IUKL S INAUGURAL CONVOCATION CEREMONY

Transcription

1 THE EVENT VOL. 1/2014 IUKL S INAUGURAL CONVOCATION CEREMONY IUIIC 2013 IUKL WINS GOLD AND SILVER MEDALS AT I-ENVEX2014 STUDENT MOBILITY PROGRAMME

2 Table of Contents 6 Message from the IUKL President & Vice-Chancellor I am happy to bring you the first issue of Communique for the year We are proud to highlight some events that have taken place. Since 2013, the Infrastructure University Kuala Lumpur (IUKL) has received a large number of visits and has signed a number of Memorandum of Understandings with various esteemed industries and institutions. University Kuala Lumpur (IUKL) since we were upgraded to a full-f ledged university in I am pleased to see that a lot of events and activities have been carried out by the staff and students of IUKL. Since last year, we have had memorable events such as the Protasco Dinner, Infrastructure University Kuala Lumpur Innovation Recently, IUKL won gold and silver medals at and Invention Competition (IUIIC), and the International Engineering Invention the Copenhagen Solution for Sustainable & Innovation Exhibition (I-ENVEX2014) Cities exhibition, and many more. University Malaysia Perlis (UNIMAP), Perlis. The gold medal was won by Dr. In this issue, we have included student Nurharniza Abdul Rahman s team for study trips and an interview with an the product The Robustness of SteFib exchange student from one of our partner Column in the category of Building, universities, Hanze Universit y of Construction & Materials while the silver Applied Sciences, Groningen, Netherlands. medal was won by Mr. Wai Kien Tat s team for the Reu se of Sugarcane Finally, I would like to take this opportunity Bagasse as Biosorbent in the Agriculture to thank the academic and administrative & Environment and Renewable Energy staff of IUKL for their commitment and category. We are immensely proud of dedication in making IUKL a preferred choice for students to pursue their their achievements. tertiary education. The University had its inaugural convocation ceremony last year on September 7th, bearing the name of Infrastructure For Knowledge, For Humanity. Editorial Board PATRON Prof. Dr. Roslan Zainal Abidin PRINTER Percetakan Ronson Sdn. Bhd. ADVISOR & CHIEF EDITOR Assoc. Prof. Dr. Christiantine Della Ikram Education Sdn Bhd Unipark Suria, Jalan Ikram-Uniten, Kajang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia EDITORIAL BOARD Asmah Mohd Taib Puteri Zulaikha Mohd Yusoff DESIGN & LAYOUT Raja Zafirah Raja Mohd Yusof We welcome contributions in the form of articles and ideas for the newsletter. All contributions must be made through the Chief Editor Tel: Fax: Website: All rights reserved. No part of this newsletter may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the owners. All i m a g e s i n t h i s n e w s l e t t e r h a v e b e e n reproduced with the knowledge and prior consent of the artist concerned, and no responsibility is accepted by the producer, publisher or printer for any infringement or otherwise, arising from the contents of this publication. Every effort has been made to ensure that credits accurately comply with the information supplied.

3 IUKL s Inaugural Convocation Ceremony I n 2 012, t h e Ku a l a L u m p u r I n f ra s t r u c t u re U n i ve r s i t y C o l l e g e ( K L I U C) w a s u p g r a d e d to a f u l l - f l e d g e d u n i ve r s i t y, a n d r e n a m e d a s t h e I n f r a s t r u c t u r e U n i ve r s i t y Ku a l a L u m p u r ( I U K L). With this mi lestone, I UKL o rgani zed its I naugu ral C o nvo ca t i o n C e r e m o ny a s a U n i ve r s i t y. T h e 11t h C o nvo ca t i o n C e r e m o ny w a s h e l d o n 7 S e pte m b e r More than 80 0 graduates received their Master, B a c h e l o r, a n d D i p l o m a s c r o l l s f r o m Y B h g. Ta n S r i D a to I r. D r. Wa n A b d u l Ra h m a n H a j i Wa n Ya a co b, t h e C h a n c e l l o r o f I U K L. H e l d a t t h e Multipurpose Hall, the event was also w i t n e s s e d by Y B h g. Aca d e m i c i a n D a to I r. D r. L e e Ye e C h e o n g AO, t h e P r o - C h a n c e l l o r o f I U K L ; Y B h g. Ta n S r i D a t u k D r. H a d e n a n J a l i l, t h e C h a i r m a n o f t h e B o a r d o f G ove r n o r s ; P r o fe s s o r D r. Zulk ifl i Abdul Hamid, the E xecutive D i recto r o f E d u ca t i o n; P rof. D r. Ro s l a n Za i n a l A b i d i n, President and Vice- Chancellor of IUKL, parents, representatives from the embassies and distinguished guests. T h e g r a d u a t i o n c e r e m o ny w a s h e l d i n t h r e e (3 ) sessions. The first session star ted with the procession of students and academic staff fo l l owed by t h e g r a n d p r o c e s s i o n l e d by Y B h g. Ta n S r i D a to I r. D r. Wa n A b d u l Ra h m a n H a j i Wa n Ya a c o b i n to t h e h a l l. H e c o n fe r r e d t h e Master and Bachelor degrees to the postgraduate a n d u n d e rg ra d u a te s t u d e nt s. H e a l s o p re s e nte d t h e C h a n c e l l o r a n d t h e V i c e - C h a n c e l l o r Aw a r d s to t h e to p s t u d e n t s. T h e C h a n c e l l o r s Aw a r d r e c i p i e n t w a s D e s m o n d D a v i d V i n c e n t, [ B a c h e l o r o f A r t s i n E n g l i s h fo r P r o fe s s i o n a l C o m m u n i ca t i o n ( H o n s)], a n d t h e V i c e C h a n c e l l o r Aw a r d Re c i p i e n t s w e r e Re d a M o h a m e d O m e r, [ B a c h e l o r of C i v i l E n g i n e e r i n g (Hons)], Lee Su San, [Bachelo r of Communication ( H o n s) i n C o r p o r a te C o m m u n i ca t i o n], Ta n Ku n J u i, ( D i p l o m a i n C i v i l E n g i n e e r i n g), a n d M o h d S u r fa e d z l y S u r a t n o, ( D i p l o m a i n C o r p o r a te C o m m u n i ca t i o n). 3

4 FRONT END MoUs Signed in 2013 (Academic) MoUs Signed in 2013 (Industry) 10 May, Aug, 2013 Advance Te r tiar y Co l l ege (ATC) W i randa (M) Sdn Bhd 11 July, 2013 Malaysian I nstitute of Cha r te red Secreta r ies and Administrato r s (M AICSA) 12 Nov, 2013 E nglish Language Cent res (E L S) E nglish Avenue VI Academy TMC Co l l ege A stin Co l l ege 19 Nov, 2013 Ko l ej I s l am Anta rabangsa Su ltan I smail Pet ra (K IAS) 25 Nov, 2013 Cante r bur y Ch r i st Church Unive r sit y, U K 2 Dec, 2013 Guang x i Co l l ege of Wate r Resou rces and E l ect r ic Powe r 08 Oct, 2013 A rdhmillinea 21 Aug, 2013 Gagasan Teguh Sdn Bhd 09 Oct, 2013 Manpowe r Staf f i ng Se r vices (M) Sdn Bhd 03 Dec, 2013 Malaysian St r uctura l Steel A s sociation (M S SA) 08 Oct, 2013 Sellnomics 18 Dec, 2013 Admate r ials Technolog ies Pte Ltd, Si ngapo re 24 July, 2013 Kumpulan I k ram Sdn Bhd 4

5 Visits ( ) 3 December 2013 Received visit f rom the D elegates of United A rab E m i rates 10 December 2013 The staf f members of the Facu lt y of Applied Science and Foundation Stud ies (FA SF) visited KPJ Unive r sit y Co l l ege (KPJ UC) 16 December 2013 Received visit f rom Japanese unive r sities and of f icials 20 December 2013 Received visit f rom the I nstitut Kemahi ran Belia Negara (I KBN), Temer l oh of f icials 16 January 2014 Received delegates f rom the Hamamatsu Cit y Education Boa rd, Japan 28 January 2014 Received visit f rom the rep resentatives of X i n j iang Unive r sit y of F i nance and Economics (XU FE), People s Republic of Ch i na 7 February 2014 Received visit f rom 39 students and fou r l ecture r s f rom Unive r sitas Riau, Pekan Ba r u, I ndonesia 14 February 2014 Received visit f rom Profes so r Hara of Toyota Technica l I nstitute, Japan D r. Kong Wei and M s. Haf i zah Bada r uddin visited Ko l ej Kemahi ran T i nggi M AR A (KK TM), Rembau and KK TM Masjid Tanah 20 February 2014 I U KL received seven postg raduate students f rom Ka zakhstan Received visit f rom the Unive r sit y of East London (U E L) 12 March 2014 Received a Trade D elegation f rom Kenya 21 March 2014 Received visit f rom the Unive r sit y of Nor thampton 27 March 2014 Received visit f rom Profes so r David McCl ean, Head of School, The Scot t Sutherl and School of A rch itecture and Built E nvi ronment of the Rober t Go rdon Unive r sit y (RGU), Aberdeen, Scotland 3 April Received visit f rom the A s sociation of I nte r national Accountants (AIA) 5

6 Events in 2013 (April December) Infrastructure University Innovation & Invention Competition 2013 On 11 September 2013, Infrastructure Unive r sit y Kua l a Lumpu r (I U KL), th rough its Resea rch Management C e n t r e ( R M C ), o r g a n i s e d i t s 3 r d Infrastr ucture Universit y Innovation and I nvention Competition (I U I I C 2 013). The event was of f iciated b y Y B h g. D a t u k D r. A b u B a k a r Mohamad Diah, the Deputy Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation of the Ministry of Science, Technology and I nnovation (MOST I). The annual exhibition and competition showcased i nventions f rom more t h a n 4 0 i n s t i t u t i o n s o f h i g h e r l ea r n i ng and schools. There we re mo re than 70 ent r ies fo r the com - petition. I U I I C was i n itiated by RMC to stimulate, i ncu l cate, and ha r nes s i nnovation and i nvention among academic communities in Malaysia. T h i s i s t o e n c o u r a g e a n d i n s p i r e i nvento r s f rom both seconda r y and te r tiar y l evels. The s l ogan E x p l o re I nnovate I nvent So lve a i med to identif y p roducts that can be s e l e c t e d t o c o m p e t e a t t h e national and i nte r national l evels. One of the entries from the Faculty o f C r e a t i v e M e d i a & I n n o v a t i v e Technology (F CM I T), fo r merl y known as the Faculty of Information & Computing Technology (FICT), won a gold medal fo r thei r Q4U Virtual Queuing System invention as well as receiving the title of IUK L Signs MoU w ith IC ATS Best B o ot h u n d e r t h e u n i ve r s i t y categor y. I n addition, I U KL bagged fou r silve r medals and n i ne b ronze medals. A Memorandum of Understanding ( M o U ) w a s s i g n e d b e t w e e n I n f r a s t r u c t u r e U n i ve r s i t y Ku a l a Lumpur (IUKL) and the International Co l l ege of Advanced Technology Sa ra wak (I CAT S) on 6 April 2 013, at I CAT S i n Kuch i ng, Sa ra wak. The objectives of the MoU a re to allow prog ression of ICATS students to t ransfe r i nto I U KL p rog rammes in the second year of the bachelor degree p rog rammes of I U KL, to provide advice on matters concerning the p r o g r a m m e s a n d c u r r i c u l u m developments w here neces sa r y to meet the above pu r pose and to establish l ong -te r m relationship t h r o u g h a c a d e m i c a c t i v i t i e s b e t w e e n t h e t w o i n s t i t u t i o n s. Under this MoU, diploma graduates f rom I CAT S w i l l p rog res s i nto the I U K L u n d e r g r a d u a t e c i v i l a n d mechanical engineering programmes. I U K L s P r e s i d e n t a n d V i c e Chancellor, Prof. D r. Ros l an Za i nal Abidin rep resented I U KL i n signing the MoU w h i l e Haji Baha r ud i n Haji Abdullah, Ch ief E xecutive Of f ice r rep resented I CAT S and the signing was w itnes sed by I CAT S President T a n S r i D a t u k A m a r A b d u l A z i z Datuk H usa i n. SUNDOWN MARATHON 2013 Si ngapo re hosted the l a rgest and most antici pated n ight ma rathon. F rom 31st of May to 1st of J une 2 013, the 6th ed ition of the Sundow n Ma rathon was k icked of f. Held ove r the weekend, w ith the theme S h o w Yo u r T r u e C o l o u r s, 3 0, r u n n e r s w e n t t o Si ngapo re s F1 Pit Building to sha re thei r l ove and passion fo r r unning i n the 10 k m, Half Ma rathon (21k m) and Full Ma rathon ( k m) categories. Many made new f r iends, ach ieved new pe r sonal best reco rds, sca l ed new heights and showed thei r Tr ue Co l ou r s. I U KL pa r tici pated i n the Full Ma rathon ( k m) categor y. F rom dusk to dawn, r unners ran past some of the most idyllic and iconic landmarks in Singapore; the Ma r i na Bay Sands, The Mer l ion, Si ngapo re Flye r, and Suntec Cit y against the backd rop of Si ngapo re s n ight sk y. The jou r ney to the f i n i sh l i ne was l ong and g r uelling, but we d id it. Cong ratulations to I U KL on crossing the f i n i sh l i ne at the 6th i nsta l ment of the Sundow n Ma rathon. It was a l ong n ight w ith many wea r y r unners completing w hat many l abel as a not so easy ma rathon. The sense of satisfaction and 6 Article by: Mohd Ashraf Mohd Fateh fond memories of this special n ight race w i l l remain w ith a l l pa r tici pants fo r a l ong time. I f you want to w i n something, r un 10 0 mete r s. I f you want to ex pe r ience something, r un a ma rathon. ~ E m i l Zatopek, Czech r unner; W i nner of fou r O l ympic gold medals

7 FABE Day 2013 O n 3 r d J u l y , o v e r I U K L s t a f f a n d s t u d e n t s f r o m v a r i o u s d i sci p l i nes of the Facu lt y of A rch itecture and Built E nvi ronment (FABE) n a m e l y A r c h i t e c t u r e, L a n d s c a p e, G e o m a t i c E n g i n e e r i n g, Q u a n t i t y Su r vey i ng and Real E state Management, pa r tici pated i n the FABE Day at the at r i um of B l ock B, I U KL. This one day event was of f icially l aunched by the President and V ice - Chancellor of I U KL, Prof. D r. Ros l an Za i nal Abidin. This event was held to demonstrate the facu lt y s activities and ach ievement s fo r the yea r t o T h e w h o l e f a c u l t y w o r k e d t o g e t h e r t o o r g a n i z e t h e one - day event. There we re many activities fo r student s to pa r tici pate i n such as Batik Canting Competition, Banner D esign Competition, Scu l pture D esign Competition, Wakaf Puz z l e Competition, Cook i ng Competition, an ex h i bition to showcase the Best of Student s Wo r k, and Best Pe r fo r mance Competition. FABE Day was a succes s and received rema r kable response f rom the staf f and students of I U KL. O n 21st Aug ust 2 013, the Ca ree r D evelopment Unit and the Student Rep resentative Counci l o rganized t h e I U K L C a r e e r F a i r Ack now l edging the i ncreasing number of unemployed g raduates i n Malaysia, I U KL i s dete r m i ned to hold its annual Career Fair to invite companies a round Malaysia to meet w ith p rospective job seeke r s. For the I U KL Ca ree r Fai r 2 013, about 27 p rominent companies, namely the A l l iance Bank, Padini, and SP Setia Sdn Bhd pa r tici pated, among others. This annual event is beneficial IUK L Ca r e e r Fa i r as g raduates and senior students h a v e t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o g o f o r interviews, meet prospective employers, choose a suitable occupation and l e a r n t o b e d i s c e r n i n g a b o u t j o b of fe r s. The majorit y w ho at tended the fa i r we re f i nal yea r students. A ta l k was a l so delive red by M r. Edmund f rom Jobstreet.com. He sha red tips on how to be succes s ful i n i nte r views. Seve ra l pa r tici pating companies also shared their industrial knowledge w h ich helped students to decide thei r ca ree r paths. The Mid -Autumn Festival is also known as the Chinese Mooncake Festiva l and i s one of the most i m po r tant festiva l s fo r the Ch i nese. At this time of the yea r, the moon shines its brightest and is fully visible for anyone to see, regard l es s of d i stance. IU KL Mid-Autumn Festival 2013 To celeb rate this festiva l, the I U KL Ch i nese Societ y o rganised the I U KL M id -Autumn Festiva l on 21st September 2 013, at the Multipu r pose Hall (MPH). The theme fo r the event was Moonlight Resonance. The Ch i nese believe that by watch i ng the moon, those w ho a re a way f rom thei r family w i l l be reunited w ith them again. This event was a huge succes s. The I U KL hall was full house w here 3 0 round tables we re f i l l ed b y f a m i l y a n d f r i e n d s a n d w e r e f e t e d t o a sumptuous d i nner. I t w a s a h e a r t - w a r m i n g e v e n t w i t h r e j u v e n a t i n g pe r fo r mances such as Acrobatics, LE D dance, Sand A r t a n d C h i n e s e Yo - Yo. T h e h a l l w a s b e a u t i f u l l y deco rated w ith Ch i nese l ante r ns hung across the hall, adding joy to the festivit y. This event helped to p romote understanding of l oca l cu ltures among the i nte r national students. 7

8 PROSCAR reached its f i nale w hen Jagua r, the I U KL team, was announced the ove ra l l champion w ith 57 p o i n t s a h e a d o f S c o r p i o n, H a w k, a n d W o l f. T h i s i s another m i l estone i n the h i sto r y book fo r Protasco as the fo r mer I k ram Spo r ts Ca r n iva l o r I SCAR was changed to Protasco Spo r ts Ca r n iva l o r PROSCAR. I n YBhg. Dato S r i I r. Chong Ket Pen s speech during the l aunch of PROSCAR 2 013, he reite rated h i s w i shes that w ith the pa r tici pation of a l l staf f under Protasco, the unit y among staf f would be bet te r to foste r close r ties and to bring Protasco to greater heights as 1-Protasco w h i c h i s s y n o n y m o u s w i t h t h e g o v e r n m e n t s 1Malaysia p l an. Af te r h i s speech, he of f icially l aunched PROSCAR and its new l ogo. A l l fou r teams, Sco r pion, Jagua r, Hawk and Wo lf, came w ith thei r co l o r ful spo r ts at ti re and i n full fo rce to show suppo r t fo r PROSCAR Pr ior to the of f icial opening of PROSCAR 2 013, seve ra l PROSCAR events we re a l ready held such as the Fun and Fea r Challenge i n Lanjut Beach and Golf Reso r t, Rompin, Pahang f rom 23 to 25 Aug ust N e x t, w a s t h e B o w l i n g e v e n t w h i c h w a s h e l d i n Ampang Supe r bow l, Met ro Point, Ka jang, on Saturday, 14 September fo l l owed by Futsa l on Saturday, 21 September at Futsa l de Tonga. Other outdoo r and indoor games were held on Thursday, 26 September The day ended w ith a p r i ze g iving ce remony to a l l the w i nners. O n 15 November 2 013, Protasco Berhad celeb rated its 10th year anniversar y as a public listed company at the Sunway P y ramid Convention Cent re. The theme fo r the d i nner; G l amorous, was at tended by YBhg. Tan S r i Hadenan A. Jalil, the Chai r man of Protasco B e r h a d, Y B h g. D a t o S r i I r. C h o n g K e t P e n, t h e Managing D i recto r of Protasco, boa rd of d i recto r s a l ong w ith ove r staf f rep resenting a l l of the company s subsidiaries. The event began w ith a welcoming speech by Puan Ma r i na Jaal, the Genera l Manager of the Co r po rate Communications D epa r tment, fo l l owed by Dato S r i I r. Chong Ket Pen. I n h i s speech, Dato S r i sha red h i s dream to see the company listed in the Billion Dollar Club i n te r m s of ma r ket capita l i zation. A few of Protasco s ach ievements w ithin its ten yea r s of ex i stence we re a l so h ighlighted during the d i nner. A token of app reciation was p resented to the fo r mer D i recto r of Protasco Trading, YBhg. Datin D o r i s Yap fo r her cont r i butions towa rds the company. I n her absence, the I ndependent Non - E xecutive D i recto r o f P r o t a s c o; Y B h g. D a t o M o h d I b r a h i m M o h d N o r received the token on her behalf. Subsequently, Dato S r i a l so p resented a RM5 0,0 0 0 cheque to the Melaka Monfo r t Boys School during the d i nner as par t of Protasco Berhad s CSR programme. The money would be used to build a bake r y at the Monfo r t Boys School fo r thei r p rog ramme to teach bak i ng sk i l l s. Throughout the night, Protasco staff feasted themselves o n a s u m p t u o u s d i n n e r, a n d e n j o y e d e n g a g i n g singing and dance pe r fo r mances, as well as l uck y d r a w s. T h e e m c e e t h a t n i g h t, M e l v i n A e r i a announced the M r. and M s. G l amorous w h ich was won by En. Zulkarnain Abdul Latif and Ms. Ratanavelli Pa l anivelu. The Gala D i nner was a memorable event fo r a l l staf f. The event w h ich concl uded a round m idnight. 8

9 A s p a r t o f t h e c o n t i n u o u s e f f o r t b y I U K L t o i n v i t e i n d u s t r y p r a c t i t i o n e r s t o s h a r e t h e i r i n v a l u a b l e ex pe r ience w ith the students, the I U KL Public Lecture Se r ies i s held on a regular basis and i s o rganised by the va r ious facu lties. The Public Lecture Se r ies fo r the month of December was o rganised by the Facu lt y of E nginee r i ng and Technology I nf rastr ucture (FE T I). The i nvited speake r was YBhg. Datuk D r. Hong Lee Pi ng PJ N, a member of I U KL s Boa rd of Gove r no r s, on 12 D ecember The public l ecture entitled I nnovation Makes You Fly H i g h e r b e g a n w i t h a b r i e f i n t r o d u c t i o n o f t h e importance of innovation for the economic development and advancement of a state and nation. Datuk D r. Hong gave seve ra l examples of utilizing i nnovation fo r the rapid development and g reat succes s of an IUKL Public Lecture Series Innovation Makes You Fly Higher e n t e r p r i s e, t h e e t y m o l o g y, m i s u s e d t e r m s a n d definition of innovation, innovation process, innovator s character istics, innovation culture, and envi ronment. The i m po r tance of nur turing ch i ldren s i nte rest i n i nnovation w h i l e they a re young was a l so touched upon i n the l ecture. The session was attended by external guests from Institut Penyelidikan Pembangunan Belia Malaysia (I PPBM), A S T I N C o l l e g e, I U K L s t a f f, a n d s t u d e n t s. Y B h g. D a t u k s h a r e d s o m e o f h i s c r e a t i v e w o r k s a n d i nnovative views f rom h i s younger days w h ich made h i m b e c o m e t h e i n n ova t i ve p e r s o n h e i s to d a y. H i s accomplishments a re a testimony to that. It was an en l ightening sha r i ng and Datuk D r. Hong i nspi red young m i nds to be i nnovative. Copenhagen Solutions for Sustainable Cities T h e e x h i b i t i o n C o p e n h a g e n So l utions fo r Susta i nable Cities w a s a j o i n t c o l l a b o r a t i v e e v e n t organized by IUKL and the Embassy of D enma r k. The event was held on 18 D ecember at the at r i um of the Facu lt y of A rch itecture and Built E nvi ronment. The President and Vice-Chancellor o f I U K L, P r o f. D r. R o s l a n Z a i n a l Abidin and the Ambassado r of the Embassy of Denmark, His Excellency N i c o l a i R u g e, g r a c e d t h e e x h i b i t i o n. T h e d i g n i t a r i e s w h o attended the event included members of the Board of Governors, Prof. D r. Z u l k i f l i A b d u l H a m i d, Y B h g. Datuk E ng r. Hong Lee Pee, and YB r s M r. Benny Soh Seow, i nvitees f rom the E mbassy of D enma r k, the I U KL Management, l ecture r s and students of I U KL. The E mbassy of D enma r k set up pop up wa l l s to en l ighten viewe r s th rough appealing pictures, facts, and f igures on the ideas to make cities more l ivable and susta i nable despite economic developments. Thei r p ractica l solutions we re a t r ue example of why Copenhagen C i t y h a s b e e n n a m e d t h e European G reen Capita l. Prof. D r. Ros l an Za i nal Abidin a l so mentioned i n h i s speech that, This event w i l l b r i ng a wa renes s on the neces sit y of pe r petuating a g reen envi ronment. I n addition to the ex h i bits f rom the E mbassy of D enma r k, we had ou r o w n s t u d e n t s p r o d u c t s a n d f i n d i n g s cont r i buting to the goal of the ex h i bition. The event was an eye - opener as to the reasons w hy D enma r k has been a wa rded t h e E u r o p e a n G r e e n C a p i t a l. Majorit y of its population cycle i n o rder to reduce ca r bon pollution i n the cit y. The European G reen Capita l i s a wa rded annua l l y to recognize cities that are leading the way w ith envi ronmenta l l y f r iendly u r ban l iving. 9

10 Iukl Chinese Spring Festival 2014 On 21st January 2014, the IUKL Chinese S o c i e t y o r g a n i s e d t h e I U K L Ch i nese Sp r i ng Festiva l at the Multipu r pose Hall, I U KL. This yea r being the yea r of the ho r se acco rd i ng to the Ch i nese zod iac, the theme fo r this event was The Auspicious Yea r by The Majestic Horse. For the opening g i m m ick, t wo ho r ses we re b rought i nto the hall. A pa i r of sci s so r s was b rought on one of the ho r ses fo r the President and V ice - Chancellor of I U KL, Prof. D r. Ros l an Za i nal Abidin to cut the r i bbon and l aunch the event. It was i ndeed a p l easant su r p r i se fo r a l l to have the t wo ho r ses i n the hall. The opening g i m m ick was one of a k i nd, neve r befo re done. The at tendees, compri sing staf f as well as students of I U KL and a l so students f rom the neighbou r i ng i nstitutions such as Unive r siti Put ra M a l a y s i a ( U P M ), U n i v e r s i t i K e b a n g s a a n M a l a y s i a ( U K M ) and Unive r siti Tenaga Nasional (U N I TEN) feasted thei r eyes on the l ovely deco rations, a l l i nspi red by the year of the horse. The audience w a s m e s m e r i s e d b y t h e per formances such as the majestic L ion Dance, Mask Changing and the 24 Season D r ums j ust to name a few. By o rganising this event, the I U KL Chinese Society hopes to emphasise t h e i m p o r t a n c e o f p r e s e r v i n g Ch i nese t raditions and cu lture. O n 6 Feb r ua r y 2 014, the I ndian Cu ltura l Societ y had o rganised a cha r it y event k now n as RU I I I 2 014, at the Multipu r pose Hall. RU i s o rganised to ra i se funds fo r a boy named Navelash Sug uma r, aged 18 months w ho suf fe r s f rom a ra re d i so rder ca l l ed bone ma r row. Navelash i s being t reated at the Appolo Hospita l i n Chennai, I ndia. This event has been held since T h e l i s t o f i n t e r e s t i n g p e r f o r m a n c e s t h a t n i g h t i ncl uded sketches, songs and dances by ou r ve r y ow n IUKL students. SEGI University students and local artists a l so pe r fo r med to a full house until m idnight. The aud ience we re spot ted singing and clapping hands along with the per formers. The presence of the media a t t h i s e v e n t a l s o u p l i f t e d t h e s p i r i t s o f t h e I ndian Cu ltura l Societ y members. A tota l of RM3 5,0 0 0 was co l l ected th rough the sa l e of tickets and donations f rom 23 companies. With the continuing support from the IUKL management, the I ndian Cu ltura l Societ y of I U KL i s more eager to hold future cha r itable wo r k s. Protasco Berhad Chinese New Year Lunch The Malaysian tradition of hosting open houses during festiva l s has become a med i um th rough w h i c h p e o p l e u n i t e f o r t h e continuit y of ha r mony and p rog res s. Protasco Berhad hosted a Ch i nese New Yea r L u n c h o n 1 2 t h Feb r ua r y 2 014, fo r its staff. Hosting the ceremony w a s E x e c u t i v e V i c e Chai r man and G roup Managing Director, YBhg. Dato S r i I r. Chong Ket Pen w ith the p resence of Protasco Berhad s Chai r man, YBhg. Tan S r i Datuk D r. Hadenan A. Jalil, and Chairman of Kumpulan I k ram Sdn Bhd, YBhg. Tan S r i Othman Ri jal. The l unch was fo r a l l staf f f rom a l l the companies under Protasco Berhad. The event was b l es sed w ith a hea r t pounding pe r fo r mance of the t raditional L ion Dance which received an over whelming response f rom the members of Protasco Berhad. VI P g uests then p a r t i c i p a t e d i n tossing Yee Sang, a d i sh made of f i sh and a v a r i e t y o f v e g e t a b l e s, w h ich i s a must during Ch i nese New Year to symbolise prosperity. The g uests we re se r ved an a r ray of t raditional delicacies and a fusion of Malay- Nyonya cuisine.

11 English LAH : Proficiency in a Professional Setting O n 12 th Feb r ua r y 2 014, the students under tak i ng the course, Corporate Communication under the Department of Communication, Facu lt y of A r ts, Communication and Education (FACE) o rganised a panel d i scussion called English LAH : Proficiency in a Professional Setting. This event took p l ace at the Confe rence Hall and was at tended by 8 0 to 10 0 staf f members and students. The topic of the discussion received a good reception as the Confe rence Hall was packed th roughout the three hour session. In this lively discussion, the panelists sha red thei r i nsights on the E nglish - based creole (o r M a n g l i s h ) a s s p o k e n i n M a l a y s i a a n d w h e t h e r i t i s acceptable i n p rofes sional set tings. T h e i n v i t e d p a n e l i s t s w e r e A s s o c i a t e P r o f e s s o r D r. Ch r i stiantine D ella, the V ice - President fo r Academic and Q ua l it y A s su rance, I U KL; A s sociate Profes so r D r. Ganakuma ran Sub ramanian, the D i recto r of Stud ies, School of Education, Unive r sit y of Not tingham and President of the Malaysian English Language Teaching A s sociation; E n. Ami r Mahmood Ra zak, D i recto r of St rateg ic Communication and Public Relations fo r MRT Co r po rations; M s. Yang Mee E ng, D epa r tmenta l Head of St rateg ic and Pl anning i n Creative Multimed ia fo r the Multimed ia D evelopment Co r po ration (MDeC) and T e n g k u A d r i a n T u a n I s m a i l, e x - S e n i o r M a n a g e r i n Communication and Public Relations fo r Felda G l obal Ventu res. L u n c h w a s s e r ve d a t t h e e n d o f t h e s e s s i o n a n d t h e at tendees received good ie bags as doo r g if ts. IUKL WINS GOLD AND SILVER MEDALS AT I-ENVEX2014, UNIMAP The I nf rastr ucture Unive r sit y Kua l a Lumpu r (I U KL) i s delighted to w i n the gold and silve r a wa rds i n this yea r s p restigious I nte r national E nginee r i ng I nvention & I nnovation E x h i bition (I - E NVE X 2 014) o rganised by Unive r siti Malaysia Pe r l i s (U N I M AP). The event was held f rom 11 to 13 April This succes s i s another m i l estone fo r I U KL i n its jou r ney towa rds reach i ng excellence i n i nnovation and i nvention activities. I U KL pa r tici pated i n the I - E NVE X to showcase the creativit y, k now l edge and resea rch sk i l l s of its students and staf f i n creating i nnovations and i nventions that w i l l benef it the societ y, i m p rove t h e q u a l i t y o f l i f e a n d e n h a n c e t h e s o c i o economic well - being of the nation. The p roducts that we re chosen to compete at the I - E NVE X we re The Robustnes s of SteFib Co l umn and the Reuse of Sugarcane Bagasse as Bioso r bent. The team fo r The Robustnes s of SteFib Co l umn was l ed by D r. N u r ha r n i za Abdul Rahman and the t e a m f o r t h e R e u s e o f S u g a r c a n e B a g a s s e a s B i o s o r b e n t w a s l e d b y M r. W a i K i e n T a t ; b o t h s e n i o r l e c t u r e r s w i t h t h e D e p a r t m e n t o f C i v i l E nginee r i ng at the Facu lt y of E nginee r i ng and Technology I nf rastr ucture at I U KL. The Robustnes s of SteFib Co l umn received a gold a wa rd i n the categor y of Building, Construction & Mate r ials w h i l e the Reuse of Sugarcane Bagasse a s B i o s o r b e n t r e c e i v e d a s i l v e r a w a r d i n t h e Ag r icu lture, E nvi ronment and Renewable E nergy categor y. Pr ior to I - E NVE X 2 014, both p roducts were entr ies in the internal competition organised b y I U K L. R e u s e o f S u g a r c a n e B a g a s s e a s B i o s o r b e n t w a s a w a r d e d T h e M o s t P r o m i s i n g Inventor in the Infrastructure University Innovation a n d I n v e n t i o n C o m p e t i t i o n ( I U I I C ). T h e Robustnes s of SteFib Co l umn secu red a silve r a wa rd at the I U I I C W i nning the gold and silve r a wa rds at I - E NVE X reaf f i r m s the qua l it y of the research products by our young researchers. I - E NVE X a wa rd i s a fantastic ach ievement fo r I U KL i n its quest to be recognised as one of the l eading Pr ivate H igher Lea r n i ng I nstitutions w ith a n iche i n sof t and ha rd i nf rastr ucture. A s another s t e p f o r w a r d, I U K L w i l l b e o r g a n i z i n g P e r t a n d i n g a n I n o v a s i d a n R e k a c i p t a I n s t i t u s i Pengajian T inggi Swasta (PERINTIS2014) suppor ted by the Ministr y of Education (MOE) on 10 September This event w i l l be open to a l l Pr ivate H igher Learning Institutions, Public Higher Learning Institutions and Seconda r y Schools. D r. Nu r h a r n i za Abdu l Ra h m a n l e d h e r te a m w i t h t h e Reu s e of Su g a rca n e B a g a s s e a s B i o s o r b ent 11

12 St u d e n t St u d y Tr i ps Student exchange p rog rammes and study visits among unive r sities a re becoming more popular and a re a l so becoming an i nteg ra l pa r t of a unive r sit y s education. Many unive r sities across the g l obe have i n itiated student exchange p rog rammes, visits and s t u d y t o u r s w h i c h a r e i n t e n d e d t o i n c r e a s e t h e pa r tici pants understanding and to l e rance of other cu ltures, as well as i m p roving thei r l anguage sk i l l s and b roadening thei r social ho r i zons. IUKL students have taken the opportunity to participate i n Sit- i n Prog rammes at t wo unive r sities ab road. Both student study visits we re chape roned by A s sociate Profes so r D r. Seloamoney Pa l aniandy. Article by: AP. Dr. Seloamoney Palaniandy 2. Study t r i p to Yogyaka r ta State Unive rsit y, Yogyaka r ta (YSU) (18 Ma rch Ma rch 2 014) This fou r- day study t r i p was pa r tici pated by f ive bachelor students from FBA and eight diploma students from FACE and a student from the Faculty of Foundation Stud ies accompanied by t wo l ecture r s. The Pu rpose/ra t ionale: E xposure to dif ferent educational systems and culture w i l l en r ich ou r students w ith r ich ex pe r iences hence enhanci ng thei r status as qua l it y g raduates fo r a bet te r tomor row. A s pa r tici pating students w i l l be d i rectly i nvo lved i n the p l anning and o rganizing of the p roposed p rog ramme, they a re ex pected to gain management and o rganizing sk i l l s i n the p roces s. Just like lessons and classroom discussions, the learning ex pe r iences i n real l ife situations w i l l have a l a rge i m p a c t o n a s t u d e n t s k n o w l e d g e. A s t u d y t r i p, especially the one that i nvo lves fo reign count r ies, will provide them with the opportunity to meet people of d if fe rent backg rounds, and the i nte raction and conve r sations they have w ith them w i l l ce r ta i n l y challenge them and thei r pe r spectives. 1. Study v i s i t to At h l one I nstitute o f Technology, I re l and (AIT) (8 September September 2 013) This visit was pa r tici pated by fou r bachelor students f rom the Facu lt y of Busines s and Accounting (FBA) and a student from the Faculty of Ar ts, Communication a n d E d u c a t i o n ( F A C E ) a n d t h e c h a p e r o n e w a s A s sociate Profes so r D r. Seloamoney Pa l aniandy. S t u d e n t s, p a r t i c u l a r l y a t t e r t i a r y l e v e l s h o u l d b e a l l owed and encou raged to take advantage of study t o u r o p p o r t u n i t i e s t o e x p e r i e n c e l a n g u a g e immersion to sha r pen thei r social communication sk i l l s as well. Among the best p l aces to visit ab road a re those w here students must step outside thei r comfo r t zones by having to navigate another cu lture i n a fo reign l anguage as i n the d i rections of the t wo succes s ful study p rog rammes conducted by I U KL. I n the one -week study p rog rammes, students had the ra re oppo r tunit y to ex pe r ience classroom l ectures i n a foreign university environment, had dialogue sessions w i t h l e c t u r e r s a n d s t u d e n t r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s, a n d pa r tici pated i n co - cu r r icu l a r activities. 12

13 Student Mobility Programme LEGEND I : I nte r viewe r S : Sabine An inter view was recently conducted with Ms. Sabine Tijdeman, an exchange student from Hanze University of Applied Sciences, G roningen, Nether l ands w ho joined the I nf rastructure Unive r sit y Kua l a Lumpu r ( I U K L ) s S t u d e n t M o b i l i t y P r o g r a m m e. S h e w a s a student at the Faculty of Business and Accounting (FBA). Befo re l eaving the Unive r sit y, M s. Sabine sha red her ex pe r iences at I U KL and Malaysia i n genera l. I: How was you r t i me he re a t IUKL? S: I have made many friends from different countries. I did face difficulties in communicating with others a s e a c h o f u s c o m e s f ro m a d i f f e re n t c u l t u re. Malaysians tend to be indirect when they wish to deliver a message but in our culture, it is the opposite s o s o m e ti m e s t h e re wi l l b e m i s c o m m u n i c a ti o n between us. I: Why d id you choose IUKL to do the student mobility p rog ramme? S : W h e n I w a s b r o w s i n g t h e n e t t o f i n d a n institution to do this programme, I chose Malaysia because of the peaceful atmosphere and I felt that I can gain cultural opportunities as well. I: Wha t was you r favou r i te class to a t tend? Do you have a favou r i te lectu re r? S: I enjoyed the International Relations class as I had the opportunity to learn more about the world. It was a very interesting class taught by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Faridah, who is also my favourite lecturer. I: Could you sha re mo re wi th us abou t you r jou rney? S: When I started the student mobility programme a t I U K L, I h a d a b i t o f a c u l t u re s h o c k. S o m e lecturers have a strong Malay accent when they speak in English which makes it difficult for me to understand the lecture at times but I managed to adapt after a month. I: What is the most impor tant thing for you to represent you r countr y when you a re abroad? S: If you plan to go abroad, we have to keep an open mind so we will be ready to accept new things and be more optimistic towards new ideas. When we are open minded, we will have a better understanding o f l i f e b e c a u s e we wi l l vi e w i t a s a jo u rn e y a n d learning experience. I: Is you r countr y faci ng any cr i sis a t the moment? S: Yes, we are actually facing economic crisis. Many people are laid off in Netherlands. Here, Malaysians go out for dinner and shop almost every day. In Netherlands, all shops are closed at 6pm. Food and clothing are more expensive there. When we do go o u t f o r d i n n e r, i t wi l l u s u a l l y b e f o r a s pe c i a l occasion. I: How has you r stay i n Ma laysia been so fa r? S: It has been a great time. I learned a lot about the various cultures in Malaysia. This country is rich with culture and I really respect that. You don t see this in many other countries. I: Wha t do you plan to do when you retu rn to you r homeland? S: After this semester (October 2013), I will be doing my internship at Madrid, Spain for five months and I will return to my university to complete my final semester. I: Wha t wi l l be the one memo r y i n IUKL tha t you wi l l neve r forget? S: It s hard for me to pinpoint one as I have so many memories here but I will never forget the farewell party that Dr. Faridah organized for me for the International Relations class. In Netherlands, the students are not very close with the lecturers but here in Malaysia, it is the opposite. For example, the s tu d e n ts s h a re s to ri e s a b o u t th e i r va c a ti o n s o r problems to the lecturers. The lecturers here are caring and are always willing to lend an ear. I: Would you come to Ma laysia again i f you have anothe r chance? S: I would love to if I get financial aid (laughs) * Fo r fu r ther i nfo r mat i on on the s tudent Mob i l it y P rog ra m me, p l ease contact the V i ce - P res i dent (Academic a nd Qua l it y As surance) of IUKL. 13

14 Seminar on Geospatial Disaster and UNESCO Help-Basin: From 17th to 18th June 2013, the Seminar on Geospatial Disaster and UNESCO Help - Basin: Water Co - operation, Secu r it y and Geohaza rds was held at the Cititel M id V a l l e y, K u a l a L u m p u r. T h i s s e m i n a r w a s j o i n t l y o rganised by I nf rastr ucture Unive r sit y Kua l a Lumpu r ( I U K L ) a n d H u m i d T r o p i c s C e n t r e K u a l a L u m p u r, D e p a r t m e n t o f I r r i g a t i o n a n d D r a i n a g e ( D I D ) i n co l l abo ration w ith the I nstitute fo r E nvi ronment and D e v e l o p m e n t ( L E S T A R I ), U n i v e r s i t y K e b a n g s a a n M a l a y s i a ( U K M ) a n d t h e C e n t r e f o r S u s t a i n a b l e Tech nology and E nvi ronment (C STEN) of Unive r siti Tenaga Nasional (U N I TEN). A b o u t 8 0 p a r t i c i p a n t s f r o m a b r o a d c a t e g o r y o f p r o f e s s i o n s p a r t i c i p a t e d i n t h e s e m i n a r a n d 11 pape r s we re p resented. O ne of the pape r s was by ou r ve r y ow n I U KL President and V ice - Chancellor, Prof. D r. Ros l an Za i nal Abidin, w ho p resented on Rive r Bank E rosion: Ri sk Potential w ith regards to Soil E rod i bilit y. The welcoming add res s was delive red by Water Co-operation, Security and Geohazards the D i recto r of H umid Tropics Cent re Kua l a Lumpu r, D r. Haji Mohamed Roseli Za i nal Abidin. The ove ra l l objectives of the semina r we re: To d i scuss i s sues, challenges and p revention of geospatial d i saste r s To d i s seminate cu r rent i nfo r mation on methods used i n the p revention of geospatial related d i saste r s To p rovide a p l at fo r m fo r k now l edge sha r i ng on geospatial related d i saste r s among i ndustr y p l aye r s, academicians, gove r nment and p r ivate secto r s. This t wo - day semina r hoped to benef it pa r tici pants by enhanci ng k now l edge, management sk i l l s, i n planning, design, in the execution of works, in academic, research and development including commercialization of se r vices and p roducts. 14

15 The 12th International Symposium on River Sedimentation: Soil Erosion Risk Potential with regards to Rainfall Erosivity along Langat River, Malaysia The 12 th I nte r national Symposium on Rive r Sed i mentation (I SRS2 013) was held from 2nd to 5th September 2013 in Kyoto, Japan. This symposium wa s o rg a n i s e d by t h e I S RS2 013 s l oca l o rganising commit tee. About 448 abstracts from 36 countries we re received by the I SRS2 013 and 274 pape r s we re selected by the Review Boa rd to be i ncl uded in the A d v a n c e s i n R i v e r S e d i m e n t Research publication. The President a n d V i c e - C h a n c e l l o r o f t h e I n f ra s t r u c t u re U n i ve r s i t y Ku a l a L u m p u r ( I U K L ), P r o f. D r. R o s l a n Zainal Abidin and Ms. Naimah Yusoff, l ecture r of I U KL, we re i nvited to p r e s e n t t h e i r p a p e r o n S o i l Erosion Ri sk Potential w ith regards to Rainfall Erosivity along the Langat Rive r, Malaysia. Thei r pape r was a l so selected to be i ncl uded i n the pub l ication. This s ymposium i s a t r iennial event w h ich b r i ngs together the wo r ld s sed i ment p rofes sionals. The pu r pose of the study was to eva l uate the deg ree of ra i nfa l l erosiveness along the Langat River, Malaysia w h ich can be used as a tool i n i ndicating the deg ree of r i v e r b a n k e r o s i o n. T h e m a i n objective of the p resentation was to create and spread the awareness of the e rosive nature of ra i nfa l l. Through the signif icant f i ndings of the study, suitable m itigating measu res can be p roposed and taken to p revent se r ious e rosion of the Langat Rive r bank. Thus, it would benef it the count r y i n te r m s o f c o s t r e d u c t i o n i n r i v e r b a n k p rotection. This fou r- day s ymposium p rovided an active p l at fo r m fo r scientists, enginee r s and policy- make r s to exchange ideas, share information a n d e x p l o r e p o s s i b i l i t i e s f o r co l l abo ration. Student Representative Council 2013/2014 President Tanach jeyan A /L Dana ra jee Congratulations V i c e President I Musa Adeyemi O nundi G e n e r a l S e c r et a r y I Joan Kow Kei Yan Tr e a s u r e r Darl ene Jane Labo r H e a d of We l f a r e B u r e au Athi r Amani B i n J unaidi H e a d of Publicit y B u r e au Muhammad Zu l hai r i B i n Jamalud i n H ead of Event M a n a g e m e nt Muhammad Faiz B i n Jamal V i c e President I Shaik B i n Muhd Rashad G e n e r a l S e c r et a r y I I E z zah Sya za B i nti Za id Ahmad Khan H e a d of Ac a d e m i c B u r e au A l if Redzuan Tenang B i n Mohamad Suhaimi H e a d of Spor t s & Recreat i o n a l B u r e au Sughanth A /L Saa rathy H ead of Clubs & S o c i et i e s B u r e au Syed Abdullah B i n Syed Mohsen A l Habshi H e a d of Inter n at i o n a l B u r e au Fa r i s J i had Thyab Abdul Rahman Aminu Ghali 15

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