KOTA KINABALU: In the midst of shifting from conventional learning method to online learning, more conferences have moved to online platforms devoid of the hustle and bustle of physical attendance.

Two Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) postgraduate students from the Faculty of Business, Economics and Accountancy (FBEA) have proven that online presentation is not an obstacle for them to win and shine at international competitions.

Ng Yen Phin, a Ph.D candidate won the Best Presenter Award for the 3MT – 3 Minute Thesis Competition at the International Postgraduate Symposium in Tourism and Hospitality (IPSTH 2020), an international competition jointly organized by National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism (NKUHT), Taiwan and UCSI University, Malaysia.

Ng, who hailed from Lahad Datu, shared the content of her manuscript titled “The Meaning of Work for Tourist Guides” in three minutes using one PowerPoint slide, won the heart of the international panel of judges consisting of industry experts and academia from a total of 25 Ph.D students across Asia

Ng thanked her supervisors, Dr Balvinder Kauer Kler and Dr Oscar Dousin from FBEA for their guidance on script preparation and presentation practices over Google Meet.

Zhang Ke, an international student from China also won the Best Paper Award at the 1st Asian Tourism Research Conference, jointly organized by Mahatma Gandhi University, India and Sunway University, Malaysia.

Zhang, who is also a lecturer attached to Neijiang Normal University, China, is currently pursuing his doctorate degree in UMS. He presented a paper titled “Sunset, Seafood & Sea-gypsies in Malaysian Borneo: An Alternative Destination Image for China Tourists” during the conference via Webex platform.
Zhang co-authored the paper with his supervisor, Dr Balvinder received recognition from a total of 45 full papers presented at the three-day conference.

Being the supervisor for both students, Dr Balvinder expressed her joy on her students’ achievements.
The ceremony which is held through online platform was such a different experience to her.

“When the awards were announced, I was nowhere near my students and could only smile back at the screen,” she commented.

“Although the experience of celebrating was not the same, the key point is that we won, in which is a great end to 2020”, she added.

“Reading, for a Ph.D candidate, can be a lonely journey. So conference attendance is important in building confidence and motivation,” she said while informing her plan to celebrate the victories with her students once life is back to normal.

FBEA Dean, Prof Datuk Dr Kasim Hj Md Mansur was also pleased with the students’ achievements.
Kasim believed that the quality of postgraduate supervision at UMS will continue to thrive during the new normal.

Source: https://www.theborneopost.com/2020/12/30/ums-ph-d-students-shine-at-international-conferences/

KOTA KINABALU: Some 4,639 Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) students graduated virtually through the university’s 22nd Convocation declaration, which was streamed live online on the UMS Facebook page and official website.

The declaration, which was made by Head of State Tun Juhar Mahiruddin (pic) as UMS Chancellor, will enable the 2020 UMS graduates to receive their physical scrolls next year. 

“I would like to record my highest congratulations to the 4,639 graduates who will receive a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Master’s Degree, Doctor of Medicine, Bachelor’s Degree and Diploma,” he said in his speech during the virtual declaration, here, Wednesday. 

Juhar hoped the new graduates would utilise the knowledge gained during their studies to the best of their abilities.  

“Maybe the field you studied in university will not be the same as what you will face in the workforce later on. 

“Therefore, you must be flexible, be open to continuous learning so that you can become a more creative and innovative person, with integrity and committed to whatever field you pursue. 

“God willing, if all these things are always embedded in the heart, the graduates can face any obstacles in the increasingly competitive workforce and challenging economic environment,” he said. 

Meanwhile, UMS Vice Chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Taufiq Yap Yun Hid was reported on Monday as saying that a physical convocation ceremony is proposed to be held in March next year for the graduates. 

The university, in a question and answer statement on its Facebook page, Wednesday, said however, it would be subject to how the Covid-19 situation develops. 

It added that the graduates’ scrolls and academic transcripts will be distributed via post next year on Jan 11 and physically on Jan 18. Physical distribution will be subject to the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMC0).

Source: https://www.subscriber-dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?id=163920

KOTA KINABALU: Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s (UMS), Jacqueline Joseph, was recognised as the Best Participant in the “Department of Resource and Environment Economics (ESL) International Summer Course: Reducing Carbon Footprints from Individual to Global Actions” organised by Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB) University, Indonesia, recently. 

The PhD student of Forestry at UMS’ Faculty of Science and Natural Resources beat 370 other participants from 70 international universities and received prizes in the form of money and certificate of participation.

“At first I just wanted to expand the network of cooperation with foreign researchers and participate proactively in assignments and partnerships with academicians from abroad.

“I feel overwhelmed and did not expect to be selected as the Best Participant apart from getting second place in the Learning Journal which was screened and selected by a panel from Indonesia and Australia,” said Joseph, here, Thursday.

She said the competition was held online using the Zoom application.

It is an international discussion platform involving academicians and students in global climate change mitigation and the implications of carbon emissions.

On what she feels about the success, the Tenom native woman said she was very happy to be able to make UMS famous internationally.

“I also hope UMS students do not miss the opportunity to participate in such programmes because it is one of the stepping stones for them to expand collaboration with academicians and students from abroad.

“Indirectly, it also dignifies the name of UMS in the eyes of the world through the involvement and contribution of the students themselves,” she said.

The competition in the form of a course from Nov 20 to Dec 5 involved participation from various countries including Australia, Russia, China, Brazil, Tanzania, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Nepal, Haiti, Indonesian and Myanmar.

Source: https://www.subscriber-dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?id=163070

(12 December 2020)

KOTA KINABALU: A Sabah-led international research has helped shed light on the rare eagle rays, using mainly citizen science and social media.

According to the Sabah Shark and Ray Association (SSRI), this international study, led by Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), saw the identification of a total of 46 eagle rays.

From the 53 reports of the rare species the team found online, the 46 identified included those in Palau, the Seychelles and South Africa, representing the first confirmed reports of the species in these countries, said SSRI.

It said that the study also found that many of the sighting occurrences were in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), highlighting the importance of these MPAs in shark and ray conservation.

SSRI said although there were no sightings of the ornate eagle ray documented on social media from Sabah, the species has historically been recorded in state fisheries.

Its current status in the state is unknown, although once occasionally landed in Sabah, no reports have been documented in the last 20 years, it said.

“The ornate eagle ray is a large and easily identifiable ray, and its distinct back pattern of stripes and reticulated spots make the species well suited for a citizen science-based study approach,” said Gonzalo Araujo, Associate Research Fellow at UMS.

“Citizen science, where the public contributes to data collection, is a powerful tool that can assist many projects”, he said, adding that people’s photos on social media platforms, such as Facebook, are proving incredibly useful for monitoring rare species, especially in remote places.

He said in Sabah, for example, citizen science is already helping scientists understand the enigmatic whale shark, providing evidence of how its movement to and from neighbouring areas.

Araujo said the most notably of such research was in late 2019 when a diver’s video of a whale shark at Pulau Sipadan off Semporna was used to confirm the first documented movement of a whale shark between Philippines and Malaysia, as the shark had previously been identified in south Cebu, Philippines.

“It is interesting that many of the reports of ornate eagle rays found on social media were within iconic Marine Protected Areas, such as Ningaloo Reef and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, and Cagayancillo reef in the Philippines – just like the whale shark at Pulau Sipadan in 2019,” he said.

“The effectiveness of MPAs to conserve species like the ornate eagle ray, and other mobile species, is highly complex, yet it is encouraging that these species are present in these areas, and that citizen science can be a powerful tool to help monitor them,” he added.

Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/12/13/ums-led-research-reveals-more-info-on-rare-eagle-rays

(13 December 2020)

An ornate eagle ray, showing the distinct back pattern of stripes and reticulated spots. These beautiful, yet rare, rays can grow up to 240cm from wing tip to wing tip. (Credit: Jacinta Shackleton).