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WTUN News Roundup – July 2024

Welcome to this month’s roundup of the stories, updates and events happening across the World Technology Universities Network.

WTUN News:

  • Learn more about our member, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, in the latest Member in the Spotlight post. Based in Brazil, they are committed to innovation, social responsibility and sustainable development. Read the full profile here.
  • Missed our WTUN for International Women in Engineering Day webinar? Watch the webinar replay here.

WTUN Members ONLY:

World Technology Universities Congress 2024

Registration is open for World Technology Universities Congress 2024 until Wednesday 31 July 2024. WTUC2024 will be hosted by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) in Johor Bahru from Wednesday 02 to Friday 04 October.

For further information about the congress, please visit our Congress pages here.

Call for Speakers

This year’s congress theme is ‘Planetary Health: Alliances for Diplomacy, Harnessing University Collabortions for Planetary Health“. Delegates are invited to submit expressions of interest (EOIs) to present on the following sub-themes:

  • Interdisciplinary Research Initiatives for Planetary Health
  • Global Partnerships for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
  • Community Engagement and Action for Planetary Health
  • Environment, Social and Governance for Planetary Health

The deadline for submitting EOIs is Thursday 25 July. EOIs should include a draft title and a brief abstract and be emailed to wtun@bradford.ac.uk. All members should have received an email with further information about this call for speakers. Please contact the WTUN Secretariat should you require further support.

Important Travel Information

Delegates are advised to arrive at Amari Hotel (Johor Bahru) on Tuesday 01 October by either of the following methods:

  1. Arrive at Kuala Lumpur International Airport and take a connecting, internal flight to (Johor Bahru) Senai International Airport and arrive at Amari Hotel in Johor Bahru either via bus or a Grab car.
    Please note: UTM will be running an Airport Collection Service from Johor Bahru Senai International Airport on Tuesday 01 October at 09:00, 12:00, 15:00 and 22:00.
  2. Arrive at Singapore Changi Airport and head to Johor Bahru CIQ (Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex) by public transportation. From Johor Bahru CIQ, delegates can arrive at Amari Hotel either on foot (15 minutes) or via a Grab car.

Following the end of the programme, on Saturday 05 October, UTM will provide onward travel from Tioman Island to Mersing Jetty and then to Kuala Lumpur International Airport. If sufficient delegates indicate that they will return via Singapore Changi Airport, then UTM may be able to provide travel to Johor Bahru CIQ.

To learn more about the venue, accommodation and travel guidance, visit the Venue and Travel Information page here.

News from our Members:

Africa:

Women’s University in Africa, Zimbabwe

  • WUA has partnered with the Association of African Universities (AAU) to establish a South Africa Regional Office (SARO). Vice Chancellors, Higher Education regulators and Heads of Research Institutes are invited to join WUA as they introduce themselves as the hosts of AAU SARO. The meeting will be held online on Wednesday 31 July from 11:00 to 14:00 (GMT+2). Find out more here.

Asia:

Ahlia University, Bahrain

  • The College of Business and Finance at Ahlia has achieved International Accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). The prestigious accreditation was testament to Ahlia’s efforts to enhance the quality of education in Bahrain’s higher education environment. Read the full story here.

National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taiwan

  • NTUST has launched ‘Talk to Me’, a special podcast series highlighting the mental health of international students in Taiwan. The podcast features counselling expert, Dr. Hsu Shuo-Yi, addressing the challenges foreign students face and helpful strategies to cope. The podcast collaborates with students, teaching assistants, and instructors. You can listen to the podcast here.
  • NTUST’s latest newsletter is now available. As NTUST prepare to celebrate their 50th anniversary, featured stories reflect on the defining spirit of the university. Read about the innovative startup from Indonesian students who founded PT Daun Pintar Raya, which automates hydroponic systems to support Indonesian farmers and about Professor FANG Shao-Yun, a leader in advanced circuit design research, who advocates for greater female participation in technological fields. Read the newsletter here.

Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan

  • Professor Muralidhar Miryala, Operational Board Member for SIT and Former WTUN Operational Board Chair, has been awarded the American Telugu Association (ATA) Excellence Award in Science & Technology for his contributions and dedication to research in high-temperature superconductivity. On behalf of the WTUN, we’d like to extend our congratulations to Professor Miryala. Read more about the achievement here.
  • SIT academic, Professor Izabela Rzeznicka, visited Botswana for the SusMine project. The project launched in 2022 and researchers from Botswana, Japan, and South Africa collaborate to address environmental problems caused by heavy metals mining in Botswana. SIT aims to provide an affordable and on-demand method for copper quantification in waters using smartphones. Read the full story here.

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia

  • UTM’s Highlights Issue 7 is now available. July’s issue includes breakthroughs, events and stories from UTM’s campus. Stories include partnerships, such as UTM-Kamarizs Medicare to strengthen health research and news about an undergraduate AI degree offering specialisations in topics such as manufacturing and agriculture. You can find the newsletter here.

South America:

Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil

  • UFRN is accepting applications to the Girls in Space project. The project aims to stimulate the interest of girls and women in the aerospace sector and promote trainings in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. The project will offer 5 places to undergraduate students and 4 places to postgraduate students. Both places come with a scholarship. Find out more here.

Europe:

Technische Universität Ilmenau, Germany

  • TU Ilmenau is working with Kompass GmbH to develop a wireless sensor technology and underground communication which will monitor both the Co2 emissions of peatlands and the nitrate contamination of groundwater. This monitoring hopes to produce efficient measures to protect the environment and health on the basis of the measured values. Read the full story here.
  • Max Großmann is investigating a new method for computer aided materials research in his doctoral thesis at the Institute of Physics at TU Ilmenau under the supervision of Prof. Erich Runge. Machine learning methods have become increasingly popular in materials science, and can be used to design new materials for energy storage or medicine and detecting material damage. Current applications are expensive and labor-extensive. Großmann aims to provide faster and more efficient applications. Read the full story here.

University of Bradford, United Kingdom

  • Dr Becky Alexis-Martin, Lecturer in Peace, Science and Technology presents her research ‘Epistemic Nuclear Justice: Changing What We Don’t Know’ to United Nations delegates. Her research aims to ensure communities know that they have a right to their own history, that their health issues are taken seriously, and any environmental harms are recognised. It also looks to ensure communities have an opportunity to take part in the democratic process of making global policy. Read the full story here.
  • Dr Pedi Obani, Associate Professor in the School of Law, has been awarded £1.28 million for a four-year project from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding body to examine ways in which climate change adversely impact women and present her findings to governments in Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya. Dr Obani will also create a framework to provide solutions to social and cultural gender inequalities exacerbated by climate change. Read the full story here.

Australia

University of Newcastle, Australia

  • UON is an inaugural member of the first Australian national, cross-university network which will advocate for and advance digital health through collaboration and evidence-based research. Read the full story here.
  • UON’s I2N’s Startup Stories featured the work of Leonie Cutts and Craig Browne who developed the innovative app, CARISA, designed to combat social isolation in residential aged care facilities. The University’s I2N works with individuals and organisations to turn ideas and challenges into opportunity, cultivating regional entrepreneurship. Read the full story here or watch Leonie Cutts and Craig Browne discuss developing their tech solution here.

To discuss joining the Network please contact the WTUN Development Manager
Denise Whitehead
Email: wtun@bradford.ac.uk

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