KUALA LUMPUR: The genomics and biopharmaceutical specialist has inked a letter of intent (LOI) with the Faculty of Science and Natural Resources, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and Rinani Genotec to collaborate on research and development in genetics, and regenerative and alternative medicines.

MGRC, which owns a high-throughput sequencing lab, advanced microarray facility, and new state-of-the-art cell processing lab, as well as Genotec, which specializes in biomedical treatments using stem cells, will assist in strengthening the teaching and research activities of the undergraduate programme at UMS’ Faculty of Science and Natural Resources, under the LOI.

This cooperation will enable the exchange of research resources and ideas to enhance the quality of research at UMS, as well as create opportunities for students from the Faculty of Science and Natural Resources to serve their internship period at MGRC or Genotec.

“We are happy to assist UMS undergraduates in pursuing their R&D goals so that they have a better understanding of their field of study. This is also in support of the National Biotechnology Policy 2.0 launched recently focusing on agriculture and food security, healthcare and wellbeing, as well as industrial and the circular economy,” Malaysian Genomics Chairman, Datuk Seri Dr. Chen Chaw Mins (photo) said.

“UMS is actively engaging in research as well as teaching activities and the involvement of industry is crucial in ensuring the relevance of such activities conducted at the University,” said Dean of the Faculty of Science and Natural Resources, UMS, Professor Dr. Jualang Azlan Gansau.

The signing of the LOI followed UMS’ visit to MGRC’s Biosafety Level 2 cGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Practice)-certified laboratory, which is used for the production of cell therapies, including CAR T-cell therapies for various cancers.

KOTA KINABALU: Letusan gunung berapi lumpur yang berlaku di Taman Hidupan Liar Tabin, Lahad Datu, Ahad lalu, bukan petanda bencana seperti letusan gunung berapi boleh berlaku di Sabah.

Salah faham mengenai 'gunung berapi' itu dijelaskan dua Felo Penyelidik Geologi Pusat Kajian Bencana Alam (NDRC), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Dr Hardianshah Saleh dan Prof Dr Baba Musta, bagi menjawab pelbagai pertanyaan awam berhubung fenomena itu.

Menerusi satu kenyataan hari ini, penyelidik geologi UMS itu berkata, letusan gunung berapi lumpur atau volkano lumpur adalah fenomena yang biasa berlaku di Sabah dan kewujudannya boleh ditemui di beberapa kawasan di negeri ini.

"Namun, apa yang lebih penting adalah fenomena volkano lumpur bukanlah suatu petanda bencana seperti letusan gunung berapi boleh berlaku pada masa terdekat," katanya.

Berdasarkan peta lokasi volkano lumpur yang dikongsikan NDRC, selain di Tabin, Lahad Datu, kewujudan gunung berapi lumpur juga ditemui di beberapa tempat di Sandakan dan Kunak di pantai timur, manakala di daerah Kuala Penyu bagi kawasan pantai barat.

Secara geologinya, kedua-dua penyelidik itu menerangkan, volkano lumpur bukanlah fenomena yang sama dengan volkano atau letusan gunung berapi.

"Walaupun istilah 'volkano' secara terjemahannya adalah letusan gunung berapi, volkano lumpur ini jauh sekali daripada memuntahkan bahan cairan lava seperti letusan gunung berapi yang umum ketahui.

"Volkano lumpur hanya 'meminjam' istilah volkano untuk menjelaskan mekanisme bahan lumpur yang dipaksa keluar daripada bawah tanah untuk ke permukaan," katanya.

Mereka menjelaskan, fenomena itu terjadi disebabkan tekanan beban atas (overburden pressure) terhadap lapisan kaya dengan bahan lumpur, yang terbentuk jauh di bawah permukaan tanah.

Tekanan itu, katanya, memaksa bahan lumpur dalam bentuk cecair bersama gas metana keluar ke permukaan bumi menerusi sesar, retakan atau zon lemah pada batuan.

Bagi kawasan Lahad Datu, mereka berkata, zon sesar atau lemah terdiri daripada batuan hancur atau istilah geologinya dikenali sebagai 'melange'.

"Fenomena ini juga sering kali dirujuk sebagai diapir lumpur (Mud diapir) yang mempunyai mekanisme sama, namun tidak memuntahkan lumpur sehingga ke permukaan," katanya.

Sementara itu, Pengarah NDRC UMS, Prof Madya Dr Carolyn Melissa Payus, berkata penerangan yang lebih jelas dan saintifik mengenai fenomena itu penting, terutama daripada pusat penyelidikan seperti NDRC bagi mengelak kebimbangan pihak awam.

Katanya, NDRC, UMS, giat melaksanakan aktiviti memberi penjelasan dan pendidikan kepada umum, termasuk selepas bencana gempa bumi yang melanda Sabah pada 2015.

"NDRC bukan setakat sebagai pusat rujukan untuk orang awam, tetapi juga sebagai 'focal point' untuk penyelidikan yang berkait dengan Sains Alam Sekitar dan Bencana serta Pengurusannya, terutamanya di Sabah," katanya.

Klip video berdurasi kira-kira 10 saat yang memaparkan letusan gunung berapi lumpur di Tabin, Lahad Datu, tular di laman sosial beberapa hari lalu, sedikit sebanyak menimbulkan kegusaran kepada masyarakat umum.

Ramai warga maya yang beranggapan fenomena itu berkait secara langsung dengan letusan gunung berapi, yang mungkin boleh berlaku pada bila-bila masa, selain mengaitkannya dengan kejadian gempa bumi kuat yang berlaku di luar negara.

Two students from the Faculty of Business, Economics and Accountancy, University Malaysia Sabah, Ho Shu Jun (何淑祯) and Yeoh Peyee (杨品瑜), received scholarships from Asian International Mobility for Students (AIMS) program and spent a semester abroad as exchange students in Dongguk University Gyeongju, South Korea.

Ho Shu Jun, a second-year student majoring in Tourism Management shared her experience. According to her, she is enriched with the experiences she had in South Korea from March to July 2022.

“I am appreciative of the opportunity given by UMS to participate in this international mobility program. It is said that reading a thousand books is not comparable to travelling a thousand miles. It is true that sometimes the lessons you draw from your own life experiences are richer and more relatable than those you learn from books,” quipped Shu Jun.

Arriving in South Korea in March has been a challenge as COVID-19 restrictions had not been lifted in the country. After arriving in Incheon Korea (인천), one of the country’s three main cities, both Shu Jun and Peyee were quarantined for seven days. Every day for a week, food was delivered to our rooms on schedule.

After seven days of quarantine, we had to take the Airport Railroad and Korea Train Express to get from Incheon to Gyeongju City. Gyeongju (경주시) is the birthplace of Buddhism, which is also a home to numerous important historical landmarks in Korea, including Cheomseongdae (점성대) and Woljeong Bridge (월정교).

Dongguk University (동국대학교), a comprehensive university, was established in 1906. It is unique in that it is the only institution in South Korea to offer a major in Buddhist studies. The professors and students at Dongguk University were kind to them on their first day there. Ho Shu Jun and Yeoh Peyee took five classes taught in English. The credits were transferable upon returning to UMS. 

During their classes, Ho and Yeoh had the opportunities to sample local Korean cuisines besides learning about Gyeongju’s history and culture. The Silla Dynasty left behind a wealth of historical and cultural artifacts in the city of Gyeongju, many of which have been conserved and are now beautifully on exhibit. Both students were invited by their professor to visit her hometown.

Professor Jay Soo who is a Daegu native invited both students to learn more about her hometown and took them there to explore the local cuisine, culture, and history. In comparison to Gyeongju, Daegu (대구) is a comparatively metropolitan metropolis. It is the fourth largest city in Korea. They were also informed that Daegu had another name. It is “Daefrica”. What does the name “Daegu + Africa” signify? This unique appellation for Daegu is a result of the city’s intense summer heat.

In one of their classes, Professor Jay Soo had presented the Korea Virtual Reality Tour as an example of Korea’s cutting-edge technology. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that have impacted the lives of many people all over the world, South Korea has developed a Virtual Reality Tour website to allow people to “Go out and vacation” even if they were impacted by the pandemic.

The exchange students from Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and few Korean students were given the opportunities to participate in two days and one night field trip to Busan hosted by Korea Maritime & Ocean University (국럽한국해양대학교). The Korea Maritime & Ocean University is an important maritime institution with a concentration on shipping, logistics, marine, and transportation.

The students visited the Korea Maritime Museum Tour, Busan Headquarters Customs Tour, Busan New Port Public Relations Hall Tour, and Busan New Port BCT Terminal Tour to learn about the history and culture of Busan city.

Ho Shu Jun and Yeoh Peyee encountered with many individuals on this trip who were welcoming and eager to assist them when they needed it, which left them with a positive and insightful view of South Korea. Yeoh Peyee, also a second-year student, majoring in Tourism Management believed that the AIMS programme brings a lot of benefits to students. Both students have gained a lot from their time spent in South Korea as exchange students. They have also learned more about the country’s history and culture.

Associate Professor Dr. Mohd. Rahimie Abd. Karim, Dean of Faculty of Business, Economics and Accountancy, UMS emphasized the importance of international mobility experience as part of students’ learning experiences. The faculty has been actively engaged in international mobility program for both staff and students. In September, two students from the faculty will enroll in autumn semester in Dongguk University WISE Campus, while three Korean students will spend one semester in UMS (October 2022).

According to the Director of the Centre of Internationalization and Global Engagement, UMS, Associate Professor Dr. Wardatul Akmam Din, “Preparing global citizens has become more important than ever in an increasingly interconnected world; however, as lauded in the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025, it is important to balance the development of global citizenship with a strong national identity.” The curriculum in Universiti Malaysia Sabah strives to achieve a balance in both.

KOTA KINABALU: Inisiatif PerantiSiswa Keluarga Malaysia merupakan sebuah usaha kerajaan untuk memperkasakan agenda Pendigitalan Pendidikan.

Menurut Menteri Pengajian Tinggi Malaysia, Datuk Seri Dr. Noraini Ahmad, inisiatif itu juga bagi membantu proses pembelajaran mahasiswa Institusi Pengajian Tinggi (IPT) yang berada dalam kelompok B40.

“Ia merupakan komitmen kerajaan Keluarga Malaysia dalam memastikan para pelajar tidak ketinggalan terutama dalam kalangan B40 serta merapatkan jurang digital antara semua kelompok di Malaysia.

“Adalah diharapkan PerantiSiswa Keluarga Malaysia dapat menjadi pembakar semangat untuk terus memastikan kecemerlangan akademik dapat dicapai,” katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian ketika menyempurnakan penyampaian 100 tablet Bantuan PerantiSiswa Keluarga Malaysia kepada pelajar IPT B40 di Dewan Kolej Kediaman Tun Fuad UMS, di sini, hari ini.

Hadir sama Menteri Sains, Teknologi dan Inovasi Sabah Datuk Yakub Khan, Timbalan Naib Canselor (Hal Ehwal Pelajar dan Alumni) merangkap yang menjalankan fungsi Naib Canselor UMS, Prof. Madya Dr. Raman Noordin, dan Timbalan Ketua Setiausaha (Pengurusan dan Pembangunan) KPT Datuk Dr. Mohd Zabri Yusoff.

Noraini berkata, inisiatif di bawah Belanjawan 2022 itu diterajui Kementerian Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia (K-KOMM) dengan kerjasama Kementerian Kewangan Malaysia (MOF) dan Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi (KPT).

“Permohonannya telah dibuka sejak April lepas dan semakan telah bermula pada 29 Ogos 2022.

“Justeru, saya menyeru kepada semua pelajar IPT B40 yang masih belum memohon, segera untuk membuat permohonan dalam fasa ke-2 yang masih dibuka sehingga 30 September 2022,” katanya.

Sementara itu, Raman dalam ucapannya berkata, komitmen kerajaan pada hari ini dalam memastikan semua kelompok masyarakat tidak ketinggalan harus dipuji.

“Adalah diharapkan para pelajar yang layak menerima PerantiSiswa Keluarga Malaysia dapat menggunakan peranti ini sebaik mungkin sepanjang perjalanan menamatkan pengajian di universiti.

“Saya ingin mengucapkan terima kasih kepada Menteri Pengajian Tinggi atas komitmen berada di UMS pada hari ini dan menyerahkan sendiri PerantiSiswa Keluarga Malaysia kepada pelajar,” katanya.

Pada majlis tersebut Noraini menyampaikan 50 tablet kepada pelajar UMS, 20 kepada Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Cawangan Sabah, dan masing-masing 10 tablet kepada Politeknik Kota Kinabalu, Kolej Antarabangsa Almacrest dan Kolej Cyberjaya Kota Kinabalu.

Beliau turut meluangkan masa dalam program Sarapan Menu Keluarga Malaysia dan Sesi Ramah Mesra bersama pasukan Misi Sukarelawan Siswa Yayasan Sukarelawan Siswa ke Sabah, serta melancarkan Program Kembara Keluarga Simpan SSPN Tahun 2022 Peringkat Negeri Sabah 2022.

Yang turut hadir  Pengerusi Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Nasional (PTPTN) Apli Yusoff, Pengerusi Education Malaysia Global Service (EMGS) Datin Maizatul Akmam Hj. Alawi, Rektor UiTM Cawangan Sabah Prof. Madya Datuk Dr. Hj. Abdul Kadir Hj. Rosline dan Pengarah Politeknik Kota Kinabalu, Dullah Muluk.