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Month: October 2021

Young artists present their Latin American themed works at SPbU

Posted on by Alina Perevizintsova

The 5th International Forum ’Russia and Ibero-America in a Globalizing World: History and Modernity’ at St Petersburg University has hosted an exhibition of young artists and designers dedicated to Latin American culture.

The exhibition features term and graduation projects by students from Russia and Colombia who have pursued degrees in Painting, Graphic Design and Film and Television Costume Production Artist at St Petersburg University.

The exhibits include an art object dedicated to the collection of short stories ’The Book of Sand’ by Jorge Luis Borges; paintings inspired by the culture and legends of Colombia; a homage to a font in the art of architect Santiago Calatrava; and illustrations to the collection ‘Cronopios and Famas’ by Julio Cortázar, in which the young artists reflected their vision of the characters and atmosphere of the surreal world.

“South America certainly has a rich literary heritage and many artists often refer to it in their work. Not surprisingly, it has inspired film designers who often draw on literary works in their productions. Designers usually choose themes that appeal to them personally. This is because the exhibition features the works of two Colombian students who graduated with a degree in Easel Painting and have devoted their graduation projects to their country,” said Irina Tsymbal, Head of the Department of Fine Arts at St Petersburg University.
To view the artworks and learn more about them, visit the exhibition‘s website.

“The website was created by first-year master’s students in Graphic Design under the guidance of Anna Zyrianova, Associate Professor at St Petersburg University. This web project is an effort to develop a new form of an exhibition of art and design works,’ said Kseniia Pozdniakova, Associate Professor at St Petersburg University and Head of the Department of Design.

“The website was designed using underlying technology and the bootstrap constructor. The interface was developed a year ago and was first tested in an online exhibition at the international conference “Design: Horizontal & Vertical Growth”. The software code has already received a copyright certificate.”

The website is designed specifically for exhibition purposes. The page is divided into two parts. On the left, there is the catalogue that enables you to browse through the information on all the published works. On the right side, there is a close-up view of each project. Visitors can navigate through the virtual exhibition in any order, look at fragments of the works and read explanatory notes.

Thammasat University approves regulations to allow students to dress according to their gender identities

Posted on by Thammasat University

The University Council approved Thammasat University‘s regulation concerning student dress code and uniforms for 2021, whereby additions were made to Clause 9 concerning dressing in student uniforms to allow students to dress according to either their birth sex or gender identity.

“We are communicating to society that we are giving importance to non-discrimination and think that this should be made into law because we want equal protection for everyone, regardless of gender, and we hope that this will be a beginning that communicates to society that this issue should be made normal, that anybody should be able to dress however they want and that their decisions need to be respected for so long as they abide by the same rules and that is by dressing politely and appropriately for their settings,” Associate Professor Dr Adisorn Chansuk said.

Dr Adisorn Chansuk said that previous rules were just practice guidelines and not strictly regulations. As they become regulations and are published in the Royal Government Gazette pursuant to the Act for the university, these regulations will become law within the university, which means everyone will be required to comply.

As for previous content, the rules did not mention anything about permitting students to dress according to their genders. This issue was brought up last year when an announcement of the chancellor gave permission to students to act according to their gender identities and to be able to take their graduation pictures wearing their graduation gowns.

This was last year, but before that, there were students who dressed according to their gender identities. This is because the actual dress codes never required them to only dress according to their sex.

However, because there were no specifications, if students wanted to dress a certain way, it was up to them but their teachers could still require them to dress according to their birth sex. Before the announcement of the chancellor made last year granting permission, if a student wanted to cross-dress, the student would have to go and ask for a hospital to issue a certificate for the student. It was a way of asking them to seek a certification process.

So, this became an issue that depended only on the chancellor’s announcement.  Whenever executives change, announcements might be made to require students to go back to dressing according to their birth genders (depending on management policies).

However, the upgrading of rules to legal regulations, regardless of which executives are in charge, means that students’ right to express themselves and to dress freely according to their intentions will remain protected.

As for Thammasat University’s project to support and engage in the issue of gender equality, there are large numbers of students currently pushing on this issue. For example, the TU Changemaker project, which is supported by UN Women, last year organized an event about gender equality to raise awareness on this issue within and outside the university. Students also gave away sanitary napkins for free to female university students. All of these activities are related to promoting gender equality, which is something the university has always prioritized.

UCYP hosts International Research Conference & Workshop in English Language Studies 2021

Posted on by Corporate UCYP

On 26 and 27 August 2021, the University College of Yayasan Pahang (UCYP) organised an International Research Conference & Workshop in English Language Studies (IRCW-ELS) 2021 which took place for two days via the ZOOM platform.

This conference is in collaboration with the Association of Language Teachers in Southeast Asia (ALTSA), UCYP Press, University of Nigata Prefecture, AEIJ, Universitas Teuku Umar, Universiti Teknologi Brunei, Phetchaburi Rajabhat University Thailand, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, Universitas Sumatera Utara and Universiti Malaya.

Advanced Teaching & Research in English Language Education is the theme chosen for this conference. According to Assoc. Prof Dr Tan Li Pin, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research & Industry Linkages, English language is a lingua franca that serves as a vital communication instruction.

As a result, teaching English has become a significant discipline that is exposed to numerous challenges, particularly in countries where English is not the first language. It is always necessary to undertake research in order to find beneficial teaching ideas or procedures.

In his welcome speech, UCYP Vice-Chancellor, Professor Emeritus Dato’ Dr. Ahmad bin Haji Zainuddin expressed his heartfelt gratitude to all who sincerely committed to making this event a success, emphasising that an individual is given an international platform to share their knowledge, research findings, and ideas, as well as to publish their papers in international reputable journals.

“This conference provides an international platform to sharpen the knowledge, gain new ideas and share best practices, learn about the latest innovation and insight, make new context and stay connected among researchers to conduct better research,” he added.

Meanwhile, special invited keynote speakers included Dr Paul Robertson, Chief Executive Editors & Founder of Academic Education International Journals, Assoc. Professor Dr Adelina Binti Asmawi from University Malaya’s Faculty of Education, and Dr Robbie Lee Sabnani from Nanyang Technological University’s National Institute of Education. These well-known academics supplemented their presentations with intriguing topics.

Professor John Adamson (University of Nigata Prefecture, Japan), Dr. Custodio Martins (Chief Editor of TESOL International Journal), and Mr. Dedi Sanjaya (Manager, Research Management Center, University College of Yayasan Pahang, Malaysia) also gave a workshop titled “EFL International Journal Substantial Content and Guidelines”, “Publishing and Perishing?” and “Research Papers towards Reputable International Journals: Substantial Contents and Guidelines” respectively.

The conference was divided into two parallel sessions held for two days with 28 presenters presenting their research throughout the session.

Chief of the Indonesian National Police addresses President University’s new batch of students

Posted on by President University

“Students will later continue the nation’s leadership relay. So, they must develop themselves to become excellent human resources (HR) with strong character. For this reason, education for the younger generation, as a nation’s asset, plays a very strategic role,” the Chief of Indonesian National Police, Jend. (Pol) Drs. Listyo Sigit Prabowo, M.Si., said while welcoming all new students of the President University (PresUniv) .

The welcoming procession for 1,944 new students from the 2021 batch was part of the pre-University event titled “We Prepare Your Career from Day 1.” This event was held online for three days (23-25 August 2021).

“Make the motto “there is no day without learning” as a trigger for enthusiasm,” said Chief of the Indonesian National Police Listyo Sigit.

He also asked all students to maintain self-discipline, always take care of themselves and the PresUniv campus environment, and participate in maintaining the spirit of national unity and integrity.

He said, “Eliminate all differences.”

In addition, the Chief of the Indonesian National Police Sigit also asked students to respect the lecturers and obey all the regulations that exist in the campus environment. “Keep the good name of President University’s alma mater,” said the National Police Chief.

Mobile application for international enrollees and students developed at TPU

Posted on by Tomsk Polytechnic University

The Division for the Russian Language of the TPU School of Core Engineering Education with the support of the Division for Information Technology of the TPU School of Computer Science and Robotics have developed a PreTPU application for international enrollees and students. All the relevant information about TPU, news and event announcements can be found via the mobile application.

PreTPU was developed for the Android operating system. Soon it will be available for download on the Play Market platform. The application is designed for two kinds of users: TPU international enrollees and students. The interface is available in Russian and English.

“The application is a digital product entirely developed at TPU. We decided to create it for international students who are thinking to study in Russia, choose TPU and for those international students who are already enrolled at the university.

On PreTPU, we collected and systematized reference information and news what makes searching and viewing the information required for an international student much easier,”

Evgeniya Sherina, Head of the TPU Division for Russian Language, explains.

The application consists of a few sections. International students willing to study at TPU can learn all the information about majors and fields of study of all levels of education, as well as what they must do to be enrolled at the university and how to come to Tomsk. International students will gain access to the timetable, personal account and staff contacts. The service also provides basic information about the university and Tomsk.

“Via the application, professors will be able to send push notifications with important and urgent information for students. In return, students will be able to contact staff directly and ask them questions. It will significantly simplify the communication process,” Evgeniya Sherina adds.

In the long run, it is planned to add some more languages to the interface and make the service more international oriented. Soon developers will add the information in Chinese

UiTM’s Faculty of Pharmacy committed to nurturing creativity and innovation in health and well-Being

Posted on by Faculty of Pharmacy, UiTM Editorial Team

On the 10th of August 2021, the Faculty of Pharmacy Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) organized an award-giving ceremony for the Virtual Pharmacy Invention, Innovation and Design (Pharm-IIDEx) 2021.

This is the second consecutive year the event is held virtually, and the ceremony was officiated by the Dean of the faculty, Associate Prof. Dr Shariza Sahudin, in the presence of honourable judges, participants, and guests. Through this annual event, the Faculty of Pharmacy continues to nurture creative and innovative thinking among the research communities by promoting healthy competition and safeguarding intellectual property (IP) rights.

Following this year’s Pharm-IIDEx theme, “Inspiring Innovation and Discovery”, researchers presented their inventions, innovations, and design in areas related to health and well-being. These areas included pharmacy, health sciences, medicine, cosmetics, nutraceutics, agrotechnology, and biotechnology, while for junior researchers from the secondary and primary schools, the categories included technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Pharm-IIDEx 2021 received good participation from local and international institutions, including from the University of Sriwijaya, Universitas Duta Bangsa and Politeknik Indonusa Surakarta, Indonesia.

A total of 76 teams participated in the four categories contested: Inventor I, Inventor II, Young Inventor and Junior Inventor categories. Each category targets different sets of participants where Inventor I is open to academician and postgraduate students while Inventor II is for non-academician from all higher education institutions or agencies. The Young Inventor category is available to undergraduate students, and the Junior Inventor category is open for primary and secondary schools’ students.

Pharm-IIDEx 2021 is also delighted to celebrate the growing potential of creativity and innovation among our young generations. We received a total of 8 entries from the primary and secondary schools around Malaysia.

Compared to last year, the increased number of participants shows that the spirit of research and discovery remains strong, and ideas, inventions, and innovations continue to thrive despite challenging times brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Faculty of Pharmacy UiTM congratulated all winners and participants of the Virtual Pharm-IIDEx 2021 and wished to thank all parties involved in making the event a success.

St Petersburg University biologists systematise all known cases of programmed genetic material elimination

Posted on by Alina Perevizintsova

St Petersburg University biologists have for the first time systematised all known phenomena of programmed genetic material elimination in the cells of living organisms. The research will enable us to gain a deeper insight into genome plasticity. The results and outcomes may be used in treating conditions characterised by additional chromosomes.

The research is supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation. The findings are published in Biological Reviews.

“Genetic material is considered to be highly stable. Genome’s stability allows the development of the organism and assures the transmission of genetic material to offspring. Alteration in genome stability drastically affects the normal development that may result in oncological transformation and death of living organisms. Nevertheless, some organisms can selectively eliminate part of their genomes from certain cell types during specific stages of ontogenesis,” said Dmitrij Dedukh, the first author of the article and junior research associate at St Petersburg University.

“The phenomenon of programmed DNA elimination has been found in many organisms ranging from unicellular organisms to mammals. It can be found in the ciliate protozoa, invertebrates (parasitic nematodes, copepods, springtails, coccidae, fungus gnats, etc.), and vertebrates (lampreys, hagfish, songbirds, bandicoots, opossums, and some species of the spiny mouse).”

“Additionally, chromosome elimination can be observed in interspecific plant hybrids and animal interspecific hybrids. It can be caused by the endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia or additional chromosomes. Selective elimination of genetic material can include the removal of sequences in chromosomes, whole chromosomes, or even a parental chromosomal set,” Dmitrij said

“These organisms eliminate part of their genomes from certain cell types during specific stages of ontogenesis, and it does not affect the normal development and is even essential for survival.”

Some organisms can selectively eliminate part of their genomes from certain cell types during specific stages of ontogenesis.

“In our paper, we described the most common cases in various groups of living organisms. We specified mechanisms of selective genetic material elimination. In previous papers, little, if any, was said about elimination of genetic material. In this respect, our study is comprehensive. We have found out that despite the different consequences of DNA elimination, all genetic material destined for elimination must be first recognised, epigenetically marked, separated, and then removed and degraded,” said Alla Krasikova, the co-author of the article and Associate Professor at St Petersburg University.

This study is essential for a wide range of areas in biology and biomedicine, as Dmitrij Dedukh put it. Gaining a better understanding of how genetic material is eliminated is essential in how we approach the current problems in agriculture and aquaculture. The results and outcomes have the potential to be used in biomedicine, including treating conditions that are associated with additional chromosomes. Among other areas for using the research outcomes are how to develop alternative methods to edit genomes and chromosomal sets.

“The phenomenon of selective genetic material elimination was discovered as long as 120 years ago. However, we are far from having a deep understanding of how the DNA sequences in most of living organisms are recognised and eliminated. What we aim at is to show that elimination of genetic material is a highly widespread phenomenon that is still little studied and calls for a comprehensive analysis,” said Dmitrij Dedukh.

The research is supported by grant No 20-74-00030 ‘Mechanisms of selective parental genome elimination during gametogenesis of interspecific hybrids from water frogs complex’ from the Russian Science Foundation.

The review presents the results obtained by the University scientists and sums up other works in selective elimination of genetic material. The research is supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation.

Thammasat University professor’s innovation wins silver award at 48th International Exhibition of Geneva

Posted on by Thammasat University

The serum of bamboo extract for sensitive skin innovation by Associate Professor Dr Supakorn Boonyuen, Thammasat University, was presented at the 48th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva special edition 2021: Inventions Geneva Evaluation Days Virtual Event, and it has won the silver award.

The research by Associate Professor Dr Supakorn Boonyuen applied chemical technologies to study and seek information in addition to processing bamboo leaves in order to share with the farmers of Sa Kaeo and nearby areas the technology used to harvest and extract a flavonoid from bamboo leaves to generate income for the community.

He discovered that the flavonoid found in bamboo leaves is isoorientin, which is largely presented in the Sang Mon Nuan Rachinee strain of bamboo. The harvest and extraction processes are uncomplicated and can be performed by the local farmers.

Bamboo leaves brought in for extraction must be the leaves that are still on the plant and not the ones fallen to the ground. After they are cut, they need to be washed and dried in a shaded area and an insect-free facility. Then, they are crushed before being extracted by a solvent which will eventually evaporated.

The extract obtained is tested for its quality by the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, before it is delivered to the processing plant.

Isoorientin additives in products are classified as non-toxic to cells and are highly effective. Cosmetics that contain this flavonoid from bamboo leaves can reduce cell inflammation and prevent free radicals which are the cause of skin wrinkles.

The product has been approved and already obtained the FDA registrations.  They are the “concentrated serum from bamboo leave extracted for natural moisturization and smoothening” with registration number 10-1-6200008553″ and a “special formula cleansing micellar with bamboo leave extracted for thorough cleaning without dry skin after use” with registration number 10-1-6200008316.

Leading technical universities of Russia discuss transformation of engineering education at U-NOVUS’2021

Posted on by Tomsk Polytechnic University

The transformation of engineering education in Russia became a key topic of a round table that was held within U-NOVUS’2021, a forum of young scientists at Tomsk Polytechnic University on September 29. Rectors of leading Russian universities training engineers took part in the round table. Dmitry Sednev, Acting Rector of TPU, stated to the journalists before the discussion beginning that the round table must become a starting point for systemic work to unite the best Russian engineering universities in the New Engineering Education of Russia consortium.

“A right final of today’s meeting can be called a launch of new work on creating a consortium. Today, representatives of leading technical universities, who already possess the best practices of engineering education, gathered here. We hope that the TPU initiative to create a consortium will be supported. We will be able to start forming a concept of joint work where leading institutions in the specialized area will search for new models of engineering education, polish up and replicate them nationwide,” Dmitry Sednev, Acting Rector of TPU, said.

Liudmila Ogorodova, Deputy Governor for Scientific and Educational Complex and Digital Transformation, tied up a necessity to transform a system of training new engineers with an update of technologies with which engineers work.

“We see how technologies update, therefore engineering schools must renew as well. Aspirations of any country renew too. Nowadays, Russia thinks globally. Meanwhile, a global challenge is an area of great uncertainty.

I will introduce an example. Today, we got used to that a business partner orders the development of an educational program. When we speak about absolutely new areas such as engineering biology, who will order staff training if there are no such companies yet? Universities must train such staff. Tomsk is a recognized educational center where the training of such staff for the long run is possible,” Luidmila Ogorodova said.

Rectors, vice-rectors and heads of relevant departments of TPU, Tomsk State University, Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radioelectronics, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute), Novosibirsk State University and Novosibirsk State Technical University, Ural Federal University, Far Eastern Federal University, National University of Science and Technology MISiS, Tyumen State University, Cherepovets State University, Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University LETI, as well as representatives of the industry: Gazprom Neft and the Science and Technology Center of Gazprom Neft took part in the U-NOVUS’2021 discussion.

“Speaking about what is essential for the development of engineering education, I would emphasize a few important areas. First, it is simulation introduction of company operational environment in the educational process as logic to form an environment for capacity building. Second, these are soft skills and systematic thinking. Third, it is technology entrepreneurship.

Furthermore, it is vital to understand that without the active involvement of companies and interfacing of our activity, it will be challenging to train experts able to transform the industry. Actually, there is a problem that business and the industry transform faster than educational processes and standards.

In that kind of cooperation, in that kind of permanent communication that we have with our partner universities, for instance, with Tomsk Polytechnic University, we are able to form such educational projects and programs,” Pavel Sorokin, Program Head of the Expertise and Functional Development Unit of the Science and Technology Center of Gazprom Neft, said.

New Engineering Education is one of three strategic areas, which are in the focus of TPU for its program development for the next 10 years. Tomsk Polytechnic University was selected for the Priority 2030 program. Priority 2030 is the largest national program to support the development of universities in post-Soviet Russia.

6th International Conference on Islam and Higher Education 2021

Posted on by Corporate UCYP

A preliminary meeting with delegates from Southeast Asian state institutions was held on August 30, 2021, in conjunction with a virtual pre-conference session on the Zoom online platform for the 6th International Conference on Islam and Higher Education 2021 (ICIHE).

The event was attended by Professor Emeritus Dato’ Dr Ahmad bin Haji Zainuddin, UCYP Vice Chancellor and Associate Professor Dr Azhar bin Jaafar Ramli, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student Development & Society Engagement). Professor Dr Ismail Suardi Wekke, the Chairman of Southeast Asia Academic Mobility (SEAAM) and Representative for Indonesia’s Higher Education, also was in attendance.

The discussion on Monday was the first session to gather input on the response and engagement of participants in the 6th International Conference on Islam and Higher Education 2021 (ICIHE).

The conference is a collaboration of academics from Malaysian and Southeast Asian institutes of higher learning. The essence that will be explored extends beyond Islamic knowledge and science in an effort to produce and disseminate the most up-to-date findings, theories, and knowledge for the advancement of Islamic knowledge in the archipelago.

In his speech, Professor Emeritus Dato ‘Dr. Ahmad bin Haji Zainuddin also emphasised the concept of ‘hybrid knowledge,’ in which educational institutions in Malaysia and regional countries work collaboratively on sharing ideas to produce secular knowledge innovations, one of which is technology based on Islamic knowledge.

Professor Dr. Ismail Suardi Wekke also expressed his gratitude for the partnership with Southeast Asian universities, which has opened several opportunities not only in the field of education but also in other fields.

The 6th International Conference on Islam and Higher Education (ICIHE) will be held on 2th and 3th of December 2021.