Month: February 2021

Management and Science University (MSU) student Rossheni Kaur Balwant Singh has been declared the winner of the World Mental Health Day Article Writing Competition by the International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation (IPSF) Asia Pacific Regional Office (APRO).

Rossheni, a student of the Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons) program at the MSU School of Pharmacy (SPH) and Secretary of the MSU Pharmacy Club 2018/2019, has received a Certificate of Excellence for her article ‘The role of pharmacists in building resilient communities to improve mental health and wellbeing during Covid-19’.

Mental wellbeing is considered a state of health. Owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, its condition is expected to queue into second place in the year 2020 behind cardiovascular disease’s effect on human health and economic potential.

Community resilience and supportive environments are important not only for health and wellness but also required for the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs).

Encouraging pharmaceutical contribution towards building resilient communities, Rossheni in her article proposes mental health and wellness programs as well as literacy improvement. Pharmacists are equipped with background knowledge, communication, and counseling skills, she writes; and may utilize tools such as Australia’s ‘RUOK’ and the Malaysian Mental Health Booklet as basic guides for initiating conversations related to mental health.

As one of the MSU School of Pharmacy (SPH) star students, she was received the President’s List award once and the Dean’s List award seven-times for emerging tops in academics and co-curricular.

The next measure would be the proactive attainment of a basic skill set for mental health and psychological support. Valuable resources pharmacists can capitalize on including the ‘Basic Psychosocial Skills: A Guide for Covid-19 Responders’ and ‘Doing What Matters in Times of Stress: An Illustrated Guide’. Pharmacists may also obtain certification in Mental Health First Aid.

Her third proposed measure is for pharmacists to undertake professional mental health training programs to build the supportive environments required for the nurturing of resilient communities. As pharmacists already play a role in psychiatric services (government hospitals, community pharmacy), such training programs would enhance their contribution towards workforce capacity in improving mental healthcare professional distribution and access.

The winning article is due to appear in the International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation (IPSF) Asia Pacific Regional Office (APRO) World Mental Health Day 2020 Official Booklet.

As a member of IPSF, Rossheni is one among half a million pharmacy students and recent graduates affiliated to IPSF worldwide through regional extensions APRO (Asia Pacific Regional Office), AfRO (African Regional Office, EMRO (Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office), EuRO (European Regional Office), and PARO (Pan American Regional Office).

In second and third places respectively as the first and second runners-up to Rossheni Kaur Balwant Singh of Management and Science University (MSU) in the International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation (IPSF) Asia Pacific Regional Office (APRO) World Mental Health Day Article Writing Competition are Chui Jun Hao from AIMST University and Lai Jun Hua from Universiti Sains Malaysia.

The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FKM), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia hosted the First UiTM- Afridat UG (Haftungsbeschränkt) Germany joint e-MoU signing ceremony and e-Colloquium Webinar on ‘Renewable Hydrogen Energy’ in November 2020. The joint colloquium was part of the MoU activities between UiTM and Management and Science University (MSU).

The session began with an opening speech by Professor Ir. Dr. Muhammad Azmi Ayub, Dean, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, UiTM. The dean congratulated both UiTM and Afridat UG (Haftungsbeschränkt) Germany for their initiative and commitment towards the success of the e-MoU program and emphasized that “today’s signing sets a significant milestone for closer research collaboration between UiTM and Afridat UG (Haftungsbeschränkt) Germany”.

The session continued with a speech by Dr.-Ing. Ibrahim Kolawole Muritala, Executive Director of Afridat UG (Haftungsbeschränkt) Germany who identified some areas of collaboration with UiTM.

The session ended with an open discussion between the Vice-Chancellor of UiTM – Emeritus Professor Datuk Ir Dr Mohd Azraai Kassim and the representative of Afridat UG (Haftungsbeschränkt) Germany. The Vice-Chancellor of UiTM encouraged more joint collaborations and hoped that the e-MoU will be a gateway for more European Union joint projects on renewable energy

The second day of the e-Colloquium Webinar started with an opening speech by the Dean, FKM, UiTM. This was followed by a presentation by Dr.-Ing. Alhassan Salami Tijani from UiTM who presented his research on the Advance Modelling Approach of Renewable Hydrogen Production. Dr Alhassan discussed in detail the latest trends and main challenges of hydrogen production through electrolyzer.

The next speaker, Dr.-Ing. Ibrahim Kolawole Muritala shared his research findings on “Alternative Methods of Renewable Hydrogen Production”. He focused his presentation on industrial processes and climate change effects and stressed the need to move from conventional energy resources to renewable hydrogen production.

The Dean in his closing remark highlighted, “Universities and research institutions have a leading role in the dissemination of domestic new technological innovation & inventions related to renewable hydrogen technology for their industrial players”.

He further added, “Adoption of local methods and improvement in technologies will lead to competitiveness and wealth creation. Finally, it is very important for universities to encourage strategic collaboration for quick-wins: upskilling & reskilling”.

The main expected outcome through this collaboration between UiTM and Afridat UG (Haftungsbeschränkt) Germany is to strengthen cooperation through high impact publications and promote international collaboration in relation to renewable energy technology between Asia and European Union.

Two professors from Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology, Thammasat University have been named in the recently released Stanford University list representing represents the top 2 percent of the most-cited scientists in various disciplines.

Prof. Dr.Sandhya Babel, School of Bio-Chemical Engineering and Technology, and Prof. Dr.Vladimir Kuprianov, Former Professor in School of Manufacturing Systems and Mechanical Engineering, have been included in Stanford University’s list for their work in the field of Environmental Sciences and Energy, respectively.

Prof. Dr.Sandhya Babel has been ranked at 1,408 from 66,925 scientists in Environmental Sciences while Prof. Dr. Vladimir Kuprianov ranks 3,444 in 186,014 scientists in the Energy field.

The entire list created by Stanford University and released recently in the journal PLOS and can be accessed at this link: https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3000918

With the start of the pandemic and subsequent switch to distant learning, many international students decided to leave Russia and return to their home countries. When the new academic year began in the autumn, many had problems getting back to their universities. Some ended up studying remotely.

At the beginning of the second wave, some students started thinking about going back home once again. Jovana Milić, a Master’s student at St. Petersburg Mining University, decided to stay no matter what. According to her, many students she knows are not leaving the country either.

“I am not going anywhere until I complete my studies, that is, not before summer then,” shares the student.

Jovana is also concerned that the coronavirus restrictions may hamper the education process or lead to negative consequences in the future. Engineers, who are sitting now at home, unable to undergo practical training or do lab work, will experience difficulties when entering the workforce.

Jovana is studying at the Faculty of Oil and Gas Engineering. She was born in Kraljevo, a city in central Serbia, but then her family moved to Novi Sad, the second-largest city in the country. As she was studying at school, the girl learned about the Energy of Knowledge program of Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS). She passed the competition and, as one of the best Serbian students, was granted a scholarship. As NIS’s majority shareholder is Gazprom Neft, the third-largest oil producer in Russia, Jovana was admitted to a Russian university.

“Studying in Russia is what I always wanted. The country’s resource potential allowed it to have gained profound academic and field experience in the extraction and processing of hydrocarbons. Since I had heard a lot about Mining University, my utmost desire was to study in St. Petersburg. When I first entered the university’s main building, I was deeply impressed: a majestic old building, corridors with portraits on the walls, astonishing library collections, and of course, the Mining Museum,” recalls Jovana.

The curriculum adopted at Russian technical universities implies that students take about 10 to 12 study courses per term. Higher engineering education is also built according to such a principle that first comes the theory. It continues with research or lab work and ends in field experiments. 

“I will give an example. In my third year, we had a lab session on which we learned how to use and operate deep-well sucker-rod pumps. Then I had a summer internship at NIS. I acknowledged myself with the job functions of an oil and gas production operator and realized I already had enough knowledge to administer the on-site oil extraction process. However, it was on-the-job training that made me fully comprehend the principles of work,” says Jovana.

“Afterward, we went through different other activities: we were taught how to enhance oil recovery, had lab classes on simulation of field development, learned about offshore production, used simulators to become familiar with well servicing, and a lot more. Each summer, we either had internships or field trips or both. Indeed, none of that is possible to be done online,” she adds.

Having earned her Bachelor’s degree, the Serbian student proceeded to a Master’s program. Soon, she familiarised herself with more field-specific topics and started attending conferences. Before the pandemic began, she had managed to participate in the SPE Tatarstan UpExPro 2020, an international scientific conference held in Kazan and organized by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). She had also taken part in the Winter School on Petroleum and Process Engineering. As part of the latter event, its participants were invited to visit one of the facilities of SIBUR, Russia’s largest petrochemicals company.

The international programs AMERTA XIII, LINGUA, and AMERTA Global Joint Class were officially completed on  January 20, 2021. Attended by all staff, lecturers, and program participants, this closing session marked the success of Universitas Airlangga in holding the three annual international programs online.

Held for one full semester, AMERTA is a foreign student exchange program, while Learning Indonesia Language at Universitas Airlangga (LINGUA) is a program to learn Indonesian language and culture. There was also AMERTA Global Joint Class, a Forensic Psychology class designed for international students and held for three months.

The three virtual programs attracted high enthusiasm from program participants from various countries. Czech student Lucie Rychla revealed that her opportunity to join AMERTA was a valuable experience that could broaden her knowledge of psychology.

Meanwhile, LINGUA program participant, Ania Tomczak, also shared her memorable experiences in the program. “This is my first time learning Indonesian. Even though it’s done online, I really enjoyed it. We are not only learning the language but also the culture. LINGUA class allowed me to get to know many cultures and tribes in Indonesia, ” she said.

Ania hoped that the pandemic will end quickly and she can immediately visit Indonesia. Ania revealed that after joining the LINGUA class, she was encouraged to make videos and explore various cultures in Indonesia.

Nishanth J, a participant in AMERTA Global Joint Class program, said that he felt lucky to be able to participate and build international connections. “Lecturers from India, Australia, and UNAIR provided interesting and easy to understand material even though the classes were conducted online. I am really looking forward to UNAIR’s other international programs in the future,“ added the Indian student.

UNAIR’s Airlangga Global Engagement also presented a guest lecture on “Being Positive and Optimistic During Pandemic”. UNAIR Psychology Lecturer Atika Dian Ariana, emphasized the importance of psychological management in order to maintain a healthy mind and body immunity. “So one way to reduce stress and boredom during quarantine is to participate in useful programs such as AMERTA and LINGUA which are able to increase socialization between individuals,” said Atika.

At the end of the event held via Zoom, all program participants were invited to play games and exchange experiences, messages and impressions.

Dr. Muhammad Miftahussurur M., Vice-Rector for Internationalization, Digitalization and Information, in his remarks said that UNAIR will strive to come up with more such interesting international programs in the future.

“Even though the implementation is limited due to the pandemic, we always try to provide programs that are really useful for increasing the skills and knowledge of the participants. We hope to meet you again in the future and together build international connectivity, “he added.