MONDAY, 15 JULY – In line with the efforts by Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) being the first EcoCampus University in Malaysia, a Best Landscape competition will be held in conjunction with the UMS Innovation Award 2013. The competition which is coordinated by the School of Sustainable Agriculture (SPL) involves all standalone Departments, Schools, Centres, Institutes and Unit (JSPIU).

According to a statement issued by the School, judging will be done from 26 – 30 August 2013 involving evaluation covering all areas around the building especially the main entrance and those not covered by the Development and Maintenance Department or appointed contractor.

Among the aspects which will be evaluated included arrangement and beautification, assessment will start from the parking lot of the Head of Department to the lobby of the office being evaluated. It involves the upkeep and maintenance of plants and landscape furniture, well-kept trees, shrubs and groundcover plants.

According to the statement, evaluation will also include plants and landscape furniture which has already been arranged for the comfort and shade of staff, visitors and students away from the unpredictable weather conditions such as strong winds, heavy downpour and hot sun, besides the creativity to make use of available areas and to segregate those areas into useful corners such as for reading, relaxing and socialising.

Another aspect which will be evaluated is the type of plants that will accentuate the aesthetic value of the garden through the application of designs such as colours, texture and sizes of different leaves, flowers and branches of trees, shrubs and groundcover plants. The selected plants should have the aroma that could contribute to attracting birds and other creatures.

All cooperation and commitment from staff and students of UMS in making this competition a success is welcomed, in line with the concept of EcoCampus which UMS has adopted. For more information, please contact the secretariat, Shahida Mohd. Sharif through email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - FL

By: Salbinous Saribun

                                                                                                                              Information and Media Section, Corporate Relations Division

WEDNESDAY, 10 JULY – To enliven the month of Ramadhan 1434 Hijrah, the Islamic and Mosque Affairs Unit (UHEIM) Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) invites all Muslims in UMS to perform the Tarawih prayers together every night at UMS Mosque.

Islamic Affairs Assistant Officer, Ustaz Malik Hanafi Achmad Rofi’ie said, the Tarawih prayers are held every night until the last night of Ramadhan.

“Tomorrow (Thursday) theTarawih prayers will be headed by an invited imam from Gaza, Palestine Imam Mohamed Adil Al-Sarafandi. All Muslims are invited to break fast together at the mosque,” he said.

He added that the Tadarus Al-Quran will also be held every Monday till Friday after the Zohor prayers besides weekly talks on Ramadhan every Wednesday and Friday.

For any enquiries regarding fasting and other religious obligations, please contact the Islamic and Mosque Affairs Unit (UHEIM) at extension 2734. - FL

By: Faezah Mohamad Dun
Photo: Creative Section, BPK
                                                                                                                            Information and Media Section, Corporate Relations Division

TUESDAY, 09 JULY – The Putrajaya Floria Festival is an annual national programme organised by the Putrajaya Corporation to promote the diversity and beauty of flora and fauna in Malaysia. This programme attracts both local and international communities alike every year. Recently, this programme was held at Taman Putrajaya at Precinct 2 with various activities relating to the world of horticulture and landscape.

With an interesting theme title ‘Orchids: Tropical Treasure’, the organising of this Floria attracted many visitors even though the weather around Putrajaya was hazy and the air quality poor. This year this event was participated by many government bodies including private organisations vying for the many awards and prizes. Among the participants were local authorities, corporate bodies, individual companies, universities and schools.

Many entries were received from universities and other higher learning colleges but only ten universities or colleges would be receiving the cash incentive of RM5,000.00 from the Putrajaya Corporation thus able to showcase their ability and creativity to the visitors. Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) through the School of Sustainable Agriculture (SPL) once again was chosen as one of the recipients of this cash incentive to participate in the University Garden Category. The objective of SPL students participating in the competition this time was to increase their soft skills especially in inventions and building a practical garden, dynamic and established. Besides, their participation would also help to promote UMS and its academic curriculum nationally especially in the field of agriculture.

SPL students participation especially from the Horticulture and Landscape Programme was seen as a way to expose them to the aspects of management and the building of a beautiful and sustainable garden. With their theme ‘Orchids: The Wonderful Secrets Revealed’, this year UMS team built a garden that attracted many visitors because of its uniqueness. UMS team created a garden inspired by a beautiful holiday home with a tropical concept and a lavish spa capturing the imagination of this diverse community, resting their minds while searching for peace.

The air element, bamboo lights and an amazing landscape built by the UMS team itself won the hearts of the judges and was presented with two awards namely ‘Floria Garden Starlight Award’ and ‘Floria Garden Creative Award’.

According to SPL’s Dean, Dr. Sitti Raehanah Muhammad Shaleh, this win not only elevated UMS’ name at the competition but also the School of Sustainable Agriculture in the field of agriculture especially in the horticulture and landscape specialty. They wished to thank the Putrajaya Corporation for organising such event.

Also sharing in their success was SPL Head of Programme for Horticulture and Landscape, Dr. Jupikely James Silip who believed that the field of design and garden creativity would help motivate other students to be an all-round and talented agriculture student.

This statement was supported by ten students who represented UMS this year. They were Normala Daud, Iganatia Ebi, Harniza Ishak, Marziah Ahmad, Siti Hazami Yacob, Nurul Husna, Adzlin Hairi, Mohd Hafizul, Anwar Hazim and Anwar Tawe. All of whom had echoed the same sentiment that they had gathered numerous experience, thus giving them the needed exposure and management concept to help them in their future career.

Their lecturer, Shahida Mohd Sharif said, the participation of SPL students in this competition would add more value and personality building among students in completing their assignments according to the timeframe given.

“I would like to record my appreciation for their effort and commitment in building the garden even though our campus is in Sandakan and faced with many logistics and transportation issues. We would also like to record our gratitude to SPL Field Laboratory staff especially Santy Karim, Khairul Azree, Frederick and Zulkalana for their commitment and assistance in preparing our team for this competition,” he added.

All the hard work had paid off when UMS Garden was visited by the Head of State, Tun Hj. Juhar Mahiruddin and wife, Toh Puan Norlidah Datuk RM Jasni. Their visit and words of encouragement had made the students and staff felt their participation was worth their while and left them with high spirits. – FL

Source: School of Sustainable Agriculture

                                                                                                                               Information and Media Section, Corporate Relations Division