course focus -09 september 2014

8/11/2019 Course Focus -09 September 2014

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StarSpecialTHE STARTuesday 9 September 2014

Envisioning the future > 2 Equipping graduates for the workforce > 4

BigpictureVisualising

a vibrantfuture.

COURSE FOCUS:COMPUTER, ARTS & DESIGN


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2COURSE FOCUSStarSpecial, Tuesday 9 September 2014

Envisioning the futureSCIENCE fiction prototyping is a processthat gets you to think creatively andin-depth about what your research

an potentially lead to in the future, saysDr Simon Egerton, associate head of schoolresearch) of the School of Information

Technology, Monash University Malaysia,who also leads the Intelligent SystemsResearch Strength at Monash University.

If a fictional prototype of your researchhows potential achievement 10 years in

he future, the feedback of the prototypespotential outcome is related to the currentesearch being performed, he says.

The process of developing science fictionprototypes involves a particular format:The beginning outlines the present dayesearch ideas behind the prototype;

middle the prototype itself is a sciencefiction story that projects the outcomes of

the research as a future reality; the end reflects on the prototype, its outcomes andgives feedback about the research.

Creating the prototype often brings

together people of diverse backgrounds anddisciplines.Our last workshop in London saw

physicists, architects, psychologists, writers,chemists, astronautic engineers, designers,philosophers, artists, businessmen andcomputer scientists coming together.

People who wouldnt traditionally bein the same room working on and talking

about the same project are now doingjust that. It has provided a platform forbrainstorming and to discuss how to buildthese prototypes, says Dr Egerton.

The process is different fromconventional research methods wherescientists rarely get a chance to exercisetheir imagination. Its a mechanism thatencourages scientists to be creative andcreative people to think scientifically,says Dr Egerton.

Science fiction prototypes are also usefulfor communicating research ideas, the latesttechnology and potential outcomes in aneasily understandable form that everyonecan relate to.

It is a format that stimulates curiosity,ideas and people to think twice about theimplications raised in the stories, saysDr Egerton.

A book by Dr Egerton titled21st CenturyRobot: The Dr Simon Egerton Storieswill be

launched later this year and features theprojects latest science fiction prototype,a robot named Jimmy.

The book can be purchased with the

robot, Jimmy, which will come withartificial intelligence and a framework thatwill enable purchasers to start developingtheir own ideas with the robot or adaptideas from the book.

Dr Egerton, whose area of research isartificial intelligence, specifically buildingrobots that behave irrationally, saysthat science fiction prototyping may beapplicable to other areas besides sciencesuch as business and education.

For example, if a company is developinga new product or a new direction fortheir business and wants to know howthe changes will affect them, forming ascience fiction prototype to construct apossible future and communicate thatvision to stakeholders will form a base forconsiderations and allow them to reflect onthe design process or their business plan. So,the format is not just limited to scientistsbut its really for all types of industries,he says.

Dr Egerton says he is working ondeveloping a science fiction prototypingunit for Monash University Malaysiasstudents.

Students are exposed to my work andscience fiction prototyping but havent hada formal opportunity to use it themselvesin their research or undergraduate studies.To get students involved, there needs to bea multi-disciplinary unit based on theseideas, he says.

nFor more information, visitwww.infotech.monash.edu.my

Dr Simon Egerton withJimmy, a science fiction

prototype that is equipped

with artificial intelligence.


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StarSpecial, Tuesday 9 September 2014 COURSE FOCUS 3

Painting abright future

LEARNING from establishedartists is important andIvan Lam, one of Malaysias

most in-demand contemporaryrtists, is a firm believer of this.

The UCSI lecturers accoladesnclude being selected as one

of the exhibitors in last yearsnaugural Hong Kong Art Baselair, an important portal forrtists.

He is also the first Malaysiano have his work commissionednd featured in a Louis Vuitton

global store as part of theashion houses art collection.

Having taught at manyuniversities, Lam was attractedo the praxis approach of UCSI

Universitys De Institute of

Creative Arts and Design (ICAD).The institute emphasises

hands-on learning and gainingndustry experience throughts flagship co-operative (co-op)

placement programme.Unlike most internships that

ake place only once during thetudents programme of study,he co-op places students asnterns with industry partnersor two months of everycademic year.

This means that a studentpursuing a three-year degreeprogramme would havegained a six-month internship

xperience, giving the studentn edge upon entering the

working world.Lecturers such as Lam are

lso encouraged to be involvedn their respective fields ofxpertise, both in academia andhe industry. According to Lam,his makes all the difference tostudents learning.Lecturers who are involved

n the industry can share theirknowledge of industry practiceswith their students, he says.

Coupled with the co-opprogramme, students gain thedvantage of being independentrtists or employees as they

have basicndustrialxperience

nd can adapto current

industry standards easily.The creative programmes of

ICAD also include subjects suchas marketing and consumerbehaviour because studentsshould learn how to market artas well.

Lams students are open tosharing their ideas with himbecause of his open approachto teaching. This enables himto guide them and channelhis students energy intoconstructive outlets.

While the programmesat ICAD are accredited andfollow the guidelines set bythe Malaysian QualificationsAgency, ICADs focus on havingsmall classes enables Lam to

personalise lessons and monitoreach students progress.

Being a painter himself,Lam appreciates the factthat everyone has a differentlevel of skill and encourageshis students to focus ontheir progress instead ofbenchmarking themselvesagainst others.

ICAD is also set to progressfurther under the leadershipof its new director, Datuk ProfDr Ahmad Zainuddin.

In addition to more than30 years of experience in boththe private and public sectors,he is also the chairman of theMalaysia Design Council (MDC),

a non-profit organisationthat spearheads the future ofinnovation and design in thecountry.

Being under the supervisionof the Ministry of Science,Technology and Innovation, theMDC is responsible for ensuringthat Malaysian designs are onpar with international ones.

Dr Ahmad intends to positionthe institute as a regional andinternational name in creativearts and design.

He notes that the successof ICADs students is centralto the institutes progress. Assuch, student satisfaction andindustry relevance always

remains the top priority ofICAD.

nFor more information, call03-9101 8882 or visitwww.ucsiuniversity.edu.my

van Lam, a lecturer at UCSI, prefers to have an open approach to hiseaching and this encourages his students to share ideas with him.

Datuk Prof Dr Ahmad bringswith him more than 30 years ofcreative experience in the publicand private sectors.

A centre of excellenceQUEST International UniversityPeraks (QIUP) foundationprogrammes help students developpractical and academic skills aftertheir SPM to equip them to furthertheir education. The Foundation inBusiness and Foundation in Science

programme focuses on a rangeof hands-on-experience wherestudents gain confidence, skills andknowledge to help them in theirtertiary study.

QIUPs lecturers are passionate,industry-savvy, highly acclaimedand intelligent. Students will benefitfrom their knowledge, experienceand wide network.

QIUPs quest is to develop well-rounded graduates who not onlyexcel in their studies, but alsoactively participate in variousconferences and educationalcompetitions throughout theirstudy.

This was proven when aproject paper by first year medicalundergraduates was selected to be

presented at the 3rd InternationalPublic Health Conference and 20thNational Public Health Colloquium,which took place in Kuching,Sarawak.

The paper was titled Prevalence

of Hypertension and its risk factorsin an Orang Asli community inPerak, Malaysia and was the onlyundergraduate paper chosen amongthe thousands of papers submittedfor selection.

In addition, four undergraduates

of the Bachelor of Computer Scienceprogramme participated in the IBMMobilithon 2013 competition andwere crowned as champions at thisnational level competition.

There are three faculties andone centre at QIUP Centre forFoundation Studies, Faculty ofMedicine, Faculty of IntegrativeSciences & Technology and Facultyof Business Management & SocialSciences.

QIUP offers programmes at thefoundation, diploma, degree andpostgraduate levels.

nFor more information,call 1800 887 487, [email protected] or visitwww.qiup.edu.my

Students at QIUP are provided accessto high-quality staff with knowledge,experience and a wide network.


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4COURSE FOCUSStarSpecial, Tuesday 9 September 2014

Equipping graduates for the workforceT

HE University of NottinghamMalaysia Campus (UNMC)offers a range of courses from

oundation to PhD levels for thosewho want to gain a qualificationrom Britains leading university in

Malaysia.A broad range of undergraduate

nd postgraduate programmes areffered under 20 specialist schoolsnd departments, including theaculty of Arts and Social Sciencesnd Faculty of Engineering andcience.

UNMC hosts a community ofbout 5,000 students from morehan 70 countries worldwide

who receive a world-classhigher education experiencerom leading academics in theirespective field.

Students also gain an enrichedearning experience throughxposure to and interaction

with cultures within the diverseuniversity community.

The communication skills theyearn and knowledge they pick

up are qualities that are highlyought after by global employers.

The campus provides excellenteaching, learning and researchacilities, including well-equippedcience and engineeringaboratories, a library, dedicatedtudy areas and computer labs.

All its students have access torange of leisure and recreational

acilities, including a purpose-built sports complex and

swimming pool.There are also numerous

student societies and clubsavailable and the StudentAssociation is actively involvedin providing many opportunitiesfor students to develop teamworkas well as enhance theirmanagement skills by being

involved in the organisation ofextracurricular activities such asthose for charitable courses andsporting initiatives.

Undergraduate students whoshow an enthusiasm for eventorganisation have the opportunityto win an international award the Nottingham Advantage Award

that gives the recipient an edgeover his peers in the workforce.

According to the latest studyperformed by High Fliers Researchin January, the University ofNottingham is the No.1 choiceamong the United Kingdoms topgraduate employers.

The report is based on previous

research conducted last year onthe UKs 100 leading graduateemployers, including BP, the civil

service, IBM, Goldman Sachs, PwC,Google and HSBC.University of Nottingham

graduates were sought after by thelargest number of top employersof 2013 and 2014.

Excellence inresearch

Besides study programmes,academic staff members at UNMCundertake a range of researchactivity in partnership withboth public and private sectorsworldwide and in Malaysia.

Their research work compriseareas relevant to Malaysia and theregion.

They also build on thedistinctive strengths and expertisefound at the University ofNottingham.

As an international universitywith campuses in the UK andChina, many UNMC studentshave benefited from the studentmobility experience, which offersstudents an opportunity to spenda year on either campus andalso for short-term experiencethrough summer schools and theNottingham Tri Campus Games.

nFor more information,call 03-8924 8000 or visitwww.nottingham.edu.my

The University ofNottingham Malaysia

Campus has more than5,000 students from70 countries across theworld, providing studentswith an internationallearning experience.

course focus -09 september 2014

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