30 refugee families this year. Also, they are seeking to implement an automated back-end system and efforts will be made to establish Picha kiosks in more organisations.

The three ladies first met at UCSI as student leaders who volunteered at a refugee learning centre. They graduated in 2017 and their success story has inspired cohorts of UCSI students. Further, they have also recently won the Malaysian leg of the Chivas Venture – a global start-up accelerator by the famed distillery company and now represents the nation in Amsterdam for a share of a $1 million prize pool.

Swee Lin, Yuet Kim and Suzanne (third to fifth from left) have also won the Malaysian leg of the Chivas Venture.


A novel discovery of a mechanism involved in pathogenesis of periodontitis

Iraq – Many attempts had been made since mid-1960s to explain the nature and etiological factors involved in the initiation and progression of periodontal diseases. Despite significant contribution of the previous studies in understanding the pathogenesis of periodontal disease, yet many immunological and cellular aspects still not fully elucidated.

Collaborative work was conducted between College of Dentistry, University of Baghdad, represented by Researcher Ali A. Abdulkareem, and group of academic members from College of

Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, to investigate a new mechanism involving the pathogenesis of periodontitis. This mechanism termed as epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) can be defined as reversible shifting from epithelial to mesenchymal phenotype. EMT comprised of sequential events starting with downregulation of epithelial markers, acquisition of mesenchymal phenotype, and increased migratory ability of the cells. This phenomenon is well recognised as a physiologic process during embryogenesis and as a pathologic process during adult life that affects many organs such as kidney, liver, and intestine; in addition to its role in cancer metastasis.

However, involvement of EMT in periodontitis has never been investigated. Chronic inflammation, bacteria, smoking, hypoxia and inflammatory cytokines are considered the main inducers of EMT programme. Thus, the hypothesis of this research was established based on the presence of most EMT-predisposing factors in the microenvironment of periodontal pocket. Oral keratinocytes were used to develop the in-vitro periodontitis model. Epithelial cultures were exposed to F. nucleatum and P. gingivalis, distinct bacteria associated with destructive phase of periodontitis over a period of eight days. Different assays were utilised to monitor different functional and

molecular changes following the exposure of epithelial cells to bacteria.

Results showed that exposure of oral keratinocytes to periodontal bacteria over an experimental period can result in downregulation of E-cadherin, an essential protein of epithelial attachment, accompanied by upregulation of vimentin and other mesenchymal markers. In addition, there is a positive correlation between the level of inflammatory cytokines that can stimulate EMT and the migratory ability of cells.

This in-depth molecular and immunological study suggested that periodontal pathogens, particularly Gram-negative bacteria, can compromise the epithelial barrier function of periodontal pocket lining by altering epithelial-phenotype. This provides portal of entry to the bacteria to deeper periodontal tissues; thereby inducing intense inflammatory response and contributes to the further damage of tooth supporting structures. Clinically, these findings may support the use of anti-EMT agents such as antioxidants and vitamins that showed promising results in reversing EMT in other body systems. These naturally produced chemicals can be used as adjunctive to conventional periodontal treatment in the future.

NKUHT alumni wins World Artistic Bread Making Champion 2018

Taiwan – National Kaohsiung University of Tourism and Hospitality (NKUHT) alumni, Peng-Chieh, Wang won the Artistic Bread Making title in the 2018 Masters de la Boulangerie at Paris, France in February of this year. Wang attributed his success to the knowledge acquired from his NKUHT education such as discipline, going beyond what is expected, and always maintaining a professional work attitude. The professor who inspired him the most once told him that “God does not give you more than you can handle” – this helped him get through many difficult situations.

Wang discovered his passion for baking in his second year at NKUHT while competing in a worldwide baking competition in France. During his last two years at the university he worked

extremely hard, including putting many extra evening hours advancing his craft. This competition and the pursuit for his passion changed his life.

It was also during this time that he first dreamt of owning his own bakery. Eight years later, he owns three bakeries, including one in New York City, in addition to building a production plant that employs 40 people all while competing and winning a world baking competition. Wang also has an additional goal. He wants Taiwan to be a major influence in the baking world similar to countries like Japan and France.

Wang maintains an important and meaningful relationship with NKUHT. He is regularly invited to the campus to interact with students and teach them from his own baking experience. He also routinely seeks out consultation and inspiration from his former professors.

Wang is an example of how a young, unsure 18-year-old, with the assistance from dedicated, caring professors and a state-of-the-art teaching infrastructure can help students discover their passion and achieve beyond their dreams.

President Lin with Wang Peng-Chieh


Taiwan – Taipei viewed the Summer Universiade as more than just an international sporting event. Being the host to one of the most high-profile, world-class events – Summer Universiade 2017, the city illustrated its commitment to urban revitalization and demonstrated the positive city-transforming social movement due to an ever-increasing public participation. As the only municipal public university in Taiwan, University of Taipei(UT)’s participation was not only responsible for the hosting of “2017 FISU Summer Universiade Conference” but also for the provision of sports facilities, mobilization of students as volunteers and the winning of medals.

Among the 90 medals (26 gold) won by Taiwanese team, athletes from UT alone

A leap forward for the University of Taipei

won 20 medals (9 gold). 2017 was a leap forward year for UT both locally and globally. It has been ranked by “Global Views Monthly” (Taiwanese Magazine), as the 35th of the top 50 best universities in Taiwan and is recognised with the greatest progress. Moreover, it has been ranked 301-350th in QS Asian University Rankings.

Since the merger of Taipei Municipal University of Education and Taipei Physical Education College in August 2013, UT began a significant reform to endeavor for excellent education with a global view to attract top Taiwanese students and international participants. The university positions itself as a comprehensive institution that focuses on urban development and holds a vision of becoming the “global 500 city universities” through the utilisation of five strategies – Academic Research, Teaching Excellence, Internationalisation, Industry – academy cooperation and serving of the community.

The university has created three directions of development. Firstly, by inheriting and integrating the fine traditions of the two previous universities, UT aims to become an excellent model of teacher training university. Secondly, UT aims to become an important Gold Medalist training university. Thirdly, based on UT’s specialty in the arts and humanities, science education, sports and leisure, and the human resource development needs of Taipei

The women’s badminton medal winners, including UT students Tai Tzu-ying (2nd left) and Chiang Mei-hui (1st right)

City Government, the institution aspires to become an innovative university with metropolitan character.

Being the oldest university in Taiwan, established since 1895, UT is armed with more than a hundred years of history in education and has made several contributions towards the influential achievements of the nation’s development. Many alumni from the legacy colleges and graduate schools have been empowered through the pursuit of education at the university and have become prominent leaders within their fields of expertise.

Four UT faculty members have also been offered the roles of Minister of Cabinet Office of Taiwan government, ROC and President of National Academy for Educational Research; thereby representing UT’s intellectual contribution to the national policy of Taiwan. This outstanding tradition continued in 2013, when UT received an award from Springer for being the top institution with highest viewed publication globally; thus, demonstrating the strongest academic impact on international readership, leading ahead of the rest of universities in Taiwan.

UT values international diversity, which greatly enriches global view of all students and sets a connecting platform of international career development for future leaders.

Malaysia – Gelidium also known as red seaweeds consists of agar and pulp which can be converted to high value-added products; thereby creating market value for the seaweed. Pulp contains small, regular and hollow fiber which allows it to exhibit high surface area with great absorptivity

which is desirable to produce an eco-friendly separator in replacement of the conventional polymer separator. The global market demand for separators is expected to exceed $3 billion by 2020 due to the increasing higher performance of

separator needed to meet all requirements of new battery applications. As such, the usage of a red seaweed pulp as a tantalising material for the development of an eco-friendly separator serves as a promising solution.

The research team has successfully advanced a rechargeable bio-battery which comprises of a pulp separator embedded with salt/AI ion – which conducts imidazolium-type ionic liquid electrolyte – placed between an aluminum plate (anode) and modified graphite plate (cathode).

This new rechargeable bio-battery is not only slim, light weight; but also has a high electrochemical potential of 2.2V, discharge capacity of 50 mAh, with charge-discharge of up to 10 cycles. It also has a fast charging capability to energise many appliances such as phone, light-emitting diode (LED), car toy, fan, etc.

Eco-friendly separator for aluminum battery

Schematic illustration of red seaweed pulp separator and aluminium-graphite battery


Learning Japanese Culture in Yamaguchi, the heartland of the Meiji Restoration

Japan – The modernization of Japanese society and culture started just 150 years ago from Yamaguchi Prefecture, referred to as Choshu during the Edo period (1603-1867). It was still during this period of the Tokugawa Shogunate in the mid-19th century when five young samurai warriors secretly travelled to Britain and studied at University College of London. Returning from their studies overseas, these men were referred to as the ‘Choshu Five’, who became famous for overturning the Tokugawa Shogunate and building the Meiji period’s modern political, foreign diplomatic, engineering, banking and railway systems.

In 2018, a variety of events to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Meiji Restoration was being held throughout Japan. Yamaguchi Prefectural University (YPU) is in the heart of these historical areas and offers English classes to learn about Japanese culture. With the recent publication of the textbook for Yamaguchi Studies, students have opportunities to visit museums, art galleries, craftsmen’s workshops and seasonal festivals; and to learn more about

Japanese culture and history from the voices of local students and residents.

Yamaguchi Studies include topics such as crafts, design, literature, tourism, religion and so on. In 2017, this programme was nominated as an example of Good Practice by the Japan University Accreditation Board. The programme is currently only available to exchange students of partnering universities. However, there are short courses designed for learning the Japanese culture and/or language for any other students interested in the YPU programme.

YPU is established by the local government of Yamaguchi, and includes Departments of Intercultural Studies, Culture & Creative Arts, Social Welfare, Nutrition and Nursing. While originally a women’s institute of higher education, it became co-educational over twenty years ago, and has about 1,400 students in undergraduate and postgraduate education. It is one of the 42 universities which successfully carried out the Go Global Japan Project under the aid of the Japanese Ministry of Education. Students

are encouraged to study foreign languages and culture at partnering universities in Australia, Canada, China, Finland, Korea, Russia, Singapore, Spain, and the USA. In addition, many of the students are trained to teach Japanese language to the non-natives.

YPU has also been chosen to be the Center for Community Project by the Japanese government and offers three courses to develop community leaders in the areas of local tourism, child care and elderly care. Lastly, YPU is also currently building a new campus which is due for completion in 2020, the year of Tokyo Olympic Games.

UKM, the first Malaysian university to sign MoU with CFF

Malaysia – Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) added another feather to its cap when it became the first Malaysian university to sign an MoU with Crops For the Future (CFF), as part of its initiative in ensuring the sustainability of crops and food security. CFF is the only research centre in the world dedicated to research on underutilised crops for food and non-food uses.

The collaboration will see UKM’s Institute of System Biology contributing their expertise on nutritional value chains for dietary diversification that will deliver nutritious and marketable products including the contributions of underutilised crops.

The objective of the research is to achieve an evidence-based information on the nutritional status of underutilised crops and unravel the potential role it can play in enhancing food and nutritional security, both under the current and future climate scenarios.

This effort will also demonstrate how the development and delivery of nutritional value chains, including ingredients from currently underutilised crops can contribute to dietary diversification. UKM will be integrating its experts, platform technologies, database and knowledge systems into CFF’s expertise on underutilised crops.

Public Health Faculty and Monash University: RISE research program

Indonesia – On 9 April 2018, the office of RISE (Revitalising Informal Settlements and their Environments) research programme was officially launched at the Faculty of Public Health (FoPH). The Dean of FoPH, Prof. Dr. drg. Andi Zulkifli, M. Kes, welcomed the big family of RISE Makassar in Unhas. FoPH Unhas also established a special lab for RISE to facilitate the examination of environmental samples.

“This programme will be a challenge for us. However, at the same time, we hope that this 5-year project will lead to health and environmental improvement; and result in a positive impact to society”, said Prof. Dr. drg. Andi Zulkifli, M. Kes.

RISE is a research programme and partnership between Monash University and UNHAS which serves to strengthen the research relationship between Australia & Indonesia as both countries work to achieve eight sustainable development goals. Under the coordination of Ansariadi, SKM., MSc.PH., PH.D., as FoPH Unhas focal point, the RISE community health and environmental assessment component will be conducted in 12 major settlements in Makassar and chemical and biophysical laboratory of FoPH; while Dr. Eng. Ihsan Latief, ST., M.T., from The Urban Planning Department of Faculty of Engineering UNHAS will lead the implementation of water sensitive cities or urban water-sensitive approach & community design.


First “Cloud Innovation Center” established in Taiwan

Taiwan – A signing ceremony and press conference were held on 13 March 2018 to announce the inauguration of the first

“Cloud Innovation Center” established in collaboration between Tunghai University and Amazon Web Service (AWS). The

“Tunghai-Industry Innovation Association” was founded on the same day with the aim of promoting cooperating between industries in Central Taiwan and various international organisations.

Five departments from the Tunghai University namely (1) Computer Science (2) Industrial Engineering and Enterprise (3) Electrical Engineering (4) Business Administration (5) Information Management will be responsible for the operation of the “Cloud Innovation Center”; which will

be operated under two major platforms – “Cloud Technology” and “Digital Economics”.

The “Cloud Technology” is used to combine the platform of AWS to cultivate artificial intelligence applications, the Internet of Things, Big data and other talents of Cloud Computing. While “Digital Economic” focuses on the operation of AWS Cloud and its application for successful and innovation business systems. It offers professional courses to discuss on the influences of technology on industries and provides successful operating systems.

President Wang Mao-Jiun stated that Tunghai University’s emphasis on the cultivation of students’ talents and cooperation with AWS provide professors and students with the

opportunities to experience international cloud innovation technologies. The Tunghai-Industry Innovation Association will also contribute to Industry-Academia cooperation, cultivation of talents and technological innovations in Central Taiwan and beyond. It will also help Taiwanese companies to access international markets, foster new technologies and digital solutions to resolve economic challenges.

As mentioned by the Vice-CEO of AWS, Executive Director Rong Yong-Kang, Taichung is the second largest city in Taiwan and plays an important role in precision machinery, intelligent production, hand tool machinery and sport facilities. It is therefore, an accomplishment for AWS to have found the first “Cloud Innovation Center” in Central Taiwan.

A Tunghai-AWS industrial seminar was also held following the signing ceremony and press conference, where Ken Eisner, the Global Leader of AWS Worldwide Education Programs presenting a keynote speech surveying the AWS Education Project. Thereafter, during the “AWS University AWSome Day” held at Tunghai University, Professor Maid F. Sakr from Carneige Mellon University and Chen Hsiao-Wei, Technology Program Manager of AWS Academy presented lectures on the AWS cloud system; with approximately 200 professors and students attending this said event.

Although a number of libraries in Europe and North America hold large collections of Japanese materials, no thorough assessments have been done in the Southeast Asian region. To investigate, Professor Wada and his team started this study in 2014, in cooperation with the Japan Foundation and research institutes in the local areas, and with financial support from the Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research. As a result, they found 4,804 Japanese-style bound and 5,642 Western-style bound books as part of the ISSI collection.

The number of Japanese-style bound books in the collection is perhaps the largest in Southeast Asia. Most of which were being published in the Edo and Meiji periods. The materials in the collection range from Japanese history books, for example, “Ruijū Kokushi” and “Dai Nihonshi (Great History of Japan)”; philosophy and ideology books mainly written by Shinto and Kokugaku (national study) scholars such as Motoori Norinaga and Hirata Atsutane; and materials on the traditional performing arts of noh and kyogen.

The Western-style books are mainly academic books and book series published in the Meiji Period. But the highlight here is the collection of materials from the Japanese Cultural Center in Hanoi, established by Japan in Vietnam during World War II. Because there are barely any related materials left on this institution, the Center’s collection is very valuable in studying cultural activities by the Japanese government at a time of war.

All materials in the ISSI’s collection are now cataloged, laying a foundation for the building a system where researchers within and outside Vietnam can access these Japanese materials at ISSI in the future. Further, the catalog data will not only be available at ISSI but will also be linked to databases at Japan’s National Institute of Japanese Literature and European research institutions. This will allow researchers to grasp collections of Japanese materials spread throughout the world in a more comprehensive manner.

Largest collection of classic Japanese materials in Southeast Asia found in Vietnam

Japan – A recent study led by Professor Atsuhiko Wada of the Faculty of Education and Integrated Arts and Sciences, Waseda University found that the Institute of Social Sciences Information (ISSI), a scientific research organization under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS), has approximately 11,000 volumes of Japanese materials in possession. The collection includes rare materials from the Edo and Meiji periods, and is believed to be the largest collection of classic Japanese materials in Southeast Asia.

The opening ceremony of Tunghai-Industry Innovation Association


Indonesia – Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY) participated in an energy-efficient car competition, Shell Eco Marathon (SEM) Asia for Urban Concept vehicles group, held between 7 and 11 March 2018 in Singapore. UNY successfully garnered the top three positions in the competition to be named Asia’s representative at the Drivers’ World Championship (DWC) world level; and the Urban Concept champions from UNY will qualify to participate in the Shell Eco-marathon Drivers World Championship (DWC) Regional Asia Final held in London. The DWC achievement of Garuda UNY Eco team was at 215 km per liter. To achieve

an energy-efficient car, the team designed the car by taking into consideration the economical engine and weight-saving body.

The engine is designed by optimising power through a more efficient fuel room design and more optimal combustion so that the gas flow is more environmental-friendly. Skeletal design is made to reduce the weight of the car but with increased rigidity. The car suspension is designed in such a way that it allows for smooth gliding with perfect spooring. In addition, tires and wheels are designed to reduce rolling resistance. The only flaw is the lower aerodynamism of the car body which can be overcome by the other mentioned key factors.

The team is set to continue its hard work as it prepares for the heightened challenges and more stringent rules at the upcoming DWC event. DWC is a fast-paced competition of Shall Eco Marathon which aims to inspire students to innovate and design solutions to resolve any possible future technological challenges and constraints in energy sources.

Further, this global prestigious event is in search for reliable drivers who can complete laps within a short time period and can be the most fuel-efficient. Safety is also a primary concern of this competition; therefore, it is a mandatory point that participants must abide to. The safe delivery of cars to the destination of the race and safety of the drivers when at the arena are key pointers that organisers look out for. Besides the safety concern, participants must also demonstrate proficiency in two experiments and achieve energy efficiency results of at least 95 percent at the regional level.

The three Asian representatives will be competing with European and American regional representatives at the DWC Grand Final in London next July.

Garuda UNY eco energy-saving car

Through the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry, the government introduced the LKIM Fisherman Fund in 2001 to boost the economic level of fishermen and Fishermen’s Associations. A total of RM61.4 million was allocated from 2001 to 2016 for the Fishermen Fund and transformation of fishermen’s way of life. The fund was aimed at providing interest-free loans for new boat and equipment purchases or enhancing existing boat capabilities, operating capital loans, emergency loan for fishermen, capital expenditure for marketing for Fishermen’s Associations as well as reducing the dependency on and influence of middlemen.

Dr. Roziah, who is also the Head of the Department of Professional Development and Continuing Education at the Faculty of Educational Studies, UPM, said that the study involved quantitative and qualitative approaches. A total of 745 fishermen and 27 State Fishermen’s Associations and Area Fishermen’s Associations were involved in data collection for the quantitative research. As for the qualitative study, 15 focus group discussions were conducted, involving 88 informants.

According to Dr. Roziah, the study aims to help LKIM reassess the effectiveness and improve the efficiency of the Fishermen Fund programme. Other researchers involved in the study include Professor Dr. Laily Paim, Dr. Husniyah Abdul Rahim and Dr. Fadzilah Abd Rahman.

Fishermen’s income increase with the introduction of Fishermen Fund

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Roziah Mohd Rasdi

Malaysia – Income of fishermen involved in marine fish recorded a significant increase of 38 percent within a 10-year period (2005-2014) as compared to the previous 10 years before the Fishermen Fund was introduced in 2001. The Head of Research from the Faculty of Educational Studies (FPP), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Roziah Mohd Rasdi, conducted a study financed by the Fisheries Development Authority of Malaysia (LKIM) on the Impact of Fishermen Fund and found that the largest difference in average income percentage occurred in the Sarawak zone (55.1 percent), followed by Sabah (49.0 percent); while the smallest difference was recorded in the Western zone (28.7 percent), followed by the Northern zone (29.1 percent). According to the study results, the highest income increase in the Sarawak zone is expected to help advance the loan repayment ability of fishermen in the zone. Fishermen witnessed a significant overall increase of 36.6 percent in income after obtaining the Fishermen Fund.


The empowerment of student digital business in industry revolution 4.0

Indonesia – Universitas Indonesia (UI) is constantly advancing its learning environment to create a conducive space that supports students’ activities; one of which includes the development of business ideas from students. The Directorate of Business Incubator and Innovation (DIIB) encourages students to develop their business ideas by conducting innovative competitions and providing business grants to nurture bright entrepreneurs. Due to the rapid growth of technological development, the present world is entering the fourth industrial revolution which places emphasis on patterns of a digital economy, artificial intelligence, big data, etc., which

are also known as a disruptive innovative phenomenon. Recognising this challenge, UI aims to improve business types within the digital economy through Infishta – a fishing investment platform with crowd-funding concept. Each investor can place their investment on the Infishta page and distribute them to the fishermen. The community will subsequently receive a return on investment through a profit-sharing system of approximately 40 percent from the net profit of the fishermen operation result. This social entrepreneurship concept is implemented so that fishermen can receive easier funding access as compared to that of a creditor.

UI also developed a financial technology concept through smart phone application called Flip – a bank transfer application that allows individuals to make bank transfers to different banks without administration fee. Further, in terms of renewable energy, Weston has become UI’s excellent trademark in using the solar and wind to improve DC Converter and smart home devices that can be used by homes and institutions. These companies started from simple ideas by

young individuals who saw the business opportunities. Flip received funding support from DIIB, an organisation that provides funding support annually to outstanding student businesses.

“We participated in DIIB’s innovation competition with our fintech concept which had since been developed significantly. UI’s trust in the initial form of Flip was undeniable and very precious” said Ari, Founder of Flip.

UI also provides business assistance for selected participants through business proposal competitions and trainings to support students who have passion in business and entrepreneurship. This has also become a part of UI’s main mission, that is to support and help enhance students’ businesses. More young entrepreneurs are expected to be nurtured through these activities. Young entrepreneurs will not exist without a supportive environment. Hence, collaboration between the university, government and students has become increasingly significant.

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Advancing the Medical & Health Sciences:Education, Research & Collaboration

78WOW News | Middle East & Africa


United Arab Emirates – A new system will help patients rehabilitate in a more efficient and cost-effective manner. Developed by students and researchers at the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) in collaboration with the intelligent behaviour control unit at the RIKEN National Science Institute in Nagoya, Japan, the project uses technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to have easier and quicker access to neuro-therapists.

“With the technology, we can actually overcome this limitation of not having enough high-quality neuro-therapists,” said Dr Fady Najjar, Assistant Professor at the College of Information Technology. “The idea

is to use technology with cloud computing to extend the power of these people so as to decrease the work of each doctor; thereby allowing him to do more service work.”

The AI system will perform routine work and learn from the doctor’s feedback to be able to adapt it on its own. “The system already learnt how to solve this problem from the therapist’s long-term experience, which will allow it to make decisions without consulting the doctor,” Dr Najjar said. “The idea first started with a few therapists in Nagoya, Japan, where residents have no access to good quality neuro-therapists. They need to travel long distances to meet them, so we found a way for them to conduct training in their house.”

Their data are recorded and uploaded on the internet via cloud. Based on the data, the system can monitor and provide feedback to patients and modify their trainings accordingly. Doctors will also be able to access the data through their dashboard to monitor the number of registered patients.

To motivate patients to undergo training, students at the university travelled to the

Japanese institute this early March and built interactive training games over a two-month period. “If they were merely asked to wear these sensors, they may only do it once or twice but not continuously,” Dr Najjar said.

“But if they do it as part of a game, they will most likely continue the games daily to see where they have reached.”

There are also plans to utilise social media where competition will take place between patients; thereby allowing the tracking of time spent in their training weekly. The system will learn through the patient’s input and doctor’s output; and thereafter create the most probable feedback for any possible issue raised. Once it reaches an expert level, it will automatically send out the different types of training needed by the patient.

Currently, students are continuing their research in the university’s laboratory where they are looking to enhance the games and find ways to build an expert system which is capable of learning by monitoring the input and output of data. The goal is to implement the project which will help to rehabilitate patients who have spent years in the hospital for treatment.

Patients learn to self-rehabilitate through new AI system

Entrepreneurship development for Africa: A case of volunteerism and craftmanship

The Centre seeks to generate an army of volunteers to be dispatched across various municipal councils.

Entrepreneurship conclave for African youth is the first step towards achieving the objective of producing volunteers across Africa. The conclave is a symbolic representation of a ‘cooking pot’ or

‘production factory’ where volunteers are trained to become street-wise entrepreneurs. In return, selected individuals are expected to return to their local communities to train others on a continuous basis. The aim is train approximately 50,000 volunteers between now and the coming year based on its vision

that “Every youth, a volunteer in Africa”. The conclave serves as a coordinating center where it undertakes monitoring and evaluation and provides relevant assistance in terms of linkages and measurement of impact to the state.

Benefits of this volunteerism programme include but is not limited to: self-worth and fulfillment; community recognition; potential for gainful employment; development of innate abilities; vanishing idleness and joblessness; sense of belonging to a cause; unseen hand reward; keeps one fully engaged and occupied; opportunity to develop a career or vocation; societal respect and honour; visible evidence of contributions to societal values; being responsible and respectable; provides life’s future direction and opportunity for other supports.

All in all, the change of unemployment bedeviling the state is not without a solution. Volunteerism is one of the solutions proffered to raise an army of

‘street-wise entrepreneurs’ who could be adequately trained to contribute positively to their respective communities and embark on noble community projects.

Nigeria – The unemployment rate in the African continent is increasing exponentially. Therefore, to resolve this societal menace constant efforts have been carried out through the implementation of various approaches including the launch of youth employment scheme, training via several apprenticeship programmes, establishment of employment directorates etc. In addition, to further heighten the employment opportunities, the Entrepreneurship Research and Development (ERDC), Kaduna State University, recently run its first Entrepreneurship Volunteerism Service Scheme.

Volunteerism display


Unisa gets first patent registered in the United States

South Africa – Novel research leads to a novel experience at the University of South Africa (Unisa) as the institution gets its first patent registered in the United States. The team behind the invention includes Professor Vijaya Vallabhapurapu and Wei Ho from Unisa, and Ivan Hofsajer from the University of the Witwatersrand, shared that what started as a fun experiment ultimately advanced to the registration of an international patent.

The collaborative innovation involves the removal of heavy metals from fluids using nanotechnology without mechanical stirring. With the mining industry being a critical driver of the nation’s economy and rise of deprivation of water to purify vast volumes of water used in mining operations, the patented process serves as a critical solution to the identified challenges.

Ho shared that the invention involves a novel method of utilising magnetic nanoparticles that are coated with a functional layer to remove certain contaminants from the water.

“The use of magnetic nanoparticles is not novel,” he said, “but the novelty in our invention is the way in which the cleaning takes place. Most current systems use the magnetic property to separate particles from the water after the purification is done. However, we use the magnetic property in the cleaning phase as well.”

Professor Vallabhapurapu pointed out that the achievement goes beyond the main research. “The patent is a big boost for our team members, comprising not only of research staff and students; but also, of the Research Support Directorate in Unisa’s Research, Postgraduate Studies, Innovation

and Commercialisation (RPSIC) Portfolio, who provided support to the team success.”

Moving forward, Professor Vallabhapurapu said that the vision underpinning the patent expands beyond water purification.

“Now we are expanding this work into the treatment of biofluids, and our goal is to treat human fluids such as blood.”

“Research and innovation at Unisa has been going from strength to strength since the establishment of a dedicated RPSIC Portfolio in 2011. It witnessed the university’s strategic investment in world-class equipment and facilities, attracting and developing internationally acclaimed researchers, and providing unequalled support to its research community”, added Unisa Principal and Vice Chancellor, Professor Mandla Makhanya.

Can plants beat cancer?

South Africa – A young scientist from the University of Pretoria, Danielle Twilley achieved international recognition for her contribution to science with her research on the use of indigenous plants to treat cancer. The organisers of L’Oréal-Unesco Women in Science Awards named Twilley as one of 15 ‘Rising Talent’ researchers.

Melanoma is a common type of skin cancer and is the most dangerous. Sun

exposure is the main attributing factor of melanoma, with 65-86% of melanoma cases being attributed to sun exposure. The risk of developing melanoma can double after more than five sunburns. The fact that the ozone layer is constantly depleting, further accounts for the large number of melanoma cases across the world.

Melanoma cells, like any other cell in the body, need to get the necessary nutrients and oxygen to grow. If they are deprived of oxygen, they become hypoxic. To prevent this, melanoma cells give off signals known as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) which is a type of protein that stimulates the formation of new blood vessels around the tumour cells. The formation of new blood vessels is known as angiogenesis. These blood vessels feed the cells and provide them with pathways to various parts of the body, allowing the cancer to spread.

Treating melanoma should therefore either inhibit angiogenesis so that the cancerous cells will starve, or treatment should directly target the cancerous cells. There are currently no angiogenesis inhibitors for melanoma and because of the high density of blood vessels typically surrounding melanoma cells, the ability for cytotoxic drugs to effectively enter the cancer cells is restricted.

Medicinal plant scientist, Danielle Twilley of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences’ Department of Plant and Soil Sciences wants to change this and is finding

new ways to inhibit both angiogenesis and tumour growth in melanoma cells. Twilley is looking to traditional indigenous South African plants for solutions. Previously, Twilley had discovered a South African plant that had significant cytotoxicity (toxic to cells) towards melanoma cells.

Her current research looks at isolated compounds and extracts from the plant to see if they can inhibit VEGF (signals sent out by the tumour cells) so that angiogenesis is inhibited. This research can be a game changer in the field of melanoma treatment and has reached a very exciting phase where both the compound and extract of the plant are showing positive signs of inhibiting angiogenesis. “The pure compound appears to be able to kill the cancer cells at a much lower concentration,” explained Twilley. Cancer treatment can also result in side effects. Hence, Twilley is delving into the field of nanoparticles in her development of an anti-angiogenic agent to minimise any damage of healthy cells.

Twilley and UP are currently applying for a bioprospecting permit so that the institution can licence this plant out to manufacturing companies for the development of topical treatments. Through this project, Twilley also aims to have local communities’ benefit, and develop the socio-economic aspects of communities in South Africa.

L’OrÈal-Unesco Women in Science Awards named Danielle Twilley (above) as one of 15 Rising Talent Researchers


Iran – Dr. Ali Esfandiar, Assistant Professor at SUT’s Department of Physics is the first researcher from an Iranian university to publish a paper in the Nature Journal in the field of natural sciences. His collaborations with Prof. Andre Geim, 2010 Physics Nobel Laureate and one of the other authors of this paper, commenced while he was pursuing his postdoctoral fellowship in Andre Geim’s Research Group at the University of Manchester, UK.

“Three consecutive years of research in the lab of famous Noble Laureate, followed by the continuous collaboration upon my return to Iran, has led to invaluable research findings in the field of Ballistic Molecular Transport. The research findings were culminated in the publication of two papers, one of which entitled “Ballistic Molecular Transport Through Two-Dimensional Channels” is published in the Nature Journal”, said Dr. Esfandiar.

This research is said to have extensive applications for gas permeation through nanoscale pores in the state-of-the-art technologies.

SUT Professor collaborates with famous Nobel Laureate

portrayed in detail. Leonardo da Vinci poses as Plato, and Michelangelo is absorbed in a drawing on the artwork’s majestic steps.

Led by a team of seven architecture students at the university, the re-enactment brought together 61 students, staff and faculty, who meticulously prepared to portray one of the many intellectual giants included in Raphael’s painting. Each participant’s costume was carefully designed to match their counterpart in the painting, and participants were coached on how to correctly duplicate the pose of the person they had been selected to imitate. Different parts of the grand architecture of the AUS campus were combined into a stunning backdrop for the work, with the AUS library atrium providing an impressive arch.

Redressing the Renaissance is more than a re-costuming event. The student-led initiative reforms male-dominant culture towards gender balance. It values cheerful cooperation over the cult of solitary genius. It broadens euro-centric focus towards global inclusiveness. With tongue-in cheek humor, it honors traditional skills but enriches them with the marvels of contemporary technology. These and other considerations

United Arab Emirates – In a feat of creativity, organization and stamina, students from American University of Sharjah’s (AUS) College of Architecture, Art and Design (CAAD) have produced a contemporary version of one of Renaissance Italy’s most famous artworks, Raphael’s School of Athens.

The much-visited original, which is placed in the Pope’s apartments of the Vatican, features a selection of history’s creative geniuses, with philosophers, poets, mathematicians, astronomers, physicians and architects, all depicted in the celebrated work. A line-up of some of the past’s most famous faces are included in the masterpiece, with Alexander the Great, Socrates, and Aristotle all

combined to make the “School of Athens in Sharjah” a contemporary artwork in its own right.

The artwork is also a testament to the attention that university’s College of Architecture, Art and Design places on fostering innovation and creativity in its students. With participants in the Redressing reflecting on the diversity of cultures and religions at AUS, the work holds importance beyond being visually spectacular. Dr. Martin Giesen, Professor of Art History at AUS, believes that one of the reasons for the project’s success lies in its relevance to the contemporary UAE society.

“Redressing the Renaissance is a courageous and creative installation of seven students of American University of Sharjah who decided to pay tribute to and give artistic form to the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah: to establish a distinctive institution, nurtured by history, responding to the aspirations of contemporary society in the United Arab Emirates”, said Dr. Giesen.

American University of Sharjah re-creates a Raphaelite masterpiece

AU Mobile Dental Clinic

AUS- School of Athens

United Arab Emirates – Ajman University (AU) rolled out a brand new mobile clinic this May 2018 to deliver dental care to the doorsteps of underserved populations, especially the elderly and those who are unable to travel due to injury, illness or mobility issues. The clinic will also visit immigrant labourers to provide complimentary check-ups and treatments on-site.

The sleek dental clinic features wheelchair access and is equipped with the latest tools for state-of-the-art patient care. There are two fully-equipped units on board – both of which meet international regulations – that can accommodate up to 40 patients daily.

For the last decade, AU’s College of Dentistry has treated 500 patients a day in the free clinic on campus. The mobile dental clinic is a natural extension of the University’s overarching commitment to community service.

Each semester, various group of students will visit places like India, Kenya, Nepal and Zanzibar to aid in dental care. Thereafter, they will bring their experiences back to campus for further discussion and evaluation.

AU rolls out mobile dental clinic to treat UAE’s underserved populations


United Arab Emirates – In 2017, Gulf Medical University had taken a strategic decision to change from a predominantly informative university to a transformative university that takes the lead in innovation and aspires to contribute to the future of Health Professions Education. This ambitious vision is translated into strategic directions with the restructuring of its management, organisation, programmes, faculty, students learning, physical facilities and innovative educational technology.

The first transformation to occur was the leadership change in the Board of Trustees. This major change at the top was essential to take the university to another level. Gulf Medical University is unique as it owns a healthcare delivery system. The rift between academia and healthcare services was resolved through the creation of the first Academic Healthcare System in a private University and Private Healthcare System. Within a year, the system is functioning and

running under the supervision of the Gulf Medical University Academic Health System (GMU-AHS) Executive Board. A collaborative leadership between the Chancellor and Vice President, Healthcare Division is a major factor for its success.

Research plays a central role in advancing knowledge and is embedded in the structure of the institution. To achieve this transformation, two important actions took place: establishment of a state-of-the-art

‘Research Institute for Precision Medicine’ and the creation of a Faculty Research Track. Heavy investment was allocated to develop this institute. A top international researcher was appointed to take the lead and a research faculty was also formed. The efforts yield results as the achievements were featured in some of the high impact factor journals with one of them being reviewed by

“Nature”.

A second Institute of Population Health

has been approved to lead research in this important field. Foreseeing the rapid expansion of the health Industry, the University established a new College of

‘Healthcare Management and Economics’ which is the only dedicated College in the Middle East in this domain of higher education to offer a four-year Bachelor degree and an Executive Master.

To spearhead innovation in medical education it is critical to develop ‘The Institute for Health Workforce Development’ to lead the faculty development. The University is also offering the first international Joint Master in Health Professions Education – Gulf Medical University - The Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER).

GMU is a pioneer in preceding the future of Problem-Based Learning by developing

‘Virtual Patient Learning’ (VPL) and transforming medical education through the use of Artificial Intelligence. This innovation was awarded the QS-Walton Gold award in the Middle East region in Creative Learning category and Silver award in in the world E-learning category at the Reimagine Education Awards and Conference, USA in December 2017. A major progress is taking place at GMU in its strategic direction to expand its global footprint through important collaborative agreements with leading international universities.

Gulf Medical University from informative to transformative

MAHE Dubai Campus receives the Dubai award for sustainable transport

United Arab Emirates – The DAST award ceremony held on 7 March 2018 at Dubai World Trade Center was graced by H.H. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chair of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation and President of the National Olympic Committee. This 10th edition of Dubai Award for Sustainable Transport – DAST 2018 is an initiative of the Road and Transport Authority, Dubai Government; and had witnessed the participation of several universities across the UAE. At the ceremony, final year engineering students from Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Dubai Campus were awarded the first and third position respectively under the Best Student Project Award category. This was the fourth consecutive time that MAHE Dubai Campus had received the award.

Mr. Rahul Vijay (Final year Electronics & Communication Engineering) and Mr. Shaid Sanghar (Final year Mechatronics Engineering) won the First place and cash prize of AED 30,000 for their project on “Novel Design for Hard Brake Accidents Avoidance using Light Fidelity Technology Integrated with 3-axis Shock Sensor”. This research project aims to enhance the communication between vehicle to vehicle (V2V); thereby, improving traffic behavior and driver safety through accident avoidance. V2V is a better alternative to radio frequency (RF). The project incorporates Visible Light Communication (VLC), an optical wireless communication technology that uses the non-regulated visible light frequency band (400nm to 700nm). The V2V system makes use of LED lights as transmitters and photodiodes as receivers for the processing of data. The project focuses on the design of an efficient prototype using hardware and software modules with simple optical transceiver in Visible Spectrum for

intelligent communication among vehicles for road safety applications. The designed prototype was tested successfully.

Mr. Mohammed Shajahan Omar, Mr. Manas Manoj, Mr. Chaganti Sainath, Mr. Vishal Mohanan Jyotsna and Mr. Neil Jokhi (all final year Mechanical Engineering) won the Third place and cash prize of AED10,000 for their project on “Design and Fabrication of Perpetual Motion Hydroelectric Power Generator”. This project consists of the design and fabrication of a hydroelectric power generator and calculates the power produced, the discharge and efficiency of the hydraulic ram pump used to convert energy. The results obtained were validated against theoretical calculations.

The students were meticulously guided by Prof. Ganesan Subramanian and Dr. Rajiv Selvam, faculty members of MAHE, Dubai Campus.


HOUSE AD

United Arab Emirates – Improving the health of individuals in the UAE and beyond involves numerous scientific innovations and interventions – from the development of new therapeutics to leveraging advances in material science and nanotechnology to create artificial organs. Development of novel devices that mimic our human systems can potentially contribute to this challenge; therefore, the Khalifa University (KUI) faculty and students have dedicated their time to developing one such innovation. Dr. Cesare Stefanini, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at KU and Dr. Jeremy Teo, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at New York University-Abu

Dhabi, are working with a team of students to develop a novel biomimetic lymph node that works as an organ-on-a-chip device. It serves to recreate the basic function of the human lymph node to assist in drug development. The team has also filed a U.S. patent for the device which will have a real impact on the global pharmaceutical industry.

Lymph nodes are part of the lymphatic system, with over 300 of them spreading throughout the human body. They act as hubs that bring immune cells in proximity with disease causing agents along with any introduced drugs to initiate immune responses and fight infections.

Developing new drugs is a lengthy and costly process. The average development cost for a profitable drug is estimated to be more than USD 1.7 billion. The five-step drug development process can take up to decades, with one-third of drugs ultimately failing due to drug toxicity. Hence more accurate assessment of drug toxicity is needed at early stages of the process to filter out poor drug candidates before clinical trials.

“In the development of novel pharmaceutics and cell-mediated therapeutics, the immune

Artificial lymph node used to improve drug development

system has to be considered since it plays a critical role in drug delivery and can impact drug toxicity and its effectiveness. Investigating how new drugs interact with human immune system is an important part of the drug development process; but one that is costly and often results in termination. Our device allows for drug toxicity assessment in an environment that closely mimics that of the human native lymph node which gives it an advantage over existing in-vitro methods used to test for drug toxicity,” Dr. Stefanini explained.

The developed device is an automatic organ-on-a-chip that mimics the lymph node. It recreates the anatomy and physiology of lymph nodes but in-vitro, that is outside the body, in a controlled lab environment to better understand the effects of drug candidates on the immune system. The device offers a platform to guarantee better performance during clinical trials.

The device’s ability to investigate drug candidate’s impact on human immune system can also provide valuable information on the impacts and mechanisms of action of drugs, which can help reduce the high cost of drug development and high failure rate in toxicity testing.

Bisan Salim Samara, Aya Zaki Shanti and Dr. Cesare Stefanini, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at work in the lab.

Bridging the digital divide with home-grown photonics

South Africa – Africa occupies 20 percent of the global population but only 4 percent has access to the internet. This digital divide, particularly in the rural areas, is influenced by geographical and economic factors.

A team of international researchers, coordinated by Professor Andrew Forbes from the School of Physics and Professor Ling Cheng from the School of Electrical and Information Engineering, have now gathered at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg, South Africa, to address this identified challenge. Their solutions were published in the scientific journal, Nature Photonics.

Getting people connected is a priority, particularly for South Africa where broadband has been estimated to raise GDP by R130 billion and create 400 000 jobs. Causes of the digital divide include the (1) affordability gap due to low disposable income (2) geographical gap due to a lack of infrastructure. While the issue can be addressed by state-of-the-art optical fibre, an additional 160,000 km of fibre would be needed. However, this would lead to high installation cost being incurred.

Therefore, the Wits team is concentrating on bridging the divide by connecting communities with free-space optical (FSO) links – a network of communication channels through air, like that of WI-FI. However, unlike WI-FI, the FSO links will be able to run at a faster speed with an extended reach.

“Light holds tremendous promise for fast connections across medium distances,” explains Forbes, team leader of the collaboration and Distinguished Professor who is spearheading the Wits Structured Light Laboratory. “Facebook and SpaceX have exotic proposals for Africa, including drones and other aerial vehicles to deliver connections in a blanket manner. We are

working on point to point solutions with sustainable photonics that are home-grown.”

“Internet is no longer a luxury but a right,” said Mitchell Cox, a PhD engineering student working on the project. Existing FSO systems can sustain gigabit connection speeds over multi-kilometer distances. “With further research and development into advanced digital signal processing and coding schemes, this may be increased exponentially with relatively little expense,” added Cheng.

The team is working towards a multi-hop FSO link that can extend over tens of kilometers; thereby minimising the digital divide.

“What is tragic is that the economic upliftment is hindered by these divides. Further, these divides are widening with time,” says Forbes. Therefore, the Wits team is committed to making technical advances to help address these issues and is about to embark on a commercialisation programme with a local listed company.

A prototype of a device that could be used to connect remote places to the internet.


To find out more, visit online.uj.ac.za and for any specific questions, email [email protected] or call 0800 980 354 (toll free).

NEW! FULLY ONLINEMore 100% Online Programmes are now available.Towards the end of 2017, UJ launched four 100% online only programmes. These first-of-its-kind online degrees were the Master of Public Health, the Master of Public Management and Governance, the Master of Education Management, and the Master of Education in Information and Communication Technology.

UJ has now launched its second batch of 100% online only programmes, including the following four additional online programmes:

- Bachelor of Commerce in International Accounting - Bachelor of Human Resource Management- Advanced Diploma in Financial Markets- Advanced Diploma in Transportation Management

By going online, UJ is offering learning opportunities that accommodate logistical challenges such as full-time employment, geographical location, family obligations, and a host of other challenges that our modern student body faces.

HKLM

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86WOW News | Europe & Americas

Italy – Artistic objects and artefacts from our past tell us a lot more than we can imagine. They provide us with information on the people who designed and created them. They tell us of the ability of these people to express themselves and to show symbolic behaviour: this is a defining trait of the human species which, according to scientists, only Homo Sapiens possessed, the ancestor of modern humans who prevailed on the ‘less evolved’ Neanderthals.

Now, a study published in Science Advances breaks new ground in history by suggesting that Neanderthals were not as primitive and intellectually inferior as we believed: their cognitive abilities were similar to those of anatomically modern humans well before Homo Sapiens spread in the European continent.

The new study demonstrated that groups of Neanderthals in the Iberian peninsula were able to create objects of symbolic significance 115,000 years ago. The article presents the results of archaeological research carried out in Spain by an international collaboration, including Professor Diego Ercole Angelucci of the Department of Humanities at the University of Trento, who has been digging in Spanish caves for ten years as geoarchaeologist.

The discovery was made using radiometric dating, in particular the uranium-thorium dating technique used by Dirk Hoffmann (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany), who confirmed that Iberic Neanderthals could create objects of symbolic meaning.

Scientists have long believed that only Homo Sapiens were capable of symbolic thought. This was based on the fact that they established personal ornaments from

The Art of Neanderthalsperforated shells and colouring substances used in Africa 70,000 years ago, and the creation of art and cave art in Europe some 40,000 years ago. The new study instead proves that also Iberian Neanderthals could do this, and long before.

In 2010, an article authored by the same international team of which Professor Diego Angelucci was a part of, presented particularly valuable findings which were important not because of their function, but rather for their symbolic significance for those who had created and used them. There were various artistic objects where pigments were used but had not been precisely dated. Through the technique of uranium-thorium dating, for the first time researchers were able to date these objects more accurately.

This study is also connected to the conviction that Neanderthals did not extinct as shared by researchers from different discipline areas: “Archaeology and anthropology have confirmed what genetics have recently demonstrated: that in our DNA and in our way of thinking still contain traces of the merging of both species, Homo sapiens and Neanderthal. Now we can also be proud of our smart Neanderthal heritage”.

Professor Diego Angelucci with the shells in his Lab at University of Trento

Germany – GISMA Business School has recently announced the launch of its Summer School in Berlin and Hannover which will kickstart with four programmes. Over the months of July and August, the GISMA Summer School will offer a range of two-week programmes made available to domestic and international students. The courses are designed to broaden students’ knowledge in some of the most relevant topics that are shaping

GISMA Business School launches new summer school programmes

the current global business landscape, including digital transformation, big data and digital ethics and gender dynamics in the workplace.

The Summer School portfolio has been designed by the GISMA’s faculty with the objective of preparing students to effectively address the identified challenges. Dr. Elisabeth Grindel-Denby, Director of Academic Affairs at GISMA Business School, said: “Over the past years, digitalisation and gender dynamics have become an integral part of international business, shaping strategies and impacting on outcomes.”

“We believe that a deep understanding of these trends will become increasingly relevant for aspiring professionals. These courses will give our students exhaustive knowledge and direct experience in the field, which will equip them with specific skills to excel in global business roles.”

During the two-week summer programmes, students will benefit from GISMA’s excellent connections to local businesses in Berlin and Hannover. Taught entirely in English, the courses will include lectures, workshops, and company visits.

GISMA Summer School will offer the following programmes: The Digital Firm and Services, Big Data and Digital Ethics, Gender Dynamics in the Workplace, The Digital Transformation of the Established Firm – An Integrative approach.

The structure of the courses will allow German and international students to expand their academic knowledge and acquire new skills. This inclusive approach allows GISMA Summer School to create a suitable environment for shaping well-rounded specialists for the modern world of business.

GISMA Berlin Campus


Canada – Global University Systems Canada (GUS Canada) announced the creation of the LOVE - Live Our Vision of Education - Canada Scholarship, to support new and existing students across its three institutions in the country.

Toronto School of Management (TSoM), The University Canada West (UCW) and the Language Gallery (TLG) will be offering the scholarship to international and domestic students. These awards will recognise academic achievement as well as leadership and community involvement, providing economic support for one year.

The creation of a scholarship available at all GUS Canada institutions is an important step for the organisation to create a wider strategy for its development.

Professor Maurits van Rooijen, Chief Academic Officer at Global University Systems, said: “As an international network dedicated to education, we are committed to making this truly accessible to as many people as possible.

“Canada is a popular destination for higher education and is an attractive reality for people looking to start a career. This scholarship will give domestic and international students alike the opportunity to gain industry-relevant qualifications for a variety of sectors, bringing them closer to local and global businesses,” added Professor Van Rooijen.

The LOVE Canada Scholarship was announced to commemorate the official opening of Toronto School of Management (TSoM), which took place on 28 April 2017. TSoM officially launched in October last year with programmes in accountancy, business,

and hospitality, and welcomed its first students in March.

The ceremony was attended by representatives of GUS Canada and saw the participation of special international guests including: Ms. Ana Lélia Benincá Beltrame, Consul General of Brazil; Ms Leah Nord, Director, Board Member of Stakeholder Relations at the Canadian Bureau for International Education; Ms. Takako Ito, Consul General of Japan; Mr. Rodrigo Mendivil from Mexico Consulate Office and Dr. Francis Pang, Chairman of the Board for AKD International/Concord Colleges of Sino-Canada/Canadian International Schools of Beijing.

Cyndi McLeod, CEO of Global University Systems Canada, hosted the ceremony and commented: “We are excited to share this moment with our partners and distinguished guests from around the world. Toronto offers incredible opportunities for higher education and TSoM aims to provide an inspiring, innovative and positive environment to learn and acquire professional skills.”

Global University Systems Canada launches LOVE Canada scholarships for domestic and international students

Toronto School of Management ribbon cutting ceremony

United States of America – Daren Card, a recent doctoral graduate in quantitative biology from The University of Texas at Arlington had received a prestigious grant from the National Science Foundation to pursue postdoctoral research focusing on limb loss in a group of Australian lizards.

Card was awarded the NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology, a three-year grant worth $207,000; and his main advisor will be Scott Edwards, a professor of zoology at the Harvard University, curator of ornithology at the university’s Museum of Comparative Zoology, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

UTA biology doctoral graduate receives prestigious NSF postdoctoral fellowship

“I was obviously very excited when I found out about the award,” Card said. “Even though Dr. Edwards has expressed his support towards my enrollment to Harvard regardless of the award, receiving this fellowship has given us a lot more flexibility on the project. It is also a great accomplishment. Given my career goal of being a tenure-track faculty member, receiving this award is definitely helpful towards my career search and certainly sets me up well to pursue a project that others are likely to find interesting”.

Card’s research will focus on the evolution of limblessness in an Australian group of skink lizards. Much of his first-year fellowship will be spent doing field work in Australia with the next two years spent mainly at Harvard.

“Limblessness is well-known in snakes but few realised that several other groups of squamate reptiles (lizards and snakes) have also lost limbs independently,” said Card.

“Skink lizards alone had several limb loss events. I will also be studying a genus in Australia named Lerista, where reduced limb morphology has evolved within the past 20 million years. Further, the recent radiation of several limb morphologies provided a great morphological series to explore the occurrence of digit and limb loss versus another group of species such as the snakes which became limbless over 100 million years ago.”

Card and his team will also be generating high-quality genomes for some species and resequencing the genome of dozen other species to better understand the number of times different limb states have evolved. Further, his research will involve some developmental biology work including the sampling of embryos at different stage of limb development in both limbed and limbless species. CT scan will be used to understand the morphological details of development. The team will also be collecting gene expression and epigenetic (i.e. gene express regulation) data across developmental states.

“Our approach can be used to understand the genetics behind normal limb development and how certain genetic changes impact development; thereby leading to different limb and digit morphologies,” said Card.

“This is certainly an important aspect of the project. However, it is critical to note that some of our work may have human health ramifications as well”.

Finally, Card shared that the training and experience he received during his doctoral studies at UTA have prepared him well for the work he will be doing as part of the NSF fellowship and beyond.


United Kingdom – London College of Creative Media (LCCM) is proud to announce that it has sealed a partnership with drum manufacturer TAMA and cymbal manufacturer Zildjian.

This new collaboration has two core aims. Firstly it ensures LCCM students perform and practice on the same kit used by professional musicians and secondly it will enable LCCM to hold regular master classes and clinics with TAMA or Zildjian artists.

The equipment includes seven Starclassic Maple Kits, TAMA Star Walnut Kit, five S.L.P Snares, three Starphonic Snares and cymbals of K Custom, A Custom and Avedis A series. The drum kits and cymbals provided for LCCM represent the high-end lines of the brands and are widely recognised by top music industry professionals including Pete Ray Biggin from Level 42 and Eddy Thrower from Lower Than Atlantis.

The significant investment into new facilities and equipment at LCCM will help students to develop and refine their musical skills to become the pro-players and great artists of the future.

Ian Aguado-Bush, Product Manager at TAMA and Zildjian said: “We recognise LCCM as one of the leading and progressive music institutions in London. TAMA and Zildjian has always placed great emphasis on education which is why we are very proud

LCCM partners with TAMA and Zildjian

to be partnering with LCCM, where students can play and experience our very top level of drum kit. We believe that the college will benefit from advanced learning with the new equipment provided.”

LCCM offers several drum courses including its BMus (Hons) Music Performance and Production, where drummers can study Music Production alongside their drum lessons.

“We are dedicated to nurturing the professional development of our students at LCCM. We want to ensure that every person who studies with us gets the knowledge, skills and networks they need to build the career in music they want. Our students and teachers have applauded the new partnerships with TAMA and Zildjian for helping to take the kit and facilities at LCCM to the next level,” said Richard Brook, Subject Leader for Drums at the London College of Creative Media.

“The mission of our partnership is to provide professional instruments and support for LCCM students. We think that this collaboration fulfils the needs of the college and gives the students tools to deepen their learning and growth in the classroom, and on their own in the practice room,” commented Bob Wiczling, International Marketing Manager at Avedis Zildjian Co.

Darius Khwaja, Principal and founder of LCCM, Richard Brook, Subject Leader for Drums at LCCM, and Ian Aguado-Bush, Product Manager at TAMA and Zildjian.

HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES RESEARCH

Embracing Innovation for Constructive Global

Engagement: The Role of the Humanities and

Social Sciences

29–31 August 2018Ca’ Foscari

University Of VeniceVenice, Italy

Register Now! www.qssubjectfocus.com

Organising Partner

Ms Belinda ChowDirector of Alumni Affairs and DevelopmentThe Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityHong KongPrevious Appointment Deputy Director, International Development OfficeVocational Training CouncilHong Kong

Prof Yu Ching ManProfessor and Head, Interdisciplinary Division of Aeronautical and Aviation EngineeringThe Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityHong Kong Previous Appointment Professor and Programme Director in Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering (Land Transport) and Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering (Building Services), Academic Programmes DivisionSingapore Institute of TechnologySingapore

Prof Shum Ho Keung DavidDean of Faculty of Health and Social Sciences and Chair Professor of NeuropsychologyThe Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityHong Kong Previous Appointment Dean (Research) of the Health GroupGriffith UniversityAustralia

Prof Tong Ho-kinDean, Faculty of HumanitiesThe Education University of Hong KongHong Kong Previous Appointment Associate Dean (Quality Assurance and Enhancement), Faculty of HumanitiesThe Education University of Hong KongHong Kong

Prof Rudolf Wu Shiu-sunFounding Director of the State Key Laboratory in Marine Pollution and Research Chair Professor of Biological SciencesThe Education University of Hong KongHong Kong Previous Appointment Chair Professor and Director, School of Biological Sciences The University of Hong KongHong Kong

Prof. Ir. Dr. Shahrir Bin Abdullah Dean

Faculty of Engineering and Built Enviroment Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia

Previous Appointment Director

Centre for Quality Assurance Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia

Prof Ir Dr Shahrir Bin AbdullahDeanFaculty of Engineering and Built EnviromentMalaysiaPrevious Appointment Director Centre for Quality Assurance

Prof Dr Rofina Yasmin OthmanMember, Board of DirectorsUniversity of MalayaMalaysia

Dr Plng RaoPro Vice Chancellor - Quality AssuranceManipal Academy of Higher EducationIndiaPrevious Appointment Vice Chancellor Manipal International University Malaysia

Datin Paduka Ir Dr Siti Hamisah TapsirMember, Board of DirectorsUniversity of MalayaMalaysia

Prof. Dr. Ishak Bin Yussof

Pro Vice Chancellor (Strategy and Corporate Development)

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia

Previous Appointment Director

Career Advancement Centre (UKM- Career) Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia

Mr Arvind Pandi DoraiHead - Office of AdvancementKJ Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & ResearchIndiaPrevious Appointment Manager - Alumni Relations KJ Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research India

Prof Dr Ishak Bin YussofPro Vice Chancellor (Strategy and Corporate Development)UKM StrategyMalaysiaPrevious Appointment DirectorCareer Advancement Centre (UKM- Career) Malaysia

Prof Mette HjortDean of ArtsHong Kong Baptist UniversityHong KongPrevious Appointment Professor (Chair) of Film StudiesUniversity of CopenhagenDenmark

WOW!Movers & Shakers

Mr Masdzarif Bin MahatChief Operating Officer, Registrar OfficeUniversiti Teknikal Malaysia MelakaMalaysiaPrevious Appointment Senior Deputy Registrar, Registrar Office Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka Malaysia

Gs Dr Othman Bin Mohd Dean, Faculty of Information & Communication TechnologyUniversiti Teknikal Malaysia MelakaMalaysia Previous Appointment Deputy Chief Information Officer, Office of Chief Information Officer Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka Malaysia

Prof Dr Amran bin Mohd RasliVice-ChancellorSumait University, Zanzibar Tanzania Previous Appointment Professor Universitti Teknologi Malaysia Malaysia

Dr Umar Al-Amani Bin Haji AzlanDean, Faculty of Engineering Technology Mechanical & ManufacturingUniversiti Teknikal Malaysia MelakaMalaysia Previous Appointment Deputy Dean (Academic), Faculty of Engineering Technology Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka Malaysia

Assoc Prof Mohd Rahimi Bin YusoffDean, Faculty of Engineering Technology Electrical & ElectronicUniversiti Teknikal Malaysia MelakaMalaysia Previous Appointment Dean, Faculty of Engineering Technology Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka Malaysia

Dr Somadoda Fikeni Principal and Vice Chancellor University of South Africa South Africa Previous Appointment Principal and Vice Chancellor University of South Africa South Africa

Dr Rima Mansoor Al ZadjaliDeanGulf CollegeOmanPrevious Appointment Deputy Director for Academic Affairs Sultan Qaboos University Oman

Prof Dr Jonathan A BattenCIMB-UUM Chair Professor in Banking and FinanceUniversiti Utara MalaysiaMalaysiaPrevious Appointment Professor of Finance Monash University Australia

Dr Jean-Bernard AdreyAssociate Dean International EducationUniversity of California RiversideUnited StatesPrevious Appointment Director of Internationalisation - Faculty of Arts and Humanities Canterbury Christ Church University England

Dr Abdul Syukor Bin Mohamad JayaDeputy Chief Information Officer, Office of Chief Information OfficerUniversiti Teknikal Malaysia MelakaMalaysiaPrevious Appointment Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Information & Communication Technology Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka Malaysia

WOW!Movers & Shakers

QS WOWNEWS encourages dynamism in academia by bringing academics’ career moves into the attention of the world at large. If you have been promoted recently or you have changed

your job, QS Asia would be more than happy to tell your peers about it – at no cost. Please email your entry to Claresta at [email protected]

5–7 December 2018UCSI Hotel • Kuching, Malaysia

Registration is now open!www.qssubjectfocus.com

Organising Partner

The Way Forward: Hospitality and Tourism Education Convergence with Industry 4.0

HOSPITALIT Y & TOURISM

WOW!Jobs

Short Term (Micro) Fellowship

ITMO University invites PhD holders, Post-Docs and Professors to enjoy all the benefits of international research without spending long periods of time away from home.

Contract period: 1 month.

For program details, please visit: http://fellowship.ifmo.ru

Research Professor / Visiting Lecturer – ITMO Professorship Program

Ph. D. holders are invited to conduct short-term lecture courses (min 3 ECTS) OR implement a research project in one of the priority fields, i.e. IT, Computer Science, Robotics, or Chemistry. Contract period: 1 – 2 years.


ITMO Fellowship Program

Ph.D. holders are invited to conduct research projects in such areas as: IT; Optics and Photonics; Nanotechnologies and Advanced Materials; Automatic Controls and Signal Processing and other. Interdisciplinary Projects bridging together the above strategic research areas of ITMO University combining Natural Sciences, Information Technologies with other disciplines; e. g. Economy and Society, Life and Health Sciences, will be given serious consideration. Contract period: 1 – 3 years.


ITMO Postdoc Program

Ph.D. holders are invited to conduct research projects in such areas as: IT; Optics and Photonics; Nanotechnologies and Advanced Materials; Automatic Controls and Signal Processing and other. Postdoc Fellows are expected to contribute to the research held in the hosting Unit by active cooperation with its staff, writing and publishing articles on the topic of collaborative scientific work, and sharing their international experience with students.

Contract period: 1 – 3 years.


ITMO University Saint Petersburg, Russia

Dean, College of Graduate Studies

The United Arab Emirates University is seeking to appoint an experienced and internationally recognized academic leader as Dean of the College of Graduate Studies (Email: [email protected])

Dean of the College of Information Technology

The United Arab Emirates University is seeking to appoint an experienced and internationally recognized academic leader as Dean of the College of Information Technology. (Email: [email protected])

College of Food and Agriculture

The United Arab Emirates University is seeking to appoint experienced and internationally recognized faculty members in the following positions in the College of Food and Agriculture:

• Assistant or Associate Professor (Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology)• Assistant or Associate Professor (Horticulture)• Assistant Professor (Avian Diseases) and Assistant Professor (Meat Inspection and Preventive Medicine)• Assistant Professor (Large Animal Medicine and Infectious Diseases)

College of Medicine and Health Sciences

The United Arab Emirates University is seeking to appoint experienced and internationally recognized faculty members in the following positions in the College of Medicine and Health Sciences:

• Assistant Professor (Psychiatry)• Assistant/Associate/Full Professor (Medical Education)• Assistant Professor/Obstetrics & Gynecology/(CMHS)• Assistant/Associate/Professor, General (Internal) Medicine & Clinical Neurology Consultant• Assistant or Associate Professor (Medical Microbiology)• Professor (Psychiatry)• Assistant Professor (Gross Anatomy and Human Embryology)• Assistant/Associate Professor• Assistant/Associate Professor, General (Internal) Medicine & Clinical Cardiology Consultant• Assistant Professor (Public Health or Occupational Medicine Specialist)• Assistant/Associate Professor• Assistant/Associate/Full Professor, Emergency Medicine Consultant• Assistant/Associate/Professor• Professor, Associate Professor or Assistant Professor of Physiology

Application through: https://jobs.uaeu.ac.ae/search.jsp?action=search

UAEUUnited Arab Emirates

Director

We are seeking to employ the founding Director to establish and lead the development of the new Institute of Population Health. The applicant should be a experienced in the field of population Health with experience in a leadership position in higher education and strong research track record in the field.

Dean College of Nursing

We are seeking to employ the founding Dean to establish and lead the development of the new college and it’s undergraduate and post graduate programs. The applicant should be a full Professor in the field of nursing with experience in a leadership position in higher education and strong research track record in the field.

Gulf Medical University United Arab Emirates

Outstanding Scholars for Yonsei Frontier Program

Scholars with international academic authority and recognition or researchers at a foreign university or a research institution are invited to Yonsei to pursue collaborative research with Yonsei faculty members as an Outstanding Scholar of the Yonsei Frontier Program. Please refer to the homepage (yfl.yonsei.ac.kr) for more information on funding, conditions and support.

Yonsei UniversitySouth Korea

WOW!Jobs

Assistant professor or associate professor

The University of Bahrain is in the process of offering a number of academic posts to suitable application at various levels (Professor/ Associate Professor/ Assistant Professor) in Digital Media, Multimedia, Graphic Design, and Fine Arts for the academic year 2018/2019.

Business Lecturer with specialisation in Business Management, Marketing and Special needs translator

• PhD/Master degree in relevant field of specialization from recognized University • Minimum 3 years experience in a reputed higher education institution• Very good communications skills with internationally intelligible pronunciation, equivalent to IELTS score 6 or more• Excellent student engagement and teaching skills with emphasise on innovative pedagogy• Excellent IT skills and research active (preferred) in your field of specialisation

Mathematics Lecturers

• Bachelors/Masters degree in Mathematics/Statistics from recognized University • Minimum 2 years’ experience in a reputed higher education institution• Excellent communications skills with internationally intelligible pronunciation, equivalent to IELTS score 6• Planning preparing and delivering lessons using dynamic teaching approaches• Assessing and monitoring student progress• Research active (preferred)

Director of the Centre for Foundation Studies

• PhD degree in the English Language / Education from recognised Universities.• Experience of atleast 3 years in senior academic position in a higher education institution. • Excellent communications skills with internationally intelligible pronunciation • Excellent student engagement and teaching skills with emphasise on innovative pedagogy• Excellent IT skills with knowledge in recent developments and strong teamwork • Commitment to enhancing the quality of the student experience and maintaining the academic integrity of the College• Research active in your field of specialisation

Deputy Dean, Academic Affairs

• PhD degree from recognised Universities with teaching qualification and experience in one of Gulf Colleges academic specialisations• Experience of at least 5 years in similar capacity in a higher education institution. • Familiarity with a range of external accreditation and quality assurance processes• Commitment to enhancing the quality of the student experience and maintaining the academic integrity of the College• Internationally intelligible pronunciation and strong team player• Research active in one of the College’s academic specialisations

Gulf CollegeOman

University of BahrainBahrain

Postdoc Position

South Ural State University invites Ph.D. holders for a full-time research position in the field of Computer science, Mathematics, Engineering, Physics and Environmental science. Minimum contract period is 9 months.

Requirements:

- H-index Scopus: >2

- Number of Scopus publications: 4

Please, send your CV to [email protected]

South Ural State University Russia

City University of Hong KongHong Kong

College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences

The new College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences at City University of Hong Kong in collaboration with Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine is assembling an outstanding group of international academics for its new veterinary school, which is rapidly developing as an international research-orientated centre to support veterinary training and research in Hong Kong and the region.

Applications are now invited for the following posts: • Chair Professor/Professor (Equine Medicine/Surgery)• Chair Professor/Professor (Veterinary Medicine/Surgery)• Professor/Associate Professor/Assistant Professor (Animal Welfare/ Ethics and Behaviour)• Professor/Associate Professor/Assistant Professor (Intensive Production Animal Health)• Professor/Associate Professor (Production Animal Health)• Professor/Associate Professor/Assistant Professor (Veterinary Anatomical Pathology)• Professor/Associate Professor/Assistant Professor (Veterinary Clinical Pathology)• Professor/Associate Professor/Assistant Professor (Veterinary Bacteriology)

• Professor/Associate Professor/Assistant Professor (Veterinary Immunology) • Professor/Associate Professor/Assistant Professor (Veterinary Parasitology)• Associate Professor/Assistant Professor (Aquatic Animal Health)• Associate Professor/Assistant Professor (Food Safety/Veterinary Public Health)• Associate Professor/Assistant Professor (Public Health and Environmental Microbiology)• Associate Professor/Assistant Professor (Veterinary Anatomy)

Applications through: http://www.cityu.edu.hk/ph/en/AboutUs/job.html

Applications will be considered until the position(s) is/are filled.

WOW!Jobs

Assistant/Associate/Professor of Psychology

Teach undergraduate and graduate courses:

Research in relevant fields;

- publish research articles in recognized journals

- undertake research projects

Provide service at the department and university levels

Assistant/Associate/Professor of Management






Assistant/Associate/Professor of Accounting and Finance






BITS Pilani, Dubai Campus United Arab Emirates

Associate Professor/Assistant Professor, Department of English Language Education

Applications are invited for the academic position in the following areas: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, ELT methods, E-learning, Second Language Acquisition and Language Teacher Cognition. For details, please visit https://www.eduhk.hk/main/wp-content/grand-media/application/AssoProf_AsstProf_ELE_0318.pdf

Associate Professor/Assistant Professor, Department of Education Policy and Leadership

Applications are invited for the academic position in the following areas: Home, school and community engagement; Leader development; and Critical policy analysis.

For details, please visit: https://www.eduhk.hk/main/wp-content/grand-media/application/AssoProf_AsstProf_EPL_0518.pdf

Assistant Professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction

Applications are invited for the academic position in the following areas: Academic study of curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment as well as related areas including diversity and innovative teaching.

For details, please visit: https://www.eduhk.hk/main/wp-content/grand-media/application/AsstProf_C_I_1117.pdf

The Education University of Hong Kong Hong Kong

CampusToons

FUTURE UNIVERSITIES IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC: THE CHANGING FACE OF HIGHER EDUCATION

21–23 NOVEMBER 2018 • SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA

INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE

Organising Partner

www.qsapple.org

Asia Pacific

APPLE2018

FOCUS

QS Subject Focus Summit – Humanities and Social Sciences ResearchOrganising Partner: Ca’ Foscari University of Venice29–31 August 2018Venice, Italywww.qssubjectfocus.com

FOCUS

QS Subject Focus Summit – MedicineOrganising Partner: Airlangga University23–25 January 2019Surabaya, Indonesiawww.qssubjectfocus.com

FOCUS

FOCUS

QS Subject Focus Summit – Hospitality & TourismOrganising Partner: UCSI University5-7 December 2018Kuching, Malaysiawww.qssubjectfocus.com

QS Subject Focus Summit – DentistryOrganising Partner: Kyung Hee University4-6 April 2019Seoul, Koreawww.qssubjectfocus.com

Mark your calendar and start planning for these events

Asia-Pacific’s Annual Strategic SummitOrganising Partner: Chung-Ang University 21–23 November 2018Seoul, Koreawww.qsapple.org

Arts and DesignOrganising Partner: Silpakorn University24–26 October 2018Bangkok, Thailandwww.qstotallyarts.com

University–Public Sector Partnerships: Smart CitiesOrganising Partner: Singapore Management University3–5 October 2018Singaporewww.qsinconversation.com

Asia Pacific

Theme to be confirmedOrganising Partner: Jordan University of Science & TechnologyApril 2019Dead Sea, Jordanwww.qsworldclass.com

2019

Middle East and Africa’s Annual Strategic SummitOrganising Partner: Effat University25-27 February 2019Jeddah, Saudi Arabiawww.qsmaple.org

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