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Month: June 2021

New optimization approach helps design lighter carbon fiber composite materials

Posted on by Tokyo University of Science

Carbon fibers, due to their superior strength and lightness, are popular in aerospace engineering applications. While much effort goes into improving the strength of carbon fiber composites, such as fiber-reinforced plastic, only fiber orientation optimization is considered. Now, researchers from Tokyo University of Science have adopted a new design method that optimizes both fiber thickness and orientation, achieving weight reduction in reinforced plastic and opening doors to lighter aircrafts and automobiles.

“Fiber-steered design only optimizes orientation and keeps the thickness of the fibers fixed, preventing full utilization of the mechanical properties of CFRP. A weight reduction approach, which allows optimization of fiber thickness as well, has been rarely considered,” explains Dr. Ryosuke Matsuzaki from Tokyo University of Science (TUS), Japan, whose research is focused on composite materials.
>Against this backdrop, Dr. Matsuzaki—along with his colleagues at TUS, Yuto Mori and Naoya Kumekawa—proposed a new design method for optimizing the fiber orientation and thickness simultaneously depending on the location in the composite structure, which allowed them to reduce the weight of the CFRP compared to that of a constant thickness linear lamination model without compromising its strength. Their findings can be read in a new study published in Composite Structures.

Their method consisted of three steps: the preparatory, iterative, and modification processes. In the preparatory process, an initial analysis was performed using the finite element method (FEM) to determine the number of layers, enabling a qualitative weight
evaluation by a linear lamination model and a fiber-steered design with a thickness variation model. The iterative process was used to determine the fiber orientation by the principal stress direction and iteratively calculate the thickness using “maximum stress theory”.

Finally, the modification process was used to make modifications accounting for manufacturability by first creating a reference “base fiber bundle” in a region requiring strength improvement and then determining the final orientation and thickness by arranging the fiber bundles such that they spread on both sides of the reference bundle.

The method of simultaneous optimization led to a weight reduction greater than 5% while enabling higher load transfer efficiency than that achieved with fiber orientation alone.

The researchers are excited by these results and look forward to the future implementation of their method for further weight reduction of conventional CFRP parts. “Our design method goes beyond the conventional wisdom of composite design, making for lighter aircraft and automobiles, which can contribute to energy conservation and reduction of CO2
emissions,” observes Dr. Matsuzaki.

New research model indicates possibility of economic growth in a zero-emission society

Posted on by Tokyo University of Science

With increasing public awareness of crises associated with degraded environments and mounting pressure to act, governments worldwide have begun to examine environmentally sustainable policies. However, there are many questions about whether enacting these policies will negatively affect economic growth. Now, a modelling study conducted by researchers from Tokyo University of Science and The Shoko Chukin Bank, Japan, published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, shows that it is possible to achieve economic growth
simultaneously with environmental preservation.

“There are existing models that look at how economies fluctuate under various conditions, such as differing environmental quality or tax rates, but these models haven’t examined the effects of implementing the kindergarten rule,” Prof. Hideo Noda, the study’s lead author, explained.

“So we thought it was important to extend the model and include a condition where the hypothetical society spends a part of its GDP to achieve zero emissions. Looking at emissions is also more tangible and easier to grasp than a vaguer concept of ‘environmental quality.”

The researchers used an economic model that allows for movement back and forth between two stages: a no-innovation phase and an innovation phase. The key to this model is the importance of innovation; previous models that focus on the environment and the economy did not account for innovation (e.g., research and development) as a major driver of economic growth in most developed nations. Acknowledging this connection is essential for improving our knowledge regarding how environmental problems and economic growth are linked.

When researchers included rules for the zero-emission society, the model indicated that it was compatible with economic growth (i.e., a sustained GDP growth), despite a portion of the GDP being dedicated to reducing pollution. For this to work, however, the model says that the GDP needs to be above a certain level.

Additionally, the amount of GDP allocated to lowering pollution must be flexible. Researchers also observed that under the no innovation phase, GDP growth is higher and the amount spent on pollution reduction decreases faster. In contrast, under the innovation phase, GDP growth is lower and the decrease in the amount spent combating pollution is also slower.

According to Prof. Noda, this work provides the important theoretical groundwork for policy, because currently, the relationship between zero emissions and economic growth isn’t well understood. “Yet, this topic is extremely relevant to any policy push for sustainability—for example, one section of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals explicitly focuses on economic growth,” he explains.

“Our model should help persuade the leaders of some countries that it is feasible to reduce emissions without tanking the economy.”

That, Prof. Noda hopes, may in turn make leaders more eager to implement the changes that are urgently needed to address global environmental crises like climate change.

Law students of Thammasat University win awards at the national round of Phillip C. Jessup Law Moot Competition 2021

Posted on by Thammasat University

Students of the Faculty of Law, Thammasat University have won several awards at Phillip C. Jessup, Moot Competition 2021.

The competition simulates the fictional dispute between countries before the International Courts for over 100 years and allows students to learn about the real legal proceedings in the court in which participants prepare written submissions and present the oral argument.

In this year, the fictional dispute is the case concerning the J-VID18 pandemic, state liabilities and political asylum issue.

With the supervision of Asst. Prof. Dr. Noppadon Detsomboonrut and Asst. Professor Dr Lalin Kovudhikulrungsri, the winning team received the awards for Best Memorial, Best Oralist, Best New Face, and the most impressive oralist awards. The team of five students comprised of the fourth year students, Natchanun Buapin, Praepailin Siriwohan, Nathada Suwanprakorn, and second-year students,  Supichaya Poonlarp and Proudrawee Manchusri.

Thammasat University team will participate in the international round with other teams from over 600 countries via online channels. The Faculty of Law, Thammasat University would like to sincerely thank the International Law Association of Thailand for hosting this competition.

UiTM marks its global presence in the Global Risk Journalism Hub

Posted on by Shifa Faizal

Faculty of Communication and Media Studies academic, Associate Professor Dr Saraswathy Chinnasamyof Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) has joined the Global Risk Journalism Hub (GRJH).

Fondly known as Dr Sara, she is currently attached to the School of Media and Communication as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow and is working closely with Prof. Ingrid Volkmer. The latter is the Head of the Media and Communications Program at the University of Melbourne, Australia, and Director of The Global Risk Journalism Hub (GRJH).

The Global Risk Journalism Hub (GRJH) brings together 65 researchers, educators and practitioners from 30 countries worldwide to investigate news reporting globalized crises issues. It aims to inspire collaborative projects transcending national boundaries, opening up new spaces for dialogue and debate regarding how best to improve the quality of journalism in the public interest within today’s dimensions of globalized digital data ecosystems.

This project looks at the engagement of journalists from across continents with digital spheres in times of crisis, especially during the COVID 19 pandemic. The project also addresses the challenges and globalized ‘risks’, namely health pandemics, environmental crises, humanitarian conflicts, and issues such as fake news circulation and financial constraints during the crisis and safety issues faced by journalists.

Dr Sara is one of the Executive Committee Members and the Regional Lead for the South Asia region for The Global Risk Journalism Hub (GRJH). She is currently working on the Global Risk Journalism Research Project, which endeavours to document the risks and challenges confronted by journalists during the crisis health pandemic Covid 19.

She will be participating in the prestigious International Communication Association conference, the 71st Annual International Communication Association Conference, held virtually on 27-31 May 2021 as one of the panel members discussing “Information Disorder in South and Southeast Asia: Challenges Ahead”.

DOST grants funds to MMSU for developing anti-inflammatory herbal products

Posted on by John Vincent B. Toribio

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has approved the Php 9.5-million fund for the third year of the Mariano Marcos State University’s (MMSU) project to develop anti-inflammatory herbal products from five Iluko indigenous plant species (IPs).

In a virtual conference last May 18, 2021, DOST’s Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) granted the MMSU’s Tuklas Lunas Development Center (MMSU-TLDC) with the said fund to continue embarking in the development of anti-inflammatory herbal products from nontoxic, bioactive extracts from IPs.

The grant includes a carry-over budget of almost PhP 2.2 million unexpended amount from last year.

Based on the results of the first project, extracts from five IPs labelled as MMSU-0001, MMSU-0004, MMSU-0024, MMSU-0031 and MMSU-0034 are potentially good to be developed as herbal drugs, based on their safety profile and anti-inflammatory bioactivity confirmed through in vitro assays.

With this, MMSU now aims to develop standardized, safe, and effective herbal products in prototype oral (tablet or capsule) and topical dosage (cream, ointment or gel) forms from the spray-dried extracts of the five IPs.

The project team further intends to forward these prototypes to preclinical and clinical development to ensure that these products will meet the regulatory requirements of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on herbal medicines.

“We have to aggressively advance the use of plant-based medicine as it offers less lethal side effects if compared to synthetic drugs,” said MMSU President Shirley C. Agrupis who serves as the project leader.

She added that since the project involves IPs in Ilocos Norte, a new industry in the province can flourish where local farmers may provide the raw materials and process the manufacturing of herbal products.

Prof. Anabelle B. Alejo, TLDC chief, added that the program “may lead us to market an affordable, quality, safe and efficacious herbal drug or supplement.”

Other members of the team include Ms. Maingelline B. Vivit and Prof. Kristian Gay D. Beltran, project staff, and Ms. Riena Kristen Agustin, research assistant.

Simultaneously, the team is partnering with the experts of Pascual Laboratories, Inc. for the second component project under the program which is the chemical standardization of the raw materials produced and formulated dosage forms.

It could be remembered that DOST also gave a Php 12.3-million-fund last 2018 to start the first project and Php 11.9 million on May 2020 to launch the third project on formulation.

DOST’s Tuklas Lunas program, together with MMSU-TLDC, envisions to produce quality, safe, and effective herbal medicinal products derived from Philippine biodiversity.

AICEE hosts 2021 Taiwan Higher Education and Chinese Learning Virtual Fair

Posted on by Association of International Cultural and Educational Exchange, Taiwan

The “2021 Taiwan Higher Education and Chinese Learning Virtual Fair,” hosted by the Association of International Cultural and Educational Exchange Taiwan (AICEE Taiwan) was launched in May and has attracted 52 universities and Chinese language centers across the country to participate. The virtual fair aims to provide international students with the most convenient application consultation service on the exclusive website of the virtual fair.

As countries around the world begin to vaccinate their citizens against the Covid-19, international exchanges will gradually resume. In order to promote Taiwan’s higher education and Chinese teaching capacity, the virtual fair breaks through tradition and invites Taiwan’s opinion leaders to speak to the international community, including Wen-tsan Cheng, Mayor of Taoyuan City, Audrey Tang, Digital Minister of the Executive Yuan, Yun Fan, Legislator, Diann-wen Tang, Representative of Taipei Mission in Korea, Jhy-wey Shieh, Representative of Taipeh Vertretung in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, and Arnold Chiang, the Co-founder of Hahow. In the opening speech videos, they welcomed more international students to study in Taiwan in the future.

CJ Liu, President of AICEE Taiwan, said that from the perspective of “Blue Ocean Strategy”, the implementation of the virtual fair is very innovative. The virtual fair not only invites Taiwan’s opinion leaders to promote Taiwan, but also fully displays Taiwan education capacity by the joint participation of universities and Chinese language centers.

In his speech, Wen-tsan Cheng, the Mayor of Taoyuan City encouraged international students to study in Taiwan when the pandemic is eased, and emphasized that there are currently about 4,700 international students in Taoyuan City, and they can feel the atmosphere of freedom, democracy and progress in Taiwan. Audrey Tang, Taiwan’s Digital Minister, pointed out that Taiwan is a society with vibrant democracy. All international students who love science and culture are welcomed to come to Taiwan and contribute their talents.

Diann-wen Tang, Taiwan’s representative in South Korea, said that in addition to high-quality university programs, Taiwan also provides comprehensive and efficient Chinese learning programs. Combining daily life and cultural contextual learning will help learners quickly improve their Chinese language skills. Jhy-wey Shieh, Taiwan’s representative in Germany, delivered a speech in fluent German, emphasizing that Chinese is taught in many parts of the world, but if you want to learn Chinese in a place where you can keep your civil rights and freedom of speech, Taiwan is the best choice for international students.

Legislator Yun Fan said in her speech that Taiwan is a global high-tech research and development center, and many well-known companies have cooperated with Taiwan’s universities to offer advanced STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) programs. On the other hand, Taiwan is also a suitable place for learning Chinese. Arnold Chiang, the co-founder of Hahow, took the online epidemic prevention course in cooperation with the former Vice President Chien-jen Chen last year as an example to share how Taiwan has successfully used information technology to link civil society and epidemic prevention knowledge to construct real-time and effective communication model.

The virtual fair website has rich multimedia materials, including introduction and admission talks from universities and Chinese language centers and the testimony videos from international students currently studying in Taiwan. International students who are interested in Taiwan, after watching the reference videos, can search and match schools based on their areas of interest. If they have any information needs for the schools they are interested in, they can also make the inquiries on the website and get immediate responses.

In addition, the virtual fair provides a themed exhibition area, focusing on the most interesting and inquiring programs to international students, including Chinese learning, artificial intelligence and big data, regional studies, interdisciplinary, innovation and entrepreneurship, and public health. Prospective students can grasp the essential information of each school in the fastest and most convenient way.

Chih-wei Hung, CEO of AICEE Taiwan, pointed out that according to the Association’s survey of college students in Taiwan last November, more than 40% of the interviewees believed that interacting with international students can improve international literacy and achieve the goal of “internationalization at home.” In order to create a more diverse and international campus, this virtual fair breaks the traditional physical education exhibition format to interact with potential overseas students in a digital and innovative way.

This virtual fair is held in an innovative way and is of great significance. Therefore, many well-known companies, universities and Chinese language centers participated in this virtual fair by sponsoring and serving as partners, including Hua Nan Bank, TrueFull Land, National Sun Yat-sen University, National Chung Cheng University, Shih Chien University, Soochow University, Chinese Culture University, Chang Jung Christian University, China Medical University, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei Medical University, Tamkang University, University of Taipei, Chang Jung Christian University Chinese Language and Culture Center, Chinese Culture University Mandarin Learning Center, Da-Yeh University Chinese Language Center, National Peingtung University Chinese Language Center, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology Chinese Language Center, National Sun Yat-sen University Chinese Language Center, National Taitung University Chinese Language Teaching and Study Center, National Dong Hwa University Chinese Language Center, Shih Chien University Chinese Language Center, Soochow University Chinese Language Center, Nanhua University Chinese Language Center, and Yuanpei University of Medical technology Chinese Language Learning Center.

EdUHK Scholar’s recently published study covers humans’ historical adaptation to climate change

Posted on by eduhk

A research team including a scholar from The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) has given a new perspective into human adaptation to climate change. The study’s findings were recently published in the prestigious academic journal Nature.

Climate change is an important issue which has been extensively discussed over the past years. While many experts believe that climate change has had a profound impact on human history, to date there has been little discussion about how humans have reacted to these altering circumstances.

With this in mind, a research team of 18 experts from different countries and disciplines undertook a study to understand the interplay between what they have called “History of Climate and Society”. The team sought to examine the role of human resilience to climate change in shaping human history and the complex connection between them.

Led by Dr Dagomar Degroot from Georgetown University, the research team comprised 18 scholars from the Germany, Poland, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, mainland China and Hong Kong. Their expertise covers geography, archaeology, history to paleoclimatology. Among the team was Dr Pei Qing, Assistant Professor of the Department of Social Sciences at EdUHK, who contributed to revising the design and framework of the entire study.

To understand the effect of climate change on human history, the team selected different societies across continents for case analysis covering two climatic eras: the Late Antique Little Ice Age around the 6th century; and the Little Ice Age from the 13th century to the 19th century. Among these cases, Dr Pei also contributed to the Asia case study – the rise of the Jianzhou Jurchens during the early 17th century – in collaboration with Dr Cui Jianxin from the Northwest Institute of Historical Environment and Socio-Economic Development of Shaanxi Normal University.

The pair found that although both the Jianzhou Jurchens and the Ming Dynasty were affected by drought through monsoon failure, the former thrived and survived because of their higher mobility, thanks to their tradition of hunting and gathering. This enabled them to adapt through encroaching on cultivated land to the south and controlling trade networks.

The interdisciplinary team also looked into how, in the 6thcentury, people in the Middle East under Roman rule made use of the humid climate to cultivate and expand their territory; how, in 13thcentury, the governments of Bologna and Siena used strategies like food regulations to deal with natural disasters and minimise famine and mortality; and how, in the 17th century, Dutch sailors took advantage of precipitation and prevailing winds to defend themselves against Spanish invasion. These cases showed how human resilience to climate change could help explain the rise and fall of different political regimes or dynasties in human history.

Dr Pei said, “Many studies in the past have demonstrated the impact of historical climate change on human societies, particularly on a long-term and large spatial scale. However, our study provides a new perspective for academic research, indicating that the communities could effectively respond to the challenges of climate change.”

According to Dr Pei, historical cases also tell us that successful adaptation to climate change usually depends on the ability of a community to control or capitalise resources.

Dr Pei pointed out that this study provides insights for the public to reflect upon the resilience of different peoples against climate change. “When a country acts to deal with changing climatic conditions, its measures may bring a negative influence to other countries. When formulating climate actions or related policies, countries should not only consider their own benefits, but also their neighbours, and even the whole world, so as to pursue and realise the equitable principle of combatting climate change.”

The study also uncovered several common criteria of historical societies that coped well with climate change, including strong trade networks, high mobility and the capacity to learn from mistakes. “Human societies’ evolving resilience and historical successes have given us confidence in dealing with global warming. However, we should also carefully consider our relationship with nature and learn the lessons from our history,” Dr Pei said, adding that he hoped this study would provide a solid academic foundation for the scholars to better explore the relationship between historical climate change and human societies in the future.

The original publication can be found in Nature.

TPU joins an international project to save rhinos

Posted on by Tomsk Polytechnic University

Tomsk Polytechnic University became the first Russian university to join the Rhisotope Project, an international innovative project. The title of the project consists of the two words “rhino” and “isotope”. The project aims to fight against the extermination of rhinos.

A unique research initiative gathered together participants from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (South Africa), the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (Australia), Colorado State University (the USA) and the Rosatom State Corporation, Tomsk Polytechnic University, Scientific Technological Center for Nuclear and Physical Research (Russia).

Within the project, it is supposed to label the animals using isotopic marks on rhino horns. The researchers expect that it will help to reduce the demand for rhino horns and will be useful for the detection of smuggling. The experts are certain that due to over 10,000 devices for detecting radiation set up in the border checkpoints, transportation of rhino horns will be nearly impossible.

“TPU represents the Russian academic community in this multinational and interdisciplinary project. It aims to implement one of the pioneering tasks on the peaceful use of nuclear and radiation technologies in different areas of human activity. TPU jointly with the Rosatom State Corporation has already implemented a number of such projects, for instance, on nuclear medicine, radioecology,” Vera Verkhoturova, Deputy Director of the TPU School of Nuclear Science and Engineering, Head of International Nuclear Education Programs, says.

“As our university possesses successful practical experience in the peaceful use of radiation technologies, we were invited to join this project.”

The first stage of the project has already started. There was injected 13C (carbon) and 15N (nitrogen), a trace amount of stable isotopes in the horns of two rhinos. During the next three months, the scientists and veterinarians will be watching how isotopes function inside of the horn.

During the second stage, the research committee, including all the project participants, must confirm based on the results of analyses that the isotope does not move inside the rhino body and not harm it. Then, using a supercomputer and 3D printer there will be conducted moderation that will help to determine an appropriate isotope and its amount. It is planned to inject a radioactive isotope into the rhino horn. Rosatom is intending to become a supplier of radioisotopes at the final stage.

“Stable isotopes bringing no harm to biological objects are used at the first stage. In fact, these are isotopes, which are used in nuclear medicine for treatment or diagnosis. The committee findings on the analysis results of the rhinos will help to understand what isotope must be injected to exclude even minimal negative consequences for an animal and the environment in general,” Vera explains.

“As TPU possesses experience of radioisotope used in nuclear medicine, we can select the required isotopes, produce and research them for this project at our Nuclear Research Reactor, simulate its impact on an animal organism, as well as calculate a radioisotope amount and determine an inject point in the order it will be maximally accumulated in the rhino horn,” Vera continues.

Ilya Rogachev, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of South Africa and Ryan Collyer, Chief Executive Officer of the Rosatom Central and Southern Africa regional representative office took part in the ceremonial launch of the project.

“The year of 2021 is announced the Year of Science and Technology in Russia. Research projects, initiatives and innovative programs are paid a lot of attention. What can be more international and interosculant than science? The academic community must go beyond the borders, time zones and continents, if we want to save our common house and solve ecological problems. We are pleased that this project will enrich the list of successful initiatives of South Africa and Russia,” Ilya Rogachev said.

In his turn, Ryan Collyer added that the project participants believe that science and especially nuclear science will play a fundamental role not only in rhino protection but also in planet protection in general.

CityU develops advanced robot sensors to facilitate superior touch and feel

Posted on by Editorial Team

By mimicking human skin, new kinds of tactile sensor technologies created at the City University of Hong Kong (CityU) offer hope to improving the quality of life for people suffering serious injuries and disabilities.

These breakthrough technologies, developed through two research projects co-led by CityU, are so sophisticated that they enable a robotic appendage to behave like a human hand and complete such tasks as threading a needle or grasping a fragile piece of tofu without spillage.

In the first project, Dr Shen Yajing, Associate Professor in CityU’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, has co-led joint research with the University of Hong Kong on developing a new kind of soft sensor with skin-comparable characteristics.

The research, published in Science Robotics under the title “Soft magnetic skin for super-resolution tactile sensing with force self-decoupling”, promises to advance areas such as the development of smart prosthetics and human–robot interaction.

The sensor is located in a multi-layered structure modelled on human skin. A very special feature is that the sensor can “decouple”, or decompose, the external force automatically into two components, providing an accurate measurement of these two forces respectively in order to analyse or control the stationary or moving state of an object.

Moreover, tactile “super-resolution” allows the sensor to accurately locate the stimuli’s position. “Our efficient tactile super-resolution algorithm uses deep learning and has achieved a 60-fold improvement in the localisation accuracy of the contact position, which is the best among super-resolution methods reported so far,” said Dr Shen.

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first tactile sensor that has achieved self-decoupling and super-resolution abilities simultaneously,” he added.

By mounting the sensor at the fingertips of a robotic gripper, the team has demonstrated that robots can accomplish challenging tasks. For example, the robotic gripper can grasp fragile objects like an egg with a high degree of stability while an external force is trying to drag it away, and it can thread a needle via teleoperation.

“This proposed sensor can help develop adaptive grasping, dexterous manipulation, texture recognition, smart prosthetics and human–robot interaction. The advance of soft artificial tactile sensors with skin-comparable characteristics can make domestic robots a future reality in our daily life,” Dr Shen added.

Inspired by the delicate structure of human skin, the second research project, this time co-led by Dr Yang Zhengbao, Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has created a highly sensitive tactile sensor array that has the potential to restore touch and sensation, as well as monitor health.

Consisting of protective layers, an insulative layer and two piezo sensory layers, the dual-layer comb piezoelectric tactile sensor array that the team fabricated can measure more spatiotemporal information than similar technologies. Furthermore, the team invented the “row+column” electrode structure that can reduce fabrication costs significantly.

“The system can achieve real-time detection and differentiation of diverse external stimuli such as bending, tension and compression within one sensor element. Our sensor can respond extremely fast, with a response time down to 10 milliseconds, which is even faster than human skin,” Dr Yang explained.

The tactile sensor is so delicate that it can even grasp a fragile piece of tofu without breakage, showing great potential for the human–machine interface and promoting the development of smarter prosthetics, robotic hands, and equipment for handling multiple soft and fragile products in industry.

The system is a promising candidate for reconstructing the human tactile system, i.e. re-establishing tactile sensation for people with skin damage and assisting amputees. The sensor can also help monitor overall human health, for example by accurately detecting weak artery pulses.

The team’s findings have been published in Advanced Science under the title “Skin-inspired piezoelectric tactile sensor array with crosstalk-free row+column electrodes for spatiotemporally distinguishing diverse stimuli”.

LSBF Singapore launches School of Technology and new programmes in partnership with the University of East London

Posted on by Global University Systems

The London School of Business and Finance Singapore (LSBF Singapore) announced today the opening of its School of Technology (SOT) which offers a range of programmes for students interested in careers in computer sciences and cybersecurity, in partnership with the University of East London (UEL).

Students will now be offered both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees with two bachelors’ in Computer Science and Cyber Security & Networks and two Masters of Sciences in Computer Science and Information Security & Digital Forensics. Their performance and satisfaction will be monitored to ensure the teaching best fits their academic and personal development needs.

The SOT, headed by Dr Preethi Kesavan, will ensure that all students access positive experiences through active blended learning and are prepared for their future studies, research and employment. Students are invited to choose their type of learning and complete their diploma on campus or online through its completely asynchronous online model.

A range of programmes will be awarded in partnership with the University of East London, a public university whose mission is to provide career-led teaching and prepare students for the reality of the professional world. UEL has several notable academic staff and alumni including politicians, business people, authors, actors and musicians.

The University of East London is a new addition to LSBF Singapore’s international portfolio of leading institutions among Europe and North America which includes, among others, the University of Greenwich, The University of Law and Grenoble Ecole de Management.

Commenting on the launch, Rathakrishnan Govind, CEO of LSBF Global said; “LSBF’s mission is to provide a high-quality education that prepares students for the challenges of the professional environment with the best skillsets. The School of Technology wants to bridge the gap between laboratory and classroom learning experience to better fit our
students’ needs.

“LSBF Singapore has an international dimension and aims to turn its students into future world leaders,” says Rathakrishnan Govind. “Digital technology allows us to extend our scope and build a network of partnerships. We share our core values with the University of East London and hope to expand on this collaboration in the future.”

Dr Paul Marshall, pro-vice chancellor (careers and enterprise) at the University of East London said, “We are delighted to welcome the London School of Business and Finance to UEL’s Global Family.

“The School joins a group of like-minded institutions that work together to achieve common goals such as engaging with industries globally to develop career-ready students, and taking part in international, industry-relevant research, all the time sharing ideas and best practice.

“As part of this, we are pleased to support the launch of the School of Technology which will deliver UEL’s career-focused courses to students who choose to study in Singapore. We
believe that this partnership supports the University’s ambition to increase the strength and diversity of the industry 4.0 talent pipeline.

“Together our aim is to help our students to develop the skills, emotional intelligence and creativity to thrive in a constantly changing world, which forms a core aim of UEL’s transformative Vision 2028 strategy.”