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Month: December 2024

President of China, Xi Jinping, visits Macau University of Science and Technology

Posted on by Editorial Team

Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) Thursday morning.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talked with teachers, students and scientific researchers there.

Xi was accompanied by Ho Iat Seng, chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR).

Established after Macao’s return to the motherland in 1999, MUST has become a comprehensive university with the largest enrollment in Macao.

Xi was briefed on the development of two state-level key laboratories in the university — one on the quality of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and the other on lunar and planetary science.

Hailing TCM as the gem of the Chinese civilization, Xi urged efforts to well inherit, develop and utilize it, and promote it to the rest of the world.

Talking about China’s achievements in lunar exploration, he said Macao has proven to be capable of conducting cutting-edge world-class scientific research.

In May 2023, Xi wrote back to MUST teachers and students who took part in the development of “Macao Science 1,” satellites jointly developed by the mainland and Macao.

Visiting the data center for science and application of the satellites on Thursday, Xi observed the real-time operation of the satellites on monitor screens.

Xi told the audience that “Macao Science 1” is a successful example of deepened high-tech cooperation between Macao and the mainland, showcasing the outstanding innovative and creative capabilities of Macao’s sci-tech sector.

In the university library, Xi talked with students. “I am very happy to see that Macao’s education is thriving and you are full of vitality and confidence,” he said.

Cai Qi and other senior officials attended the activities.

Xi arrived in Macao Wednesday for the celebrations of the 25th anniversary of Macao’s return to the motherland, the inauguration of the sixth-term government of the Macao SAR, and an inspection tour of the SAR.

Xi’s wife Peng Liyuan visited the Macao Museum Thursday morning, accompanied by Cheng Soo Ching, wife of Ho Iat Seng.

In the museum, Peng talked with children there, and joined an activity of making almond cookies, a local delicacy.

Sustainability is Powering the Future of Rankings

Posted on by Editorial Team

How exactly do you rank universities, anyway? There has never been an easy answer to this question, and you probably shouldn’t expect one anytime soon. One of the problems, of course, is that each student has a different way of evaluating universities. Some prioritise a job afterwards. Others prefer to focus on student experience. And many see it as a way to meet new people and expand their horizons. Each perspective is equally valid.

But new ways of evaluating universities are always emerging. Nowadays, students aren’t just looking for a university that’ll provide them with a solid career and well-paid job. Now, they also want an institution that shares their values and will give them greater meaning in life. One way of judging that is through a school’s commitment to sustainability.

The QS Sustainability Ranking is part of a new wave of rankings that aims to measure that commitment. Now in its third year, it ranks universities based on their environmental impact, social impact and governance. It flips the script on traditional measures, reflecting what students are looking for in 2025 and beyond.

“Our sustainability ranking was born out of the research we’ve been doing with students over a number of years,” explains Leigh Kamolins, Director of Analytics and Evaluation at QS. “We found that students are starting to look into what universities and business schools are doing, to make sure they’re going somewhere that is making some sort of positive impact on the world. This was the background to why we created a sustainability ranking.”

This year’s ranking is the biggest yet, with 1,400 universities taking part – up from 700 in the first edition. Kamolins says that it is the ‘most complex’ that QS does. The environmental component of the ranking is made up of three main lenses: education, research and sustainability. Some of the most important indicators include the school’s volume of green-focused research, their reputation for sustainable education and the impact of alumni in the environmental sector.

But it’s not just QS who are placing a greater focus on measures like these. In 2019, Times Higher Education (THE) launched their University Impact Ranking, which measures schools against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Meanwhile, the Financial Times have incorporated a range of sustainability indicators into their business schools rankings in recent years. Schools are now judged on whether they’ve set a net zero target, whether they’ve had a recent carbon audit, how much ESG content is taught within curriculums, and how closely aligned faculty research is with the UN SDGs.

The Financial Times’ Global Business Education Editor Andrew Jack agrees that sustainability is a growing concern for students – and that is now being reflected in the rankings. “Certainly, an awful lot of students are increasingly focused on societal impact and values in what they want to study and where they want to work afterwards,” he explains. “And on the business school side of things they’re probably the biggest demander of change.”

It’s a sentiment backed up by statistics. According to the 2024 GMAC Prospective Students Survey, 68 percent of prospective business school students say the sustainability of an institution is important to them, whilst 36 percent of those students say they wouldn’t consider a school that doesn’t prioritise sustainability.

Away from the major providers, a number of standalone sustainability rankings have also started to emerge. Like the QS Sustainability Ranking, they eschew traditional indicators and rank schools based on modern student concerns.

The Corporate Knights Better World MBA ranking is one of the oldest, having first been published in 2004. Their methodology is fairly straightforward: it measures the proportion of sustainability courses embedded within an MBA programme. In 2024 an extra indicator measuring alumni impact in the environmental sector was added, though this doesn’t affect the final ranking.

The latest to appear is the Positive Impact Rating, which was launched in 2020. Intriguingly, it doesn’t rank business schools in numerical order. Instead, schools are grouped into different tiers of societal impact. This lessens the impact that small changes make to a ranking and could represent an interesting route forward for traditional university rankings.

On the face of it, this all sounds very straightforward. Students want to assess schools based on their environmental credentials, and these rankings are giving them a chance to do it. The problem? Assessing a school’s green credentials is much easier said than done.

“It requires a balance between what is and what isn’t possible to measure,” says Kamolins, adding that it’s often necessary to cross-check a school’s claims using multiple sources. “Is what they’re reporting to us consistent with what we’re finding in other databases? If what they’re claiming is inconsistent, we always seek some sort of evidence to support their claims.”

Read the full article on QS Insights Magazine.

Kyiv Polytechnic Institute expands cooperation with Azerbaijan

Posted on by Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute

On November 27, 2024, a delegation from the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, led by Seymur Gurban oglu Mardaliyev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Ukraine, visited Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. The visit aimed to deepen existing collaborations and explore new areas of cooperation with the university.

During the meeting, attendees discussed the new exchange and internship programs for students as well as joint projects on cybersecurity, humanitarian demining, and the space program.

“Our embassy is ready to work on expanding academic and scientific cooperation,” stated Ambassador Seymur Gurban oglu Mardaliyev, “because the education provided by Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute is highly estimated in Azerbaijan.”

The partnership between Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and Azerbaijan is already marked by productive collaborations in scientific and educational areas, including the exchange of methods for training skilled specialists, and experience in the field of humanitarian demining. Recently, Kyiv Polytechnic representatives have attended a major demining conference in Baku, and the experience gained is currently being applied at the university’s newly established Center for Humanitarian Demining.

Seymur Gurban oglu Mardaliyev highlighted the experience and robust infrastructure of Kyiv Polytechnic as priority areas for Azerbaijan. Therefore, the next meeting at the university will result in the signing of a memorandum of understanding, expected to give an impetus to the development of a comprehensive partnership and further intensification of cooperation.

The evolving collaboration between Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and Azerbaijan
reflects a shared commitment to addressing global challenges and advancing
mutual academic excellence.

Tokyo’s Waseda Univ. Released English Podcast Episode 3 ‘Democratic Backsliding and the Role of Populism’

Posted on by Waseda University

Waseda University released the third episode, “Democratic Backsliding and the Role of Populism”, of its English language podcast series “Rigorous Research, Real Impact” on December 3, 2024. All podcast episodes are available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and YouTube.

Episode 3: “Democratic Backsliding and the Role of Populism”

Associate Professor Marisa Kellam (Faculty of Political Science and Economics) joins MC Assistant Professor Robert Fahey (Waseda Institute for Advanced Study) to talk about their mutual research interests: populism and democracy. The focus of the episode is Professor Kellam’s recently published article, “Who’s to Blame for Democratic Backsliding: Populists, Presidents, or Dominant Executives?”, which she wrote together with her former Waseda PhD student. The research was based on data spanning 98 countries, 856 elected executives, and a 50-year period. Listen for tips on how they managed such a large dataset and how it produced a clear answer to the question of who is actually to blame for erosions to democracy that occur during their terms in office.

About the Series:

Waseda University’s first ever English-language academic podcast titled “Waseda University Podcasts: Rigorous Research, Real Impact” is an 8-episode series broadly showcasing the diverse work of our renowned social sciences and humanities researchers. In each of the short 15-30 minute episodes we welcome a knowledgeable researcher to casually converse with an MC about their recent, rigorously conducted research, the positive impact it has on society, and their thoughts on working in Japan at Waseda. It’s a perfect choice for listeners with a strong desire to learn, including current university students considering graduate school, researchers looking for their next collaborative project, or even those considering working for a university that stresses the importance of interdisciplinary approaches.

Episode Release Schedule:

One episode is scheduled to be released every two weeks.
*Please note the schedule is subject to change.

■Episode 4（Release date: 2024/12/17）：
Assistant Professor Jessy Escande, MC Assistant Professor Robert Fahey— “Cross-Cultural Influences in Japanese Fantasy Games”
■Episode 5（Release date: 2025/1/7）：
Professor Takashi Kubota, MC Assistant Professor Robert Fahey— “Central Bank Digital Currencies from a Japanese Legal Perspective”
■Episode 6（Release date: 2025/1/21）：
Professor Gracia Liu-Farrer, MC Assistant Professor Robert Fahey— “Rethinking Skilled Migration”

About Waseda University:

Waseda University currently offers English-based degree programs at 6 of its undergraduate schools and 15 of its graduate schools. According to the 2023 Japan Student Service Organization’s report, Waseda welcomes the highest number of international students per year in Japan. In the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024 Waseda placed in the top 100 in the world in the broad subject areas of Arts & Humanities (rank #63) and Social Sciences & Management (rank #99).

Chulalongkorn University and Philippine Embassy come together for academic and cultural collaboration

Posted on by Chulalongkorn University

Chulalongkorn University and the Philippine Embassy in Thailand are charting a new course for international collaboration following a high-level courtesy visit earlier today.

Led by Prof. Dr. Wilert Puriwat, President of Chulalongkorn University, the university delegation met with Her Excellency Mrs. Millicent Cruz-Paredes, Ambassador Extraordinary to Thailand, and her diplomatic team. Discussions centered on groundbreaking initiatives in academic partnerships, cultural exchange, and research collaboration.

Highlighting the shared vision, Prof. Wilert stated, “This partnership symbolizes a bridge between our nations, offering transformative opportunities for students, researchers, and cultural understanding.”

Key takeaways from the meeting included:

  • Student Exchange Programs: Enhanced opportunities for cross-cultural learning.
    Joint Research Projects: Focused on global challenges like sustainability, agriculture and public health.
  • Cultural Initiatives: Language immersion programs and guest lectures to deepen mutual understanding.

Both parties underscored the importance of leveraging academic diplomacy to address global challenges while enriching cultural and educational ties.

This partnership marks a pivotal step in fostering stronger diplomatic and educational bridges between Thailand and the Philippines, promising tangible benefits for both societies.

Bridging Borders: The Sakura Science Exchange Program between Akita Prefectural University and UiTM

Posted on by Marfiah Ab Wahid

The Sakura Science Exchange Program stands as a beacon of cross-cultural collaboration, bridging young minds in science and technology from Japan and Malaysia. This unique initiative fosters mutual understanding and builds strong, lasting relationships between students from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and their counterparts in Japan, hosted by the Akita Prefectural University (APU) through the Japan Science and Technology Agency.

During a recent visit from December 8 to 14, 2024, seven eager students from UiTM’s College of Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, embarked on a transformative journey to Akita, Japan. The visit was meticulously coordinated by Dr. Akiko Ohtsuka from the
Department of Architecture & Environment Systems and Dr. Ken’ichi Yamazaki from the Office of International Affairs at Akita Prefectural University.

The program kicked off with an in-depth introduction to Akita Prefectural University, where students gathered crucial information about the institution’s offerings and research facilities. One of the highlights was the students’ interaction with the English Club at
APU and their club advisor, Dr. Avanzi Maria Carlotta, an invaluable opportunity to hone their communication skills and foster international friendships.

A professional lecture by Dr. Akiko Ohtsuka on “Introduction to Research on Wood Deterioration Evaluation” provided students with insights into cutting-edge research techniques. This was complemented by a sharing session led by master student Ishito
Shuto, who presented his research on “Investigation of Indoor Fungal Contamination and Environmental Recovery Methods in Flood-Damaged Houses.”

The academic journey continued with a laboratory visit, where Professor Dr. Hideto Kanno guided students through experiments and data analysis on earthquake disaster measures. This hands-on experience was crucial in understanding practical applications of
their theoretical knowledge.

A guided visit to the Yashima area provided a unique opportunity to learn about old traditional houses, shrines, and temple preservation. They also participated in discussions and practical sessions on wood rehabilitation and deterioration evaluation in a traditional house, gaining hands-on experience in preservation techniques. An experiential learning session with Prof. Dr. Koji Adachi and his team at the Institute of Wood Technology, APU, offered insights into advanced wood technology practices, including wood bending methods, wood anatomy, and wood products.

The exploration of the Samurai Heritage Preservation Area at Kakunodate area added a historical dimension to their cultural immersion. The program concluded with an enlightening communication session at Akita Prefectural Akita Minami Senior High School and Akita Minami “Chutobu” Junior High School, where the students shared their experiences and learned from local peers.

According to the student advisor, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Marfiah Ab. Wahid from UiTM, this journey was not just an academic exercise but a profound cultural exchange, leaving an indelible mark on the participants. The Sakura Science Exchange Program exemplifies the power
of international collaboration in nurturing young scientists and building bridges across cultures.

This experience not only broadened the horizons of the students but also underscored the importance of global partnerships in tackling the challenges of tomorrow. The bonds forged
during this program are sure to inspire future collaborations and innovations, making a lasting impact on both the participants and the institutions involved.

Solving complex problems faster: Innovations in Ising machine technology

Posted on by Tokyo University of Science

Ising machines are specialized computing systems designed to solve complex optimization problems by arranging “spins” to minimize system energy. However, their fully connected architecture leads to a large circuit footprint, limiting scalability. In a recent study, researchers from Japan developed a method to halve the required spin–spin interactions using a novel matrix-folding technique. Their findings will pave the way for highly scalable Ising machines, making them more practical for real-world applications.

Computers are essential for solving complex problems in fields, like scheduling, logistics,
and route planning, but traditional computers struggle with large-scale combinatorial optimization, as they can’t efficiently process vast numbers of possibilities. To address this, researchers have explored specialized systems.

One such system is the Hopfield network, a significant artificial intelligence breakthrough from 1982, proven in 1985 to solve combinatorial optimization by representing solutions as energy levels and naturally finding the lowest energy, or optimal, solution. Building on similar ideas, Ising machines use the principles of magnetic spin to find efficient solutions by minimizing system energy through a process akin to annealing. However, a major challenge with Ising machines is their large circuit footprint, especially in fully connected
systems where every spin interacts with others, complicating their scalability.

Fortunately, a research team from the Tokyo University of Science, Japan, has been working towards finding solutions to this problem related to Ising machines. In a recent study led by Professor Takayuki Kawahara, they reported an innovative method that can halve the number of interactions that need to be physically implemented. Their findings were published in the journal IEEE Access on October 01, 2024.

The proposed method focuses on visualizing the interactions between spins as a two-dimensional matrix, where each element represents the interaction between two specific spins. Since these interactions are ‘symmetric’ (i.e., the interaction between Spin 1 and Spin 2 is the same as that between Spin 2 and Spin 1), half of the interaction matrix is redundant and can be omitted—this concept has been around for several years. In 2020, Prof. Kawahara and colleagues presented a method to fold and rearrange the remaining half of the interaction matrix into a rectangle shape to minimize the circuit footprint.
While this led to efficient parallel computations, the wiring required to read the interactions and update the spin values became more complex and harder to scale up.

In this study, the researchers proposed a different way of halving the interaction matrix that leads to better scalability in circuitry. They divided the matrix into four sections and halved each of these sections individually, alternatively preserving either the ‘top’ or ‘bottom’ halves of each submatrix. Then, they folded and rearranged the remaining elements into a rectangular shape, unlike the previous approach, which retained the regularity of its arrangement.

Leveraging this crucial detail, the researchers implemented a fully coupled Ising machine based on this technique on their previously developed custom circuit containing 16 field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). “Using the proposed approach, we were able to implement 384 spins on only eight FPGA chips. In other words, two independent and fully connected Ising machines could be implemented on the same board,” remarks Prof. Kawahara, “Using these machines, two classic combinatorial optimization problems were solved simultaneously—namely, the max-cut problem and four-color problem.” 

The performance of the circuit developed for this demo was astounding, especially when compared to how slow a conventional computer would be in the same situation. “We found that the performance ratio of two independent 384-spin fully coupled Ising machines was about 400 times better than simulating one Ising machine on a regular Core i7-4790 CPU to solve the two problems sequentially,” reports Kawahara, excited about the results.

In the future, these cutting-edge developments will pave the way to scalable Ising machines suitable for real-world applications such as faster molecular simulations to accelerate drug and materials discovery. Moreover, improving the efficiency of data centers and the electrical power grid is also feasible to use cases, which align well with global sustainability goals of reducing the carbon footprint of emerging technologies like electric vehicles and 5G/6G telecommunications. As innovations continue to unfold, scalable Ising
machines may soon become invaluable tools across industries, transforming how we tackle some of the world’s most complex optimization challenges.

‘Fearful’ self-driving cars are safer on the road

Posted on by daphneng

Autonomous vehicles powered by artificial intelligence have many advantages, but ensuring that they make safe decisions in risky scenarios remains a challenge.

Mimicking the workings of the amygdala, a part of the brain that processes emotions, NTU researchers have developed a machine learning model that can “feel” fear. This enables autonomous vehicles to learn defensive driving behaviours and take safer actions.

Humans feel fear when faced with unpleasant events or uncertain situations and learn to avoid them. The researchers programmed fear into the model by incorporating anticipated negative stimuli and uncertainties in its decision-making process.

Their experiments found that the model had a lower collision and traffic violation rate in ambiguous road situations than other autonomous driving programmes. The model also outperformed human drivers in avoiding collision when a vehicle suddenly cut into its lane.

“By helping autonomous vehicles make the correct decisions while on the road, our model could make transportation safer,” says Assoc Prof Lyu Chen of NTU’s School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, who codeveloped the model with his team.

LinkedIn’s first Asia visit highlights NTU’s global impact

Posted on by National Taiwan University

LinkedIn Headquarters made its first-ever Asia visit, commencing a bilateral dialogue and future collaborations with National Taiwan University (NTU).

Led by LinkedIn co-founder Allen Blue, Editor-in-Chief Dan Roth, and General Manager (HK&Taiwan) Mei Mei Ng, a delegation of approximately 30 individuals from the headquarters and Greater China office embarked on their inaugural Asia trip. Among their trip in Taiwan and Japan, NTU was the sole university selected for a visit.

NTU VP for International Affairs Prof. Hsiao-Wei Yuan, accompanied by renowned professors from the College of Social Sciences, including the Departments of Economics and Political Science, welcomed the delegation. VP Yuan emphasized that both NTU and LinkedIn place great importance on talent development and skill enhancement. Beyond academic and educational collaborations, the two institutions successfully partnered at NTU’s Career Fair in March, jointly promoting the LinkedIn platform. Future collaborations are expected to deepen.

Dan Roth, Editor-in-Chief of LinkedIn, expressed the delegation’s enthusiasm for engaging with NTU’s political science and economics scholars and partners. Through local dialogues, the team aims to strengthen the qualitative and quantitative interpretation of future industry trends.

Prof. Ming-Jen Lin, Associate Director of the Provisional Office of the School of Political Science and Economics and Distinguished Professor of the Department of Economics, provided the delegation with an overview of Taiwan’s economic development within the global supply chain, the evolving political and economic landscape, as well as the associated opportunities and challenges. He also highlighted the rationale behind NTU’s establishment of the Graduate Institute of International Political Economy to cultivate experts in these fields.

Sharing a common vision for talent development and industrial advancement, NTU and LinkedIn will continue to work together to contribute to global talent cultivation.

MBA demand rebounds

Posted on by Editorial Team

According to recent data from the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), applications to all business masters programmes including MBAs rose by 12 percent in 2024 compared to 2023, marking a clear reversal from the post-pandemic decline.

This recovery is being driven by full-time MBA programmes typically offered at top US schools like Wharton, Harvard and Stanford, with 80 percent of two-year MBA programmes and 64 percent of one-year MBA courses reporting application growth.

The resurgence spans internationally, too, with institutions like Spain’s IESE Business School reaching record enrolment numbers this year.

One major factor fuelling this demand is the adaptability of business schools to meet the evolving needs of students and employers.

New technological tools, flexible formats and innovative delivery methods have made MBA programmes more accessible and, some say, relevant.

GMAC chief executive Joy Jones notes that schools’ “efforts to continue innovating with new technologies, new delivery tactics and new ways of operating… satisfy the latest interests and needs of students and their future employers”.

Increased flexibility and digital learning options are drawing more applicants, particularly for MBA programmes that balance in-person and online learning.

Some students prefer the in-person experience but appreciate the option to complete parts of the programme remotely or on flexible schedules. Others, often when balancing family or work commitments, find that hybrid and online formats provide the best of both worlds, allowing them to earn a degree without uprooting their lives.

This aligns with what Lindsay Loyd, Executive Director for MBA admissions at New York University’s Stern School of Business, has observed at her institution. “Applications for NYU Stern’s full-time MBA class of 2026 were up 48 percent, the highest in 15 years,” she explains.

Stern’s New York City location offers a “living laboratory” for students, with hands-on learning projects and access to industry leaders across sectors. Loyd also attributes Stern’s popularity to its tailored options, which allow students to choose pathways in areas like technology, entrepreneurship, luxury and retail.

While full-time MBAs are making a strong comeback, specialised masters programmes are also on the rise, now accounting for half of all enrolments, according to figures from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

Specialised degrees in areas like accounting, finance and management have attracted students looking to hone specific skills, particularly as job markets grow more competitive.

According to the latest report from AACSB, overall applications to AACSB-accredited programmes grew nearly 13 percent over the past six years.

AACSB president Lily Bi says: “Enrolment in graduate business programmes has not been immune to the complex changes in market forces in recent years. While our latest report reveals some of those fluctuations, the overall picture of master’s programmes… is one of strength and adaptability.”

Demand for specialised programs continues to increase. And, by offering these alternatives, schools are attracting applicants who may not have considered a traditional MBA but see the value in focused business education.

Some students are looking for specialised programmes in fields like data science, artificial intelligence and digital transformation, which have become integral to modern business strategies.

These niche programmes are often designed in collaboration with industry leaders and tailored to the needs of high-growth sectors, making them attractive options for students who want to deepen their expertise without committing to a traditional MBA structure.

Read the full article on QS Insights Magazine.