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Month: October 2022

UiTM-University of Sydney strengthen commitment in bioinformatics collaboration

Posted on by Faculty of Pharmacy, UiTM Editorial Team

Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) hosted a visit from the University of Sydney on the 5th of September 2022, aimed to explore opportunities for bioinformatics research collaboration and post-graduate student mobility between UiTM & University of Sydney.

Professor Dato’ Dr. Abu Bakar Abdul Majeed, Dean of Faculty of Pharmacy welcomed Jake Chen, representative from University of Sydney, and member of Australian Molecular Modellers Association. The session was also attended by Dr. Norkasihan Ibrahim, Deputy Dean (Industry, Community, Alumni & Network), Professor Kalavathy Ramasamy, Head of Collaborative Discovery Research Group, Dr. Gurmeet Kaur Surindar Singh, Head of Brain Degeneration and Therapeutics Research Group, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sadia Sultan, Head of Biotransformation Research Group, Dr. Mohd Nadzri Mohd Najib, Head of Department (UiTM Bertam Campus) and fellow academicians from the faculty.

Representatives from the UiTM Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences and the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Advanced Medical and Dental Institute took part in the session via virtual platform.

The visit started with sharing session by Jake Chen on laboratory simulation software for teaching and learning as well as research activity. During the hybrid session, he highlighted the benefits of Peppy software which has advanced programming capability and the ability to provide personalised student experience during the conduct of chemical experiments. This software has benefited students during the COVID-19 pandemic online learning period and according to Professor Gareth Denyer, creator of the virtual laboratory data generator, it is available for free with the possibility to customise practical needs for a small fee.

Following that, Dr. Ruzianisra Mohamed, served as the representative of Bioinformatics Unit, UiTM presented the expertise of the unit members and ongoing bioinformatics research works at the faculty. The meeting then discussed on research grants for Southeast Asia, postgraduate student mobility grants, and areas of research collaboration. It is anticipated that the exchange of knowledge and expertise at this meeting will foster closer and more strategic ties between both institutions, as well as open new and expanded opportunities for future collaboration.

Cracked model

Posted on by Janet Ilieva

International students fees have lightened some of the stressors on country’s higher education systems. But is this model sustainable, and what does the future hold, ask Winnie Ellie and Janet Ilievia.

International student mobility to Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, North America, the UK, and Europe is recovering. As borders reopen, some markets are picking up slower than others for obvious reasons. The UK seems to have fared better than other global study destinations over the past two years. Analysis by Universities UK International and the British Universities’ International Liaison Association (BUILA), based on data from the UK’s Higher Education Statistics Agency, show the country has achieved its International Education Strategy target of 600,000 international students ten years early.

Has the pandemic furthered the universities’ reliance on international students’ fees?

Globally, countries’ spending on the pandemic and public health is likely to impact education expenditure negatively. As a result, some countries are likely to experience reductions in their research funding and teaching grants.

Before the pandemic, the cross-subsidy from international students to fund university research was well documented. In his 2020 report, From T to R revisited: Cross-subsidies from teaching to research after Augar and the 2.4% R&D target, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute Nick Hillman estimated the funding gap was £4.3 billion in the UK. He noted that while international students’ tuition fees were partially funding that gap, if they were later used to fill in or reduce cost for domestic students, the research gap would reach £4.9 billion.

In England, the tuition fees for home students remain frozen for another two years. According to the Bank of England, inflation in the UK is likely to keep rising to around 10 percent in 2022. Analysis from London Economics shows that when the impact of inflation is taken together with the significant cuts to teaching grants, the overall income per student falls back to 2006 levels, when fees were £3,000.

The Russel Group, representing 24 Higher Education Institutions, estimated that “the average deficit per UK undergraduate taught is set to more than double from £1,750 in 2021/22 to around £4,000 in 2024/25, with deficits across all subjects”. These developments signal the paramount pressure on international tuition fees to continue to plug growing deficits in teaching and research. While the sustainability of this cross-subsidy is questionable, international student recruitment will become increasingly competitive.

Expanding international student demand to continue?

Economic downturns and uncertainty already affect many students’ home countries. While China’s economy remains relatively stable compared to other countries, its students are likely to seek out study nearer to home, except for the high-income families whose propensity to send their children abroad remains stable (Mok and Zhang 2021; Min and Ni 2022). The dip in Chinese undergraduate entrants in the UK, down 5 percent in 2020/21, coupled with a slight decline in the number of student visas issued, may indicate the beginning of a trend that does not sit comfortably in a sector that is highly dependent on international student recruitment. The British Council’s Five Trends to Watch East Asia edition points to reductions in student demand from China and the rest of East Asia to study overseas. It is not clear whether this is a short-term blip in the aftermath of the pandemic or a long-term trend.

Most of the UK’s booming markets are set to experience double-digit inflation in 2022, with Nigeria and Pakistan anticipated to reach 15.6 percent and 12.7 percent, respectively. The rising cost of living and exchange rate fluctuations are likely to negatively impact the global middle classes and their ability to educate their kids abroad. In relative terms, appreciation of the US dollar means that higher education in Australia and the UK is becoming more accessible to international students.

The meaning of changing demographics

Growing geopolitical tensions between the West and China have pushed universities to reconsider overreliance on one country. However, many institutions active in China have become highly selective in choosing the best students; they have secured high levels of conversion from applications into enrolments and are maintaining a relatively low cost of acquisition. While growing student recruitment from South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa means a more diverse campus, Vincenzo Raimo and Janet Ilieva argued it is also accompanied by higher recruitment costs and lower conversion levels, in an article for University World News.

A better understanding of the international student recruitment portfolio is needed to assess the efficiency of the recruitment pipelines and their comparative performance across different countries. This needs to include an accurate analysis of acquisition cost per recruitment channel in each market. The pivot away from China and East Asia means increasing recruitment costs and reducing the cross-subsidy from international students’ fees to make up for deficits elsewhere.

The past decades have taught us that the international higher education sector is highly resilient. With the sector’s eyes wide open on the calculated risks, the challenges in pivoting are inevitably high, but surely worth overcoming in the coming years. The rewards in gaining global talent, the value in achieving diversity, and the competency in mitigating risks in an international order that is increasingly volatile could be the next prize we all set our eyes on.

This article was from the QS Global Education News Issue 08. Download the full edition.

Role of overconfidence, perceived ability in preferences for income equality

Posted on by Tokyo University of Science

Income inequality is at an all-time high worldwide. Now, researchers at the Tokyo University of Science have observed that overconfidence plays an important role in how people view their individual ability to earn. They found that overconfident people’s realization of the gap between their perceived ability and their income lowers their faith in the economy being fair and meritocratic. However, this does not translate into higher support for reducing income inequality.

Overconfidence in one’s ability is not uncommon among humans. It can be observed in areas ranging from driving ability and productivity to calculating returns on investment projects. Overconfidence can also lead people to think that they aren’t earning as much as they think they can. This consideration should encourage overconfident people to think that society is unfair. Furthermore, this effect should increase the support for more concentrated efforts, including government interventions, to reduce the income inequality and mitigate the perceived unfairness of society. However, is this really the case?

A new study by researchers from Tokyo University of Science and Princeton University seeks to answer this question. The research team, which included Junior Associate Professors Tomoko Matsumoto and Daiki Kishishita from Tokyo University of Science and Atsushi Yamagishi from Princeton University, aimed to find out how the preferences of overconfident people, specifically those concerning income inequality, change when they are made aware of a gap between their economic status and their self-evaluated ability. The study was made available online in the European Journal of Political Economy on 28 August, 2022.

“There is a large variation in the level of inequality in countries with similar levels of income redistribution, in terms of the degree to which people support or oppose income redistribution. We are interested in understanding why those who benefit economically from the implementation of income redistribution policies oppose such policies, and have focused on the nature of the ‘self-confidence overload’,” explains Dr. Matsumoto, explaining the rationale for their study.

To this end, the researchers conducted an online survey in the United States with 4,471 participants. The survey was framed in such a way that the questions reinforced a participant’s self-perceived income-ability gap randomly. The novelty of the study stems from the fact that previous studies have been lab-controlled experiments. However, this study tests the presented theory in a real economic environment using the actual income values of the participants.

The study yielded a number of surprising results. The researchers found that participants who stated that their income was lower than their ability to earn lose their confidence in meritocracy and their faith in the economy being fair. They view the economy and society as being unfair, which hinders them to earn to their full potential. The researchers also noted that people believed that negative income-ability gap was a result of an unfair economy and not an individual responsibility.

Upon realizing the negative income-ability gap, more left-wing participants were in favor of reducing income inequality than right-wing and centrist participants. However, people across the political spectrum did not favor government intervention as a way to reduce income inequality. Government intervention did not garner a lot of support even among left-wing participants with high trust in the government. Explaining this anomaly, Dr. Matsumoto says, “Scholars have previously argued that characteristics such as party ideology or family and personal values are major determinants of preferences for redistribution and changing a belief about social and economic environments may have a limited role. Their limited effect on preferences for reducing income inequality may stem from a similar mechanism.”

Interestingly, it was noted that people following a right-wing ideology showed higher support for ensuring that people get paid according to their ability than government intervention.

The researchers believe their findings would be relevant in countries apart from the United States, as overconfidence in one’s ability is prevalent across the world. However, they anticipate differences based on the population’s belief in the state of their economy. Addressing the implications of their findings, Dr. Matsumoto says, “I believe that identifying who is for and who is against reducing inequality will help to alleviate social conflicts in a society where inequality is growing and polarization is increasing.”

***

Reference

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2022.102279

Title of original paper: Overconfidence, Income-ability Gap, and Preferences for Income Equality

Journal: European Journal of Political Economy

[email protected]

EdUHK study examines importance of gender-affirming school culture

Posted on by eduhk

Gender nonconforming youth are often subject to bullying and harassment, but the negative effects of this experience are not well understood. Previous studies have found that gender-nonconforming youth are at heightened risk of depression, social withdrawal and avoidance behaviour compared to gender-conforming youth. The association between gender nonconformity and psychological distress has been found to be more common among adolescent boys than girls. Both heterosexual and sexual-minority individuals can be subject to victimisation based on their gender expression, regardless of their actual sexual orientation.

Dr Randolph Chan Chun-ho, Associate Head and Associate Professor at the Department of Special Education and Counselling, The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK), conducted a study to determine whether gender nonconformity contributes to peer victimisation in school settings and to identify ways to modify the school environment to protect gender nonconforming youth from victimisation. The study involved 3,020 students in 10 secondary schools in different provinces in the mainland, 51.5% of whom assigned male at birth and 48.5% assigned female at birth. The mean age of the participants was 15.71.

One fifth of the participants (19.6%) said they frequently experienced peer victimisation. The prevalence of peer victimisation was even higher among gender-nonconforming youth (38.5%). The three most common forms were being reminded to watch the way in which they speak or dress, being verbally assaulted or threatened, and being socially excluded or isolated. Gender nonconformity was found to be a risk factor for peer victimisation among youth in the mainland and was associated with heightened levels of school avoidance and symptoms of depression.

Youth assigned male at birth who violated masculine gender roles were found to be more frequently subject to victimisation than youth assigned female at birth who did not adhere to feminine gender roles. In schools with a highly structured and supportive campus climate, gender-nonconforming youth were less likely to experience peer victimisation and internalising problems.

Fostering a respectful, peer-supported, engaging school climate can alleviate the psychosocial difficulties arising from gender nonconformity among students of all genders, the study concluded. Given the prevalence of symptoms of depression in gender-nonconforming youth, mental health care is urgently needed to provide gender-affirming psychological support for this vulnerable population in Chinese education settings.

For details of the research, please visit here.

Fight against the infodemic

Posted on by Chinese Culture University

One of the biggest challenges in the post-pandemic era is to fight against the “infodemic” either it is accompanying the COVID-19 or not. As defined, an “infodemic” is too much (dis)information including fake news and vague mixture of falsehood and truth in digital and physical environments. It is an issue for all people in the globe. Taiwan is excellent in its COVID-19 containment strategies. The Department of Philosophy in Chinese Culture University (hereinafter referred to as CCU) in Taiwan declares that philosophical education can and must help in the “infodemic” management.

The Department of Philosophy in CCU is nourished in the lively democratic society of Taiwan with a rich heritage of traditional Chinese culture. The campus of CCU is located in Yang-Ming-Shan mountain area in the north of Taipei city, lies in direct neighborhood of the National Park area (http://english.ymsnp.gov.tw), and near to the famous National Palace Museum (https://www.npm.gov.tw/). The university has its own museum (https://hkm.pccu.edu.tw/), too. With the excellent natural and cultural surroundings, the department is unique in combing the edge-cutting new thoughts on the one hand, and the long-standing traditional ideas on the other hand.

Not widely known, this department is the first institute which endowed PhD degree in Philosophy in Taiwan. It have invited scholars of various backgrounds to give lectures, including some who were blacklisted during the period of the martial law (1949-1987), say, Hu Lancheng, who was labelled as a traitor and lived in Japan for the rest of his life. In recent years, Philosophy department of CCU have built more connections with philosophers from the globe. In 2015, the department had a joint conference on Memory cooperated with Nagoya University, Japan. In 2018, the department hosts the 2nd Asia regional meeting of the International Plato Society which is the most international organization in the field of Platonic studies. (https://platosociety.org/ips-regional-meeting-report-forming-the-soul-plato-and-his-opponents-20-22-april-2018-taipei-taiwan/) The success of that conference has been well recognized. Now, Prof. Hua-kuei Ho of the department is the representative for Asia, Australia, and Africa in the International Plato Society. At the same time, the department devotes itself into philosophical education among locals. Prof. Feng-wei Wu, another staff of the department, created the Philosophical Education Development Organization, abbrev. Phedo (http://www.phedotw.org/), with his friends, to promote people’s capacity of critical thinking. He was the 2nd and 3rd president (2016-2017 and 2018-2019) and remains a core figure in the organization now.

Philosophy does not only pursue freedom of thought, but also cultivate ability to think free, think independently. The Philosophy department of CCU calls for philosophical education development which will hopefully be an important tool to make people immune to the confusing thoughts in the “infodemic”. In this era, it is what philosophers can do, and also what philosophers must do.

Getting rid of unwanted transformed cells: Possible new directions in cancer therapy

Posted on by Tokyo University of Science

Elimination of transformed cells that can initiate cancer is necessary to maintain tissue integrity. In a new study, scientists from Tokyo University of Science show how this mechanism is regulated by the cellular process “autophagy.” They found that intact autophagic vacuoles are indispensable in mediating competitive elimination of cancer cells. Conversely, perturbation of autophagy prevents cell elimination, thereby encouraging cancer cell propagation. These findings pave the way for development of novel anti-cancer therapies.

The maintenance of a healthy cell population is a dynamic process, whereby unhealthy cells are eliminated by a defense mechanism called “cell competition”. This process is crucial as unhealthy cells or cells that have accumulated detrimental “genetic mutations” (defects in genes) over time, can initiate the formation of cancer. Cell competition is achieved by healthy normal cells that surround mutant cancer cells through various mechanisms that trigger cell removal. In addition, epithelial cells (a type of cell that constitutes external and internal body surfaces such as skin and internal organs) adopt a cell-death-independent mechanism known as “apical extrusion” to recognize and eliminate transformed cells. While the role of apical extrusion in cell competition has been well elucidated, the regulatory mechanisms underlying this complex dynamic process remain elusive.

“Autophagy” is a process by which cells degrade and recycle cellular components. Dysregulation of autophagy has been implicated in various diseases, including several cancers. While autophagy is known to facilitate the growth and survival of cancer cells at advanced stages, previous studies have indicated that autophagy may have a preventive role in early stages of cancer. Does autophagy regulate the early destruction of cancer cells through cell competition?

Building on this hypothesis, Dr. Shunsuke Kon, a junior associate professor at Tokyo University of Science along with Eilma Akter and a team of researchers, has now explored the potential regulatory role of autophagy in cell competition, in a new study recently published in Cell Reports.

Probing deeper into the possible interplay between autophagy and cell competition, the researchers used cell lines, in which cell competition is triggered by RasV12 (a cancer-causing protein). Dr. Kon explains, “We have previously shown that when a small number of mutant cells are produced in the normal epithelial layer by activating the cancer-causing gene Ras, the mutant cells are eliminated into the lumen as loser cells. This happens as a result of cell competition between the normal epithelial cells and the Ras mutant cells.”

Using the RasV12-induced mosaic (healthy + mutant cancer cells) cell competition model and fluorescent-protein labeling, the team uncovered a fascinating set of results. They showed that the RasV12-transformed cells had an increased number of autophagosomes (structures containing degradable cytoplasmic contents). Further, they noted impairment of lysosomes, the structures that fuse with autophagosomes and mediate the breakdown of their contents; which likely, caused the increase in autophagosomes. This in turn, perturbed the “autophagic flux” (a measure of autophagic degradation) in RasV12-transformed cells.

Next, they showed that the accumulated autophagosomes and the impaired lysosomes facilitated apical elimination of the transformed (cancer) cells via cell competition. These results suggest that the intact or “non-degradable” autophagosomes are important for the elimination process. Interestingly, when the researchers ablated the autophagy gene, ATG-5 in RasV12-induced cells, they noted impairment in autophagy mediated cell competition and elimination of the transformed cells. Similarly, autophagy impaired cells exhibited resistance to elimination in a mouse model, and eventually led to chronic pancreatitis or inflammation of ducts in the pancreas, thus, corroborating their earlier findings.

Together, these findings highlight the role of autophagy in competitive elimination of mutant cancer cells and tissue homeostasis (balance). The study sheds light on the role of autophagy in cancer prevention during early stages and opens avenues for the development of novel anti-cancer therapeutics.

In this context, Dr. Kon remarks, “The development of anti-cancer drugs targeting autophagy is being intensely pursued worldwide. Since the role of autophagy has been found to differ depending on the stage of cancer progression, anti-cancer strategies that take into account the stage of cancer progression can enhance treatment efficacy.”

Autophagy is surely emerging as the unsung hero that aids the removal of cancer-causing rogue cells!

***

Reference

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111292

Title of original paper: Non-degradable autophagic vacuoles are indispensable for cell competition

Journal: Cell Reports

Taipei Medical University research team finds opportunity to treat muscle disorders

Posted on by Taipei Medical University

In addition to prolonging lifespan, scientists also have long been in pursuit of maintaining human healthspan. For the elderly, as their declined muscle mass and strength cause physical inconvenience, maintaining the health of skeletal muscle is therefore of vital importance so as to keep the ideal quality of life.

Professor Yi-Fan Chen and Professor Yun Yen from Taipei Medical University, in collaboration with researchers from Japan and Taiwan, have recently published their work in npj regenerative medicine. The research article examines how Ribonucleotide reductase M2B (Rrm2b) modulates the fate of stem cells in skeletal muscle in response to injury. The homeostasis of skeletal muscle relies on the interplay between the muscle stem cells (MuSCs) and their microenvironment (niche). By genetically modified mouse models, Chen unveiled that specific knockout of Rrm2b in the myofibers (a part of niche), but not in MuSCs, led to the weakness of muscles, including loss of muscle mass and strength. These Rrm2b myofiber-specific knockout mice displayed compromised regenerative capacity of muscle with thinner fiber sizes and weaker functioning. Moreover, the lack of Rrm2b in the myofibers resulted in mitochondrial defects, showing a part of the typical characteristics of mitochondrial myopathy.

Furthermore, Chen’s team collaborated with Dr. I-Hsuan Lin, her fellow TMU researcher, for RNA-sequencing to identify several myokines released from Rrm2b-deleted myofibers. These myokines, including FGF-21, GDF-15, and Mthfd2, triggered MuSCs differentiation rather than reentry of quiescence to repopulate the stem cell pool. The decreased MuSC pool due to the imbalance between differentiation and self-renewal of MuSCs thus contributed to muscle weakness and impaired regenerative capacity.

In conclusion, Chen’s study identified a novel role of Rrm2b in muscle homeostasis. Rrm2b in the myofibers plays a critical role in modulating the stem cell fate of MuSCs by an alternation of the microenvironment (niche), and it provides an opportunity for strategy development to treat muscle disorders. Animals with defective Rrm2b expression can probably serve as a disease model for investigating mitochondrial myopathy in mammals. It is expected that such promising research findings will lead to clinical use in promoting muscle health in the coming years.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41536-022-00231-w

 

Chula develops rocking traffic poles from natural rubber to promote road safety

Posted on by Chulalongkorn University

A lecturer from the Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University has developed rocking traffic poles made of natural rubber that is highly flexible, withstands, and reduces impact while also resuming its original form immediately upon being run over. They are now being tested with the hopes that they can soon replace plastic traffic poles.

Traffic poles – round, orange poles with white reflectors are important in regulating road traffic to ensure that drivers keep to their lanes and that the lanes are clearly visible at nighttime. Oftentimes, however, these plastic poles get run over, leaving the debris on the road that can be hazardous to drivers who have to avoid them.

This is a problem that has led Associate Professor Dr. Sirilux Poompradub, Department of Chemical Technology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University to develop and produce the natural rubber traffic pole which is a result of the collaboration with the Office of Thailand Science Research and Innovation (TSRI) and the Siam United Rubber Co. Ltd.

“The traffic poles currently in use are mostly made of plastic, they are light and are easily damaged when they get hit by a vehicle. We have developed a rocking pole from natural rubber that is more pliant and can better withstand impact.”

Natural rubber for the “rocking traffic pole”

According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sirilux, most of the traffic poles currently in use are made of plastic materials which are light and brittle. Even if we have poles made from other materials that are more durable such as polyurethane or thermoplastic polyurethane, they aren’t very popular due to the high costs. Natural rubber seems, therefore, to be the most appropriate material.

“Natural rubber is highly pliable and can resume its form as soon as it gets hit or run over by a vehicle. It can also absorb the impact of road accidents.”
Nevertheless, natural rubber also has its weak point in that when it is exposed to heat and sunlight for an extended period, cracks will appear. So, she experimented and adjusted the formula to address this problem.

“We spent a lot of time adjusting the chemical formula to develop a highly flexible rubber pole that resumes its original form when hit by a vehicle and most importantly, is resistant to our climate and UV rays.”

Test results of the rocking traffic pole

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sirilux has designed a test to determine the rocking traffic pole’s durability by using a vehicle weighing 1 ton moving at the speed of 30, 50, and 80 kilometers per hour to hit a traffic pole repeatedly 90 times. Then, a vehicle weighing 5 tons is used at the speed of 10 kilometers per hour to hit the pole another 10 times.

“The results have been highly satisfactory. When the poles were hit and fell to the ground, they sprang back up after the car had driven past them, without any damage, or severe scratches to the vehicle. They can help increase road safety and reduce accidents.”

Currently, a pilot project to use these rocking traffic poles has been launched on Srirat and Rama VII expressways to test actual usage and to collect the results of the experiment as well.

Extended use of natural rubber for road safety

Aside from the “rocking traffic pole” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sirilux also sees the potential of natural rubber extended to other products to assure drivers and pedestrians of their safety in the future. Some possibilities are barriers placed on the curves or narrow areas in parking structures since those made of natural rubber can help reduce the impact between the vehicle and the parking structure wall as well as avoid causing deep scratches to the cars.

“Thailand is a world leader in natural rubber production. The development and production of natural rubber devices for road safety can add value to our local products while helping those in the agriculture sector as well,” she added.

Those interested in the traffic poles from natural rubber may contact the Siam United Rubber Co. Ltd. or via Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sirilux Poompradub at the Department of Chemical Technology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University at her email [email protected].

The role of strategic partnership and internationalisation

Posted on by norashirene (Ranking Champion, FSG)

Strategic partnership and internationalisation are the key factors to produce holistic, dynamic, and competitive faculty members in achieving Globally Renowned University by 2025. This makes everyone in Faculty of Applied Sciences (FSG) a major and sought-after asset. The direction and scope of FSG Internationalisation Strategy is determined by priorities outlined in UiTM2025 Strategic Plan and takes into consideration a global trend that shape the current international education and research environment. Internationalisation was encouraged via staff and student mobility programmes such as exchange programmes, summer programmes and sabbaticals, a collaborative network involving academic programmes, research, and consultancy activities as well as through an increase in international academic staff.

The faculty always strive to enhance our international research and funding through international joint publications, acquiring international grants, and establishing university and industrial research partnerships.

In 2021, the faculty recognises that the international landscape has significantly changed due to COVID-19 pandemic, thus we promote virtual-based internationalisation activities during travel restrictions. We were fast to adapt with the virtual Mobility Student Exchange Programme, Conference, Summer Programmes and Lecture Series which enable students to receive international education and experiences without having to leave home, both outbound and inbound.

FSG has received a total of 45 inbound and 174 outbound students from ASEAN countries, Japan, UK, Austria, Qatar and Portugal, making it the highest mobility throughout the history of FSG. The virtual mobility amongst staff members were also escalating through joint webinar and lecture series, research co-supervision and meetings to initiate international collaborations. FSG has successfully organised joint events such as EnvChem2021, InSoFoST2021 and FB UKSW-FSG UiTM2021 to strengthen the relationship between universities.

In facing the challenge brought by the pandemic, FSG adopted proactive global engagement strategies by deepening the existing and exploring new partnerships with universities and industries. To date, FSG has established partnerships with 22 international universities through MoU/MoA in which 4 of them are from Top 300 QS World University, and 4 partnerships with international industries through MoU/LoA.

Series of programmes were executed to guide our staff to write papers or applying grants. Through the Ace-Pub Series Programme, incentives were given for articles published in indexed journals, proceedings and chapters in books. In 2021, a total of 194 Scopus indexed publications were produced of which 99 involved international collaborators. Under Ace-Grant Series Programme, webinars and workshops were conducted in which grant recipients were given a platform to share tips on writing high quality research proposal papers.

Consequently, FSG has received more than double the number of internationally funded grants in 2021 than the previous year. FSG also succeeded to earn a spot for Chemistry as one of the 13 subjects listed in UiTM by QS World University Ranking (WUR) by subject 2021. This achievement has granted UiTM to be recognised as the 8th best institution that offers Chemistry subject in Malaysia. FSG will thrive on going above and beyond and with this momentum, it is not impossible that FSG, together with the people of UiTM will reach GRU2025 in style.

Chula develops small ruminant production model for small-scale farmers to transform into smart farmers

Posted on by Chulalongkorn University

The School of Agricultural Resources (SAR) has developed goat and sheep production as an alternative to monoculture plantation. The School of Agricultural Resources, in cooperation with the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, and Nan Provincial Livestock Office, has developed a project to replace feed corn production in the highlands of Nan. Named “The development of small ruminant production model for small-scale farmers to transform the farmers into smart farmers”, the project was carried out from March 2020 to April 2023 with a target group of farmers from 10 sub-districts in 7 districts of Nan.

The production of feed corn in unsuitable areas has caused a negative impact to the environment, such as deforestation, soil erosion, and the burning of agricultural raw materials to prepare land for cultivation. The use of unsuitable areas actually renders higher production cost, but low income, causing a number of farmers to seek alternative sources of income. Goat and sheep rearing become popular choices as they are small, easy to manage and can be fed with a variety of feed types.

The project was conducted in collaboration with 10 organizations to provide knowledge and skill for farmers, including breeding, feeding, appropriate hygiene management, and production plan for efficient goat and sheep production. An additional gain from the cooperation between the research team, farmers and related organizations was the successful establishment of a systematic and developed channel for the goat and sheep market.

Joining the project, there was a total of 58 farmers, of which 18 showed leadership and capability to become community innovators. The project contributed to the success in career development for the farmers, as goat and sheep rearing can be promoted as an alternative to growing feed corn. With this new value chain of the agricultural production sector in Nan, the farmers could earn more income and have a better quality of life.