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Year: 2022

Floating hospital of UNAIR geared for sailing across ten islands to provide healthcare

Posted on by Universitas Airlangga News

Ksatria Airlangga Floating Hospital (RSTKA) gears its sails to provide healthcare services. This time, the targets of RSTKA’s service are ten small islands in Sumenep Regency. The community service will take place from May 14 to July 10, 2022.

The Governor of East Java and the leadership from UNAIR officially send the floating hospital off in a ceremony. The Dean of the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences (FPK) UNAIR Prof Amin Alamsjah PhD attended the ceremony on behalf of UNAIR Rector.

The Governor of East Java Khofifah Indar Parawansa said the humanitarian mission of RSTKA was a noble activity carried out with the cooperation of all parties from various disciplines at UNAIR. She also hopes that these noble activities and intentions will lead to equal welfare of the community in various aspects.

In the ceremony held at Tanjung Perak Main Harbormaster Office, May 14, Prof. Amin said that UNAIR through RSTKA, hopefully, can be an example of efforts to improve the quality of services to the community, especially on remote islands. Furthermore, he continued, the service is also part of implementing higher education Tri Dharma.
“Thus, we would like to thank all those who support this program. In particular, the Governor who continues providing support and other positive things to RSTKA,” he said.

Furthermore, Prof Amin also hopes that the services provided by RSTKA can be better in the future. He also emphasized that there will be more service voyages, and it could continue more frequently.

“We all expect voyage programs with the concept of health services like this to be held more frequently,” he said.

On this cruise, many faculties of UNAIR have been involved. In addition to doctors from the Faculty of Medicine, a team from the Faculty of Pharmacy will also provide education and plant medicinal plants. A team of Faculty of Advanced Technology and Multidiscipline will provide education in transforming motor vehicles into electric vehicles and provide tools to measure oxygen levels.

There are also those from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine who provide training to produce feed for cattle, goats, and chickens. With many faculties involved, this voyage is expected to greatly impact the community.

Cloudbae Company and Chula sign MoU for the exchange and cooperation of overseas young talents

Posted on by Chulalongkorn University

On April 21, Cloudbae Company and Chulalongkorn University held the signing ceremony of the MoU on Innovation and Entrepreneurship Cooperation for Overseas Talents at the China-ASEAN Smart City Collaborative Innovation Center. Assoc. Prof. Natcha Thawesaengskulthai, Vice President of Strategic Planning, Innovation and International Cooperation of Chulalongkorn University, and Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulcha, Executive Director of Bachelor of Arts and Science in Integrated Innovation (BAScII), attended the signing ceremony and delivered speeches.

The advantage of this MoU is to:

• Jointly research and work on entrepreneurial venture projects in areas of entrepreneurship, smart city solutions, and emerging technologies, including AI, machine learning, and data science.

• Recruit the next generation of employees for consecutive implementation

• Exchange knowledge and talents

Cloudbae Company, started in March 2017, is dedicated to the development and operation of new Smart Cities. The company focuses on Smart City collaborations among Chinese and ASEAN cities and delivers the building, operating and upgrading of smart city collaborations with local governments.

“I-Nanning APP” is the first product launched by CloudBae company in Jan 2018. It is a Municipal Public Service Platform connected with 47 government departments, offering more than 100 services.

By Jan 2021, Cloudbae has accumulated 6 million registered users, out of which more than 600,000 are daily active users. Some highlights of the application are the E-Identification, Once Code Smart Pass, and Real Estate E-Services.

EdUHK research reveals influence of sensory-motor components of handwriting on Chinese character learning

Posted on by eduhk

A large body of research supports the critical role of handwriting in reading, both in alphabetic languages and Chinese. Studies of alphabetic languages found that handwriting practice facilitates early letter categorisation ability.

In the study by Dr Amelia Xu Zhengye, Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Department of Special Education and Counselling (SEC), The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK), 144 second- and 150 fourth-grade Chinese students were recruited to complete a Chinese character-learning task to explore the specific contributions of sensory-motor components including visual, motor and haptic systems, of handwriting to Chinese character learning. There were three sessions in the study: pretest, training, and posttest. The pretest was performed two weeks before the training and the posttest was conducted immediately after the training session.

After matching for age, nonverbal IQ, and a series of cognitive-linguistic skills, each child was assigned to one of four training conditions (i.e., reading, visual processing, air-writing, or handwriting) to investigate the specific contributions of sensory-motor components of handwriting to Chinese character learning. In the reading condition, the children were shown images of characters. In the other three conditions, they were shown animations of how a given character is written. The participants were asked to view the animations in the visual processing condition, whereas in the air-writing and handwriting conditions they were asked, respectively, to follow the animations and write the Chinese characters with their index fingers in the air or write the Chinese characters with a pen on paper. They were asked to name the learnt characters in the posttest.

Both air-writing and handwriting elicited a larger training effect than reading or visual processing, but there was no difference between the air-writing and handwriting groups. Also, no age differences were found in either the air-writing or handwriting conditions.

Overall, the children in the air-writing and handwriting groups performed better than those in the reading (control) and visual processing groups, but there was no significant difference between air-writing and handwriting, nor between reading and visual processing.

First, the visual-processing condition, displaying characters with their stroke-order information, did not provide any extra benefit over the control condition displaying the overall shape. Second, both the air-writing and handwriting conditions provided greater enhancements than the reading condition, suggesting that participating had a better learning effect than passive viewing. Third, the difference between air-writing and visual processing was significant, implying that the specific movements related to orthographic formation have a unique contribution to the relationship between writing and reading. Finally, the similar training effects of the handwriting and air-writing conditions suggest that the haptic processing of handwriting per se did not lead to any unique reading improvement.

The study provides a direction for researchers and educators to examine how to use the different sensory-motor components of handwriting in learning and teaching practice to enhance the effectiveness of Chinese character learning.

The study was conducted together with Dr Liu Duo, Associate Professor at SEC, EdUHK; and Professor Joshi R. Malatesha at Texas A&M University.

Thammasat University lecturer invents ‘Smart Handy’

Posted on by Thammasat University

Faculty of Engineering, Thammasat University led by Asst. Prof. Dr. Prachaya Prempraneerat and the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Thammasat University, led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Worada Samosornsook, has collaborated to invent the ‘Smart Handy’ innovation, a UVC disinfection tunnel that can kill up to 99% of viruses and bacteria on various materials in 18 seconds to help reduce the current epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019.

Asst. Prof. Dr. Prachaya Prempraneerat, Faculty of Engineering, Thammasat University revealed that behind the development of this innovation was an experiment with UVC radiation with a wavelength of 253.7 nm which is found to destroy the DNA and RNA of small organisms, making them unable to reproduce nor cause more disease. This equates to a high potential to destroy pathogens’ DNA and RNA and therefore kill the pathogens. Importantly, the concentration of UVC can kill viruses and bacteria as well. Then selected high quality equipment from leading manufacturers that does not cause substances that destroy the Earth’s ozone layer which is the cause of global warming.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Worada Samosornsook, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Thammasat University said that as an expert in microbiology, from the research, the result has shown that ‘Smart Handy’ is capable of killing Bacillus Atrophaeus, a spore-forming organism. Hence, it can be used to kill viruses and bacteria as well, and it is effective in stopping up to 10,000 cells and has been tested by instilling Bacillus atrophia on various surfaces such as leather bags, luggages, plastic materials, parcel boxes, etc., and then go through the disinfection process with the ‘Smart Handy’ automatic disinfection tunnel. It was found that within 15 seconds, it can kill 95% of germs. If the disinfection process time is extended to 18 seconds, it was found that it can kill up to 99% of germs attached to objects. Therefore, this innovation can help stop the epidemic of the viruses and bacteria, protecting people’s health and well-being, and increasing confidence for the people to be living in an era where pathogens are rapidly evolving species, including those associated with emerging diseases.

‘Smart Handy’, an automatic disinfection tunnel has registered a patent from the Department of Intellectual Property. In addition, it has already been installed for testing at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport office building, Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited or AOT.

Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia Students will attend lectures in different countries through Indonesian International Student Mobility Award (IISMA) Program

Posted on by UNIVERSITAS PENDIDIKAN INDONESIA

A total of 20 Students of the Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia successfully passed the selection and achieved achievements as participants in the Indonesian International Student Mobility Award (IISMA) International Mobility Award (IISMA) 2022. The 20 students of the Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia will attend lectures at 19 universities and in 11 different countries.

Vice Rector for Education and Student Affairs of the Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia Prof. Dr. Didi Sukyadi, MA explained that the Indonesian International Student Mobility Award (IISMA) Program is an Merdeka Belajar-Kampus Merdeka Program (MBKM) organized by the Ministry of Education and Culture in order to provide opportunities for undergraduate students in Indonesia to acquire knowledge and skills, exchange ideas and culture, and develop networks with students and academics in overseas universities so as to become scholars with a global perspective.

According to Prof. Dr. Didi Sukyadi, MA, the reason for the importance of students joining this program is the recognition of credits from Domestic Universities (PTDN) and Foreign Universities (PTLN). Students can take classes according to their passion, learn from the world’s best universities, interact and adapt to new cultures from different countries, build international networks, and prepare themselves to be able to plunge on a global level in the future.

Prof. Dr. Didi Sukyadi, MA explained that participants of the Indonesian International Student Mobility Award (IISMA) Program of the Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia who passed the selection increased from the previous year. In the Previous year’s Indonesian International Student Mobility Award (IISMA) Program in 2021, Students of the Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia successfully passed the selection and achieved the achievements of 19 students. Meanwhile, in 2022, students of the Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia successfully passed the selection and achieved the achievements of 19 students as many as 20 students.

Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia responded quickly to the offer of the Indonesian International Student Mobility Award (IISMA) Program which is the Merdeka Belajar-Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) Program organized by the Ministry of Education and Culture by conducting socialization to students throughout the faculty and UPI Regional Campus and collaborating to hold the IISMA Info Session Festival with partner universities of Padjadjaran University, Parahyangan Catholic University, Telkom University, Maranatha University, and the National Institute of Technology. Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia also provides assistance funds for English language tests, provides essay writing training for students who will apply for IISMA, and provides interview training for students who have registered for IISMA 2022.

According to Ahmad Bukhori Muslim, Ph.D, as Director of the Directorate of International Affairs of the Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia explained that in 2022, UPI, through the Vice Rector of Education and Student Affairs, recommended more students to join the IISMA program, as many as 186 people. But due to increasingly competitive competition, only 38 students passed the diversity test and were eligible for interviews. Of these, alhamdulilah as many as 20 students were declared successful in becoming IISMA awardees. This number increased by 1 from the previous year, as many as 19. We will continue to strive and look forward to passing more IISMA students in the coming year.

Coordinator of IISMA-UPI Directorate of International Affairs, Tuszie Widhiyanti, Ph.D explained that 20 Students of the Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia who attended lectures through the Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards program included 8 students from the Faculty of Language and Literature Education (1) Yanti Yulianti, students of the English Language and Literature Study Program, stationed at University College Dublin, Ireland; (2) Mutiara Dini Isfaizal, a student of the English Language Education Study Program, is placed at the University of Glasgow, UK; (3) Shidqi Muhammad Fadhil, a student of the English Language Education Study Program, is placed at the University of Queensland, Australia; (4) Athaya Hasya Hafiezha, English Language Education student, is placed at the University of California Davis, US; (5) Eki Lazuardi Akbar, a student of the English Language Education Study Program, is placed at the University of Liverpool, UK (6) Kirana Anjani Ariella Lugijana English Language Education study program student, placed at Monash University, Australia; (7) Amira Zalfa Setyadykusumah, a student of the Korean Language Education Study Program, is placed at Hanyang University, South Korea; (8) Karyn Maharani, a student of the Korean Language Education Study Program, is placed at Korea University, South Korea.

Furthermore, two IISMA scholarship students from UPI came from the Faculty of Economics and Business Education (9) Mojang Zulfa Amadea, a student of the Islamic Finance Economics Study Program, placed at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia; (10) Rayandra Valera Edhie Putra, a student of Management Study Program, is placed at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia.

Five students from the Faculty of Social Sciences Education also managed to get an IISMA scholarship, namely: (11) Khaupillah Wulandari, a student of the Resort and Leisure Management Study Program, placed at the University of Szeged, Hungary; (12) Nadhifa Aulia Karimbi, a student of the Resort and Leisure Management Study Program, is placed at the University of Szeged, Hungary; (13) Shelma Feraniza, student of Resort and Leisure Management Study Program, is placed at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy; (14) Rayhan Arellio Syahbudiman, student of Resort and Leisure Management Study Program, is placed at Lancaster University, UK; (15) Haris Norfaizi, student of History Education Study Program, placed at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taiwan.

Afterwards, 2 students from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences Education, 2 students from the Faculty of Art and Design Education and 1 student from UPI Serang Campus are: (16) Faiza Maila Yusfiana, a student of the Biology Education Study Program, is placed at the Centro de Lenguas Modernas de la Universidad de Granada, Spain; (17) Nur Ilmiah Sakinah, Biology Education, placed at Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuani (18) Fathia Salma Ramadhani, student of Visual Communication Design Study Program, placed at the University of Pecs, Hungary; (19) Dzaki Aziz Nugroho, student of Visual Communication Design Study Program is placed at the University of York, UK; (20) Muhammad Fakhrurrazi, a student of the Marine Information Systems Study Program, was placed at the University of Padua, Italy.

FBM, UiTM coordinate International Sustainability Invention, Innovation and Design Showcase (ISIIDS) 2022

Posted on by NURUL SALIZAWATEE MAHPAR & NOOR RITA MOHAMAD KHAN

The Faculty of Business and Management (FBM), Universiti Teknologi MARA, Cawangan Selangor (UCS) Kampus Puncak Alam (KPA), coordinated the International Sustainability Invention, Innovation and Design Showcase (ISIIDS) 2022 with collaboration from Creative Media & Technology Hub UiTM (CMT) UiTM, International University College (PICOMS), Nilai Polytechnic and Faculty of Business, Universitas Multimedia Nusantara, Indonesia. It was established in response to the call of the global vision which encourages transformation in the world of research and innovation.

With the theme “Pathways to Sustainability Innovation”, it provides opportunities and space for inventors and industries to showcase their creative innovations as well as to highlight the use and application of inventions in a sustainable environment. Targeted at researchers from institutions of higher learning and industry, as well as potential researchers, namely secondary and primary school students, from both the public and private sectors, it had attracted 169 participations, including international participants from Thailand and Indonesia. To assist and encourage the culture of innovation and invention among the participants, several activities such as innovation and invention competitions through video presentations and webinars from the industry experts were organized.

Prior to the ISIIDS 2022 Awarding Ceremony, a one-day coaching and mentoring workshop titled ‘The Coaching and Mentoring Workshop: from Ideation to Commercialization’ was held on the 9th of February 2022 to guide and advise participants in preparing their innovation and invention products for the competition. Several prominent speakers from the industries, academicians, and university students with vast experience and had won numerous awards internationally, were invited to share their experiences with the participants during the workshop.

The inauguration and award ceremony of ISIIDS was virtually held on 22nd March 2022 and officiated by Professor Ts. Dr. Asmah Awal, Deputy Rector (Research & Innovation), Universiti Cawangan Selangor (UCS), and attended by the program advisor Professor Dr. Noryati Ahmad (Dean of the Faculty Business and Management), program collaborators and the participants. The ISIIDS 2022 Awarding Ceremony reached more than 1000 views and it can be viewed via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srgaf4-Hhzw. It offered Gold, Silver, Bronze, best poster, video, and extended abstract awards to be won by professionals, university students, and school students. In addition, specials awards, namely ‘Al-Khawarizmi,’ were also given to each category.

May the success of ISIIDS 2022 inspire other faculties and UiTM campuses to create similar or other fruitful events in the near future focusing on the Global Goals for Sustainable Development (17 SDG Goals).

Factory Film Studio partners with Trebas Institute Ontario

Posted on by Global University Systems

Trebas Institute Ontario and Factory Film Studio are excited to share they have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU). The objective of the MOU is to express the willingness of the parties to explore new collaborations.

Trebas Institute provides high-quality skills training for creative careers, and as part of Global University Systems Canada (GUS Canada), a network of higher education institutions, is excited to explore new avenues to support student success.

Factory Film Studio (FFS) is a vertically integrated development, production, marketing, sales and distribution company with a catalogue of over 120 feature films from Canada and around the world inspired by a love of filmmaking. Currently, they are producing a feature film titled ‘We Could Be Heroes’, shooting this month in Hamilton, Ontario.

Trebas and FFS share a common interest expanding work-integrated learning. Proposed areas of collaboration may include:

Exploring mentorship, networking and guest speaking opportunities by means of a ‘film studio in residence’ initiative;
Creating a sustainable production model;
Share effective practices, innovations and industry trends, including exposure to the experiences of accomplished film producers, screenwriters, and film executives;
Co-developing customized training programs and/or micro-credentials and/or summer camps for domestic and international learners;
Promoting other applied learning activities to foster mutual understanding and high-quality skills development through academic-industry collaboration.

The ‘film studio in residence’ initiative has the opportunity to integrate Trebas students or alumni in project development, production, post-production, or marketing through (not-for-credit) employment opportunities with FFS. Trebas Institute may also promote employment opportunities and provide referrals when and where available with FFS.

Ehsan Safdari, Managing Director, GUS Canada Colleges Division shared, “Trebas Institute helps our students prepare for work in industry by focusing on interdisciplinary collaboration.”

He believes the ‘film studio in residence’ initiative between Trebas Institute Ontario and Factory Film Studio will allow Trebas students the hands-on experience needed to be successful in the quickly evolving production, post-production and marketing sectors while supporting the local industry with top-tier talent.

Mohamed Slimani, VP of Operations, Trebas Institute, said “Trebas Institute is committed to providing high-quality and accessible education and support services to maximize our students’ success and learning experience.” He continued, “the potential for collaboration, mentorship programs, and networking opportunities between Trebas Institute Ontario and Factory Film Studio is an excellent example of how we plan to make good of that commitment through highly compatible academic and industry collaboration.”

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Trebas, on this truly ground-breaking initiative, a collaborative way to build the early careers of the next generation of filmmakers in this country. A worthwhile endeavour for all parties and for our industry.”, said Michael Patrick Lilly, Chief Creative Officer, Factory Film Studio.

Cyndi McLeod, GUS Canada CEO, considers the development of high-quality work-integrated learning opportunities is an important step in GUS Canada’s mission to lead the future of education in Canada. “Trebas Institute already has an excellent track record of graduate success with 75% of students securing employment within 6 months of graduation. The collaboration between Trebas Institute Ontario and Factory Film Studio is a win-win.” She stated, “we are excited to be able to offer our skilled and diverse students another opportunity to apply their knowledge in industry before and after graduation.”

Established in 1979, Trebas Institute has campuses in both Montreal and Toronto. Over 3,000 graduates have attended Trebas from over 40 countries, making for a culturally diverse student body. This college is one of the principal subsidiaries of Global University Systems (GUS), an international network of higher education institutions united by a passion for delivering accessible, industry-relevant credentials.

Fishing for new source of proteoglycans, an important health food ingredient

Posted on by Tokyo University of Science

Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs), commonly obtained from salmon nasal cartilage, are a key ingredient of various health foods. As the popularity of health foods increases, scientists are searching for alternative sources of CSPGs. Now, researchers from Japan have analyzed the PGs and their CS structures in the head cartilage of 10 edible bony fishes, including sturgeons. Their findings point to several new fishes that can serve as alternatives to salmon as a source of CSPGs.

Aggrecan, a major component of proteoglycan (PG) having chondroitin sulfate (CS) in cartilaginous tissues, has become increasingly popular as an ingredient in health food. In fact, proteoglycans from salmon nasal cartilage demonstrate biological properties such as antiaging, inhibition of angiogenesis, and attenuation of inflammatory responses. Commercially available chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) have only been prepared from salmon nasal cartilage. Although the head cartilage was found in other edible bony fishes, there is little information on the composition of core proteins and their CS structures in the head cartilage.

Now, in a new study published in the International Journal of Biology Macromolecules, a team of researchers led by Associate Professor Kyohei Higashi of Tokyo University of Science, and Dr. Naoshi Dohmae and Dr. Takehiro Suzuki of the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science tackles this question. “We found that composition of PGs and their CS structure in the skull of the Siberian sturgeon and Russian sturgeon were similar to that in the salmon nasal cartilage,” reports Dr. Higashi. The fishes for the study were provided by Mr. Atsuhi Nakamura from Miyazaki Prefectural Fisheries Research Institute. This study was made available online on March 23, 2022 and was published in Volume 208 of the journal on May 31, 2022.

All the fishes examined contained abundant CSPGs in the head cartilage. Comprehensive analysis of CS structure in PGs derived from 10 bony fishes revealed that the structure of CS derived from Perciformes were similar to that of CS derived from cartilage of terrestrial animals. On the other hand, the structure of CS from skull of sturgeons was similar to that of CS from salmon nasal cartilage. In addition, they also found that aggrecan, a major CSPG in the cartilaginous tissue, was conserved in 10 bony fishes. In fact, the aggrecan protein from LOC117428125 and LOC117964296 genes registered in the National Center for Biotechnology Information database was found to be abundant in the skull of sturgeons. Furthermore, compositions of other PGs, collagens, and matrix proteins in the skull of sturgeons were similar to that of salmon nasal cartilage.

Elaborating on the findings of this study, Dr. Kyohei Higashi says, “Head cartilage from bony fishes is an underutilized resource and is typically discarded after food processing. The PGs, especially from the sturgeon, are similar in CS structure to the salmon nasal cartilage, showing that the sturgeon has a lot of potential to be an alternative source of CSPGs for health food formulations.”

The researchers hope with further studies to evaluate the biological properties of sturgeon PG, bony fishes could become an important source for CS as well as PGs.

***

Reference

Title of original paper: Comprehensive analysis of chondroitin sulfate and aggrecan in the head cartilage of bony fishes: Identification of proteoglycans in the head cartilage of sturgeon

Journal: International Journal of Biological Macromolecules

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.03.125

 

 

Model-UN at KazNARU teaches students to deal with global challenges

Posted on by Rafis Abazov

The knowledge of and ability to deal with global challenges have been promoted by the Model-UN series of workshops at Kazakh National Agrarian Research University (KazNARU). During the seminars, students and junior faculty members became young international experts in the field of UN Agenda 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They discussed many different issues including such topics as global food security, the impact of climate changes on regional and global agriculture including such important commodities as grain production, improvement of education among children, and many other topics.

Throughout the year, the participants of the Model-UN workshops dedicated the activities to the 30th anniversary of Kazakhstan joining the United Nations in 1992, and they organized the events within the framework of activities of the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) program at KazNARU. The main goal included popularizing the knowledge about SDGs, searching for mechanisms for involving young people in the implementation of SDGs, and developing new skills and competencies. The Model UN trainers have also worked on the development of creative imagining, soft skills and critical thinking, and such skills like diplomacy and negotiations. The workshops were conducted with the support of diplomatic missions in Almaty city (including the USA and some other countries) and the United Nations Information Office (UNIO) of the UN Department of Global Communication.

The Rector of KazNARU Tlektes I. Yesbolov pointed out that the researchers at many universities in the Silk Way region pay great attention to research on sustainable development and green economy. These research projects and practical recommendations could contribute to solving many global challenges at the local, regional, and even global levels. In this context, there is the increasing role of young graduates and scientists, who need to develop practical skills and competencies in order to transfer the results of their research experiments into practical projects. In this context, KazNARU accumulated solid and unique experiences such as the reproduction of plants through special technologies to make those plants more sustainable to bacteria and climate changes. University experts also conducted some studies on improving the management of scarce surface, underground and torrential water resources. “Our students and young scholars should have skills and navigate competencies for dealing with those problems” – said Dr. Yesbolov.

Indeed, the urgency of global challenges requires urgent and innovative solutions. In this context, undergraduate and graduate students should acquire knowledge by experimenting in laboratories and experimental fields and by working directly with industries. It is very important to transform universities toward – what Johann Wissema called – the “third-generation University,” where students and scientists together work on not only creating knowledge but practical implementation of the knowledge. Therefore, the Model UN movement is emerging as one of the mechanisms for the development of practical skills and competencies, the ability to orient in the modern world and deal with global challenges with concrete actions.

Prof. Rafis Abazov, Director of the Institute for green and sustainable development and the author of research on Model-UN phenomena believes that Model-UN could become one of the important parts of student life and extracurricular activities. First, it brings together active youth into various local, national, and international networks. Secondly, it popularizes knowledge about the SDGs and mobilizes young people to address and solve many global challenges at the local level, especially the campus level. Thirdly, the development of the educational component of Model UN includes the strengthening of such skills as creative thinking, creative approaches to developing and implementing social innovation projects, and improving communication competencies to work with colleagues at local, national to international levels. He quoted “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: “You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.”

The photo is courtesy of Rafis Abazov, Institute for green and sustainable development, KazNARU

LCCM and Living Bankside celebrates community on eve of local elections

Posted on by Global University Systems

London’s higher education music college LCCM, and community organisation Living Bankside, recently hosted a joint event at the Music Box, the college’s entertainment venue in SE1.

The event featured a drinks reception, live music and inspiring speeches. The speakers included Amir Eden, Living Bankside’s Executive Chair and Anthony Hamer-Hodges, LCCM Principal, as well as Adele Morris and David Noakes, long-standing local councillors who were stepping down at the local elections in May.

Elsewhere, other invitees included the Mayor of Southwark, former local MP and government minister Simon Hughes as well as local businesspeople, politicians and residents.

“Community and culture are what makes us unique as humans. Creative expression through music reflects, strengthens and elevates the culture around us and builds upon what has gone before,” says Anthony Hamer-Hodges.

“It is important therefore, to be open to the world around us and involve local people in the activities of the college and give our students the opportunity to work on local projects. Our partnership with Living Bankside is already proving fruitful in this respect and we were delighted to host their latest networking evening.”

Guests at the event were treated to an acoustic performance from LCCM student Ramona Wolf, before the party moved downstairs to the Music Box venue and bar for more music from three student bands.

“At Living Bankside, we focus on the people who are living, working, studying and visiting the Bankside, Borough and the SE1 area,” says Amir Eden, Executive Chair at Living Bankside. “We exist to ensure that our people are able to meaningfully influence and contribute to regeneration and positive change so it is fantastic to work alongside LCCM.”

LCCM’s events are not only open to students and graduates but to music lovers in the local community in London’s Borough of Southwark and the local Southbank area. Community organisations can apply to use the facilities at the Music Box which includes rehearsal and performance rooms, a live music venue, recording studios and a fully licensed bar. A computer is available for local organisations on the ground floor when the building is open. Regular opening hours are Monday – Friday 9am-9pm and Saturdays 10am-5pm.

Established artists including Kojey Radical, Moses Boyd, Amber Run, Novelist and Kara Marni have spent time rehearsing or recording from the Music Box in recent months, as well as meeting with LCCM students.