April Issue - UTAR News - Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman

UNIVERSITI TUNKU ABDUL RAHMANHORIZONBroadening Horizons Transforming LivesWholly owned by UTAR Education Foundation (Co. No. 578227-M)KDN: PQ/PP100-0/14/18April2012Joyous UTAR 14th Convocation >p10UTAR held its 14th convocation on 17 and 18 March 2012 at Wisma MCA, Kuala Lumpur, bringingthe total number of UTAR alumni to 26,789.UTAR signs five pacts >p2Three UTAR excellence awardsfor five staff >p7UTAR PR students raise RM102,000and make record-breakingorigami mosaic >p12烟 花 三 月 - 中 华 研 究 院 师 生 书 画 联 展>p19UTAR hosts PIERS, the first inMalaysia >p5UTAR solar power researchinterests Minister >p8UTAR duo shares Germanexperience >p15Malam warna-warni >p20Publisher : Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman9, Jalan Bersatu 13/4, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul EhsanPrinter : Farben Printing Services16, Jalan Tuanku 4, Taman Salak Selatan, 57100 Kuala Lumpur

UTARHORIZON2 Collaboration at WorkAPRIL 2012UTAR signs five pactsHospital Tapah –medical specialist servicesOn 16 April 2012, UTAR was among 22 public and privateinstitutions of higher learning selected to sign an agreement withthe Ministry of Health (MoH) at Hospital Tapah to share theirresources to provide medical specialist services at the hospital.Prof Chuah (second from right) exchanging MoU documents with Lee, while(from left) Dato’ Dr Hou, Dato Sri’ Liow, Tun Dr Ling and Dato’ Ir Yap look on.Hospital Sungai Long– resource sharing“It is truly encouraging to see two neighbouring institutionscoming together to leverage synergies that will benefit medicalprofessionals, teaching staff, students and the community,” saidHealth Minister Dato’ Sri Liow Tiong Lai at the official launchingceremony of Hospital Sungai Long on 1 March 2012. Theneighbours the minister was referring to were UTAR Faculty ofMedicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) and Hospital Sungai Long.Signing the agreement on behalf of UTAR was Prof Chuah andon behalf of the MoH was its Secretary General Datuk KamarulZaman bin Md Isa while UTAR FMHS Deputy Dean Prof Dr YapSook Fan and MoH Deputy Director General of Health (Medical)Datuk Dr Noor Hisham bin Abdullah signed as witnesses. Presentto officiate the event was Minister of Health Dato’ Sri Liow. Otherspresent were Perak State Executive Committee Member Dato’ DrMah Hang Soon and MoH Director General Dato’ Sri Hasan binAbdul Rahman.“The agreement signed at Hospital Tapah expanded the facilitiesand resources available to our medical, health sciences andallied sciences students,” said Prof Chuah, adding that UTARwould always assure their students with adequate teaching andresearch resources.Under the agreement, the Government would upgrade HospitalTapah to render specialist services available.During the ceremony, UTAR President Ir Prof Academician Dato’Dr Chuah Hean Teik and Hospital Sungai Long General ManagerRic Lee Juin Sye exchanged the documents of memorandum ofunderstanding (MoU) to officially announce their collaborationwhile Deputy Higher Education Minister Dato’ Dr Hou Kok Chungpresented the letter of approval for UTAR’s part-time Bachelor ofChinese Medicine (Hons) programme to Prof Chuah to officiallylaunch the part-time programme.Also present at the ceremony were, UTAR Council Chairman TunDr Ling Liong Sik, UTAR Education Foundation Board of TrusteesChairman Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Sak Cheng Lum and Sin Heap Leeexecutive directors Dato’ Ir Yap Chong Lee and Dato’ Yap TeiongChoon.Institute of Materials, Malaysia– establishing student chapterProf Chuah (left) exchanging documents with Datuk Kamarul, while(from left) Dato’ Sri Liow and Dato’ Dr Mah look on.UTAR and the Institute of Materials, Malaysia (IMM) signed anMoU during IMM’s 22nd general meeting on 30 March 2012 toestablish the UTAR-IMM Materials Student Chapter.Signing on behalf of both parties were UTAR Vice President(Student Development and Alumni Relations) Dr Teh Chee Sengand IMM President Prof Dr Mohamed Kamal Harun. Signing aswitnesses were UTAR Deputy Dean of FES (Student Developmentand Industrial Training) Dr Lai Soon Onn and IMM DeputyPresident Prof Dr Che Husna Azhari.Under the MoU, IMM would bring in industry experts to holdseminars, conferences and career talks in UTAR, facilitateindustrial visits and training placement for UTAR students, andwaive the UTAR student chapter membership fee.MoU signed (from left): Dr Lai, Dr Teh, Prof Kamal and ProfHusna“I hope that with the cooperation and support from IMM, UTARwill produce a significant number of graduates specialisedin materials science, technology, and engineering, who willcontribute positively to the country’s economy”, said Dr Teh.

UTARHORIZONAPRIL 2012 3Tan Sri Lim (second from left) presenting a mock cheque to Prof Chuah, while, from left, Lee, Dato’ Dr Hou, Tun Dr Ling and Dr Lim look on.Top Glove Foundation –endowed professorial chairTop Glove Foundation and UTAR signed an agreement to establishthe Chair of Top Glove Professor of Chemistry at the Head Officeof Top Glove Corporation Berhad in Klang on 18 April 2012.Signing the agreement were Prof Chuah and Top GloveCorporation Berhad founder and Top Glove Foundation ChairmanTan Sri Lim Wee Chai. UTAR Faculty of Science Dean Dr Lim TuckMeng and Top Group Managing Director and TG FoundationTrustee Member KM Lee signed as witnesses.Under the agreement, UTAR would receive RM1.25 million fromTop Glove Foundation to establish the chair, the ninth endowedchair in UTAR, which aimed at pooling resources of the twopartners to advance research and development in the field ofChemistry.“The establishment of the chair is a combined effort to synergisethe respective strengths of UTAR research programmes andTop Glove’s resources and expertise to boost research anddevelopment activities,” said Tan Sri Lim, adding that thecollaboration would bring more research outcomes that wouldcontribute to the future development of Top Glove, UTAR andthe country.“I am glad to highlight that this chair, which will be establishedat the Faculty of Science in UTAR Perak Campus, would enablethe appointment of an excellent expert to lead research anddevelopment in the area of Chemistry,” said Prof Chuah afterthanking Top Glove Foundation for the donation.“The establishment of the chair is a combinedeffort to synergise the respective strengths of UTARresearch programmes and Top Glove’s resourcesand expertise to boost research and developmentactivities,”Tan Sri LimTamkang University, Taiwan– academic cooperation“I wish to see today’s agreement to be actively pursued, leadingit to a fruitful relationship between the two universities,” saidDeputy Higher Education Minister Dato’ Dr Hou (picture, centre)at the signing ceremony of an academic cooperation agreementbetween UTAR and Tamkang University, Taiwan at UTAR PetalingJaya Campus on 2 March 2012. He added that there was an urgentneed to expose to more Taiwan students about higher educationexperience and opportunities in Malaysia.The agreement was signed by Prof Chuah (left) and his counterpartfrom Tamkang University President Prof Dr Flora C I Chang (right).Tamkang University, founded as a college in 1950, is one of theoldest private universities in Taiwan. It has 28,000 students and220,000 alumni.“With the signing of the academic cooperation agreement today,I am certain that the partnership between UTAR and TamkangUniversity has commenced on a strong footing and subsequentlythere will be many concrete collaborative activities in manyareas,” said Prof Chuah.

UTARHORIZON4 From Talks to ForumsAPRIL 2012UK-Malaysia Innovation SymposiumUTAR and UK-Malaysia Partners in Science jointly organised andheld the ‘UK-Malaysia Innovation Symposium: Commercialisationof Science Ideas’ at UTAR Sungai Long Campus on 28 February2012. It was sponsored by British High Commission in KualaLumpur and supported by the Ministry of Science, Technologyand Innovation and Malaysian Industry-Government Group forHigh Technology.Nanotechnology, intellectual property, innovation strategies andrenewable energy were among the topics presented by expertspeakers from universities and agencies from the two countries.UTAR Prof Cheng Min Yu (right) chaired the first section withpanel speakers Adlan Ahmad of Agensi Inovasi Malaysia (left)and Dr Chris Hemingway of Marks & Clerk, UK. While theother sessions were chaired by UTAR Vice President (R&D andCommercialisation) Prof Dr Lee Sze Wei, and Dr Lau Teck Chai andsenior lecturer Hen Kai Wah from UTAR Faculty of Accountancyand Management.Industry advisor shares on projectmanagement“A project is not just a project;it is an organisational strategicimplementation to meet itsobjective,” said Sunway SharedServices Centre Director CheahKok Hoong (picture), an industryadvisor to UTAR Faculty ofInformation and CommunicationTechnology at a talk on ‘ProjectManagement’ at UTAR PerakCampus on 22 February 2012.Cheah further shared with anaudience of about 100 UTARstaff and students on the core areas of project managementwhich were integration management, scope management,time management, quality management, human resourcemanagement, communication management, risk managementand procurement management.Prof Dr Chan Li Chong (picture),chair professor of the Departmentof Pathology, Li Ka Shing Facultyof Medicine and co-director ofthe Centre for the Humanitiesand Medicine, University ofHong Kong, who was serving asan external examiner at UTARFaculty of Medicine and HealthSciences, presented a talk atUTAR Sungai Long Campus on 28March 2012.In a lecture titled ‘MedicalHumanities and the Developmentof Social Responsibility and Accountability of HealthcareProfessionals’ under the UTAR 10th Anniversary PublicLecture Series, Prof Dr Chan shared his experiences onhow humanistic values could be instilled into healthcareprofessionals through medical schools. He suggested relookingat teaching and learning process to ensure successfuldevelopment of social responsibility and accountabilityamong the healthcare professionals.LSE professor emeritustalks on time seriesAnother lecture under the UTAR 10th Anniversary Public LectureSeries titled ‘Threshold Models in Time Series – More Than 30Years on’ was given by London School of Economics ProfessorEmeritus Howell Tong, an external examiner for UTAR Bachelor ofScience (Hon) Statistical Computing and Operation Research whovisited the university from 26 to 30 March 2012.To some 40 UTAR staff and students, ProfTong presented on the limitation of linearTime Series model, various Thresholdmodels, stationary distributions and fittingSETAR models. He said that Thresholdmodels were applied in areas such asecology, actuarial science, economyand finance, water resources,unemployment data, interest rates,and prices.Career path for engineersOver 200 UTAR Engineering students packed a lecture hall at UTARKuala Lumpur Campus on 26 February 2012 to listen to a talk titled“Career Path for Engineers” organised by the UTAR-IEM StudentChapter.The talk was given by Ir. Lai Sze Ching(picture), a professional engineer witha Master’s degree in law and morethan 30 years of working experiencein the field of infrastructure,water supply and wastewatertreatment and an accreditor ofthe Engineering AccreditationCouncil Malaysia.HKU professor talks onmedical humanities

UTAR hosted the31st Progress inE l e c t r o m a g n e t i c sResearch Symposium(PIERS), which washeld for the first time inMalaysia, at a hotel inPetaling Jaya from 27 to30 March 2012.UTAR hosts PIERS,the first in Malaysia“I would like to commendthe initiative of UTAR andProfessor Chuah in bidding for the hosting of 31st PIERS to beheld for the first time in Malaysia,” said Tourism Minister Dato’Sri Dr Ng Yen Yen (picture) who was the guest-of-honour at thebanquet dinner on 29 March 2012. UTAR successfully brought thesymposium, considered as the most prestigious for researchersin the electromagnetics field, to the country after it had beenheld 30 times in many countries around the world.“I would like to thank The Electromagnetics Academy forappointing UTAR to be the organiser of this internationalprestigious symposium,” said UTAR President Ir Prof AcademicianDato’ Dr Chuah Hean Teik, adding that UTAR was glad to host thisprestigious symposium in conjunction with the University’s 10thanniversary celebration this year.PIERS provides an international forum for reporting progress andadvances in the modern development of electromagnetic theoryand its new and exciting applications in the areas such as spectrathat range from statics to RF (radio frequency), microwave, andphotonics. Topics discussed in the symposium were radiation,propagation, diffraction, scattering, guidance, resonance, power,energy and force issues, and all other latest developments in thefield.China in those daysWho would ever think that a non-Chinesecould be so passionate about China that hewrote a book about it? Thomas Brandt(picture), born in Hamburg, Germany, did.He wrote a book titled ‘China in ThoseDays’.Brant was invited by UTAR Centre ofExtension Education and Franciscan ClubKuala Lumpur to give a talk about hisbook at UTAR Petaling Jaya Campuson 28 February 2012. He said thathis book features a collection ofphotographs and postcards depicting Chinesehistory, their way of life, customs, arts, culture, and scenes ofdifferent provinces and cities in China. He also wrote about the ChineseDiaspora and overseas Chinese communities including those in the USA,Indonesia, Myanmar and Singapore.“The success of my book should serve as a grand celebration of theinvention of postcards in Europe about 140 years ago,” said Brandt,adding that he had a large collection of postcards, more than 9,000 onChina alone, most dating from 1890s to 1930s.UTARHORIZONAPRIL 2012 5Social media entrepreneur shares tipsAnother entrepreneur who shared his success story was Plurk.com co-founder Alvin Woon (picture). Thetalk was jointly organised by UTAR andthe Associated Chinese Chambers ofCommerce and Industry Malaysia atUTAR Petaling Jaya Campus on 16 March2012.“When you are young it is the best timeto venture into entrepreneurship andcan still afford to fail”, said the Sarawakbornentrepreneur. Addressing thosewho were interested in pioneeringtheir own business, Woonadvised them not to start it justfor making profit but rather tothink of solving problems andmake life easier for others.Plurk.com is a Twitter-like social networking website that has gainedmuch popularity in Asia. The website’s number of users grew fromzero to millions within one year after it was created in November2007 and it is one of the hottest social sites in the region. Woon, wholed the art direction at the start-up stage of the website, explainedthat the main goal of a social networking website was to give usersa rich conversational experience that involved reading from left toright instead of from top to bottom.JobStreet.com CEO: Character is destiny“Character is destiny,” said JobStreet.com Founder and Chief Executive OfficerMark Chang Mun Kee (picture), sharinga piece of wisdom from his uncle ata talk under UTAR EntrepreneurialTalk Series held at Perak Campus on22 February 2012. On what can leadan individual to success, Chang said,“You must be hardworking, caringand humble to learn. Whatever youdo, you should always check on yourmoral compass and do it in a properway. Then you will be successful.”Born a petrol station operator’s sonand a tin miner’s grandson in the tin-mining town of Kampar,Chang was inspired at a young age to be an engineer. Herelated his story from the time he could not read Englishaloud in class when he was 15 years old to the time he hadbecome a successful entrepreneur.As he took only RM16,000 with him to the USA to studyin the University of Texas, he had to work in a cafeteria,packed its leftover food, and got the clothes and homeappliances from graduating housemates to save enoughmoney to pay fees and expenses. When he startedhis Master’s programme in Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology (MIT), he could not understand what hisclassmates were doing and talking about. At times, he hadto read a number of reference books just to understand atextbook but eventually he graduated with all A’s from MIT.Chang related these anectodes of challenges he had facedin his talk.

UTARHORIZON6 UTAR Plays HostAPRIL 2012Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine,ChinaOn 1 March 2012, five delegates from Nanjing University ofChinese Medicine led by its Vice President Xia Youbin (fifthfrom left) visited UTAR Perak Campus and then PetalingJaya Campus. At Petaling Jaya Campus, they met with UTARPresident Ir Prof Academician Dato’ Dr Chuah Hean Teik(fifth from right), Department of Chinese Medicine HeadProf Dr Zhai Yachun (second from right) and other UTARstaff.Universitas Katolik Soegijapranata,IndonesiaThree delegates from Universitas Katolik Soegijapranata orSoegijapranata Catholic University, Semarang, Indonesia ledby its Faculty of Letters Dean Heny Hartono (third from right)visited UTAR Perak Campus on 29 March 2012. With herwere lecturers Adhyenggono (left) and Emelia Ninik Aydawati(right). The delegates met with UTAR Faculty of Arts andSocial Science Dean Dr Sebastian Francis (third from left),and staff from the Department of Language and Linguistics(from left), department head Krishnan Vengidasamy andsenior lecturer Renu Kailsan.Universiti Teknologi MalaysiaThirty postgraduate students from Universiti Teknologi Malaysialed by its Faculty of Civil Engineering senior lecturer Dr Aznah NorAnuar visited UTAR Faculty of Engineering and Green Technologyat Perak Campus on 3 April 2012. It was a field trip to learn moreabout research and lab facilities of UTAR. Picture: Lecturer YowLi Ping (left) explaining about the lab equipment to the visitors.Eihin High School, JapanUTAR Petaling Jaya Campus hosted 36 students from Eishin HighSchool, Japan on 6 March 2012. Led by their teachers, the 16-year-old youngsters came to Malaysia for a one-week studytour. Their visit to UTAR was part of the Japanese-UTAR CulturalExchange Program, where students from both countries interactand learn about each other’s culture. After the meeting sessionat the campus, a few UTAR students gave the Japanese visitors aguided tour of Kuala Lumpur. Picture: The Japanese visitors withUTAR students and staff.Maktab Perguruan Sultan Abdul Halim,MalaysiaA delegation of 26 from Maktab Perguruan Sultan Abdul Halim, Kedah visitedUTAR Perak Campus on 21 March 2012. The visitors from the teacher trainingcollege were welcomed by UTAR Institute of Chinese Studies Dean Prof Dr HoKhai Leong (front, fifth from right), Deputy Dean Dr Lim Chee Men (front, secondfrom right) and other staff from the institute. The delegates were impressedby the under- and postgraduate Chinese Studies programmes offered, facilitiesavailable and the picturesque scenery of the campus.

In Search of ExcellenceUTARHORIZONAPRIL 2012 7Three UTAR excellence awards for five staffThe three awards of excellence, each carried a cash prize of RM1,000, were presented by UTAR President IrProf Academician Dato’ Dr Chuah Hean Teik at UTAR Petaling Jaya Campus on 10 April 2012.The UTAR Research Excellence Award went to Dr Lim Yang Mooi, chairperson of the Centre for CancerResearch, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. The research trio Dr Low Kaw Sai, Dr Tioh Ngee Heng andlecturer Ng Soon Ching from the Faculty of Engineering and Science won the UTAR Innovation ExcellenceAward. Dr Tioh also shared the UTAR Teaching Excellence Award with assistant lecturer Melissa StefanieNetto from Centre for Foundation Studies in Petaling Jaya Campus.On teaching excellence“The real challenge of an educator is not the lackof knowledge and information on the subject,but rather how to deliver them effectively tothe students; therefore educators must put inefforts to improve their presentation skills,” saidDr Tioh on the essence of excellent teaching.He received his Bachelor’s degree in AppliedChemistry and PhD in Analytical Chemistryfrom the University of Otago, New Zealand. Hetaught Chemistry in Universiti Malaya from 1977to 2006. He joined UTAR after leaving UniversitiMalaya and was once the Director of Instituteof Postgraduate Studies and Research before hetook on his current academic position.“Ask a good teacher and you will know thatteaching is not just a job, profession or careerbut a calling. It is a calling to educate those whocome to us with passion with our life experiencesand knowledge,” said Netto, adding that a goodteacher should first be humble to gain students’trust and second, be patient. She advised thathumour be incorporated into lessons as laughtercould do wonders in stimulating a student’smind to grasp what was taught and also real-lifestories to keep students interested as they learnfrom the real-life experience. Netto, who hasobtained a Bachelor of Commerce in Economicsand Management, is currently pursuing Masterof Educational Management.Also present at the ceremony were VicePresident (R&D and commercialisation) Prof DrLee Sze Wei, Institute of Postgraduate Studiesand Research Director Prof Dr Faidz bin AbdulRahman and Human Resource Director WongLee Lan.Innovation excellence in sustainableconstruction materialAt the ceremony (fromleft): Prof Faidz, Wong,Netto, Dr Lim, Prof Chuah,Dr Low, Dr Tioh, Ng andProf Lee“We are delighted with the recognition accorded and it is an encouragementfor our team to strive further,” said Dr Low on behalf of his research team.The trio’s research work on using waste materials such as rubber tyres andbottles together with lightweight concrete as an economical, green andsustainable construction material won them the award. The team had filedthree patents for their efforts and one of them, ‘Lightweight Concrete InfillBuoyant System’, won the silver award in International Invention, Innovation& Technology Exhibition (ITEX) 2011 (see UTAR Horizon June 2011 issue, page9), while another titled ‘Membrane Encased Lightweight Concrete or MortarPanel Block’ was the product of Ng’s PhD study in UTAR.“Don’t do research for the shelf or for the sake of KPI. Instead, make it part andparcel of your career as an academician,” said Dr Tioh on his view on research.His partner Ng advised other young researchers, “As young researchers, weshould team up with experienced researchers, academicians and industrialiststo work towards materialising research ideas.”Research excellence in phytochemistry andcancer chemoprevention“I am pleased and honoured to have received this prestigious award from UTARwhich is indeed a significant recognition for my research contributions andachievements,” said Dr Lim, adding that she would like to thank former UTARPresident Tan Sri Datuk Dr Ng Lay Swee for spurring the growth of research andpresent President Prof Chuah for stimulating research excellence in UTAR. Shewas awarded for her works in phytochemistry and cancer chemopreventionparticularly in chemopreventive activity of maslinic acid in the suppression ofa pro-inflammatory pathway, activation of an antioxidant response system andmodulation of novel protein targets through the proteomic platform.A pioneer staff of UTAR Faculty of Engineering and Science, she took on theresponsibility to lead and initiate research in the Department of Biosciences.Of the students she supervised included a PhD student Dr Yap Wei Hsum, whograduated in March 2012 (see page 10). Her research findings have won hereight national and international awards.

UTARHORIZON8 APRIL 2012The delegation visitingthe site of the solarconcentrator (structure onthe right and sun-trackingsystem lab on the left)On site (from left): Dr Goi , Shahrir, Dr Chong, Prof Chuah, Dato’ Sri Chin, Tan Sri Dr Fong,Tuan Haji Baharudin, Prof Faidz and Rahman Mohd Din from the ministry.Dr Chong presenting his solarpower research to the visitorsUTAR solar power research interests MinisterEnergy, Green Technology and Water Minister Dato’ SriPeter Chin Fah Kui visited UTAR Faculty of Engineeringand Science (FES) at the UTAR Kuala Lumpur Campus inSetapak on 19 March 2012 to better understand thesolar power research projects of the University.Accompanying the minister were Deputy SecretaryGeneral Tuan Haji Badarudin bin Mahyudin,Tenaga Nasional Berhad Energy Services ManagingDirector Shahrir Abdul Latiff and other delegatesfrom the ministry.On hand to welcome the visitors from UTAR wereits President Ir Prof Academician Dato’ Dr ChuahHean Teik, UTAR Council Member and SustainableEnergy Development Authority MalaysiaChairman Tan Sri Dr Fong Chan Onn, Institute ofPostgraduate Studies and Research Director ProfDr Faidz bin Abd Rahman, FES Acting Dean DrGoi Bok Min, staff and student representatives.“The visit by the minister and his delegationthis morning strongly indicates the trust andconfidence the Ministry and the Government have on UTAR,particularly in green technology research. We at UTAR arevery proud of this fact, and are immensely motivated by itto work harder towards achieving more in the research anddevelopment of green technology,” said Prof Chuah, addingthat the ministry had actually supported UTAR in manyforms, including research grants amounting to RM1,988,000for the project titled ‘Pre-Commercialised Project on Grid-Connected Dense Array Concentrator Photovoltaic System’and RM1,258,400 for the project ‘Development of a CostEffective and Intelligent Active Management System forMicro-Grid with Renewable Energy’.Dr Chong Kok Keong, the principal investigator of theresearch projects, briefed the delegates that the projectswere based on cost-effective solar power plant usingindigenous technology of non-imaging focusing heliostat andconcentrator photovoltaic. Later, the delegates visited thesite where the solar concentrator and sun-tracking systemwere installed. They were also informed that a similar butlarger system of a newer design would be built at UTAR PerakCampus in Kampar.

UTAR promotes lifelong learningCommunity at HeartUTARHORIZONAPRIL 2012 9“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyonewho keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep yourmind young,” said UTAR President Ir Prof Academician Dato’ Dr ChuahHean Teik (second from right), quoting the world’s renowned industrialistHenry Ford before he launched the UTAR Lifelong Learning Festival held atPetaling Jaya Campus from 6 to 8 April 2012.The three-day festival, organised by UTAR Centre of Extension Education(CEE), was part of the year-long UTAR 10th Anniversary celebration. Itfeatured talks, demonstrations and works to promote lifelong learningto the students and the public. Malaysia Artists Association PresidentSum Kwai Fong (right) demonstrated his Chinese calligraphy and paintingskills and presented the first art piece to UTAR to congratulate its 10thanniversary. Prof Chuah received the gift in the presence of CEE DirectorLim Guat Yen (second from left) and CEE Assistant General Manager Sia KaNga (left).UTAR, Korean Language House, Korean TourismOrganisation and Kyung Hee University came togetherand held the Korean Carnival at Petaling Jaya Campus on3 March 2012, which attracted more than 500 visitorsincluding UTAR Perak Campus students who came asearly as 9.30am and students from other universitiesand colleges.Korean wave hits UTARThe carnival showcased talks on Korean culture, moviesand K-pop, and stalls selling Korean language books,beauty products, movie DVDs, handicrafts and delicaciessuch as kimbab with kimchi, which were prepared at thestall (left). Korean students demonstrated the traditionalgame of tuho (right) to the visitors, who could also tryon the traditional Korean costume, hambok.Clash of the mindsPrize money totalling RM40,000 attracted over 450 contestants swarming to UTARPetaling Jaya Campus on 14 April 2012 for the Mind Competitions, organised by UTAR,Malaysia Mental Literacy Movement and Tunku Abdul Rahman College. There werememory competition and mind-mapping competition.The memory competition had four categories – random words, random numbers,dates and events, and random letters of the alphabet. Each category of the memorycompetition carried a first prize of RM5,000, second, RM2,000 and third, RM1,000 butthe mind-mapping competition alone offered the same prizes.The competitions attracted the young and old of different races and nationalities. Theyoungest was six-year-old Tan Ai Chen (left); the oldest were Khoo Liew Jong (secondfrom right), 75, and Zaiton binti Omar, 62. There was a Nigerian student Rose Adeh(right).

10 UTARHORIZONAPRIL 2012Joyous 14th UTAR convocationUTAR held its 14th convocation on 17 and 18 March 2012 at Wisma MCA, Kuala Lumpur,bringing the total number of UTAR alumni to 26,789. The convocation graduated 1,322 from39 Bachelor’s honours, eight Master’s degree and one doctor of philosophy (PhD) programmes.It witnessed the university’s first PhD in Science graduate and its first batch of Bachelor ofInternational Business (Hons) graduates.“I urge the graduating students to embrace lifelong learning to remain competitive. It is only throughyour individual continuous competitiveness that Malaysia sustains its competitiveness globally,”said MCA President Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, who was guest-of-honour of the first session of theconvocation.The other two guests-of-honour for the second and third sessions were UTAR CouncilMember Hew Fen Yee and UTAR Council Member and UTAR Education FoundationBoard of Trustees Member Datuk Leong Tang Chong, respectively.“We all can make a difference. We all can bring positive impact to the lives of the peoplearound us, our family, our friends, our colleagues and even our bosses,” said Hew, advisingthe students to make a difference to build a better future for not only ourselves but also for thefuture generations.“As you achieve success in life, which I am certain you will if you continue to work hard, remembernot to lose sight of your responsibility towards your family and community. The nation needscitizens who are socially responsible and caring to the society and country,” said Datuk Leong, urgingthe students to work together towards creating a better Malaysia.Graduand Chew Shernhui rendering a chinese song titled 爸 爸 妈 妈during the musical interlude

What our new alumni say?UTARHORIZONAPRIL 2012 11“It has been nothing but wonderful memories for me at UTARand great to be immersed in the rich cultural diversity of thiscountry. I have learned to speak Bahasa Malaysia sikit-sikit. ”Olla (picture: with her parents) intends to work in Malaysia aftera short break back home in Sudan.“Malaysia is a very peaceful country and I have no worries aboutsending my children here,” saidher father Mohamed Ahmed.Olla Mohamed Ahmad Abbas,SudanBachelor of Engineering(Hons) BiomedicalEngineering“Studying part time can be tiring. I had to work duringweekdays and study on weekends, but I’m glad to havethis platform where I can apply my work experience inmy studies.”Choo (picture), from Ipoh, came to Kuala Lumpurin 2001 to work as a computer technician ina small firm. Today, she works as a SoftwareEngineer in a global firm.“The knowledge and skills that I have gained atUTAR are the building blocks of my career. TheUniversity has equipped me well to become aproblem solver at work,” she said and thankedher family, classmates, and lecturers for theirsupport.Choo Siew LingBachelor of Computer Science (Hons)“Being a UTAR graduate makes all the difference. UTARgraduates are not just being recognised, but also highlysought after in the industry. My course at UTAR hasequipped me with knowledge in both the business aspectand cultural perspective. It has enabled me to understandand respond well to the cultural differences in a businessenvironment which gives me an extra advantage, especiallyin a global firm.”Lau (picture), a business developmentrepresentative in Nestle, added that her activeinvolvement in drama and public speakingsocieties while at UTAR provided her with theessential leadership and interpersonal skillsand her experience in balancing her time forstudies and extracurricular activities hadhelped her to cope in working life.Lau Sher MinBachelor of International Business (Hons)“During my postgraduate study, Ihave published my research findings in international peerreviewed journals and participated in local andinternational conferences. I believe the researchskills and strong academic background that I havedeveloped during my studies at UTAR has helpedme to perform and deliver as a lecturer andresearcher.”“I would like to thank my supervisors, DrLim Yang Mooi and Dr Khoo Kong Soo fortheir time, patience, and guidance duringthe process of my project. I am alsograteful to my parents for their endlesssupport,” said, Yap (picture), a universitylecture, adding she would lead a researchteam to continue her work on themolecular mechanisms of natural dietaryagents as potential cancer chemopreventive agents.Yap Wei HsumDoctor of Philosophy (Science)“My unique experience in UTAR has been its senseof togetherness. We have developed great tolerancefor each other and it has helped us to work togethereffectively. UTAR has also created an environmentwhere students are required to work independentlymaking us resourceful and excellent problem solvers.”Imran (picture), who intends to pursuepostgraduate studies, added, “UTAR’sgrowth is nothing short of extraordinary.”Syed Imran Hussain bin Syed Javaid IqbalBachelor of Science (Hons) Physics“I completed my foundation, BSc and MSc all inUTAR. I must say UTAR, where I spent most of mycrucial years, has been a good platform that hasprepared me well to face the competitive world.While at UTAR I was able to publish several papersin high-ranking journals. My supervisor had evenpresented some of them internationally.”Shanti, currently pursuing her PhD,added, “I hope to see the name ofmy university appearing at worldranking one day, and I knowit can.” (Picture: Shanti, left,receiving her scroll)R Shanti A/P Rajantharan,Master of Science

UTARHORIZON12 Community at HeartAPRIL 2012UTAR PR students raise RM102,000 andmake record-breaking origami mosaicTheir ingenious way of fulfilling the requirements of their finalyearprojects enabled seven teams of UTAR Public Relations(PR) students to raise a total of RM102,000 for the campaignand attain a place in the Malaysia Book of Records when oneteam made the biggest origami mosaic in the country.As part of their final-year projects, the seven teams of PRstudents carried out various events and community serviceactivities throughout the months of February and March 2012.They called their activities collectively as ‘UTAR PR Campaign’,which was apt as the campaign promoted the good name ofUTAR to the public. They also held a PR event to launch thecampaign as a UTAR 10th Anniversary celebration activity atUTAR Perak Campus on 15 February 2012.Present at the launching ceremony was Wong Chin Ho whorepresented the guest of honour, Deputy Minister of HomeAffairs Malaysia Dato’ Lee Chee Leong and from UTAR werePresident Ir Prof Academician Dato’ Dr Chuah Hean Teik; Facultyof Arts and Social Science Dean Dr Sebastian K Francis; CourseLecturer Dr Cheah Phaik Kin; Public Relations Department HeadGan Pei Lee; Course Tutors Pong Kok Shiong, Yeow Jian Hui andFoo Yi Von; and Campaign Leader student Teoh Yik Kee. The teamswere each represented by a colour and a mascot in that colour.The mascot ‘Ten Ten’ was a figure 10, the anniversary number,and the multicolour represented unity-in-diversity spirit.At the end of the campaign, Team Yellow-5 and Team Green-7raised most of the funds. There was also a closure PR event on4 April 2012 at Perak Campus where Teoh ceremonially handedover RM11,000 donation raised by the teams to Prof Chuah, whoreceived it on behalf of UTAR Education Foundation.“While UTAR, a not-for-profit organisation, has been receivingcontribution from various parties – from philanthropist tycoonsto hawkers, and also our alumni, this is the first time that wereceive contribution from our students,” said Prof Chuah, addingthat it is important for the students to repay the University andsociety, and the campaign showed that UTAR had succeeded innurturing socially responsible students.Prof Chuah (standing fouth from left) receiving a mockcheque for RM11,000 from TeohAt the launch (from left): Student Ooi KhimHong, Dr Cheah, Gan, Wong, Prof Chuah,Dr Sebastian ,Teoh and Student Wong Hoi Kenwith other campaign committee members“While UTAR, a not-forprofitorganisation, hasbeen receiving contributionfrom various parties – fromphilanthropist tycoons tohawkers, and also our alumni,this is the first time that wereceive contribution from ourstudents.”Ir Prof Academician Dato’ Dr Chuah Hean TeikBlue-1 : Malaysia’s biggest origami mosaicTeam Blue-1 pulled together 633 UTAR students and secondary schoolstudents from Kampar and Malim Nawar on 26 February to piece together82,960 paper-folded hearts into the biggest origami mosaic, themed‘Togetherness’, that made its way into the Malaysia Book of Records. Ittook them seven hours to accomplish the historic 20-metre-by-20-metrefeat on the futsal court of Grand Kampar Sports Complex in the presenceof Perak Menteri Besar Special Advisor Dato’ S Veerasingam, who laterannounced a RM5,000 donation from the state government. Building ontheir success, the team and sponsoring photographers took photographsfrom 5 to 9 March and completed on 13 March a ‘Photo Montage ofThousand Utarians’ in the shape of the acronym UTAR measuring 180centimetres tall and 455 centimetres wide.Malaysia’s biggest origami mosaicGrey-2 : Musical drama to raise fundsTeam Grey-2 held an exhibition on 19 and 20March at Perak Campus which attracted around1,000 students while the musical drama held bythe team on 24 March at Kampar Chinese TempleHall attracted about 500 public members. Themusical titled ‘Zero-to-Hero Musical Drama’featured performances by UTAR students of varioussocieties with special guest appearances by localAstro AEC artistes Min and Ah Yoke, and talentedUTAR alumni.

UTARHORIZONAPRIL 2012 13Pink-3 : 15,000 mud balls for a greener environmentThe 33-member Team Pink-3 made15,000 mud balls dosed withbeneficial microbes for treatingpolluted water at Perak Campus on14 March.At a mud-ball ‘factory’: Prof Chuah (secondfrom right), assistant environmental healthofficer Khairiyah binti Abdul Halil (right),another visitor and Pink-3 membersRed-4 : Film festival and sports fiestaThe team used the EffectiveMicroorganisms Activated Solutiontechnology from Japan in makingthe mud balls, which were donatedto Kampar District Council.Dr Sebastian (second from left) presenting the first prize. Lookingon is Orange-6 Director Yong Jing Wei (left)Orange-6 : Treasure hunt andinteractive school visitsTeam Orange-6 held a carnival of treasure hunt,games and food at Perak Campus on 20 February.Thirty-six UTAR student teams participated in thetreasure hunt where competing five-memberteams were required to pass through sevenstations within 45 minutes. The team visited PeiYuan High School in Kampar on 20 March, and ShenJai High School and Poi Lam High School in Ipoh on22 March to interact with the high school studentsto inspire them to pursue tertiary education.UTAR students at the film festivalThe 33-member Team Red-4 held a film festival themed ‘Share and Inspire’at Perak Campus on 11 March. The film festival showcasing UTAR campuslife attracted an audience of about 200. Ronald Chan Jun Chuan emergedas the champion of the film festival with ‘The Moments of Our UniversityLife’. The team also held a fiesta of sports, games and food at the GrandKampar Sports Complex on 25 March for them to interact with the Kamparpeople. Huaren Million Star winner Yann made a special guest appearanceat the fiesta.Yellow-5 : RM40,000 for National Kidney FoundationOn 4 March Yellow Team-5 raised RM40,000 for National Kidney Foundationto buy a kidney dialysis machine and other equipment and RM2,000 for UTAREducation Foundation through a charity run cum fun carnival at the 400-metretracks of Dataran Bandaraya Ipoh with a 10-hour performance by UTAR andsecondary school students, and local artistes Zenny, Ray Ng and Azizi Zakariah.Guest-of-honour Perak State Executive Councillor Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soondonated RM10,000 on behalf of the state government.Charity run in progressVillagers performing the sewang dance in UTAR Perak CampusGreen-7 : Service and funds forOrang Asli communityTeam Green-7, who tasked themselves to servethe Orang Asli community, went for a communityservice trip to Kampung Batu Berangkai on 11February. The event, officiated by Home AffairsDeputy Minister Dato’ Lee Chee Leong, featureda drama performance, sharing by UTAR alumni,exhibition, games and learning workshop for thechildren of this Orang Asli village.To raise funds for the Orang Asli community,the team held the UTAR Aboriginal Carnival atHeritage Hall at Perak Campus on 29 March. Thecarnival featured dance performances includingthe Orang Asli’s ‘sewang’ dance by the villagersand Chinese ‘erhu’ recitals by UTAR students. Itraised approximately RM56,000 for the campaignand the funds were allocated for the Orang Aslicommunity and UTAR Education Foundation.Contributions came from the Finance Ministry,Prime Minister’s Department and Perak stategovernment as support for the campaign.

14 APRIL 2012UTARHORIZONTo celebrate its 10th anniversary this year moremeaningfully, UTAR came up with a We-Care-We-Actinitiative which is coordinated by UTAR Department of SoftSkills Competency. Under the initiative, UTAR studentswould participate in voluntary community activities inrural areas which would be held throughout the year.Such We-Care-We-Act community activities were carriedout in three villages in February 2012.UTAR: We care; we actWe care and we tutor village children EnglishKampung Pahang:English lesson insessionOn 18 and 19 February 2012, a group of 22 students from UTAR Perak Campusspent their weekend meaningfully with Chinese primary schoolchildren inKampung Pahang on Saturday and Tapah Road New Village on Sunday, both inPerak.KampungPahang:Outdooractivities inprogressThe group’s We-Care-We-Act activity was to teach the schoolchildren basic Englishlanguage and IT skills using computer teaching aids. The student volunteers werewell prepared for the sessions. They used laptop computers and LCD projectorsas teaching aids and tailored the lessons to match the language proficiency leveland learning ability of the schoolchildren. Led by their group leader, an EnglishEducation student, the group was divided into five subgroups each teaching oneof the language components of speaking, listening, reading, writing and grammarat the school. Besides written exercises, they also included games, songs,and video clips to make learning fun for the schoolchildren. There was also apersonal coaching session where all student volunteers got together to guide theschoolchildren.Tapah Road:Schoolchildrenhaving groupactivities“The programme has been an interesting way for schoolchildren to acquire somebasic English language and IT skills,” said headmistress Soon Shann Hwa of SJK (C)Kampung Pahang.“It is a good programme for students to boost their learning interest on the usageof IT and computer,” said MCA Tapah Road district community service committeemember Ho You Meng, after thanking the UTAR students for volunteering in thenoble cause to help the village children.We care and we teach villagers how to produce enzymesThe UTAR We-Care-We-Act initiative reached Pekan Getah New Village in theoutskirt of Tapah on 25 February.Led by staff from UTAR Department for Soft Skills Competency, 28 studentsfrom various faculties visited the village to promote the use of homemadeorganic enzymes for a greener environment to the locals including primaryschoolteachers and children in the village community hall.The students also shared with the villagers how to produce the enzymes fromhousehold wastes such as fruit and vegetable peels. The wastes were put ina large used water bottle with a bit of brown sugar, bacterial culture stockand sufficient water. Within days, the material would be fermented by thebacteria and produced enzymes which could be used as a floor detergent thatwould kill germs. Therefore producing homemade enzymes, the studentsexplained, would reduce and reuse wastes and be environmental friendly.The students left some vegetative wastes, enzyme samples which would serveas the bacteria culture stock and water bottles for the villagers to try outproducing enzymes on their own.UTAR student: Let meshow you how youproduce enzymes.UTAR students and staff posing withthe locals by the community hall

Students in ActionUTARHORIZONAPRIL 2012 15UTAR duo shares German experienceFinal-year UTAR Electronic Engineering students Goh Jia Haw(left, bottom) and Adam Liew Chen Fah (right, top) from theFaculty of Engineering and Green Technology were selected fora hard-to-come-by if not once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to goon an industrial attachment in Germany from June to December2011.The industrial attachment programme enabled Goh and Liew tocomplete their final-year projects in Germany in OSRAM OptoSemiconductors and Infineon Technologies AG respectively underthe supervision of Prof Rupert Schreiner from the University ofApplied Sciences Regensburg, Germany, and partner universityof UTAR. All their expenses were sponsored by the companies.OSRAM Opto Semiconductors, one of the world’s leadingmanufacturers of optoelectronic semiconductors for the lighting,sensor and visualisation sectors, which regularly launches newtechnologies and products that make a lasting difference to thesesectors. Winning the 2007 German Future Prize was the latesthighlight in the research history of OSRAM Opto Semiconductors,which stretches back almost thirty years. The company has longbeen one of the most innovative outfits in Germany.Infineon Technologies group, headquartered in Germany, is aworld leader in offering semiconductors and system solutionsfor automotive and industrial electronics, chip card and securityapplications. With employing UTAR graduates as one of theobjectives, the group’s Malaysian subsidiary Infineon Technologies(Kulim) Sdn Bhd signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU)for collaboration with UTAR at Perak Campus on 19 January 2011(see UTAR Horizon February 2011 issue, page 2). Infineon Kulimwas the group’s first such facilities in Asia.Other areas of collaboration under the MoU included facilitatingexchanges and interactions of staff members between the twopartners to pursue research and development, training, and toorganise and participate in seminars, conferencesand workshops, and in publications; and forUTAR under- and postgraduate students,study visits and industrial attachment atInfineon facilities for enhancing students’learning experience and research anddevelopment purpose. It was for fulfillingthe industrial attachment collaborationobjective between UTAR and Infineonthat Liew was given the opportunityof the study trip to Germany.“My final-year project required meto work on optimising the thermalresistance of PCB for mountinghigh-power LEDs,” said Goh, whosefinal-year project titled ‘ThermalCharacterisation of High-Power LED(light-emitting diode)’. At the OSRAMfacilities in Germany, Goh studied thedifferent factors that affected thethermal resistance of PCB (printedcircuit board) such as the size of heatspreader and thermal conductivity of adielectric material. He found a solutionto optimise thermal resistance of PCBand completed his project successfully.“For decades, silicon oxide has been thedielectric material. As the size of circuitboard is scaling down, silicon oxide isfound no longer suitable. Therefore,research for a new material to replacethe current material is required,”said Liew. His final-year project wason ‘The Characterisation of High-KMaterial’, which studied the possibility of replacing silicon oxidewith zirconium oxide as dielectric material. His research findingsin Infineon facilities in Germany showed that zirconium oxidehad better dielectric properties than silicon oxide, but furtherthorough research would be necessary before it could be used toreplace silicon oxide commercially.“If you want something badly enough and work really hard forit, you will eventually get it in the end,” said Liew, adding that healso learned about German workplace professionalism and to bea good team player through the programme.The two students thanked UTAR for providing them excellenttheoretical teaching on campus and the essential hands-onfundamental research experience in the industry, especiallyin overseas. While they admitted that, when in Germany, theweather, cultural differences and communication had been theirchallenges, they found their experience truly remarkable andworthwhile.Liew with the microscope he usesGoh evaluating thermalmeasurement data

UTAR fest attracts crowdsUTARHORIZONAPRIL 2012 17UTAR Council Chairman Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik officiallylaunched the UTAR 10th Anniversary Fest by releasingballoons (picture) at Perak Campus on 18 February 2012.He applauded UTAR staff and students for their effortsand teamwork in organising and coordinating such a megaevent.The fest drew numerous local folks to participate inthe various activities. Among them was a charity foodfair, where UTAR students, staff and sponsoring privateorganisations set up 30 stalls selling food, drinks, gamesand merchandise. Various mouth-watering local delicaciesthat sold like hot cakes were the famous Kampar currychicken-in-bread,salt-baked chicken and the popularluk-luk (skewered steamboat food). Besides exhibitions,demonstrations, a campus tour, and various competitionswere also held for participants from pre-school children touniversity students.Pageant cum Indian prom nightIt has been an annual affair for UTAR Indian Cultural andLanguage Society and 1Malaysia Society to jointly organise theUTAR Pageant and Indian Prom Night at Perak Campus. This yearthe event was held on 24 February and it attracted about 300students and guests.The night, which was filled with performances of songs, dances,the Indian bhangra beats and other music, had a grandeur startwhen beauty queens Miss UTAR Saree Queen 2011, Perak SareeQueen and Miss Malaysia Eco-Tourism paraded one-by-one.Then, the night reached its climax, when the pageant contestantsin colourful trendy outfits and traditional costumes cat-walkedgracefully and posed elegantly on stage. Before the night wasover, first-year Psychology student Anusha Segal (second fromright) was crowned Miss UTAR 2012. The first runner-up wasfinal-year Chemistry student Beljit Kaur (centre), who was alsoMiss Facebook and Miss Charity. Final-year Public Relationsstudent Thirosha Nair (left) was the second runner-up.FES has its FEStivalEvery year, UTAR Faculty of Engineering and Science (FES) at Kuala Lumpur Campus has itsfestival. This year’s festival is themed ‘UTAR FEStival 2012: Tiki Hawaii’. Tiki, shown in thefestival banner (bottom left), refers to the large Polynesian wood or stone carvings of humanfigure. FES students wanted a Hawaiian mood to the festival, which attracted more than 500partygoers. Highlights of the festivals were the performances of invited artistes Malaysia Idol 2winner Daniel Lee (right), One in a Million winner Suki Low (bottom, centre) and Gatsby Stylingdance champion Jackson Chua (bottom, right).

18 APRIL 2012UTARHORIZONOur foreign students say…“We heard from our seniors that UTAR is a good university and they recommended us to join theinternship in UTAR; so, here we are at UTAR now,” said Houssam Bounailat (left), who is from TelecomLille 1, a leading Engineering school in France and who is on a three-month student exchangeprogramme at Perak Campus until 12 May 2012.“The campus is big and amazing; the lecturers and staff here are good and nice,” said Lahlou Kenza(right), Bounailat’s course-mate, adding that the hot weather and food here were the mainchallenges for her when she first came to UTAR but she gradually got used to them.“I learned about Inje offering student exchange programme which allows students tolearn English, therefore, I applied for it,” said An Jae Sung (top, left), an exchange studentfrom Inje University, Korea, adding that he hoped to get some experience through hisstudy here to widen his exposure and better understand the Malaysian culture.“English teaching in Korea emphasises on only grammar and students are weak inspeaking and listening. The English programme here will help me improve on these two areas,”said another Inje exchange student Kang Hyun Kyon (top, right). Other exchange students fromInje University were (from top, left) Shin Myoung Jee, Gwon Deuk Yong, and Kim Eun Hye.Celebrity talks on dream“Never underestimate yourself and your dream,” said famous Hong Kong-born TV and radio host AngelWong Chui Ling (picture), sharing her career experience in the entertainment industry at UTAR PerakCampus on 11 February 2012.She was invited to talk on ‘Turning Your Dream into Reality’ organised by UTAR Counselling andGuidance Unit.“Knowledge and experience are essential key elements to realise your dreams. You should alwaysstrengthen your capabilities through observing others who are successful and learning fromthem,” Wong added. She advised the audience to be always well prepared no matterhow many obstacles they faced so that they would be ready when an opportunity cameknocking. Despite her venture into Malaysian entertainment industry was unpromisingin the beginning, she did not give up but stayed on until her efforts eventually paidoff.“Whoever you are, you can always have your dream but you have to work hard toachieve it and take responsibility of your life and career,” advised Wong.

马 来 西 亚 闽 南 籍 华 人 民 间 宗 教 信 仰 考 察拉 大 视 野UTARHORIZONAPRIL 2012 19中 华 研 究 院 于 3 月 14 日 主 办 了 一 场 名 为 《 马 来 西 亚 闽 南 籍 华人 民 间 宗 教 信 仰 考 察 》 讲 座 , 为 该 院 “ 闽 南 文 化 研 究 计 划 ”的 第 一 场 讲 座 会 。主 讲 人 是 石 沧 金 教 授 。 石 教 授 来 自 中 国 甘 肃 ,2003 年 7 月 获得 暨 南 大 学 博 士 学 位 。 目 前 在 暨 南 大 学 华 侨 华 人 研 究 院 工作 , 亦 是 马 来 亚 大 学 访 问 学 者 。 他 重 点 研 究 华 人 社 团 及 华 人文 化 , 主 要 学 术 著 作 《 马 来 西 亚 华 人 社 团 研 究 》。石 教 授 从 “ 闽 南 人 的 民 间 信 仰 ”,“ 闽 南 人 与 民 间 教 派 ”和 “ 闽 南 民 间 神 祗 的 扩 散 ” 这 三 方 面 来 分 析 马 来 西 亚 闽 南 籍华 人 民 间 宗 教 信 仰 。 首 先 分 析 马 来 西 亚 闽 南 籍 华 人 的 民 间 信仰 状 况 , 简 要 介 绍 保 生 大 帝 、 法 主 公 、 广 泽 尊 王 、 清 水 祖师 、 开 漳 圣 王 、 王 爷 等 闽 南 籍 华 人 信 仰 的 主 要 神 祗 及 相 关 寺庙 ; 其 次 , 以 真 空 教 、 三 一 教 、 德 教 等 几 个 民 间 教 派 为 例 ,分 析 闽 南 籍 华 人 与 民 间 教 派 的 复 杂 关 系 ; 最 后 , 以 法 主 公 等为 例 , 分 析 闽 南 民 间 信 仰 的 扩 散 现 象 , 以 及 对 其 他 方 言 群 的影 响 。石 教 授 也 在 会 上 分 享 其 在 马 来 西 亚 考 察 时 深 入 民 间 所 拍 摄 的庙 宇 和 神 像 的 照 片 , 让 听 众 对 此 有 着 更 深 入 , 更 形 象 的 了解 。 此 外 , 在 场 的 听 众 们 也 分 享 了 他 们 在 做 民 间 宗 教 研 究 考察 时 所 经 历 的 “ 奇 遇 ”, 以 及 述 说 亲 友 们 对 民 间 宗 教 的 所 见所 感 所 闻 , 令 现 场 顿 时 蒙 上 了 一 片 “ 神 秘 ” 的 色 彩 。中 华 研 究 院 院 长 何 启 良 教 授 ( 左 ) 赠 送 4 本 该 院 出 版 刊 物 予 石沧 金 教 授 ( 右 )。背 景 :在 2011 获 得 丹 斯 里 杨 忠 礼 赞 助 30 万 令 吉 下 , 拉 曼 大 学 中 华 研究 中 心 开 启 了 一 项 与 厦 门 大 学 、 金 门 大 学 及 成 功 大 学 合 作 的闽 南 ​ 文 化 研 究 计 划 , 今 年 更 成 立 了 “ 闽 南 文 化 研 究 组 ”, 推广 闽 南 文 化 研 究 。( 资 料 由 中 华 研 究 院 提 供 )烟 花 三 月 - 中 华 研 究 院 师 生 书 画 联 展何 教 授 观 赏 画 作为 了 庆 祝 拉 曼 大 学 成 立 十 周 年 纪 念 , 拉 曼 大 学 中 华 研究 院 与 拉 曼 大 学 书 法 学 会 特 别 联 办 了 一 个 师 生 中 国 书画 联 展 , 题 名 为 《 烟 花 三 月 - 中 华 研 究 院 师 生 书 画 联展 》, 由 3 月 21 日 至 28 日 于 拉 曼 大 学 金 宝 校 区 图 书 馆展 出 。这 项 书 画 联 展 于 3 月 21 日 举 行 了 一 场 别 开 生 面 的 开 幕礼 , 由 拉 曼 大 学 中 华 研 究 院 院 长 何 启 良 教 授 及 拉 曼 大学 中 文 系 教 授 林 水 檺 教 授 拉 开 帷 幕 。此 书 画 联 展 是 拉 曼 大 学 中 文 系 创 办 十 年 , 同 时 也 是 中华 研 究 院 自 2009 年 10 月 成 立 以 来 首 次 举 办 的 大 型 师 生书 画 展 。 书 画 展 一 共 展 出 大 约 五 十 幅 书 画 作 品 。通 过 此 难 得 的 活 动 , 中 华 研 究 院 师 生 与 书 法 社 社 员 有机 会 展 现 他 们 的 书 画 艺 术 , 发 扬 中 华 文 化 。 此 外 , 展览 会 亦 提 供 机 会 让 参 展 者 , 以 及 参 观 者 一 个 观 摩 交 流中 国 绘 画 与 书 法 技 艺 的 平 台 。不 孕 不 育 , 怎 么 办 ?现 今 社 会 , 随 着 环 境 污 染 问 题 日 愈 严 重 , 人 们 生 活 不 规 律以 及 压 力 大 , 甚 至 性 传 播 疾 病 等 的 相 关 因 素 , 导 致 世 界 人口 减 少 , 社 会 人 口 老 化 问 题 日 渐 严 重 。 这 种 社 会 现 象 已 成了 世 界 人 口 的 “ 发 展 ” 趋 势 了 。延 续 教 育 中 心 就 此 “ 不 孕 不 育 ” 问 题 , 开 办 了 “ 不 孕 不育 , 怎 么 办 ?!” 讲 座 会 , 与 民 众 一 起 探 讨 东 西 方 医 学 对于 不 孕 不 育 的 认 知 及 中 医 的 治 疗 思 路 。 主 讲 人 是 拉 曼 大 学医 学 与 保 健 科 学 学 院 中 医 系 讲 师 — 郭 素 璇 医 师 。 郭 医 师 毕业 于 中 国 山 东 中 医 药 大 学 中 医 学 专 业 , 具 有 中 医 临 床 相 关工 作 经 验 ; 此 外 , 还 考 获 了 中 国 上 海 复 旦 大 学 硕 士 学 位 妇产 科 学 专 业 , 具 有 妇 产 科 临 床 相 关 的 工 作 经 验 。这 场 讲 座 共 分 两 个 环 节 进 行 。 第 一 个 环 节 主 要剖 析 不 孕 不 育 的 病 因 , 症 状 , 从 中 医角 度 出 发 , 提 出 治 疗 的 药 膳 方 。 第 二个 环 节 主 要 围 绕 在 “ 辅 助 生 育 技 术 及护 理 ” 方 面 , 讲 解 人 工 受 精 , 试 管婴 儿 , 冷 冻 储 存 胚 胎 之 现 今 生 殖 技术 。当 晚 , 除 了 吸 引 女 听 众 之 外 , 还吸 引 了 许 多 男 士 前 来 聆 听 。 台 上台 下 互 动 良 好 , 听 众 们 也 都 积极 发 问 。 这 场 讲 座 会 使 民 众对 中 医 治 疗 不 孕 不 育 有 了 更深 一 层 的 认 识 。

UTARHORIZON20 Sudut UtarwanAPRIL 2012Malam warna warniPersatuan Hindu UTAR telah menganjurkan Malam Muzikaldan Kebudayaan 2012 pada 24 Mac 2012 di Kampus SungaiLong. Ini bertujuan memberi pendedahan tentang budaya,sejarah dan tradisi masyarakat India serta memberi peluangkepada siswa siswi untuk menonjolkan bakat mereka.Malam penuh warna warni itu dimulakandengan persembahan yoga atau jugadikenali yoga asana. Kumpulan yogatelah mempersembahkan dua jenisyoga iaitu Surya Namaskaram danChanthira Namaskaram. Setiappostur Yoga yang berasal dariIndia Purba ini dikatakan memberikebaikan kepada fizikal, mental danrohani pengamalnya.Malam tersebut turut menyaksikandrama berkisarkan epik Hinduisme.Epik ini secara tradisionalnya dibahagikankepada kandas atau beberapa buku utamasecara kronologi dengan peristiwaperistiwabesar dalam kehidupan Rama.Antaranya dalam buku kelima, YuddhaKanda mengisahkan peperangan antaraRama dan tentera Ravana.Selain daripada persembahan Yoga dan drama, para hadirinjuga dihiburkan dengan beberapa tarian etnik Indiaantaranya tarian klasikal India yang berasal dariTamil Nadu Selatan India. Manakala bagi acarapenutupan pula hadirin dipersembahkandengan tarian Mangalam. Tarian yangmemberi penghormatan kepada alamsemesta.Malam tersebut berakhir dengansedikit jamuan ringan. Para hadirindijamu dengan makanan tradisimasyarakat India sepertiediyappam, vadai, tosai,samosa dan jus.Karnival Super Blast meriahBagi memeriahkan lagi sambutan ulang tahun ke-10 UTAR, 10 kelab danpersatuan telah bergabung tenaga menganjurkan Karnival Super Blast pada29 Mac 2012 di Kampus Petaling Jaya UTAR.Di samping menarik minat para pelajar terhadap kelab dan persatuan,karnival ini juga bertujuan mewujudkan persekitaran kampus yang menarikdan menyeronokkan. Antara kelab dan persatuan yang terlibat adalah sepertiKelab Sukan, Kelab Wushu, Kelab Taekwondo, Kelab Rekabentuk Permainan,Kelab Fotografi, Kelab Badan Permainan, Kelab Drama dan PengucapanAwam, Kelab Tarian, Travelers Den dan Persatuan Pertolongan Cemas.Pengerusi, Eric Ching berkata karnival ini telah dirancang sejak Januari 2012melibatkan seramai 15 ahli jawatankuasa dan beliau berasa begitu gembiradengan sambutan yang menggalakkan daripada para pelajar.Karnival ini berakhir dengan konsert mini yang turut diadakan bersempenadengan Kempen Earth Hour yang memberi peluang kepada para pelajar untukmempamerkan bakat mereka. Antara yang mengambil bahagian adalah ahliahlikelab Wushu dan finalis U-STAR.Petaling Jaya Campus(KPT/JPS/DFT/US/B07)9 Jalan Bersatu 13/446200 Petaling JayaSelangor Darul EhsanKuala Lumpur Campus(KPT/JPS/DFT/US/W05)Jalan Genting Kelang53300 Kuala LumpurUTAR CAMPUSESwww.utar.edu.mySungai Long Campus(KPT/JPS/DFT/US/B12)Lot PT 21144Jalan Sungai LongBandar Sg. LongCheras, 43000 KajangPerak Campus(KPT/JPS/DFT/US/A04)Jalan UniversitiBandar Barat31900 Kampar