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

WTUN Featured News: Introducing Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology

The World Technology Universities Network is pleased to announce that Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) will formally join the World Technology Universities Network (WTUN) as a member from 1 August 2024. This news marks the second institution to join the WTUN in 2024, following the welcoming of Southern Alberta Institute of Technology back in February.

WTUN Chair Professor Shirley Congdon welcomed KIIT to the Network – “We are delighted to welcome KIIT as member of the Network. Alongside scientific excellence,  KIIT brings to the WTUN a commitment not only to the teaching and development of its 40,000 students but its central mission of social responsibility” 

The WTUN’s diverse membership is united by a commitment to the inclusive advancement of sustainable scientific and technology teaching and research; each demonstrating a commitment to truly equitable innovation for the benefit of people and place.

On becoming a member of the WTUN, Dr Saranjit Singh, Vice Chancellor, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology said “KIIT Deemed University is delighted to enter into the partnership with the World Technology University Network (WTUN), marking our official membership in this prestigious network of universities. The collaboration heralds exciting prospects for global mobility. We intend to nurture a sense of global citizenship by advancing research and innovation. Together with WTUN and its esteemed members, our collective mission is to confront global challenges head-on through research, knowledge dissemination, and innovative solutions. Our focus on sustainable technology and commitment to equity will pave the way for a brighter and more sustainable future.”

Read the full announcement here to learn more about KIIT: https://www.wtu-n.net/2024/06/the-wtun-welcomes-kiit/

WTUN News:

• Learn more about our member, Atlantic Technological University, the next in our series of Member in the Spotlight posts. Read the full profile here.

WTUN Members ONLY:

• The WTUN will mark International Women in Engineering Day 2024 on Wednesday 26th June at 2pm (GMT +1). This year’s INWED theme is ‘Enhanced by Engineering’. Register now to attend the live webinar.
  We will be joined by colleagues from across the network. Please see below our lineup of speakers:

• • Dr Karin Nachbagauer, Professor of Applied Mathematics, University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria
    Topic: Intercultural Female Collaboration (International Summer Academy in Engineering for Women)
  • Dr Rohayanti Hassan, Associate Professor and Quality and Strategy Manager, Faculty of Computing, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
    Topic: Waterfall versus Agile Software Project Management: The Challenges of Women Software Engineers
  • Dr Rardchawadee Silapunt, Associate Professor, Department of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi
    Topic: Moo-ving Forward: Revolutionizing Diary Estrus Detection with KomilO
  • Dr Sirirat T. Rattanachan, Associate Professor, School of Ceramic Engineering, Suranaree University of Technology
    Topic: Revolutionizing Bone Surgery with Customized Calcium Phosphate Bone Augmentation

News from our Members:

Africa:

Women’s University in Africa, Zimbabwe

• Interested in getting to know more about the research that takes place at WUA? Scroll through some of the short abstracts of research projects undertaken by colleagues at WUA. Here you’ll find projects from the Faculty of Agriculture and Faculty of Management, Entrepreneurial Development Studies and Information. Read through the projects here.

Asia:

King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Thailand

• Two KMUTT researchers celebrate receiving the WTUN Exchange Programme funding to undertake research projects with colleagues across the network. Both Dr Patcharawat Charoen-amornkitt and Dr Duangradee Kositgittiwog Kongkitkul will be visiting the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria. Read KMUTT’s announcement here.

Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science, India

• HITS celebrates rankings in Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2024 for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) achievements. HITS ranked in SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation; SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy; SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production and SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals. Read the full story here.
• HITS congratulates their students who placed first in the WTUN Student Competition 2024. Team ‘Neel Gendh – Water Balls’ placed first for their ‘one solution to clean water and its transportation over long distances’. Read HITS’ announcement here and watch the team’s short video presentation of their idea here.

Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan

• Watch ‘SIT Lab’, a series of videos sharing the cutting-edge research taking place at SIT. The collection includes videos presenting research projects  such as protecting the world’s infrastructure, visualising the health of red blood cells, and a robot that can move freely in soft ground on the moon. Each video is between 3-5 minutes long. Watch the full collection of videos here.

Suranaree University of Technology, Thailand

• SUT ranks highly in the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings 2024. They achieved high ranks in the following Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 1 No Poverty, SDG 2 Zero Hunger, SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy. Read the full story here.

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia

• UTM publishes their Issue 5 of UTM Highlights which shares the latest news and stories from the UTM campus. This issue includes news of UTM’s top  rankings in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2024 for Sustainable Development Goal 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure. Read the issue here.

North America:

Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, Canada

• Hear from 13 women who joined SAIT’s ‘Women Building Futures’ 17 week introductory program which prepares women with the skills, certifications, experience, and confidence to begin a career in the construction trades. Traditionally male-dominated workforces, this course supports women to forge paths in areas such as welding, carpentry, and plumbing. Read the full story here.

South America:

Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil

• Want to know more about the exciting research going on at UFRN? Visit their website page dedicated to reports sharing research projects and breakthroughs from colleagues. Stories include patenting technology which improves the extraction of lithium which is used in the production of smartphones, electric cars and medicines and an investigation into the genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s Disease. Visit their webpage to read the full research stories here.

Europe:

Atlantic Technological University, Ireland

• ATU is hosting a conference on ‘Navigating Transformation in Higher Education’ on 3rd and 4th September 2024, both on ATU’s Galway Campus and online. The conference is aimed at those working and studying in Higher Education and will discuss the impact of digital transformation in teaching and learning, with a special focus on Virtual Learning Environments and Artificial Intelligence. The conference is accepting abstract submissions until 5 July. Find out more about the conference here.
• Joined by Sligo Council in Ireland, ATU is launching a transformative project which will provide horticulture and tillage farmers with innovative, digital tools and solutions to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and enhance sustainability. Agriculture, a cornerstone of Irish culture and economy, accounted for 38.4% of emissions in 2022 and faces challenges such as weather variability and soil degradation. Read the full story here or watch this short video explaining the project.

Technische Universität Ilmeanu, Germany

• TU Ilmenau and the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment have presented the results of an international research project investigating the risk and crisis communication during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the key takeaways is that scientists were rated as credible sources in their statements more than national governments, providing valuable insights for the communication strategies of governments and authorities. Read the full story here.

University of Bradford, United Kingdom

• Researchers at UOB are unravelling mysteries from how the ancient Mayan civilization mined material to make their famous fool’s gold mirrors to working with American Institutions to improve methods for identifying submerged landscapes offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. The first project includes utilising non-invasive techniques to extract a unique ‘chemical fingerprint’ whilst the second works to integrate indigenous tribal communities during all phases of research and developing an open-access online short course in submerged landscape archaeology. Read more about the work to solve the mystery of the Mayan mirrors here and the work to help identify submerged landscapes on Gulf of Mexico here.
• UOB’s 10th annual International Master’s Summer School (IMSS) took place recently. The programme was hosted by the School of Management and attended by 200 participants from across the world to discuss international collaboration to address climate change covering topics such as circular economy and renewable energy. Read the full story here.

Australia

University of Newcastle, Australia

• Not only are microplastics difficult to detect, but their impact is significant. Scientists at UON team with Samoan scientists to better understand the problem in the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific region contributes as little as 1.3% of the world’s plastic pollution but suffers some of the highest recorded quantities of floating plastics worldwide. Read more about this project here.
• Researchers at UON look into the ripple effect of drought. Utilising technology to provide farmers with the tools they need to plan and prepare for droughts, and support their mental health and resilience, UON aims to support the communities impacted by drought through multidisciplinary treatments. Read the full story here.

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

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

WTUN News:

• We have announced this year’s winner of the Brian Cantor Scholarship Prize. Congratulations to this year’s recipient, Nadiia Sadova, PhD Student at University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria. View the announcement here.

WTUN Members ONLY:

• The WTUN will mark International Women in Engineering Day 2024 on Wednesday 26th June at 2pm (GMT +1). This year’s INWED theme is ‘Enhanced by Engineering’.  If you would like to suggest a topic for a session or have any other ideas, please contact the WTUN Secretariat at wtun@bradford.ac.uk. Alternatively, view the event announcement here.

News from our Members:

Asia:

Ahlia University, Bahrain

• Ahlia University’s College of Business and Finance celebrates receiving accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), joining the top 6% of Business Schools worldwide. Read the full story here.

Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science, India

• HITS achieves top rankings in the Times Higher Education Young University Rankings 2024, ranking in the top 501-600 worldwide. Read the full story here.

Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan

• SIT researchers share their latest projects:
  • A new reactor design which converts carbon dioxide emissions from small boilers into methane fuel and could offer a promising approach to combating climate change. Read the full story here.
  • A flexible tactile sensor used in a groundbreaking system can support objective assessments of fine finger movements for cognitive development. This example of automated medical research can address the manpower shortage in medical research and contribute to the realization of online medical care. Read the full story here.
  • Perovskite hydrides show promise in various emerging energy technologies but it can be challenging to determine their intrinsic hydride-ion conductivity. Using a novel laser deposition technique, SIT researchers have been able to characterise the hydride-ion conductivity of the perovskite hydrides, bolstering research on hydrogen-related materials. Read the full story here.

Suranaree University of Technology, Thailand

• SUT ranks #1 in Thailand in the Times Higher Education Young University Rankings 2024. Read the full story here.

National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taiwain

• Professor Shao-Yun Fang has pioneered the use of footprint patterns to predict circuit design issues. Professor Fang’s work delves into digital circuits which are composed of standard components and metal wires connected by “footprints”.  As circuits become more complex, these “footprints” can be blocked by other metal wires, creating connectivity issues. Currently, machine learning is used to predict when design issues may arise, but her work looks at using machine learning to predict whether problems will occur based on these “footprint patterns”. Professor Fang has already collaborated with the world’s largest electronic design automation (EDA) companies, integrating her work into electronic design automation software. Read the full story here.
• NTUST ranks #2 in Thailand and #52 worldwide in the Times Higher Education Young University Rankings 2024. Read the full story here.

North America:

Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, Canada

• SAIT debuts the first “FinTech” major in Canada with the introduction of the subject to their Bachelor of Business Administration programme. The new major in “Financial Technology (FinTech) and Innovation” will deliver creative, growth-minded and innovative teachings with focuses on technology and Artificial Intelligence. The course interacts with many industries from accounting and cryptocurrencies to real estate and human resources. Read the full story here.

South America:

Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil

• Researchers at UFRN have developed a computer program for pregnant women to promote women’s autonomy and good labour and birth practices in an educational, playful, and digital way. The game focusses on five areas; guidelines, language, fun (drawing and colours), non-pharmacological methods of pain relief and periods of childbirth. The game aims to be accessible, utilising colloquial language and played through an online platform via a mobile device or a computer. Read the full story here.

Europe:

Atlantic Technological University, Ireland

• ATU marked International Astronomy Day on the 18th May by sharing a study which challenges Einstein’s theory of general relativity and suggests that the expansion of the universe is not uniform as previously believed. The research invites the scientific community to question assumptions that have been integral to our understanding of the Universe for around 100 years. Read the full story here.

University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Austria

• Researchers at FH OÖ’s Embedded Systems Lab have been awarded a European patent in the field of “Smart Textiles” for their work on sensors embedded in textiles. The patented process allows the identification and location of distributed sensors and microprocessor modules on “smart textiles”, opening pathways for T-shits which can record movement patterns of human bodies and detect incorrect posture. Read the full story here.
• Following Dr. Sascha Senck’s visit to Suranaree University of Technology through the WTUN Exchange Programme, FH OÖ and SUT are committed to ongoing cooperation and research together. Currently, Dr Senck has begun to deliver courses to SUT students including CAD design for medical engineering, data analysis in chemical engineering, and scientific writing and presentation in English. Read the full story here.

University of Bradford, United Kingdom

• Professor Brian Cantor, UOB’s Former Vice Chancellor, founder of the WTUN, and eponym to the Brian Cantor Scholarship Prize, has been named a fellow of the Royal Society, a Fellowship of eminent scientists worldwide and the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence. Professor Cantor’s work includes the invention of the field of multicomponent high-entropy materials and the discovery of the “Cantor alloys”. Previous Royal Society Fellows include Charles Darwin and Sir Isaac Newton. Read the full story here.
• Researchers at UOB have commissioned a report, with contributions from other North England-based Universities, which recommends broadening the role of the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) to reward schools that provide enhanced physical activity and healthy nutrition options to support their students health and wellbeing. The aim of this action would be to make rich physical activity experiences a priority in school environments. The topic of the report is the subject of the Whole School Physical Activity Conference taking place at University of Bradford in June. Read the full story here.

Australia

University of Newcastle, Australia

• How will AI impact your work? Is your business cyber-safe? UON hosted an online panel discussion to discuss the use of Artificial Intelligence in the workplace. The event shared the impact of cyber attacks and data breaches, the need for skilled professionals in the industry and how to prepare and protect yourself and your business in this developing environment. Watch the discussion here.
• Researchers at UON have presented The Hydro Harvester, a technology which can harvest up to 1000 litres of drinkable water per day from the air. The technology works by producing hot and humid air from solar energy or waste heat. This air is then cooled and water is extracted which can be used for drinking or irrigation. The project has been funded by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund and is designed to operate independent of the ambient temperature and humidity, making it suitable for virtually any environment. Read the full story here.

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