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Year: 2021

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.

President University professor wins best paper in ISEI Congress

Posted on by President University

Associate Professor Dr Dra. Genoveva, M.M., Head of Management Study Program, President University (PresUniv), was successfully selected as the Best Paper in the Call for Papers of the ISEI Congress XXI & National Seminar 2021.

This congress raised the theme of Peran ISEI dalam Penguatan Sinergi untuk Mengakselerasi Pemulihan Ekonomi Nasional di Era Digital.

Genoveva picked the topic of Empowering MSMEs and Cooperatives with the article’s title The Sustainability of Women’S Smes During the COVID-19 Pandemic. This article was then presented online at the ISEI Call for Paper, Tuesday. In her article, Genoveva discusses women entrepreneurs who are experiencing much pressure due to the pandemic.

She said she chose the title of this article because when giving webinars to MSMEs, which were attended mainly by women, they complained a lot about work-life balance problems.

“This is because as women while doing business, they are also taking care of the children and the house. So, the variables I chose were related to the problems faced today and from my previous research in 2018-2020, which was also about women entrepreneurs,” she explained.

Through this article, Genoveva hopes that her research can be implemented by providing more training and workshops, especially related to digital business, to improve MSME skills, especially women.

Genoveva said she was proud that her article was selected as one of the Best Paper. As an appreciation, Genoveva received an incentive of IDR 5,000,000. This article will also be published in a journal managed by ISEI, namely the Indonesian Economic Journal (JEI).

SOPet, an Online Veterinarian Service by Chula students

Posted on by Chulalongkorn University

SOPet, an online veterinary clinic and popular startup that gives instant advice on pet issues, is the brainchild of Chulalongkorn University‘s sophomore students in the Bachelor of Arts and Science in Integrated Innovation (BAScii) degree, under CU Innovation Hub – a highlight of the strength of the social enterprise, fast, reliable, and affordable.  Based on the life experience of pet owners who need urgent advice and assistance in times of crisis but are unable to rush to the clinic or veterinary hospital in time, SOPet was created.

“BAScii is an international program with an emphasis on integrated innovation and business operations under the support of CU Innovation Hub. The program offers a course called Project Seed which students are required to take, and we must form our own start-up company as a project,” said Chwin Wiriyasophon, one of the founders of SOPet, talking about the inception of the project. Their key advisors are Dr. Ronakorn Waiyawut, program instructor, and Dr. Teerakorn Ananthothai – Chief Innovation Officer and Co-Founder of Globish Startup Company.

“An idea for SOPet came from a friend, also the co-founder, who had experienced a problem when he couldn’t take his pet to the vet because his house was flooded. Plus, we’re all pet lovers, so we came up with the idea of an online veterinary business,” said Chwin, Managing Director of SOPet, while introducing 5 co-founders and 3 other team members: Napat Xiangliu, Wachirawit Siridechanon, Chananya Asawawararit, Chosiya Losuwankul, Phakamon Inthanilom, Emiri Hiraoka, Pusadee Prasertwit and Korpong Ruengwattanakul.

“We share business operations responsibilities without them affecting our studies.  Though this project is already a part of our courses, we try to find some extra time to take care of the business every day.  We outsource the admin work as well.”

Chwin explained that the current SOPet service model is still at the stage of an MVP (Minimal Viable Product) that offers services through a Facebook page.

“We are testing the market first, and soon, we will be introducing the website. Customers can send messages via Facebook chat. We have an assigned person to recommend how to choose the type of services and coordinate with veterinarians whose expertise matches the needs of customers. We have a network of over 20 veterinarians (selected from more than 80 applicants) who can offer consultation within 5-10 minutes

Chwin said that after about a year of service, the feedback has been highly satisfactory.  Based on service evaluation scores in a survey of more than 1,400 pet owners, over 98%  rated SOPet as “very good”.

SOPet focuses on giving advice through online channels via chat, voice call and video call.

For the future plan of this social enterprise, SOPet’s founding team hopes to develop an online medical service system (Telemedicine) that is top-of-mind of customers across the country. They may sign memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with agencies such as the Faculty of Veterinarian Sciences to develop a shared-service platform in the future.

“We have to thank every important party that has made this startup a reality — our friends from BAScii who have been by my side, ready to adapt and fight together all along; our teachers and mentors who spared their time to give us advice and believed in us since day one. Also, thanks to all the faculty members, staff members, BAScii executives, and all our friends at CU Innovation Hub for their support,” said Chwin.

The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts confers Honorary Doctorates and Honorary Fellowships

Posted on by Communications Office

The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (the Academy) has conferred Honorary Awards on eleven outstanding individuals in recognition of their remarkable achievements and contributions to the performing arts and cultural industry and also the development of the Academy.

The ceremony held on October 22, 2021 at the Academy Lyric Theatre was officiated by the Academy Council Chairman Professor Stephen Chow Chun-kay, GBS SBS BBS JP. Academy Director Professor Gillian Choa expressed her sincere gratitude for the Honorary Awardees’ exemplary and valuable support to the Academy.

Recipients of Honorary doctorates are: Mr Choo Heng-cheong, Mr Charles Chow Chan-lum MH, Ms Helen Lai MH, Mr Warren Mok BBS MH, and Mr Jaap van Zweden SBS

Recipients of the Honorary Fellowship are Mr Chan Kinsun, Ms Candy Chea Shuk-mui MH, Professor Aquiles Delle Vigne, Mr Hong Ka-chun, Professor Liu Xinglin, and Professor Alan Rosenthal.

AMRITA University faculty is evaluator for Toycathon 2021

Posted on by AmritaQS

Dr. Prashant R. Nair, Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore campus has been recognized for his contribution as an evaluator for  Toycathon 2021.

Toycathon is a national hackathon keynoted and inspired by the direction and vision of the honourable Prime Minister of India, Mr Narendra Modi for an Atmanirbhar Bharat i.e. self-reliant India.

Toycathon 2021 is an inter-ministerial initiative organized by the Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell with support from AICTE and various ministries with the objective to leverage student innovation to make self-reliant India’s toy market, which stands at 1.5 Billion USD and is primarily dominated by imported toys.

In the past, Dr. Prashant has served as a mentor and evaluator for various national hackathons such as Smart India Hackathon hardware and software editions.

Researchers from St Petersburg University develop a sorbent to remove antibiotics from wastewater

Posted on by Alina Perevizintsova

Chemists from St Petersburg University have developed an original procedure of matter synthesis and fabricated eco-friendly sorbents. The latter will allow monitoring and removing antibiotics from wastewater.

The sorbent fabricated by the researchers from St Petersburg University may help to provide a fast and cost-effective wastewater treatment method. It will help reduce human impact on the environment and prevent the emergence of new hazardous bacteria.

The researchers from St Petersburg University have chosen biocompatible and biodegradable hydroxyapatite as a basis for an eco-friendly sorbent and developed a method that significantly reduces the time for the hydroxyapatite nanoparticle synthesis.

They have modified nanoparticles by capping their surface with non-toxic molecules of modifiers and made it possible to fabricate materials that demonstrate high values of sorption for antibiotics. The surface capped with the modifiers presents better efficiency in absorbing antibiotics than the surface of a non-capped sorbent. The same efficiency was observed during a controllable elution step. Such effect was achieved by a change of the medium to regenerate the sorbent.

“Our sorbent ensures the efficient removal of tetracycline from wastewater. Moreover, it can be used to increase the concentration of antibiotics and consequently the sensitivity during their quantitative determination while monitoring target substances in the wastewater,” said Christina Vakh, the author of the analytical part of the research, Associate Professor in the Department of Analytical Chemistry at St Petersburg University (a member of the research group led by Andrey Bulatov, Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences)

Despite the advances in contemporary science, the causes and ways of numerous phenomena and processes that are likely to be used in high-tech devices are not yet fully understood. Therefore, scientists often use a direct-search method, in order to find the most suitable options. The researchers from St Petersburg University have presented a different strategy to fabricate suitable sorbents, meaning the shift to the focused investigation of their structure and surface composition and ensuring time-efficient development of novel sorbents.

Regarding the molecules of the target analytes, the researchers carry out computer modelling to choose suitable capping. This capping depends on information about the surface composition and crystal structure of the sorbent. After that, the scientists perform experiments with from one to three different sorbent samples. The outcome results in reducing both research costs, speed and the waste generated during the work with chemical reagents.

“We may say that we have created a guide for chefs in chemistry. Before putting a new dish on the menu, chefs should cook and taste many versions. Our method makes it possible to determine how delicious the food is without cooking, reject unsuitable recipes, and present the most ‘appetising’ ones for tasting,” said Mikhail Voznesenskiy, the author of the computational part of the research, Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Chemistry at the Institute of Chemistry at St Petersburg University

Olga Osmolovskaya is an Associate Professor in the Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry, the leader of the group for the synthesis and investigation of nanoparticles and nanostructured materials. According to her, both the application of experimental data to computer modelling and the described strategy of sorbent fabrication do increase the accuracy of the expected outcome.

The method of synthesis of nanoparticles and their surface modification, which the researchers from St Petersburg University have developed, allows for time-efficient and cost-efficient sorbent fabrication. Moreover, such a method may be implemented in fabricating sorbents for other organic compounds.

This interdisciplinary research was completed at the intersection of computational chemistry, inorganic materials science, and nanochemistry. It was carried out at St Petersburg University using the state-of-the-art equipment of the St Petersburg University Research Park and supported by the grant ‘ Novel miniaturised and environmentally friendly methods for chemical analysis of biological fluids and foods’ from the Russian Science Foundation.

Chula sophomore wins first place in French Speech Competition

Posted on by Chulalongkorn University

Nawin Pornkulwat, a second-year student from the Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University has won first place in the French Speech Competition-French Language Excellence Program (higher education level).

Organized by the Department of French, Faculty of Arts, Silpakorn University, the designated topic was “Comment pourrait-on faire face au cyberharcèlement?” (How can we deal with cyberbullying?), which focused on raising awareness on cyberbullying and the effects on those involved.

Nawin explained that, for the competition, participants were asked to make a speech in French and record a video clip (no longer than 3 minutes) about cyberbullying. He added that with limited time to prepare, he began looking for information to better understand the process of cyberbullying. Then, he wrote a rough script and storyboard to be able to spontaneously add ideas.

The content presentation was divided into three issues: victims, perpetrators, and solutions, to raise awareness of violence and how to work together to prevent cyberbullying.  A deep understanding of the topic and confidence in communicating with the audience are two core techniques that Nawin believes contributed much to his success in this competition.

Having been interested in learning French since high school, Nawin has found French melodious and reflective of the cultural values ​​of France, despite being a difficult language to learn. Due to the structural complexity of the language, it is entirely different from Thai, especially in listening, because it must be understood immediately. He added that his strength is in writing because he can think, plan, check and correct the sentence structure, although it was still challenging.

Nawin dreams of becoming a French language teacher or having a French-related profession in the future because he would like to make the most of his language proficiency.  Currently, he works part-time as a French-language tutor for youngsters.

“Lastly, I want to tell all youngsters interested in learning French that they must spend time practicing speaking, reading, and writing regularly. This will help improve by leaps and bounds. Studying at the Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University, students are encouraged to fully learn and develop, with the help of teachers who provide knowledge and advice on learning. This makes learning French not so difficult anymore,” concluded Nawin.

Chitkara College of Pharmacy shines in IIRF Rankings 2021

Posted on by Dr K K Mishra

Chitkara College of Pharmacy, Chitkara University, Punjab was ranked 19th in the IIRF Rankings 2021 of the best pharmaceutical colleges in India by Education Post.

The pharmaceutical sector has experienced a leap in recent times, especially since the pandemic hit and the need to come up with radical drugs to fight new diseases grew. For students who are interested in pharmaceutical studies, several famous institutes offer sophisticated curriculum and facilities for research.

It is vital for Pharmaceutical Colleges to have top-class laboratories for testing, experienced faculty members who have worked in the field or provide guidance to pharmaceutical companies, and allow access to international journals.

Ranking pharmaceutical colleges in India is mainly based on these factors. Indian Institutional Ranking Framework 2021 ranks more than 1,000 institutions 300+ universities, 350 Engineering College, 150+ B-Schools, 50 Legal Universities, 50 Design Schools, 50 Architectural Colleges and 100+ Bachelor Colleges for BBA & BCA) throughout the country.

IIRF is published by the Education Post since 2012, a monthly magazine about higher education. The Federation for World Academics (FWA) guides industrial methodology and feedback and plays the role of a mentor for the IIRF Center for institutional research (ICIR) in India.

IIRF rating is based on concrete analysis by experts and rankings as the most diverse and authentic rankings in India received by the corporate world. Ranking based on 7 Performance Indicators, deliberately focused on Indian socio-economical and Industrial Economics varies through all Placement performance, teaching and learning, research, industrial income and integration, placement and support strategies, external perceptions, professors, industry experts and collaborations and alumni network. The IIRF ranking analysis has a different perspective of ranking and provides clusters or preferential rating that tends to the authenticity of the assessment.

The IIRF framework outlines a methodology to rank institutions across the country. It draws seven parameters broadly cover Academic Excellence, Research, Placement Performance, Corporate Interface, Placement Strategies and Support, Teaching Learning Resources & Pedagogy and Future Orientation.

University of Petra wins the first prize at the Fifth-Year International Competition for the Reconstruction of Destroyed Palestinian Villages

Posted on by Dr. Ahmed El Qasem

The University of Petra (UOP, Amman, Jordan) won the first prize in “The Fifth-Year International Competition for the Reconstruction of Destroyed Palestinian Villages”.

The competition was organized by Palestine Land Society in the United Kingdom, which is an independent non-profit scholarly society dedicated to research and information-gathering on Palestine, the land, and its people.

The society is concerned with: Palestine’s history, geography, culture, and society; Reviewing legal, economic, socio-political, and other related issues; Disseminating information by publishing books, maps, and academic papers on the subject; and Participating in all fora of events, conferences, and meetings that are concerned with the subject.

The Faculty of Architecture and Design – Department of Architecture won the 1st prize among 22 projects submitted by 66 students from several universities around the world.

The winning graduation project was entitled “The Gate of Return” for the reconstruction of Lubiya village – Tiberias by Lujain Zayed, under the supervision of Dr Amer Al-Jokhadar, and the teaching assistant Arch. Neamat Al-Dissi.

The design aims to preserve the area’s historical, architectural, and ecological characteristics while also telling the village’s story and promoting the community’s sustainable development, through the incorporation of diverse activities, services, and employment opportunities.

This award is a significant outcome due to commitment to excellence in education, social responsibility, research and innovation. Quality education, social responsibility and innovation have always been fundamental goals at UOP. To this effect, the University has worked out a robust strategic plan for the administration process of academic programs, scientific research and innovation; especially those projects that serve the community at large.

As far as innovation is concerned, the University has established centres that aim at encouraging and motivating innovation and technology transfer projects that support students as well as staff, e.g. Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, and Business Incubator (SIQ).