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Malaysian Education Events
- Innovative Technopreneurs Awarded at MSC Malaysia-IHL Business Plan Competition 2009/2010
- Monash celebrates Sri Lankan New Year
- INTI, Laureate in Exclusive Tie-Up with UOW
- Microsoft Windows flies over Limkokwing University Campus at Mach 7
- Business Tycoons in the Making
- Taylor’s Launches PhD Fellowship
- UPSI Innovation Agenda
Innovative Tecnopreneurs Awarded at MSC Malaysia-IHL Business Plan Competition 2009/2010
PETALING JAYA, March 19, 2010: A total of 10 institutions were honoured yesterday at the 6th annual MSC Malaysia-IHL Business Plan Competition (MIBPC) awards presentation ceremony, including grand prize winners from Kolej Damansara Utama (KDU) and International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).
KDU’s team, Lextronics, the grand prize winner in the Business Plan category received a cash prize of RM7,000 for their ‘SMS Controlled Multi Socket’ plan which allows home owners to control home appliances when away from home. While IIUM’s team, IIUM Inventors, the grand prize winner in the Business Idea category received RM5,000 in cash for their ‘Foot Mouse’ idea which is specially designed for the physically disabled person who are unable computer mouse with their hands.
The other MIPBC winners include:
- Business Plan category
- Second Prize: Malaysia Multimedia University (MMU)’s team HBS2 received a cash prize of RM5,000
- Third Prize: Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM)’s team Mobiworld received a cash prize of RM3,000
- Business Idea category
- Second Prize: University Malaysia Pahang (UMP)’s team Medialab Studio received a cash prize of RM3,000
- Third Prize: University Malaysia Sabah (UMS)’s team Linking Park received a cash prize of RM2,000
All winners received a trophy and certificate of participation.
"The MSC Malaysia-IHL Business Plan Competition celebrated today is just one feature of the MSC Malaysia blueprint for the technopreneurial ecosystem. Since 2004, the competition has continued to develop the talents of the students involved, and encourage them as they attempt the path of technopreneurship," said Tan Sri Abdul Halim Ali, the Chairman of Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC).
"I am very encouraged to see an increase in participation from students this year. A total of 452 Business Ideas and 210 Business Plans were generated during the IHL internal level competition from 31 institutions of higher learning. There is also an increase in the submissions for the MIBPC – 22 Business Plans were put forward this year compared to 14 last year and 29 Business Ideas compared to 22 last year," he said.
The annual MIBPC is jointly organised by MDeC, in collaboration with several Institutions of Higher Learning (IHLs) in Malaysia under the National Unipreneur Development Programme (NUDP), which is anchored by MDeC’s Technopreneur Development Division (TeDD). For the first time this year, the competitions is also co-organised and supported by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE).
The annual MIBPC seeks to:
- Create new, innovation-based ICT Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) through the development of viable ideas and compelling IP (Intellectual Property);
- Increasing the innovation level of IHLs through their collaboration with the ICT industry; • Strengthen technopreneurship skills among participants via the commercialisation of their ideas and products; and
- Identify commercially viable ideas and compelling IP (Intellectual Property) for development into ICT SMEs.
The first, second and third prize winners prize winners in the Business Plan category will have the opportunity to participate in next MSC Malaysia Asia Pacific Information & Communications Technology Alliance (MSC Malaysia APICTA) Awards under the IHL category. The MSC Malaysia APICTA Awards provides recognition to outstanding achievements of individuals, students, entrepreneurs, SMEs as well as organisations with operations in Malaysia who have contributed to the development of the MSC Malaysia initiatives; or in building ICT applications and services for that benefit Malaysians.
For more information on MIBPC, please visit www.mscmaalaysia.my
Monash celebrates Sri Lankan New Year
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| Deputy High Commissioner of Sri Lanka His Excellency Major General Udaya Perera lighting the first festive oil lamp |
Sri Lankan traditions came alive at Monash University Sunway Campus when its student community celebrated the Sinhala and Tamil New Year on April 5.
Cloaked in their traditional garb, students and guests had a hearty evening filled with games, competitions and feasted on Sri Lankan delicacies.
The evening began with the lighting of the oil lamp by guest-of-honour Deputy High Commissioner of Sri Lanka His Excellency Major General Udaya Perera, accompanied by Monash University Sunway Campus Director of Academic Support & Registrar Dr Matthew Sukumaran and Senior Engineering Lecturer Dr Arosha Senanayake.
“We started celebrating the Singhala and Tamil New Year at Monash University Sunway Campus in 2004 with only 30 students. In 2005 and in subsequent years, the event became bigger. We celebrate the New Year in solidarity between Tamils and Sinhalese,” said Dr Senanayake.
The event was organised by the Sri Lankan student community at the Sunway Campus and included activities such as a yoghurt-eating competition and cultural performances.
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| As part of the celebration, Monash students built a mini bonfire upon which a pot of milk was allowed to boil over as a sign of prosperity |
Hoots of laughter and whistles reverberated around the campus as students cheered their favourite Sri Lankan “prince” and “princess” where third-year IT student Mayurran Jeyalogaindran was voted the New Year “prince” while Amlah Naj, a first-year MBBS student, emerged the “princess”.
In his speech, Major General Perera encouraged the Sri Lankan students to be diligent in their pursuit of education.
“Books, lectures and the Internet only guide education and not knowledge per se. Extra-curricular activities expands the sphere of knowledge. We need people who can think out of the box. We need leaders who are ready to take risks,” he told the students.
In Sri Lanka, he said, only 12 per cent of 150,000 who qualify for university study managed to obtain placements.
Those studying at Monash University Sunway Campus were among the privileged few who had the option of studying overseas and should fully utilise their experiences at the campus, he added.
Of the 1,500 international students enrolled at Monash University Sunway Campus, 185 were from Sri Lanka, totalling 15 per cent of the international student population.
“Seeing the increase in the number of Sri Lankan students has added a diversity of culture and experiences to the campus, and we are very proud of this international aspect,” said Dr Sukumaran.
INTI, Laureate in Exclusive Tie-Up with UOW
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| Doxey (left) exchanges signing documents with Sutton (right) while Becker (2nd from left), Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled (centre) and Chittick look on |
An exclusive partnership agreement has been inked between INTI Education Group, a member of the Laureate International Universities network and the University of Wollongong (UOW), a ‘5-star’ institution that is part of the elite ‘Group of Eight’ universities in Australia.
The recent signing ceremony held in Kuala Lumpur - witnessed by Y.B. Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled bin Nordin, Minister of Higher Education, Malaysia - paves the way for UOW to become the exclusive Australian education provider for the INTI Education Group.
“The Higher Education Minister spoke about benefits arising from international collaborations and networking in academia,” said Mr Graham Doxey, CEO of Laureate Malaysia and Deputy CEO of INTI Education Group, in reference to Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled’s speech. “INTI concurs, having developed benchmarking partnerships with some of the biggest and most renowned names in higher education around the world today.”
“UOW’s willingness to be a partner is testament to the high standards of education which form the foundation of INTI,” he added. UOW was represented by its Vice-Chancellor, Professor Gerard Sutton and Pro Vice-Chancellor (International) Professor Joe Chicharo. Professor Sutton said that UOW would provide the intellectual property associated with its existing academic programmes as well as the quality assurance processes to ensure educational integrity of delivery and outcomes consistent with its on-shore standards.
Also present at the signing, which followed the launch of Laureate’s Asian regional base in Kuala Lumpur, were Mr. Douglas Becker, Chairman and CEO of Laureate Education Inc.; Mr. Craig Chittick, Acting Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia; and Mr. Tan Yew Sing, CEO of INTI Education Group.
UOW currently ranks in the top 2% of universities worldwide. The University prides itself on its enviable record of achievement in teaching and research and has reached a continuous decade of five-star successes in the key categories of “Getting a Job”, “Positive Graduate Outcomes” and “Graduate Starting Salary”.
INTI Education Group leads in having the largest number of campuses among private institutions in Malaysia. Its 9 campuses are complemented by partnerships with over 200 educational institutions across the world. Backed by international curricular and academic experience drawn from the Laureate network of over 50 institutions in more than 20 countries, serving over 550,000 students, INTI students benefit from global best practices and international exposure arising from the synergy.
For more information on INTI, call 1300-88-4684 or visit www.newinti.edu.my
Microsoft Windows flies over Limkokwing University Campus at Mach 7
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| Limkokwing University Microsoft Student Partners Team at the Campus Launch of Windows 7 |
Cyberjaya- Software giant Microsoft launched its latest operating system flagship, Windows 7 at Limkokwing University.
The event dubbed “Microsoft flies On Campus” also aimed to introduce and familiarize Limkokwing University students with the latest and emerging Microsoft Technologies.
The Microsoft flies On Campus event consisted of a seminar that covered the latest Windows operating system, Microsoft Windows 7 and the latest Microsoft IDE, Microsoft Visual Studio 2010.
The seminar was also held to promote Imagine Cup 2010; a student Technology Competition that encourages young people to bring technology innovations to life as well as Microsoft Multipoint, a technology that enables the use of multiple similar devices on the same computer.
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| Doxey (left) exchanges signing documents with Sutton (right) while Becker (2nd from left), Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled (centre) and Chittick look on |
The guest speakers covered Microsoft Windows 7 user features, Copyright and how to protect creativity as well as how to have fun with Windows 7 new features.
“Limkokwing University is a world renowned university that nurtures some of the brightest talents today. Being a University of Creativity, tools such as Windows 7 ensure that those intellectual properties are protected from hackers,” said Azra Rizal, Senior Manager, MIMOS Berhad.
Jabez Gan, Microsoft Senior Technical Officer on the other hand explained how Windows 7 can be a fun software to use which includes remotely access to personal media and the ability to easily share files with friends as well as access those files from a remote desktop or notebook.
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| Group photo op with Limkokwing students and Microsoft professionals Speakers | Limkokwing Students gathering to create an MSDNAA account so that they can download free software from the Microsoft website |
Limkokwing University will be introduced to the Microsoft Development Network Academic Alliance, a Microsoft program that is available to Academic Institutions and will be able to create an account allowing them to acquire licensed copies of Microsoft’s software for free.
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| Limkokwing University students creating their MSDNAA account on campus. |
After the seminar, students enjoyed a number of creative games and activities at the Limkokwing University plaza, as well as a Windows 7 showcase which enabled them to experience the latest Microsoft operating system.
A Microsoft solution booth was also set up where students tried out the software and were able to ask questions from Microsoft professionals.
Windows 7 is the next step in computer and software innovation together with Limkokwing University Asia’s leading Innovative educational institution with 30,000 students from 150 countries in 12 campuses worldwide.
Business Tycoons in the Making
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| Sunway’s champion team in the Banker’s category. From right to left: Leong Ji Kin, Hong Xingwei, Chua Vi Vern receiving the cheque from Ms Pat Aw of ICAEW and Febianto Salim, organsing chairperson (centre) |
Sunway University College’s Young Entrepreneur Society (YES) emerged as the overall winner in the Inter-Universities Business Tycoon Simulation Game 2010 recently. The competition was organised by the Wall Street Society of The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus. YES who fielded three teams comprising 3 students each, contended against teams from other private universities such as Taylor’s University College, Monash University and HELP University College among others.
Participants had to apply their economic knowledge to analyse fluctuations of prices and demand in a virtual steel market. There were 3 categories which were Car Manufacturers, Bankers and Car Dealers. Sunway University College came up as the Champion in the Bankers category and First Runners-Up in the Car Manufacturers and Car Dealers categories respectively. The Sunway students who were the champions in the Bankers category were Leong Ji Kin, Chua Vi Vern and Hong Xingwei who are all studying in the Bachelor of Accounting and Finance (honours) degree programme at Sunway.
Heri Gunawan, the Sunway University College YES President said “The Game was a fun and exciting way of applying economic knowledge in a simulated competitive environment. It was a good learning experience and challenge for all of us”.
The competition’s aims were to provide an opportunity for students to apply the theories they had learnt into practice and for students to enhance their negotiation and analytical skills and to promote interaction among students.
Sunway won a total of RM2,000 for being the champion and the first runner-ups in all the 3 categories. The competition’s sponsor was The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).
Taylor’s Launches PhD Fellowship
In support of the government's vision of producing 60,000 Malaysians with PhD qualifications by 2020, Taylor's University College (TUC) recently launched its PhD Fellowship Award on 8 April 2020 for outstanding scholars who are pursuing a PhD degree in Engineering, Science or Hospitality & Tourism at TUC.
The PhD fellowship was launched by Datin Professor Ir Dr Siti Hamisah binti Tapsir, Deputy Director General, Ministry of Higher Education at Taylor's Lakeside Campus in Subang Jaya. Present were Professor Dato' Dr Hassan Said, Vice Chancellor and President of Taylor's University College and staff of Taylor's Graduate School.
During the launch, Datin Professor Ir Dr Siti Hamisah presented the Fellowship award to the first two recipients, Choo Khi Khi and Tran Thi Ngoc Lan who are pursuing their PhD studies in Science, and Hospitality & Tourism respectively.
Choo Khi Khi graduated from Monash University Sunway Campus with a Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology while Tran Thi Ngoc Lan graduated from Taylor's College School of Hospitality & Tourism with a degree in Tourism Engineering. Tran Thi was valedictorian her 2007/08 class; won the Marc Combes Award for Best Overall Degree Student in 2007/08; and was voted the Best Overall Higher Diploma Student in 2005/06.
In her speech, Datin Professor Ir. Dr. Siti Hamisah said that research as the key source of new knowledge and ideas, is central to the success of the country's economy.
“Malaysia is starting to invest more time and resources in educating and training young people, upgrading skills of the workforce and generating new knowledge through research. Equally important, is the ability to innovate - to be able to apply knowledge and exploit it to create new ideas.
“With rapid globalization, it also becomes increasingly crucial for academic cooperation and knowledge transfer, as well as transnational education to take place in the education industry.
"Our former Prime Minister, Tun Mahathir, envisioned Malaysia to achieve its status as a ‘developed nation' by 2020. Our present Premier, Dato' Seri Najib, believes that this is achievable through the fostering of R&D initiatives," she said.
Datin Professor Ir. Dr. Siti Hamisah explained that the quality of research carried out at a university affects a university’s reputation directly. Universities with a good reputation in R&D are able to attract and retain high performing staff and research students which in turn enable a higher quality of teaching and learning to take place. This will ultimately elevate the university’s standing locally and abroad.
Professor Dato' Dr Hassan said that at Taylor’s, research is seen as the prime driver of excellence that informs teaching and learning. He believes that Taylor’s has all the vital components to be a successful research-focused institution and that the expertise and knowledge it generates will help enhance the quality of their students’ learning experience.
"The PhD Fellowship awarded today provides financial support for the fellow to actively explore her knowledge, while collaborating with leading academics in the field. In this way, we aim to nurture innovators who are able to contribute towards the growth of the nation.”
Noting that PhD study is an important component of the research landscape at Taylor's, Professor Dato' Dr Hassan added that Taylor's had also invested passionately to support postgraduate studies through the new facilities at the Taylor's Graduate School (TGS).
"TGS is fully dedicated to promoting and enhancing the highest quality of research education and training at Taylor's, and oversees all aspects of postgraduate research programmes. Together with the academic schools, divisions and the Centre for Research & Development, TGS also provides resources to support the research," said Professor Dato' Dr Hassan.
Taylor's currently offers opportunities for PhD study in Engineering, Science and Hospitality & Tourism with supervision by internal experts as well as from local and international partner universities. PhD students undergoing research studies at Taylor's will have opportunities to gain teaching experience, present papers at conferences and publish their work.
Up to 10 PhD Fellowship Awards will be granted by Taylor's to research students. The minimum academic requirement for admission is a first class honours degree or masters degree in a related discipline, which includes a significant research component. Equivalent level of studies from a recognised tertiary institution may also be considered for admission.
In addition to the launch of the PhD Fellowship, there was double joy for celebrations as it was announced that the Journal of Engineering, Science and Technology (JESTEC) of Taylor's School of Engineering (SOE), had joined the ranks of other prestigious public institutions in Malaysia by getting the journal indexed by Scopus, the world's largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature and quality web sources.
SOE's Journal of Engineering, Science and Technology (JESTEC), published since 2006, was established as a forum for researchers to share their research findings in all fields of engineering, science and technology.
"Every academic publication aims at making an impact on creation and dissemination of knowledge. Personally, I am thrilled that we managed to obtain such a high recognition in a relatively short time," said Dr. Mushtak Al-Atabi, Dean of SOE and Editor-in-Chief of JESTEC, who received a certificate of recognition from Datin Professor Ir Dr Siti Hamisah at the event.
UPSI Innovation Agenda
The UPSI Innovation Agenda was launched on 28 April 2010 by the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Abi Musa Asa’ari bin Mohamed Nor.
Under the leadership of its Vice-Chancellor, Prof Dato’ Dr Aminah Ayob, UPSI aspires to inculcate creative and innovative thinking among the staff in the management of UPSI so that the university is strengthened in various aspects.
The UPSI Innovation Agenda aims to instill an innovative culture in the surroundings of the university through a change in mindset and practice in the way teaching, learning, research and administrative matters are carried out.
UPSI believes that innovation is needed to shape the future. New focus will be given to generate new knowledge in enhancing human capital. UPSI also believes that the democratization of innovation will help students to ‘think out of the box’.
When UPSI was established in 1997, there were only four faculties, i.e. Faculty of Languages, Faculty of Cognitive Sciences and Human Development, Faculty of Science and Technology, and Faculty of Arts and Music. In 2002, the Faculty of Business & Economics and the Faculty of Information & Communication Technology were formed while in 2005, the Faculty of Sport Science and Faculty of Social Sciences & Humanities were added to the list of faculties.
After 13 years, UPSI continues to play a pivotal role in developing the country’s education as well as contributing towards human capital at a national and global level.
In line with UPSI’s Innovation Agenda, Prof Dato’ Dr Aminah Ayob announced the restructuring of new faculties w.e.f. 1-6-2010. They are as follows:
| Existing name | New name (wef 1-6-2010) |
| Faculty of Languages | Faculty of Languages and Communication |
| Faculty of Cognitive Sciences and Human Development | Faculty of Education and Human Development |
| Faculty of Science and Technology | Faculty of Science and Mathematics |
| Faculty of Arts and Music | Faculty of Music and Performing Arts |
| Faculty of Business & Economics | Faculty of Management & Economics |
| Faculty of Information & Communication Technology | Faculty of Arts, Computing & Creative Industry |
| Faculty of Sport Science | Faculty of Sport Science and Coaching |
| Faculty of Social Sciences & Humanities | Faculty of Humanities & Sciences |
| Technical and Vocational Education Department | Faculty of Technical and Vocational Education |
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