KOTA KINABALU: The intellectuality of academicians in various fields needed to be transformed to produce ideas to solve issues in society.

Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Prof Datuk Dr Kasim Hj Mansor said that the university can no longer stick to the 'status quo' of acting only as a factory producing quality graduates.

"In this era of technology and digitisation, the role of universities has expanded to cover the entire spectrum of community's life.

"Innovation and creativity that produce products and services to improve the life of the community is something that is highly expected," he said when delivering his new years message via online here on Sunday.

He said in order to realise that wish, Kasim announced the new slogan 'UMS Leading Towards Innovative Societies' throughout the year 2023.

"We must put in our minds that we must be aware that all of us are a knowledge institution born and established in Sabah, which is a public university that is created from conscience of the people in the state of Sabah.

"We all are important actors according to the expertise we have in being responsible for developing community's life." he stressed.

He also urged for togetherness in holding hands to hold trust as a university that always approached thy community.

"Whether academics, administrative staff or students, we are able to make the existence of UMS in Sabah more meaningful.

"The success of the university's previous leadership also needs to be maintained and improved," he added

KOTA KINABALU - Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) is making great strides in its quest to become an institution of higher learning with fully sustainable campuses in accordance with its appreciation of the EcoCampus concept.

The UI GreenMetric World University Ranking System is an Asian initiative that was launched worldwide in 2010 to assess the performance of a higher educational institution (HEI) in regard to its appreciation of the sustainability concept. 

In the 2022 UI GreenMetric World University Rankings, from a total entry of 1,050 HEIs worldwide, UMS jumped 14 spots from the previous year at 67th to its new higher position as the 53rd most sustainable university in the world or the top 5% of the most sustainable university in the world. 

Despite being categorized as a comprehensive university by the Malaysian education authority, UMS remains 3rd in Malaysia behind two local prominent research universities namely Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and Universiti Malaya (UM) with percentage differences of 3% and 1%, respectively. 

In 2021, UMS ranked lower against UPM and UM with a bigger 4% difference. UMS has taken part in the UI GreenMetric initiative since 2014 as an approach to assessing the university’s capabilities to compliment Sabah’s sustainable development agenda. UMS ranking in the UI GreenMetric indicates it is progressing forward at the national level.   

The achievement of being the 53rd most sustainable university in the world is a result of the collective efforts and aspirations from all the faculties and centers at UMS to innovate and revolutionize their products and services to support the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) locally and internationally.

Soon to be announced by UMS Vice Chancellor Professor Datuk Dr. Kasim Hj. Mansor, UMS will increase its efforts on sustainability by introducing components of certain faculties and centers as living laboratories in 2023. 

A living laboratory is a formal partnership between a UMS research group, industrial players and communities to resolve a specific socio-economic problem. Ongoing problems such as increasing renewable energy consumption, sustainable waste management and on-campus water security are always the focus at UMS. 

The university will further socialize its outputs through these living laboratories, as exemplified by the Hatchery of the Borneo Marine Research Institute. An initial funding of RM500,000 has already been set aside this year for this purpose. 

UMS intends to put forward the established living laboratories eventually to the Malaysian education authority to obtain recognition as the country’s center of excellence in specific areas of science.

KOTA KINABALU: The Confucius Institute (CI) of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) hopes to have a deeper working relationship with the state Education Department in promoting Chinese language learning in local schools.

CI UMS director Prof Dr Low Kok On said at the moment, the institute offered free Level One Chinese language learning programmes at SMK Gadong, Beaufort.

“We will apply to the Sabah Education Department to allow us to promote the learning of han yu shui pin kao shi (HSK), a Chinese language course recognised internationally,” he said in a statement on Monday (Nov 21).

He said students with at least a level four HSK certificate have the opportunity to further their studies in China.

“That’s also why we plan to open up more Chinese language classes for other schools in Sabah,” he added.

He also paid a visit to state Education Director Datuk Tah Niah Jaman at her office on Monday.

Prof Low said apart from promoting Chinese language learning to more Sabahans, CI UMS will also help students apply for scholarships if they wish to further their studies in China.

CI UMS was established in 2019 with the aim of introducing the Chinese language and culture to interested parties in the state, and is open to all Sabahans regardless of age.

KOTA KINABALU: The relevant authorities have been urged to take natural disasters seriously following the floods in Tenom, Keningau and Beaufort.

Senior lecturer from the Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Ts. Dr Noor Sheena Herayani Harith said natural disasters such as debris flows need to be taken seriously, especially when it comes to the construction of large structures such as bridges and dams.

“Residents around Tenom, Keningau and Beaufort were shocked by a flood that destroyed several areas as a result of continuous rain on Tuesday morning, November 1.

“There was also a debris flow incident in the Tenom Pangi Hydro Dam area, which has resulted in damage to residents’ property.

“In my opinion, the Tenom Pangi Hydro Dam was built to supply electricity to the surrounding areas, and not as a reservoir for excess water,” she said.

Dr Noor Sheena, who is also UMS Principal Research Fellow for the Natural Disaster Research Center (NDRC) said the damage of the dam is caused by the debris flow which consists of stones and trees that have drifted and accumulated in the part of the dam.

“Debris flow is one of the deadly geological hazards and can cause property damage, especially in Malaysia. This incident is likely to occur as a result of there being a landslide area nearby due to prolonged rain before being washed away by the river current and finally accumulating in the dam area.

“Due to the large level of storage and load, the dam structure could not bear the unexpected load and subsequently, collapsed. Due to this incident, the excess debris has overflowed and flooded the area around the dam, further damaging and burying several building structures, especially nearby residential areas and vehicles.

“A similar incident can be seen from the post-earthquake events that followed the landslides and prolonged rains in 2015 in the Mesilau and Ranau areas. The incident caused a landslide and further flow of debris in the Mesilou area, where the bridge structure has collapsed and drifted away due to excessive loads,” she added.

According to Dr Noor Sheena, the time has come for natural disasters such as debris flows to be taken seriously, especially when it comes to the construction of large structures such as bridges and dams.

“Take into account the analysis of the debris flow model to reduce the risk and damage caused by natural disasters,” she said.