His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan dan Yang Di-Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam honoured for contributions to lifelong learning and international cooperation

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His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan dan Yang Di-Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam, was awarded the Honorary Doctorate of Laws (Doctor of Laws Honoris Causa) by King’s College London on the 14th of April 2011.

The ceremony took place on the Strand Campus, King’s College London.

Honorary degrees of King’s College London are awarded in recognition of an individual’s conspicuous merit as demonstrated by their outstanding distinction. His Majesty the Sultan was awarded for his efforts in stressing the importance of education. His Majesty has done much to promote education at all levels. He has not only made it possible for Brunei students to pursue higher education abroad, but has also established in Brunei two new universities and a university college to meet the increasing demand for higher education.

Lord Duoro, Chairman of the College Council, presented the scroll of Honorary Doctorate of Laws to His Majesty.

His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan dan Yang Di-Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam, was awarded the Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy and Civilization by Universitas Indonesia on the 21st of April 2011.

The ceremony took place on the Balai Sidang, Depok Campus, Universitas Indonesia, in Jakarta.

Prof. der Soz. Dr. Gumilar Rusliwa Somantri, Rector of Universitas Indonesia, highlighted three of the monarch’s achievements which had led to the conferment of the honorary doctorate: His Majesty’s success in improving human welfare through economic development, education and civilization, His Majesty’s support for ASEAN regional cooperation and international politics, and His Majesty’s wise leadership which has increased the physical and spiritual welfare of his people.

Honorary Doctorate from King’s College London

Honorary Doctorate from Universitas Indonesia

Welcome to the second issue this year of discover ubd. It has been another hectic few months for UBD as we come to the close of our academic year. Academic staff and students alike have pushed themselves to achieve excellence in various fields – BSP retiree Mr Ang Sik Liong perhaps exemplifies this spirit of achievement best as he embarks on a PhD programme here at UBD (pg 7).

UBD continues to expand and extend its hand out to other institutions of higher education in the spirit of cooperation and collaboration by signing MoUs with various universities, including the Alexandria and Ain Shams Universities in Egypt (pg 6). Infrastructurally, details of ongoing construction projects to ensure that UBD’s facilities are second to none, can be found on page 17.

These themes of lifelong learning and global cooperation are brought together in our feature article, in which we are honoured to showcase the achievements of His Majesty, who was awarded Honorary Doctorates by Universitas Indonesia and Kings College London, for his remarkable contributions nationally and internationally to education and international affairs.

Although this issue marks the end of our academic year, the next few months promises to be just as busy as we prepare for a brand new semester and continue to work towards lifting UBD into the global arena. We hope you enjoy this issue and we welcome your feedback.

Best wishes,

Hjh Anis Faudzulani Hj DzulkifleeActing Assistant Vice Chancellor(Corporate and Administration)

ContactInternational and Public Relations Officeoffice.ipro@ubd.edu.bn

Editorial BoardHjh Anis Faudzulani Hj Dzulkiflee, Dr Teo Siew Yean,Dr Kathrina Hj Mohd Daud, Hjh Nuairah Afiifah Hj Abdul Wahab, Wardah Hakimah Hj Sumardi

Welcoming Message

Editorial

2 Welcoming Message

3 Discover Feature

Discover News

4 eG.InC Opening Ceremony

5 Brunei’s School Leadership Programme

6 MOU Signings

7 BSP Retiree Undergoes PhD Programme

Muslim WorldBiz 2011

8 16th International Conference on Education

9 Service Medals

SHBIE Retreat

10 UBD Army Platoon

May Examination Hajat Prayers

Voices From The Graduate Programme

11 Help Japan

UBD Sharks

12 U.B.D Challenge

13 Pesta Sukan Remaja

UBD Intl. Students Visits Labi

14 UNC Students Visits Brunei

Thai Students Visits UBD

15 UBD Jogathon

9th Asean Youth Cultural Forum

16 iCUBE Meeting

The WorldMUN Experience

17 Faculty Extension

The CORE

18 Energy Exhibition

19 News from GSR Office

20 Earth Hour

Ranoadidas 8th Anniversary

New UBDfm Studio

Discover Research

21 Obesity Research Cluster

Cancer Research Takes Off at UBD

22 His Excellency The Spiderman

24 Self Configurable Eco-Home

Discover Converences

25 UBD Roadshow to Universities in the US

26 Science, Technology snd Society workshop

V-Sigma 2

27 Executive Development Programme

His Majesty addresses the crowd at Universitas Indonesia’s Depok campus.

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eG.InC Opening Ceremony

On the 4th of June 2011, the e-Government Innovation Centre or eG.InC at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) was officially launched by Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Seri Duli Pengiran Muda Haji ‘Abdul ‘Azim ibni Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah. The opening ceremony was also attended by Dr Hj Zulkarnain bin Haji Hanafi, the Vice Chancellor of UBD, Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Singamanteri Colonel (L) Dato Paduka Haji Mohammad Yasmin bin Haji Umar, the Minister of Energy and Chairman of Brunei’s e-Government Leadership Forum, senior officials from the government, Universiti Brunei Darussalam and several international agencies.

Opening remarks were given by Dr Hazri Kifle, the Dean of the Faculty of Business, Economics and Policy Studies, UBD and Professor Soung Hie Kim, Director of e-Government and the Green IT Research Centre, KAIST (Korean Advanced Institute for Science and Technology) . A keynote address was delivered by Mr Seoung Ju Kang, Minister Counselor, Permanent Delegation of Korea to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development).

eG.InC was established by Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) in collaboration with the Prime Minister’s Office and KAIST. eG.InC aims to inspire e-government innovation through research and education by:

• Facilitating e-government research through building of a comprehensive and extensive knowledge base and a network of experts.

• Developing global thought leadership capability for e-government and to contribute to implementing e-government successfully through training and educating civil servants, the public sector and industries; recommending directions for e-government; and assessing and evaluating e-government policies and programmes.

• Promoting international and regional e-government cooperation.

The opening ceremony also marked the beginning of a 14-week e-Government training programme attended by senior government officials mainly the Chief Information Officers (CIOs) from various ministries. The Guest of Honour also had the opportunity to meet the participants before touring the exhibitions displayed by eG.InC, e-Government National Centre (EGNC), KAIST, Samsung, the Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) and IT Protective Security Services (ITPSS).

Brunei’s School Leadership Program (SLP) The School Leadership Program (SLP) is an initiative of Universiti Brunei Darussalam through its Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Advancement (ILIA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education. The SLP aims to equip leaders in Brunei‘s education system with the capacity to lead an emerging body of reform initiatives and help establish a new culture of proactive, entrepreneurial school leadership. This collaboration is supported by the Action Learning Associates (ALA) team led by the esteemed Professor in Management and Organisation from the Ross School of Business, Professor Noel Tichy.

The mission of the program is to help develop more effective leadership capable of meeting the social, technological, and political challenges of creating change in Bruneian education. Graduates of the SLP are expected to have the skills to implement transformational projects in their respective schools. The Ministry‘s goal is for the SLP to train all school

leaders in government schools in Brunei by the end of 2011. A number of factors contributed to the development of the SLP in Brunei and these factors include the changing economic landscape in Brunei, SPN 21, Brunei’s Vision 2035 and the McKinsey Report.The SLP Brunei was first launched in March 2010. Since its inception, the SLP has worked with schools in Brunei through a series of action learning based workshops. In addition to these workshops, participating school leaders and teams are required to implement transformational projects that will help to raise their students’ academic achievements. The program is designed by the ALA to simultaneously develop leadership capabilities while driving significant school performance improvement.

Since March 2010, a total of 193 schools in Brunei have participated in the School Leadership Program. The 6th Cohort, launched in April 2011, was graced by the participation of SEAMEO and CLMV countries. It is hoped that the participation of these countries will create a productive network within which collaboration on school developments can be fostered.

Since the implementation of the SLP, a number of achievements in the area of numeracy, literacy, parental involvement and other collaborative engagements have been observed and recorded.The SLP has become a catalyst in helping school leaders make quantum changes in their respective schools and produce results, particularly in raising students’ academic achievements.

It is hoped that the SLP will be able to address identified challenges and limitations and produce better results in helping to improve the quality of Brunei’s future generation of leaders. The SLP hopes to further strengthen its collaboration with various departments in the Ministry of Education to ensure the success of the program, particularly in providing quality education for all children in Brunei through School Leadership.

SLP participant presenting to his colleagues his school’s achievements

carried out after Workshop 1.

The Minister of Education, Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia Haji Awang Abu Bakar bin Apong, answering questions raised during a Q&A session with participants of SLP Cohort 6.

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BSP retiree undergoes PhD programme after obtaining his MBA at UBDOn the 13th of April 2011, in the FBEPS (Faculty of Business, Economics and Policy Studies) Boardroom, a 58 year old PhD candidate, Mr. Ang Sik Liong, conducted his second research progress presentation for a panel of FBEPS faculty members. The panel consisted of Dr. Hj. Mohammad Habibur Rahman (Programme Leader in Graduate Studies), Professor Dr. Patrick Low Kim Cheng (Supervisor), Dr. Hj. Mohammad Nabil Almunawar, Dr. Saad Al-Harran, Dr. Zahidol Islam, Dr. Habrizah Hussin and Mr. Hashim Hj Yaccob.

Mr. Ang’s research study was entitled, “Confucian leaders and Managers amongst the Chinese in Brunei Darussalam”. It is common practice for a research student to obtain comments and feedback for the improvement of his or her research study after a presentation. Mr. Ang presented a literature review on values which included a schematic diagram - using this review the candidate explained his understanding of values and its importance to the study. The PhD candidate also established a set of Confucian values for his study on Confucius leadership and management in Brunei. Some of the Confucian values he mentioned were thriftiness, frugality, perserverance, hard work and continuous learning. Mr Ang then proposed his research methodology including a pilot study followed by qualitative and quantitative research. The panel advised the PhD candidate to proceed with interviews of prominent Chinese leaders and managers through the use of open-ended questions regarding Confucian values and to establish a list of Chinese Bruneian Confucian values for the survey study. After further discussion and guidance from his supervisor, the PhD candidate accepted the feedback and proceeded accordingly.

In his early years, Mr. Ang Sik Liong obtained a BSc and MPhil degree from Queen Mary College and the University of London respectively, and joined Brunei Shell in 1979. After 29 years of service with Brunei Shell, he retired from the company when he was the Head of Production Chemistry in 2008. He was keen to keep learning, however, and subsequently successfully pursued an MBA at UBD. He then embarked on the PhD programme in 2010. He said that he wanted to live up to the Confucian value of continuous learning. He remarked on a Chinese saying, “活到老﹐學到老” (Hanyu Pinyin: huo tao lau xie tao lau) which means that as one matures one continues to learn without stopping. With the knowledge and experiences he has gathered so far, he wishes to further serve the Bruneian community.

MOU Signing Ceremony Between Universiti Brunei Darussalam and University of North Carolina

UBD signs MoU with Alexandria University and Ain Shams University, Egypt

Universiti Brunei Darussalam signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Alexandria University, Egypt, on the 2nd of May 2011. Present to sign the agreement was the Vice Chancellor, Dr. Hj Zulkarnain bin Hj Hanafi and the President of Alexandria University, Professor Dr. Hind Mamdouh Hanafy. The MoU marks an agreement to build a framework which will facilitate, encourage and promote cooperation through student exchanges, as well as collaborations between faculty members, publications and research.

During the trip to Egypt, a second MoU was signed between UBD and Ain Shams University, following a discussion between the President of Ain Shams University, Professor Dr. Mageed, and the Vice Chancellor. The MoU, which was an expression of hope of cooperation between the two universities, was followed by a tour of the Ain Shams University Faculty of Medicine.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Universiti Brunei Darussalam and the University of North Carolina in the United States on the 14th of May 2011. The MoU was signed by Dr Hj Zulkarnain bin Hj Hanafi, the Vice Chancellor of UBD and Professor Peter Coclanis, Director of the Global Research Institute, University of North Carolina.

Present to witness this auspicious event was His Excellency Mr Daniel Shields, Ambassador of the United States of America.The MoU will serve as a general framework for cooperation between the two institutions and is intended to facilitate discussions for more specific programmes of collaboration.

The University of North Carolina is already a member of the International Consortium of Universities for the Study of Biodiversity and the Environment, or “iCUBE” which was formed by Universiti Brunei Darussalam. iCUBE aims to promote collaboration and cooperative activities in research, teaching and learning in the areas of global biodiversity and environmental challenges, among the participating institutions. Two batches of UNC students have also visited UBD over the last few months, as part of UBD’s new Global Discovery programme, as well as the Carolina SEAS and UNC Southeast Asia semester programmes.

The 2nd Muslim World BIZ 2011 was held in Kuala Lumpur from the 8th to the 11th of June this year. The event aims to promote economic cooperation and the intra trade among the massive global Muslim market, which extends over 1.6 million people. With the theme “The Forces of Many, the Vision of One”, the event aimed to create an integrated business platform for government officials, corporations, investors, businessmen and entrepreneurs from all over the the world to congregate and explore trade opportunities available in the Muslim world.

As one of the keynote speakers, Dr Zulkarnain Haji Hanafi, Vice Chancellor of Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) in his presentation titled ‘Transition and Transformation’, highlighted the importance of transformation in today’s age of constant change. Specifically, he emphasized the need for change in the role of universities in order to remain relevant while still upholding Islamic values. Specifically, he emphasized that students need to be given the skills of ‘learning to learn’. This is to ensure that they are equipped to assess, understand, and adapt to the changes that the world is facing today as well as what the future may bring. In response to this belief, Universiti Brunei Darussalam introduced the GenNEXT programme which emphasizes broad-based education and requires students to engage in multidisciplinary programmes and experiential learning. One of the initiatives introduced under GenNEXT was the Discovery Year, where students have the options to embark on 4 different types of learning activities: Study Abroad, Internships, Community Service, and Innovation or Incubation Projects. UBD has also spearheaded several exciting collaborations. Recent initiatives introduced by UBD include the launching of i-CUBE, the UBD-IBM Centre, eG-Inc and the SOASCIS.

The 2nd Muslim World BIZ 2011

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Six Service Medals forUBD Library Officers and Staff

Six library officers and staff were bestowed with Pingat Indah Kerja Baik (PIKB) or Excellent Service Medals and Pingat Kerja Lama (PKL) or Long Service Medals, in conjunction with His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam’s birthday anniversary at a ceremony held at Balai Singgahsana Indera Kenchana, Istana Nurul Iman on the 13th of April 2011.

His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee ibni His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Deputy Sultan consented to present the awards on behalf of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam to the recipients. The recipients were Haji Awang Mohd Yussop bin POKIDDP Haji Awang Musa, the Acting Assistant Chief Librarian, Haji Abdullah bin Hj Tahir, Hajah Kamsini binti Hj Mohd Hussin, Dayang Rehimah binti Haji Hambali, Dayang Norsinah binti Jainuddin, and Dayang Kalsom binti Haji Anuar.

SHBIE RetreatBetween March 14th-15th and 16th-17th 2011, two separate groups of SHBIE staff took over Levels 4 & 7 at the Rizqun International Hotel and entertained passing members of the public with team building activities, video recording antics and even a faculty aerobics session! Much fun was had by all and, more importantly, the retreat provided valuable opportunities for connecting and reconnecting with wonderful colleagues in what has been described as ‘the friendliest Faculty in UBD’. On a more serious note, the retreat outlined UBD’s Vision 2015 along with suggested strategies for achieving our goal of becoming one of Asia’s top 50 universities within the next five years. SHBIE staff discussed various possibilities for building on our research strengths and supporting UBD in meeting QS world universityranking criteria.

Despite some healthy uncertainty about being able to step into the shoes of the likes of PepsiCo CEO’s, SHBIE members at all levels of seniority embraced many of the leadership and teamworking ideas presented at the retreat with enthusiasm and participated wholeheartedly in all activities. Indeed, energy levels were so high at the close of the second day that we celebrated with a (very memorable) aerobics session lead by one of our talented senior members of staff!The retreat also provided an opportunity for SHBIE to discuss and find solutions to some of the challenges posed by becoming a graduate school of education. Since the retreat, we have been working closely with the Ministry of Education to find pathways for teachers in Brunei to enter into our Masters programmes. A proposed pathway that addresses most concerns raised by staff and colleagues has been recently presented and endorsed. SHBIE values – Accountability; Connectivity; Excellence; integrity; Inclusiveness (otherwise known as ACE I2)

16th International Conference on Education 2011

The Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education (SHBIE) once again successfully organized the 16th International Conference on Education, which was held from the 23rd to 26th of May 2011, at The Chancellor Hall, UBD. The theme for this year’s conference was Design Research in Education: Empowering Teachers, Learners and Researchers. Design-based research focuses on the interaction between resources, learners and teachers in natural situations. Results from design research can be used to develop designs, to refine the theories of learning from which they are derived and to empower teachers, learners and researchers. It is different from other forms of research in that it focuses on enactment as an outcome when investigating the effect of educational interventions.

The conference was officially declared open by the Minister of Education Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia Hj Abu Bakar Bin Hj Apong. In his speech, Pehin Dato Hj Abu Bakar said the conference was especially relevant to Brunei as the ministry has embarked on a number of initiatives in its commitment towards attaining excellence in education. These include the development of 21st century skills through the national curriculum under the National Education System for the 21st Century (SPN21), the training of the nation’s teachers for School-based Assessment for Learning, the development of technology mediated teaching and learning through the e-Hijrah project and the proposed establishment of model schools at both primary and secondary levels. The minister also highlighted that in each of the above mentioned initiatives, design research education has an important role to play. This inquiry-based approach carried out in classrooms with and by teachers to improve teaching and learning has the potential of transforming education in powerful ways as it will support the teaching and learning that is ongoing in the various contexts of learning. Through design research projects, communities of educators will actively collaborate and communicate with one another as they work through continuous cycles of design, enactment, strategies and tools for teaching and learning.

The keynote speakers for this year conference were Professor Dr. Anthony E Kelly from George Mason University and Professor Dr. MA Clements from Illinois State University.

The conference attracted more than 200 abstract submissions for the presentations from 20 countries. There were 290 participants from Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Taiwan, Brazil, Botswana and Brunei Darussalam attending the conference with a total of 86 papers presented and three workshops held. The paper presentations were both in English and Malay.

Dr Chng Eng Siong, from NTU, Singapore, commented that “ICE2011 was not only a vibrant conference with insightful and refreshing presentations in design research over 3 days, the thing that I took home most, is the memory of the Bruneians’ gentle hospitality and warmth that have endeared me and many other foreign delegates,” and thanked Brunei for its hospitality. His sentiments were echoed by other international delegates.

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“Help JAPAN”On the 11th of March 2011, the strongest earthquake in recorded history struck off the coast of Japan. The aftereffects caused a devastating tsunami that swept away buildings, boats, cars and lives. It also triggered one of the worst nuclear disasters of the century and resulted in an upheaval in nuclear policies. The earthquake was 8,000 times stronger than the quake that struck New Zealand just a month before. The tsunami claimed thousands of lives, devastating the land and helped trigger one of the worst nuclear crises of the century. With the cold winter, the wet conditions and disruption to power and public transport routes, even one of the most advanced countries in the world could not hope to manage a disaster of such an enormous scale without aid.

The “Help JAPAN” Project was a response to this call for aid. A charity fund-raiser for the earthquake victims of Japan was organized by members of the Brunei Japan Friendship Association – UBD Chapter (BJFA-UBD Chapter), teachers of the UBD Language Center, and the Japanese language students. All donations and proceeds were then presented to the Japanese Embassy in Brunei Darussalam.

The fund-raiser was held over three days at UBD, with the last day accomplished in collaboration with students holding the 2011 Earth Day event. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the UBD students and lecturers and visitors for their contributions. All the support made the “Help JAPAN” Project successful beyond our expectations. It was humbling and wonderful to find the Brunei heart beating so strongly for so worthy a cause.

If anyone would like to add their personal donations, there are two ways that they can donate to the Japan Red Cross Society:

Through the Embassy of JapanHSBCCurrent Account No: 001-647700-001

Directly to the Red Cross SocietyTheir website address iswww.jrc.or.jp/english/list.html

UBD Sharks rugby team receive contributionThe Student Rugby Team, popularly known as the UBD Sharks, received a jersey contribution from two private companies on the 11th of May 2011. The jersey contributions were for the team to use in competition locally and regionally.

Present at the handover ceremony were Dr. Hj Ramlee bin Hj Tinkong, the Deputy Dean of Students, the UBD Sharks advisors/coach, the UBD Sharks themselves and representatives from the two contributing companies.

UBD Army PlatoonCadet Promotions

Hajat Prayer and Motivational Talk prepare students for May ExaminationsThe Religious and Spiritual Unit of the Student Affairs Section organised a Hajat Prayer and a motivational lecture in conjunction with the May examinations. The event took place at the UBD Mosque on the 20th of April 2011.

The lecture entitled “Untuk Berjaya mesti ada D.U.I.T ” was delivered by Dr. Wan Mat bin Sulaiman from SHBIE. Over 300 students attended this event, including members from the Muslim Youth Club and executives of the Religious and Spiritual Unit.

Later in the day, the counseling unit of SAS, with the support of SHBIE lecturers, organised a motivational session at the Chancellor Hall. A talk was delivered by Dr. Ee Ah Meng of SHBIE, followed by a session on ‘Psychological Preparation,’ given by Dyg Hjh Suhaina Hj Mat Ludin, a Student Counsellor.

Recently DiscoverUBD caught up with three of UBD’s doctoral candidates: Muhammad Naeem Khan, Abdulwasiu Isiaq Nasirudeen (Education), Munshi Naser Ibne Afzal (Economics) to see what they had to say about their UBD experience so far.

All three students were positive about their UBD “experiment”, as Naeem put it, with Abdulwasiu commenting on the high quality facilities and Munshi saying that it provides a good environment for study. However, Munshi did suggest that family accommodation in UBD could be improved. All three of them were keen to start a UBD International Students Alumni Club, with Munshi and Naeem personally offering to begin spreading the word, and Abdulwasiu putting forward the idea of a knowledge forum where doctoral candidates could pool their resources and share their research with each other.

When asked about how they themselves had been attracted to UBD, all three students cited different sources – friends, government agencies, the Internet. Abdulwasiu and Munshi praised the multicultural environment and dedicated staff, while Naeem remarked on UBD’s conducive research atmosphere.

DiscoverUBD looks forward to highlighting and hearing from more voices from the graduate programme.

Voices from the graduate programme

The UBD Army Platoon Cadet was officially formed under SAS UBD in February 2009. 3 cohorts of UBD students have since joined the Cadets under the supervision of the Army Cadets of the Ministryof Defense.

The promotion ceremony for 25 UBD army cadets from all 3 cohorts was held on the 18th of May, 2011 at the Multipurpose Hall in the Male Residential College. One of the recipients was Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah who was promoted to Sergeant.

Among those present to witness the ceremony were the parents of Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah binti Pengiran Salleh Ab. Rahaman, and YAM Pengiran Anak Hj Abd Wadood Bolkiah bin Pengiran Lela Cheteria Sahibun Najabah Pengiran Anak Haji Abdul Aziz, whose wife, Pengiran Seti Aminah Pengiran Othman was also promoted to Sergeant.

The guest of honour for the ceremony was the Commanding Officer of the Royal Brunei Malay Army Reserve, Lt Col (L) Norsharinizam Hj Talib. The Deputy Vice Chancellor, Associate Prof. Dr. Zohrah Hj Sulaiman was the special guest from UBD.

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U.B.D. (Universities of Brunei Debate) Challenge23rd April 2011, 9.00am-4.30pmThe Core, Residential College,Universiti Brunei Darussalam

The inaugural university-level debate competition among the local higher education institutions in Brunei Darussalam took place on the 23rd of April 2011, at The Core, Residential College, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD).

The Universities of Brunei Debate (U.B.D) Challenge carried the theme “Embracing our legacy, empowering new frontiers” and was organised in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of UBD’s establishment.

The one-day event featured two teams from UBD and one team each from the Sultan Sharif Ali Islamic University (UNISSA) and the Seri Begawan Islamic Religious Teachers’ College University (KUPUSB). The second UBD team was incorporated as a result of Institut Teknologi Brunei (ITB) having to unfortunately withdraw from the competition.

The event started with preliminary sessions in the morning. The first debate, with the motion ‘This House believes that censorship is necessary for stability and economic development’, saw proposition team UBD Team 1, who were in favour of the motion, edge out UNISSA, the opposition.

The second preliminary debate was taken by the second UBD team, who successfully argued against the motion “This House believes that the principles and actions of Wikileaks cause more harm than good,” against a valiant and dynamic KUPUSB proposition team.The debates followed a knockout format, with the

winning team being the one with the most votes from the three judges. UBD Team 1 and UBD Team 2 therefore advanced to the final session in the afternoon. The three judges were Christopher Ng Ming Yew from the Attorney-General’s Chambers, Kevin Lo Jin Song from Pengiran Izad and Lee, and Genevieve Lai from Toastmasters.

Present as guest of honour in the afternoon session was Permanent Secretary of Higher Education at the Ministry of Education, Dr. Hj Junaidi bin Hj Abd Rahman. The Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Zulkarnain, was also present.

The final debate carried the motion, “This House believes that leaders are born and bred, not made and trained.” UBD Team 2, which took the opposition stance, carried the honours after a lively and informative debate, winning the inaugural U.B.D Challenge for UBD. After the debate, all teams were generously invited by the panel of judges to consult them for more detailed feedback to help them improve their analytical skills and speaking styles to foster a greater quality of debate in future challenges.

The U.B.D. Challenge, organised by UBD’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, has the objectives of promoting a lively debating culture among university students in Brunei, to foster closer relations among the local universities and to eventually showcase local debating talent regionally and internationally.

Pesta Sukan Remaja Ke-V 2011

Pesta Sukan Remaja (PSR) Ke-V 2011 diadakan 2 kali setahun. Kontigen IPT yang terdiri daripada mahasiswa/i daripada UBD, ITB, UNISSA dan KUPUSB telah dijemput untuk mengikut temasya tersebut kali yang pertama dan menghantar seramai 113 orang atlet. Temasya sukan dwitahunan ini dianjurkan oleh Jabatan Belia dan Sukan (JBS) dan dikelolakan oleh Persatuan-persatuan Sukan Kebangsaan dengan mempertandingkan sebanyak 465 pingat keseluruhan, 141 pingat emas, 141 perak dan 183 gangsa.

Majlis Perasmiannya disempurnakan oleh Menteri Kebudayaan Belia dan Sukan, Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Laila Diraja Dato Paduka Awang Haji Hazair bin Haji Abdullah di Stadium Tertutup, Kompleks Sukan Negara Hassanal Bolkiah, Berakas di sini.

PSR ini merupakan asas ke arah memenuhi kehendak dasar sukan negara ke arah pembangunan sukan dan kecemerlangan sukan. Temasya ini berlangsung selama lapan hari bermula 11hb hingga 18 hb Jun dihasratkan sebagai landasan untuk mengenal pasti dan mencari bakat-bakat yang berpotensi untuk diketengahkan bagi mewakili negara di kejohanan serantau dan antarabangsa.

Temasya yang diperkenalkan oleh JBS sejak tahun 2002 ini melibatkan seramai 1437 orang atlet, jurulatih dan pegawai teknikal dengan mempertandingkan 14 acara sukan seperti Badminton, Bola Jaring, Bola Keranjang, Bola Sepak, Catur, Futsal, Hoki, Karate Do, Olahraga, Pencak Silat, Pingpong, Renang, Sepak dan Rugby 7 Side.

Majlis Perasmian bermula dengan perbarisan lalu pasukan pembawa bendera logo PSR dan diikuti dengan pasukan pembawa bendera acara-acara

sukan serta diikuti oleh kontinjen-kontinjen yang menyertai pertandingan.

Kontinjen Daerah Brunei dan Muara mendahului kontinjen-kontinjen lain dengan keramaian 319 peserta diikuti oleh kontinjen Daerah Belait yang membawa keramaian kontinjen 276 peserta dan disusuli kontinjen Daerah Tutong dengan keramaian 306 peserta.

Daerah Temburong menghantar 232 peserta, Majlis Sukan Sekolah-Sekolah Brunei Darussalam (MSSSBD) seramai 191 peserta dan Institusi Pengajian Tinggi (Universiti Brunei Darussalam, UNISSA, ITB dan KUPUSB) seramai 113 orang.

Sejurus selepas itu, ikrar sukan PSR Ke-V 2011 dibacakan oleh Atlet Olahraga, Dayang Maziah binti Mahusin yang memperolehi pingat gangsa dalam acara Lari 400 Meter Berhalangan di Kejohanan Sukan Arafura lalu.

Menteri Kebudayaan, Belia dan Sukan kemudiannya diperkenalkan kepada ketua-ketua kontinjen dan seterusnya menyampaikan cenderamata. Kontigen IPT telah berjaya mengutip 4 pingat emas, 3 pingat perak dan 12 pingat gangsa dalam acara Ping Pong, Karate-do dan Olahraga.

UBD International students visits Labi

A contingent of 25 from the International Students Club of Universiti Brunei Darussalam visited the Long House of Mendaram Village led by Haji Mohd Faisal bin Haji Salleh, from Student Affairs. The visit was part of the annual programme arranged by the Student Affairs Section which aims to introduce students to places of interest in Brunei. The international students also visited the Sungai Liang and Luagan Lalak Recreation Parks.

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Thai Students visit UBD

A group of six students from Chiangmai University, Thailand arrived in Brunei Darussalam on the 12th of April 2011 for a week-long friendly visit. The students

were the liaison officers at the ASEAN University Games 2010 in Chiangmai and were welcomed by

the UBD Contingent from the Games, as well as a PMUBD representative.

University of North Carolina students visit Brunei

Under the University of Carolina’s SEAS and Southeast Asia semester programmes, and under the aegis of UBD’s new Global Discovery programme, two groups of UNC students made their way to Brunei for the first time in May and June.

As part of a packed itinerary drawn up by the director of the Continuing Education Centre (CEC), Dr. Yabit bin Alas, the students were accompanied by UBD student “buddies” during their excursions around Brunei and Temburong. These excursions included field trips out to the Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre, and a homestay at the Kampong Amo longhouse in Temburong.

While at the KBFSC, the students were treated to a brief introduction to Temburong and the vital role that the KBFSC plays in understanding Brunei’s rainforests. They were also taken on a guided forest walk along the Ashton trail, and were able to ascend the Canopy Walk. During the trip to the longhouse, the students were fortunate enough to help with traditional cooking for the evening meal, take a swim in a nearby river, learn basket weaving and participate in some traditional games. The highlight of the stay at the longhouse, however, was the re-enactment of a traditional Iban wedding, complete with a ceremonial parade through the longhouse, and a traditional dance performance.

The UNC students were also taken around Brunei’s major historical and cultural landmarks by the UBD buddies. These trips were given more depth and punctuated by vibrant and energetic seminars on Brunei culture and tradition that were given by UBD academics.

UBD’s new Global Discovery Programme is set to see many more of these visits, as well as participation in programmes of a longer duration, from overseas universities.

UBD sends representatives to 9th ASEAN Youth Cultural Forum

A delegation from Universiti Brunei Darussalam participated in the 9th ASEAN Youth Cultural Forum in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, which was held on the 23rd to the 28th of May 2011. Six UBD students were selected to represent UBD in this forum.

The forum, whose theme was ‘Arts, Identity and Unity’, was hosted by Universitas Gadjah Mada for all AUN member countries. Apart from cultivating the spirit of friendship and togetherness between ASEAN University Network (AUN) member universities through their unique performance art, the forum also aimed to capture the essence of ASEAN cultural heritage, influences and development in order to promote better understanding and appreciation of ASEAN culture.

The forum consisted of lectures, workshops, cultural performances and a cultural trip. A total of 26 universities from AUN’s 10 member nations participated in the forum. The experience from the forum will help UBD as it prepares to host the 10th ASEAN Youth Cultural Forum next year.

The UBD jogathon was organised by the Student Affairs Section of UBD in collaboration with the PMUBD Student Association and the Physical Education students for Sunday, the 17th of April, 2011 at the New Residential College, The Core.

This biennial event aims to increase the students fund to support various student activities locally and internationally, to promote healthful living in the UBD community, and to increase unity and ties between staff and UBD students.

The jogathon is also a charitable event - 10 per cent of the proceeds were donated to SMARTER Brunei and the National Welfare Fund.

The jogathon this year was divided into 10 separate male and female categories. These included the categories of staff above the age of 41, staff between the ages of 31 and 40, staff under the age of 30, students and the open run category.

The male participants’ course was estimated to be around four to five kilometres while the female participants’ course was estimated to be between three and four kilometres.

About 300 Universiti Brunei Darussalam staff and students turned up in support for the event.

The prizes were presented by Associate Prof. Dr. Zohrah binti Hj Sulaiman, Acting Vice Chancellor.

Winning the first prize in the Male Student Category, a return plane ticket to Kuala Lumpur, was Aminuddin Zakaria. Fui Tze Tan, who won the corresponding prize in the Female Student Category, received a two-day, one-night stay at Empire Hotel.

Prizes and medals were awarded to the top five in each category.

UBD Jogathon 2011

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The WorldMUN experienceWorldMUN has grown remarkably in the last 20 years. It started as a conference in Miedzyzdroje, Poland with 300 delegates in 1992, and has now developed into a conference for over 2,200 university students from all over the world. This year, more Asian students than ever flocked to Singapore to take part, united in their drive to make this world a better place to live for everyone. This year’s opening ceremony was held in the theatre of the National University of Singapore’s Cultural Centre. Mr Geoge Yeo, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, delivered an opening speech and Prof. Ibrahim Agboola Ganbari, the United Nation’s Under-Secretary-General/Special Adviser on Africa, delivered a striking keynote address.

For many of the delegates, WorldMUN was a very new experience, and the four-day event was filled with vigorous discussion. Bruneian delegates were in the thick of things, as they debated, discussed, argued and shared insights with the other delegates on topics as wide ranging as women’s rights and food security.

WorldMUN represents a model of effective networking and bridge-building between nations, affording university students a critical opportunity to have their ambitions fueled by a global perspective, and addressing honestly the political and cultural constraints that they face on a national and international level.

New Faculty of Science Extension

breaks ground

The construction of the new extension to the Faculty of Science Building commenced on Saturday, the 30th of April 2011. The expected date of completion is the 1st of March 2013 over a construction period of 22 months. The project will cost just over B$21 million and the extension will be located next to the University Mosque, in front of the New Residential College. This is the second of six projects to be rolled out under the National Development Plan.

Team of Consultants:Architect HAZA [Lead]Jurutera Tempatan [Civil and Structural]HZ Associates [Quantity Surveyor]Jurusy Perunding [Mechanical and Electrical] Main Contractor:Tobishima Sdn Bhd

Construction begins for University Library Extension

The construction of the new extension to the University Library started on Thursday, the 12th of May 2011. The expected date of completion is the 11th of August 2012 over a construction period of 15 months. The project will cost approximately BND5.7 million, and the construction will be undertaken by LCY Sdn Bhd. The new extension building is located next to the ICTC area, and is adjacent to FASS. This is the third of six projects to be rolled out under the National Development Plan.

Team of ConsultantsALD Consultants [Architect]Lah Consultants [Quantity Surveyor]Jurutera OMC [M&E]Jurutera MWHC Main ContractorLCY Sdn Bhd

The CORE accommodates Tattoo delegates

The CORE received 296 Tattoo delegates from 4 countries during the festivities. The first delegates arrived from the Philippines, followed by delegations from Thailand, Oman and Malaysia. It was a busy week for the CORE, whose staff was an alert around the clock to ensure the comfort and satisfaction of their guests.

Various meetings had been conducted between the management and Tattoo Secretariat to make sure that everything was ready for the arrival of the delegates. Part-time UBD employees were hired to help with the extra work, including daily housekeeping and 24 hour reception.

1st iCUBE meeting paves the way for international collaboration between universitiesThe Scientific Committee of the International Consortium of Universities for the Study of Biodiversity and the Environment (iCUBE), met for the first time on the 4th of June 2011, at the Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Advancement (ILIA), UBD. iCUBE is a global initiative spearheaded by UBD which serves to internationalise the campus and its programmes, and to develop the research agenda and elevate it to a higher level.

The inaugural Scientific Committee Meeting hosted by UBD was attended by members from King’s College London, Korea University, Monash University, University of Auckland, University of Bonn, and the University of North Carolina.

The Chair of the Scientific Committee Meeting, Associate Professor Dr Azman Ahmad, Assistant Vice-Chancellor for New Initiatives and Innovation, expressed his delight over the success of the meeting, and at the profound interest of iCUBE partner universities in collaborating with UBD and each other. One Scientific Committee member from the University of Auckland expressed her admiration of Brunei Darussalam’s peatswamp forest which has been left in pristine condition and deserves to be given special attention in view of its potential to play a significant role in today’s concerns over climate change. After the meeting, researchers and scientists in UBD were given an opportunity to interact with the iCUBE overseas delegates, where they explored areas of potential collaboration and discussed specific cooperative projects.

Prior to the meeting, the iCUBE Scientific Committee members were taken to UBD’s Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre (KBFSC) in Temburong for an overnight stay, where they toured the facilities provided at the research centre, and learned about the forest dynamics found along the Ashton Trail. At KBFSC, the overseas delegates also learned about the various research endeavours carried out by UBD’s scientists including research on flora and fauna at the centre. The delegates expressed their fascination with the richness of the biodiversity found in Brunei Darussalam’s rainforest, and their admiration for the facilities available at the KBFSC.

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Energy Exhibition

Universiti Brunei Darussalam, in collaboration with the German Embassy in Brunei Darussalam, hosted an exhibition from 19 May – 3 June 2011 at the Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Advancement (ILIA) UBD on “Renewables made in Germany – The Green Energy Supply for Today and Tomorrow”. There was also a lecture series on “Renewables - Made in Germany, the German contribution to sustainable renewable energy supply in South East Asia” by Mr. Torsten Fritsche of German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and “Energy Efficient Building Design-the key for a low carbon future” by Mr. Andreas Gursch M.A., the Managing Director of INEP Asia Ltd. in Taiwan.

The 26-Panel Exhibition showcased today’s technologies and technological trends in renewable energy. The exhibition was designed to provide clear and concise technical explanations of renewable energy technologies, illustrated by graphs and photos of their applications, showing not only the merits of each technology but also global outlooks and trends in renewable energy deployment.

Why an exhibition from Germany?

Renewable Energy Technologies are a German success story. Today, Germany supplies almost 20% of all its energy needs from renewable energy sources and is rapidly working towards the fulfilment of its Energy Vision 2050, targeting 50% primary energy consumption from renewable energy sources. After experiencing rapid growth in this field over the last

couple of years, Germany now employs over 370 people in this sector and is a frontrunner and leader in renewable energy technologies. Germany has the world’s second largest installed capacity for wind power at 24,000MW and is ranked 1st in the world for Photovoltaic installed capacity at over 8,000MW. The rapid growth of this industry sector is owed to the favourable conditions established by German Energy policies and the German Renewables Act(EEG) of 2000.

The exhibition travels to showcase German engineering and technology. Since 2002, the exhibition has reached the shores of more than 120 countries. The exhibition has been successful in raising awareness of the latest developments in renewable energy technology. The exhibition clearly demonstrates the existence of technologies capable of providing alternative energy resources to fossil fuel, mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and providing growth in a new economic sector. The current updated version of the exhibition which can be viewed now only became available in March this year. Brunei is the first country where the new exhibition can be viewed. Since it is a travelling exhibit, this means that it will shortly move on to its next destination. It is a point of pride, therefore, that UBD in collaboration with the German Embassy was able to make it possible for the Bruneian public to be the first in the world to see these professionally designed new panels. Students from UBD and ITB, technical colleges and vocational and secondary schools were invited and encouraged to visit the exhibition at UBD when it was from May 19 to May 25.

News from the GSR OfficeThe Graduate Studies and Research Office (GSRO) is pleased to announce that the Science and Technology (S&T) Round III Research Grant is currently undergoing selection after four phases that were held from the 11th of April to the 16th of April 2011. This round is different from the first two rounds as it is classified into four main sections;

1. Cancer2. Obesity3. Ageing4. Environment and Sustainable Development

GSRO also held their URC Business Meeting on the 14th of April 2011. The URC Business Committee evaluates new research grant proposals and any other matters pertaining to research matters such as research leave applications and extensions, amongst others. There were up to seven approved research grants in this meeting. Seed funding of up to $10,000 is available to new academic staff who have joined UBD within one year of their appointment. Interested researchers can contact our Project Managers for more information.

In the area of Graduate Admissions, January 2012 Applications are now open until the 31st of July 2011. There has been an increase in the number of graduate applications from last year and there have been a total of 926 applications received as of 31st March 2011 for our August 2011 intake, more than three times as many as applied for our January 2011 intake. Our August 2011 intake briefing for new graduates is tentatively to be held on the 27th of July 2011 in the Senate Room at V8am. Graduate students who missed the last briefing are encouraged to attend this session.

For more information, please contact extension 2308/2311/2323 or email us atoffice.psr@ubd.edu.bn.

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Obesity Research Cluster

Cancer Research takes off at UBD

The increasing prevalence of obesity and its complications constitutes a major public health problem in many countries worldwide, including Brunei Darussalam. The World Health Organization estimates that Brunei has the highest prevalence of obesity among ASEAN countries.

In response to this alarming trend, UBD’s Obesity Research Cluster aims to generate evidence to inform policy and practice related to the prevention, control, and management of obesity. To this aim, ORC investigators are currently seeking funds for proposed research projects. One project entitled ‘Polymorphisms in the leptin gene and obesity status in Brunei Darussalam’ is designed to study the influence of LEP G-2548A polymorphism on plasma leptin and obesity-related traits in Bruneians and to assess the pattern of obesity among child, adult, and elderly participants in the project. Co-investigators in this study are from the Ministry of Health; Jerudong Park Medical Centre; and Drexel Univertiy, USA. This project will help to establish advanced research facilities for future projects on genetic applications in other diseases and conditions. The project will also contribute positively to the prospects of future projects on target gene therapy and the identification of new biomarkers.

Another project entitled the ‘Anti-obesity effect of traditional or medicinal plants of Brunei Darussalam’ aims to identify commonly used herbs in Brunei Darussalam as anti-obesity agents and to evaluate and quantify their effectiveness on the inhibition of digestive enzymes, lipid metabolism, and thermogenesis in vitro. This project is expected to identify anti-obesity herbs which can ultimately eliminate the need for people to count calories to reduce weight. This project also has the potential to develop at least one local herb into a commercially available anti-obesity drug. It is hoped that local commercial partners can be identified to manufacture the product in Brunei.

Cancer is one of the main causes of death in Brunei Darussalam. It has been stated that the increase in cancer risk is set to continue, as younger generation of Brunei experiencing the most marked rise in number of cancer cases. The increase in levels of lung cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer and colorectal cancer are striking.

Universiti Brunei Darussalam established the cancer research cluster network in order to begin to address these troubling changes. The cluster aims to integrate basic and clinical research towards a better understanding of cancer in the Brunian community. In conjuction with this, the cancer research cluster looks to inform and empower the entire cancer research community by making discoveries in basic and clinical cancer research and by developing them into novel therapeutic interventions for patients afflicted with cancer. Current research includes studies of lung and breast cancers in Brunei, as well as investigating the construction of a cancer vaccine.

Earth Hour at Brunei Hotel

Ranoadidas 8th Anniversary

Upcoming new studio!

On the 26th of March 2011, UBD FM was invited by the Brunei Hotel to their Earth Hour Celebration. In order to increase awareness of Earth Hour, the Brunei Hotel invited several local bands to enliven the night and served a wonderful International Buffet dinner for their guests.

UBD FM was given the opportunity to host the event, and one of the activities was the ‘Pledge Tree’ where people were invited to pledge their hopes and actions for Earth Hour. To show support for the cause, UBD FM was off-air that evening from 8.30pm to 9.30pm.

The 25th of May 2011 marked the celebration of the 8th Anniversary of Ranoadidas.com. An event was held at the International Convention Centre. The event was also in conjunction with the 8th Consumer Fair organised by Sunlit Advertising. UBD FM was invited to the celebration as one of the official partners.

The event lasted for four days and numerous activities for the public to participate in were held, including the Twitter Hunt, a Cosplay competition, a Sushi Eating Contest and a Sloppy Joe Eating contest. UBD FM was responsible for participant registration, giving

UBD FM is proud to announce that we will be moving to a new location at The Core. Renovation is taking place over the semester holidays, and fans of UBD FM can expect the new studio to be up and running by the time the new semester starts. UBD FM is going for an “open-studio” concept where the public will be able to watch the deejays in action. At the moment, we are still in operation in our current studio, and you can still tune in to us at http://ubdfm.blogspot.com

out vouchers and handling Ranoadidas lucky draw for the public on the final day.

UBD FM also had its own booth with Ranoadidas and to add to the festivities, we organised Extremix, in which the participants had to guess scrambled songs to win prizes sponsored by Ranoadidas himself. In addition, UBD FM helped emcee the Talent Show and also participated in other games such as the Red Bull Competition, the Komala and the 24/7 games.

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HIS EXCELLENCY THE SPIDERMAN This is precisely what His Excellency Joseph K H Koh, the Singapore High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam, has been doing at UBD’s Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre (KBFSC) once or twice each year over the last five years.

Outside his official work, His Excellency has been collecting and studying Bruneian spiders as part of a life-long project of drawing up a broader inventory of the spiders of Southeast Asia.

He humbly describes himself as “just anther amateur arachnologist”, but he is actually an Honorary Research Associate of the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research of the National University of Singapore.

His Excellency is excited by an emerging picture of Brunei’s rich spider diversity from his research: well over 500 “morphospecies” spanning across at least 25 families, almost all are recorded for the first time in Brunei, and many are completely new to science.

Stressing that the estimate is grossly conservative, he confesses that he has accumulated a backlog of “hundreds” of unsorted specimens from 5 years of field work awaiting more thorough examination and categorisation.

His current priority is to develop an annotated checklist, perhaps with a companion pictorial identification guide; he also hopes to sort out his collection quickly so that a set of voucher specimens can be deposited at the Brunei Museum in a national spider reference collection.

He hopes that his preliminary work will encourage young Bruneian scientists to take up arachnology and attract the international arachnologist community to visit Brunei and study the spiders here.

It is not too often that you find a diplomatic

envoy literally beating around the bush in

the Bruneian rainforest looking for spiders.

His Excellency is confident that more intensified taxonomic research in plants and animals will allow Bruneians to develop a more accurate inventory of their natural heritage and lend credence claim to Brunei’s claim as a biodiversity hotspot.

He is highly appreciative of the fact that the KBFSC has been granting local and visiting scientists easy access to protected rainforests, offering them “one of the most comfortable facilities for field work in the region”. He adds that the same can be said of the Research Centre at the Tasek Merimbun Heritage Park, which has also been very helpful in his research.

His Excellency is convinced that such positive institutional support will send a powerful signal to the international scientific community, entice more foreign experts to work hand-in-hand with local students and scientists, and build up a more detailed picture of the flora and fauna in Brunei. To His Excellency, these are sure steps that will contribute to Brunei becoming one of the centres of excellence in biodiversity research in the region.

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UBD Roadshow touniversities in the United States 2011

As part of Universiti Brunei Darussalam’s ongoing internationalisation efforts, a roadshow to universities in the United States was conducted between April and May 2011. Various meetings took place between senior management, faculty members and researchers of leading American universities and UBD. The meetings have resulted in various key outcomes that cover significant potential for research and teaching collaboration, as well as staff and student exchanges.

Two separate road shows were conducted:Team 1 was led by Dr Anita Aziz (Assistant Vice Chancellor for Education & Internationalisation), who was accompanied by Dr Hazri Kifle (Dean of Faculty of Business, Economics and Policy Studies, and Dr Leong Vai Shiem (Liaison Officer for USA Region), who visited universities on the East Coast and Mid-Eastern states between 17 May to 25 May 2011.

Team 2 was led by Professor Tong Chee Kiong (Special Academic Advisor), who was accompanied by Professor Dato Mohamed Bin Abdul Majid (Dean of Faculty of Science) and Dr Jimmy Lim (Head of Energy Research Group), who visited institutions and universities in Singapore (while in transit) and those on the East and West Coast of the United States between 15 April to 27 April 2011.

Among the universities visited were:

• Yale University • Duke University• Harvard University• University of Michigan • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)• New York Botanical Garden (NYBG)• University of Virginia• Old Dominion University• University of North Carolina• University of California, San Diego (UCSD)• University of California, Berkeley (UCB)• Penn State University• Northwestern University• Babson College

The Faculty of Science designs a self-configurable eco home.UBD’s Faculty of Science is currently carrying out cutting edge research related to smart monitoring, control and communication.The main objective of this particular study is energy efficiency, which resulted in a prototype design of a self-configurable eco-home. Recently the importance of autonomous monitoring has become an essential part of the society. Autonomous monitoring and control in a home environment can lead to energy savings and make a house into an eco-friendly home. Autonomous monitoring can also serve as an alerting mechanism when something is out of the ordinary so that the controlling mechanism can rectify the problem. In this study, the Faculty has developed a home monitoring central control unit that can read inputs from multiple sensors for autonomous

monitoring and control with relatively low cost components. The sensors have been integrated into one central operation unit that can monitor room temperature, humidity, human motion activity and so on to reduce energy consumption in a typical home. Through this study, the necessary software has been developed, and the integration of off the shelf component boards has resulted in the desired outcome. The primary researchers involved in this study are Associate Professor Dr. Chandratilak De Silva Liyanage and Pg Dr. Mohd. Iskandar Bin Pg Hj Petra, from the Faculty of Science, and they can be contacted at the following email addresses: liyanage.silva@ubd.edu.bn or iskandar.petra@ubd.edu.bn

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Executive Development Program for Senior Officers from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (EDPSGO-CLMV)The Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Advancement (ILIA) conducted the 9th EDPSGO-CLMV, which lasted a month, from the 18th of April 2011 until the 18th of May 2011. In this edition of the program, three senior officers took part: Mr U Aung Kyaw Oo from Myanmar, the Director of the Training, Research and Foreign Languages Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Mrs Seng Serevathana from Cambodia, Vice Head of Administrative Office, ASEAN Resource Centre of State Secretariat for Civil Service; and Mr Vanhxay Vannavong from Laos, the Director of the Training and Development Division, Department of Civil Services Management, Public Administration and Civil Service Authority, Prime Minister’s Office.

The participants completed the month-long program by giving individual presentations on critical issues relating to their respective countries, demonstrating good analytical skills and knowledge by linking theoretical concepts with practical problems that were relevant to their respective countries.During the closing ceremony, Programme Coordinator Frankie Ong expressed hopes that the programme had fulfilled its intention of enhancing the potential of CLMV officers to promote sustainable economic development, raise the quality of life of their people, and accelerate the economic integration of the CLMV into the ASEAN community.The three participants underwent nine modules tailored to suit the needs of CLMV senior government officers, based on current affairs and issues in public policy and business management, such as professional communication for diplomats and transformational leadership.

The programme also included visits to various landmarks in the country such as the Royal Regalia Museum, the Water Village and The Empire Hotel & Country Club, as well as visits to the CLMV embassies in Brunei, and educational trips to the Sungai Liang Authority Park, Brunei Methanol Company, the Civil Service Institute and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. This provided participants with an insight into the development of Brunei and the life of its people.

EDPSGO-CLMV is part of the initiative aimed towards an ASEAN integration project and is Brunei’s contribution to regional cooperation through building the capacity of human resources in the public sector of CLMV countries.

At the end of the program, UBD Assistant Vice Chancellor (New Initiative and Innovation) Associate Professor Dr. Azman Ahmad handed out certificates to participants acknowledging their achievement.

Science, Technology and Society V-Sigma 2: Essential Leadership Workshop,

Universiti Brunei Darussalam.Joint Workshop by Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) and the Center for Development Research (ZEF),University of BonnBrunei Darussalam, September 23-25, 2011

From September 23-25 2011, a workshop on Science, Technology and Society will be organised by Universiti Brunei Darussalam and the Centre for Development Research (ZEF) of the University of Bonn. Under the auspices of the Science, Technology and Society Research Cluster, which has members from FASS, SHBIE and FBEPS, the workshop will take a panel format where distinguished speakers will introduce a topic which will then be followed by discussion. The 3 panels will discuss

1. Science and Technology Policy, 2. Knowledge Governance and Innovation

Diffusion, and 3. Science, Technology and Education.

Speakers will come from Brunei, Asia and Europe, and will include foremost experts in the fields concerned. These include Prof. Dr. Peter Weingart (the keynote speaker), Prof. Dr. Thomas Menkhoff from Singapore and Prof. Dr. Hans-Dieter Evers, Visiting Professor from ZEF. The workshop will be held at UBD and is open to all, but will be of special interest to those who wish to hear about and discuss the latest developments relating to science, technology and society and their impact on policy, innovation and education. Further details may be obtained from Cluster CoordinatorDr Alistair Wood, alistair.wood@ubd.edu.bn.

The Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Advancement (ILIA), UBD, is currently conducting a ‘V-Sigma’ workshop. The workshop began on the 21st of May and will continue on until the 6th of June, 2011. This workshop caters for junior to middle executives in the public and private sectors as well as graduates from universities. The modules of the workshop aim to provide and equip the participants with a sound foundation and understanding of core leadership, negotiation skills, increase speaker confidence as well as other executive skills, which are essential tools in the modern 21st century workplace.

This 10-day workshop consists of 5 modules: Decision Making For Leaders, Inspiring Change, The Fearless Speaker, Strategic Value Creation and Strategic Negotiation. Our top international and in-house UBD expertise will provide facilitation for these modules. In addition to lectures, participants will also be involved in highly interactive workshop sessions. These include case studies with small and full group discussions, interactive presentations, role playing and video case studies.

The V-Sigma 1 workshop will focus on General Management and is scheduled to take place in September. A second V Sigma workshop (V Sigma 2) will address Essential Leadership and will be held sometime in November this year.

For more information on these workshops, please visit the UBD web portal at http://www.ubd.edu.bn.