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Tag: SDGs

UNAIR holds its first Airlangga SDGs School

Posted on by Universitas Airlangga News

Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR), through its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Center, has held its first Airlangga SDGs School. The event was held on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, in the Rote Room, 4th floor of ASEEC Tower at UNAIR’s Dharmawangsa – B Campus. Thirty students from various academic levels were selected to participate after a rigorous selection process. 

Opened the event, the Vice Rector for Internationalization, Digitalization, and Information (IDI), Prof. Muhammad Miftahussurur, dr MKes SpPD-KGEH PhD FINASIM, explained that the Airlangga SDGs School is a course designed to cultivate both experts and activists who are well-versed in SDGs. 

“The SDGs School is a two-day program aimed not only at producing experts but also at nurturing activists capable of driving and influencing SDGs implementation. This effort is intended to impact not just UNAIR but the entire country,” he stated. 

Prof. Miftahussurur also highlighted that the Airlangga SDGs School is part of a larger initiative to embed SDGs awareness within the academic community. He emphasized that UNAIR has long been a leader in SDGs implementation, as evidenced by its world-ranking achievement in SDGs No Poverty. 

“UNAIR has been leading the World University Association for Community Development (WUACD), where it serves as the pioneer and coordinator for global community service initiatives. Additionally, UNAIR consistently reports its SDGs indicators through platforms like UI Green Metric and THE Impact,” he added. 

Bayu Arie Fianto PhD, Chair of UNAIR SDGs Center, also spoke at the event, emphasizing that the Airlangga SDGs School is part of a series of activities leading up to the SDGs Festival, which will culminate in October. 

“This program is a key event leading up to the October SDGs Festival, where we plan to officially recognize the participants who complete the course. We hope this initiative will be fully realized,” Fianto said. 

As the first of its kind-event organized by UNAIR’s SDGs Center, Fianto expressed his hope that the selected students would make the most of this unique opportunity to deepen their knowledge. 

“We encourage the participants to fully engage in this experience, asking questions and discussing with the instructors to gain a comprehensive understanding of SDGs. As members of Generation Z, who are digitally connected and passionate, it’s crucial that this passion is complemented by solid knowledge of SDGs,” emphasized the National President of SDGs Centers across Indonesia. 

Lingnan University is committed to achieving Sustainable Development Goals

Posted on by Editorial Team

In 2015 the United Nations adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as the focal point of a global campaign to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that every person in the world is in a position to enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.

The spirit of the SDGs aligns perfectly with Lingnan University’s commitment to “Education for Service”. This commitment is embedded in the university’s research programmes, teaching and learning practices, knowledge transfer activities, social engagement projects, entrepreneurship initiatives, corporate governance, and administration.

While initiatives launched at Lingnan University have had success across the full range of SDGs, some particularly impactful projects are well worth highlighting.

To mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on less privileged households, including those in subdivided flats, the Lingnan Entrepreneurship Initiative (LEI) team devised a Mobile UV-C system. This has provided a free and efficient UV disinfection service for 1,000 such homes, helping to prevent the spread of the virus in Hong Kong. Based on this technology, a smart Autonomous UV-C Disinfection Robot was also developed to provide fast and effective UV disinfection in large indoor establishments.

Two other inventions devised by the LEI team have recently received ‘Golds’ at the MUSE Design Awards in the Conceptual Design category. One is a control system that improves wheelchair safety for both users and carers. The other is a transparent air-filtration mask, the 12° Mask, that allows the hearing impaired to read lips while still providing ASTM Level 3 protection, the highest level.

In terms of the UN goals, these innovations fall within the criteria for achieving SDG 3, Health and Well-being; SDG 4, Quality Education; and SGD 9, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.

To help graduates in tackling the adverse effects of the pandemic, Lingnan established the 2020 Graduate Support Fund. The assistance provided by the fund ranges from training and tuition fee waivers to psychological counselling. More broadly, the increased range of  financial aid Lingnan University offers local and non-local students is in line with the aims of SDG 1, No Poverty; SDG 10, Reduced Inequality; and SDG 4, Quality Education.

Because it is often possible to achieve a greater impact working together with other institutions and bodies, Lingnan has formed several key external partnerships. One such collaboration is with the South China University of Technology, which has resulted in the establishment of the Joint Research Centre for Greater Bay Area Social Policy and Governance. This exciting project fulfils key criteria in SDG 17, Partnerships for the Goals, and SDG 8, Decent Work and Economic growth.

In partnership with the Hong Kong Jockey Club, and in line with SDG 3, Good Health and Well-being, and SDG 17, Partnerships for the Goals, the three-year LU Jockey Club Gerontechnology and Smart Ageing Project has been established to support local communities, educators, students, service providers, and most importantly, the elderly and their carers.

More information on the contribution Lingnan University has made to achieving the full spectrum of SDGs can be found on the University’s SDG website.

Thammasat University continues its efforts towards sustainability

Posted on by Thammasat University

Thammasat University (TU) continues to move forward with the policy to continuously drive sustainable development by adopting the SDGs as a guideline for practice and combining with every university policy.

​​Associate Professor Gasinee Witoonchart, Rector of Thammasat University, said, “The United Nations has set 17 goals for achieving the SDGs which cover all social, economic and environmental dimensions that creates the well-being of the world’s population without leaving anyone behind. In which Thammasat University has been impelling the SDGs to be a part of the university goals since 2015.”

“We intend to build TU to be the main driving force of both the Thai and international sustainable development goals. We integrate the SDGs into the administration of all faculties and all educational centres, and the SDGs are also included in the course curriculum in order to develop students’ abilities to be a change-maker, that is able to offer solutions to various challenges on a global and national level,” Assoc. Prof. Gasinee stated.

Thammasat University has earnestly driven this matter and has set up a committee to formulate policies on the SDGs, chaired by Assoc. Prof. Gasinee herself. It has also established a working group as a mechanism to impel forward the sustainable development goals in various fields by providing guidelines for all faculties and also providing budgets and resources to support policymaking.

The committee has set the drive for the SDGs with 4 missions:

1. To foster a sustainable university in all educational centers, providing students and university personnel access to a good environment, green areas, acquiring complete nutrition at a reasonable price, using clean energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and creating a communication space that promotes diversity of identity, culture and political perspectives.

2. To support research that provides researchers with freedom of thought and create useful innovations and drive for the sustainable development goals.

3. To encourage all faculties to collatively work with the government and non-university organizations to make the achievement of the SDGs a reality.

4. To provide freedom to students and promote participation in university development in developing a curriculum that integrates the concepts of the SDGs, encouraging students to become change-makers as global citizens.

“We believe that the SDGs are a way to make our university, students and personnel a part of solving the challenges facing by the country, meeting the goals of the university and preparing personnel in forming good global community and having a sustainable future,” Assoc. Prof. Gasinee concluded.

UiTM and Verdastro collaborate for production of bio-resin from oil palm trunk dust

Posted on by Dr Azianty Saroni

On 9th December 2020, Micro Manufacturing Hub (MMH) Universiti Teknologi MARA, (UiTM) Pahang, Jengka Campus, Malaysia signed an agreement with Verdastro Sdn Bhd, Malaysia’s pioneer in the commercialization of bio-plastic company.

Verdastro manufacturing, a factory at Gebeng Industrial Estate, Pahang is famous for bio-resin or green resin production from the extraction of oil palm trunk (OPT). The crucial objective of this collaboration is to make UiTM Pahang the main production hub of OPT dust.

As Malaysia is a pioneer in the oil palm plantation, it’s a great initiative and opportunity to produce bio-resin from OPT dust. Bio-resin is a resin that derives some or all of its constituent monomers from biological sources and the current famous sources are plant-based such as oil palm, corn and soybean.

Bio-resin is considered a biodegradable material that is easy to be disposed of quickly within three days. Generally, oil palm plantation yield gradually decreases and requires a re-plantation after 25 years and above. The mature palm tree hence can be useful as a source of OPT dust and beneficial to further produce the bio-resin.

This collaboration is in line with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15 to protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems. Non-biodegradable plastic has become a global crisis that may stay in the land for hundreds of years and contribute to health problems in humans and animals. Therefore, it’s important to provide environmentally friendly material known as bio-resin to disrupt the current plastic-based industry.

From this joint venture agreement, Woodtech, Faculty of Applied Science, UiTM Pahang may supply the space, basic facilities, the equipment that capable to transform the oil palm trunk to dust and more importantly as a source of manpower. This is a good opportunity for the internship and fresh graduate students from Woodtech to gain experience prior to the real-life work exposure.

Verdastro Sdn Bhd may provide a yearly operating budget of approximately RM 50,000 and pay a salary to the head of the laboratory which is the lecturer of Woodtech itself, Ahmad Fauzi bin Awang. It is firmly believed that this collaboration can impact the community at large and UiTM in particular.