Sixth issue . April - June 2012 - Universiti Brunei Darussalam

UBD'S FIRST SOLAR-POWERED VEHICLE 

PARTICIPATES IN SHELL ECO-MARATHON 

Sixth issue . April - June 2012

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DiscoverCONTENT 

DiscoverFEATURE 

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2 Welcoming Message 

Discover Feature 

3 UBD’s solar-powered vehicle at Eco-Marathon 

Discover News 

4 Discovery Year at Hankuk University 

5 Professor Todd Zakrajsek 

4th AUN-ACTS Steering Committee Meeting 

6 Discovery Year in South Korea 

7 Maktab Sains Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan 

visits PAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences 

8 Earth Hour UBD 

9 Biodiversity of Fish seminar and workshop 

Global Poverty Project CEO shares 

leadership lessons 

10 Homestay in Kampong Sungai Matan 

11 UBD signs MoU with Gyeonggi Institute of 

Science and Technology Promotion, Korea 

12 Groundbreaking Ceremony for PAPRSB 

Institute of Health Sciences extension building 

IHS joins International Nurses’ Day Celebration 

IHS students at the Berakas Forest Reserve 

13 Meeting with Professor Crossick 

Video Teaching in Math by Dr. Mark Nelson 

14 Delegation from Mahasarakam University 

MoA between Universiti Brunei Darussalam 

and Universiti Utara Malaysia 

15 Kingdom of Lesotho Commission visits PAPRSB IHS 

15 Thailand’s Prince of Songkla University visit 

16 East-West Center, Hawaii collaboration 

on ASEAN English Enrichment Project 

17 Interview with Annie Leonard 

18 UBD team wins ABU Robocon Competition 

Asean + 3 Junior Science Odyssey competition 

19 UBD’s tenure as host body for MRCGP 

International examination extended 

20 UBD and Sungkyunkwan University sign MoU 

21 UBD and Chonnam National University sign MoU 

Discover Research 

22 Dr. Jon Barnes visit KBFSC 

23 Medical Data Monitoring System patent filed 

Perceptual Computing group research 

24 KBFSC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship 

Discover Conferences 

25 FBEPS-AGBEP Ph.D. Colloquium 

UBD Mathematics seminar series 

26 Islamic Finance Seminar 

11th Borneo Research Council Conference 

27 Child Protection Forum 

Welcoming Message 

This second issue of discoverubd for 2012 is 

testament to the fact that university life does 

not end with the end of an academic semester. 

Although ostensibly our students have been 

on break over the last few months, this issue 

showcases the flourishing achievements of our 

students, staff and university as a whole during 

this time, proving that learning at UBD is about 

more than the activities that take place in the 

classroom. 

That learning at UBD is honoured as a way of 

life is apparent in our feature article (pg 3), 

which covers the building of UBD’s first solarpowered 

vehicle by students and staff. UBD’s 

commitment to preparing our students for the 

regional and international arenas is already 

bearing fruit (pg 18 Abu Robucon), and we 

reaffirm this commitment in our attention not 

only to current, but to future UBD students (pg 18 

ASEAN Odyssey), who are given an excellent role 

model in the faculty, who continue to exemplify 

this dedication to innovation, excellence and 

nation-building (pg 23 patent filed). 

As part of this commitment, UBD remains 

determined to provide the best education 

possible, continually updating our credentials 

(pg 19, MRCGP, pg 5 Teaching and Learning) 

and forging links with formidable institutions and 

initiatives (pg 20 MOU with Sungkyuwan, pg 21 

MOU with Chonnum, pg 16 US UBD east west) 

in order to achieve this. UBD also continues to 

position itself as one of the premier facilitators 

of dialogue in the nation, hosting numerous 

landmark national forums throughout the last few 

months alone (pg 26, Islamic Finance Seminar, 

pg 27 child protection). 

As we make preparations to move into a new 

academic year, we invite all incoming students 

for the 2012/2013 session to join us in this spirit of 

visionary achievement. We would also like to 

wish all Muslims a fruitful and blessed Ramadhan, 

and as always, we welcome feedback and 

would like to thank all contributors to this issue of 

discoverubd. 

Best wishes, 

Hjh Anis Faudzulani Hj Dzulkiflee 

Assistant Vice Chancellor 

(Corporate and Administration) 

Editorial 

Contact 

International and Public Relations Office 

office.ipro@ubd.edu.bn 

Editorial Board 

Dr. Teo Siew Yean, Dr. Kathrina DP Hj Mohd Daud, 

Hjh Nuairah Afifah Hj Abdul Wahab, Khairunnisa Hj 

Ibrahim, Daniel Wee Ming Kho 

Faculty of Science students and staff build 

UBD’s first solar-powered vehicle for 

Shell Eco-Marathon 

Eight students and two staff members from the 

Faculty of Science, UBD constructed an energyefficient 

vehicle that makes use of solar energy 

to compete in the Shell Eco-Marathon in Sepang, 

Malaysia which was held from 4 to 7 July 2012. 

Naming themselves Team GenNext, they set out 

to build the vehicle in December 2011 and have 

since managed, through hard work in research, 

design and construction, to create the Ajung 

UBD—UBD’s first solar-powered vehicle. 

The team members explained that most of the 

creation of the vehicle came from their own 

innovative ideas of implementing efficiency into 

the vehicle’s design. The Ajung UBD is powered by 

a combination of two energy sources: battery and 

solar cells, where light energy collected by the 

solar cells is converted to chemical energy and 

is used to charge the battery up to 48 volts. The 

battery in turn converts this energy to electrical 

energy to power up the vehicle’s 3000 watt motor, 

propelling the vehicle forward. 

The student members of Team GenNext are Haji 

Mohammad Redza Haji Hussin, Muhammad Faiq 

Haji Kanapiah, Abdul Azim Abdullah, Muhammad 

Khairulazmi Awang Zainudin, Nina Nadiyah Saidi, 

Mak Sheue Lie, Wong Teck Sion and Muhammad 

Auzi Ahadani. This project was part of the 

students’ GenNext Discovery Year Incubation 

programme. The two staff members involved in 

the project are Dr. Mohammad Iskandar Pengiran 

Haji Petra and Mohammad Eddy Haji Sabli.

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Teaching and Learning Centre hosts 

Associate Professor Todd Zakrajsek from 

University of North Carolina. 

On 19 and 20 May 2012, the Teaching and 

Learning Centre (TLC) of UBD hosted Associate 

Professor Todd Zakrajsek from the University of 

North Carolina (UNC), Chapel Hill. Dr. Zakrajsek is 

the Executive Director of the Centre for Faculty 

Excellence at UNC and was also previously the 

Director of the Faculty Centre for Innovative 

Teaching at Central Michigan University and the 

founding Director of the Centre for Teaching and 

Learning at Southern Oregon University, where he 

also taught in the psychology department as a 

tenured associate professor. 

In the United States of America, Dr. Zakrajsek is a distinguished trainer, consultant and advisor for 

teaching and learning departments/institutions. He was invited to UBD to provide a two-day seminar to 

Faculty Deans, Deputy Deans, Programme Leaders and TLC members of UBD. 

Discovery Year Student Experience 

at Hankuk University 

By Nurkhalisah @ Naemah Binti Mustapa. 

When it was announced that I had been chosen to 

go to South Korea for my Discovery Year, I was filled 

with excitement. I had never imagined that I, of all 

people, would be given the chance to experience 

living for a few months there. However, I was also 

worried about how I would be received by the 

locals, as Muslims, especially girls who cover their 

head, are a rare sight in the country. 

The first two weeks after I arrived in Korea were very 

challenging. I could not get used to the stares from 

the locals, and I had no other place to run away to 

but the dormitory. There were also instances where 

someone would change their seat in the subway, 

away from me. Although upsetting, I slowly grow 

accustomed to those instances. Initially, I thought 

indifference was the best course of action, but I 

knew that it would be better if I try to understand 

the locals’ position and perspective instead of 

thinking about just mine. 

I started greeting random people who stared at 

me, and I even smiled at them to let them know 

that I wouldn’t bite. From there onwards, I realised 

that their treatments toward me had changed. The 

language barrier between us did not stop them 

from trying to ask me questions about Islam and 

Brunei. Once, an old lady even dragged me to 

the senior citizens’ seats in the subway just so she 

could talk to me! That was the first lesson I learned 

living in South Korea: I should treat people the way 

I want to be treated. I also realised it was important 

to understand them as much as I want to be 

understood. 

Attending university in Korea was not easy at 

first. I found myself alone and clueless whenever 

the professor explained something in Korean, 

although the module was supposed to be 

conducted in English. After some time, I began 

to understand that this wasn’t because they 

wanted to exclude me. Instead, it was because the 

students needed the explanation in Korean to gain 

better understanding of the concept presented in 

class. I also developed a habit of asking questions 

to the professor and classmates from this. Now 

they didn’t appear as intimidating as they were 

before. Just last month, I did a mini field project for 

Anthropological Linguistics, where I was asked to 

observe the interactions between the people at 

a place I was unfamiliar with. I found the exercise 

amusing as I was being observed by the people I 

wished to observe. 

I would also like to recommend UBD students 

majoring in Linguistics or English Literature to 

consider going to the Hankuk University of Foreign 

Studies for their Discovery Year (HUFS). They might 

just encounter interesting happenings like I have. 

The university’s motto is “Come to HUFS, meet the 

world”. This has proven to be true for me, as I have 

met many international people (and also locals) 

who have made my stay here beyond amazing. 

Even the security and other staff working in my 

dormitory building have started to wave at and 

greet me whenever I’m around. I have learned 

that kindness is a ‘language’ that everyone 

understands, despite coming from different cultural 

backgrounds. 

It has been a few months since I left home, and I 

miss Brunei more each day. Korea has so much to 

offer students like me. It is never lacking in places 

to visit, events to attend and amazing people to 

meet. Despite all that, there is no place better 

than home. I would like to thank UBD for giving me 

this opportunity to do my exchange programme 

in Korea. It has helped me a lot to discover my 

passion in Linguistics and Literature and made me 

the person I am today. 

The intensive programme, which was hosted on the weekend, was a remarkable success. There were 

passionate cross-faculty discussions and brainstorming of current teaching and learning initiatives and a 

productive dialogue on how to mould the GenNext students that UBD envisions. 

Todd Zakrajsek also discussed the parameters and structural demands of a teaching and learning 

centre in UBD and directed the participants’ energies towards a focussed trajectory to help faculties 

achieve more creative teachers, productive students and classroom environments. 

By implementing the pedagogical strategies and practical measures developed in this seminar, UBD’s 

Teaching and Learning Centre is now poised more than ever to address the challenges involved in 

preparing students for their professional futures. In the coming months, TLC will provide workshops and 

training specifically for creative capacity building amongst faculty members, as well as team-based 

learning workshops and the creative use of online technology for innovative classroom teaching and 

learning (tentatively set for September 2012). 

UBD hosts 4th AUN-ACTS 

Steering Committee Meeting 

The fourth AUN-ACTS Steering Committee Meeting 

took place at the Institute of Leadership, Innovation 

and Advancement (ILIA), UBD on 3 and 4 April 2012, 

which saw representatives from ASEAN Universities 

Network (AUN) gather to discuss the ASEAN Credit 

Transfer System (ACTS). 

ACTS allows the transfer of credits and grades within 

the ASEAN region among AUN member universities. 

It was initiated by the AUN Secretariat with the aim 

of promoting student exchanges and mobility within 

ASEAN, and has been implemented since last year. 

This was shared by the Executive Director of AUN, 

Associate Professor Dr. Nantana Gajaseni, who 

also told the media that the ACTS will hopefully by 

evaluated and standardised by 2013. 

Last year, UBD sent 55 per cent of its first cohort of 

GenNext students for the Discovery Year, either 

studying abroad or to participate in internships, 

incubation projects or community outreach 

programmes. Dr Joyce Teo Siew Yean in her 

welcoming remarks said that many of these students 

went for a semester of student exchange at AUN 

partner institutions. 

The meeting among others discussed challenges 

and concerns pertaining to ACTS, such as student 

workload, study hours, and hours obtained during 

community involvement.

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Awang Muhammad Nuriskandar Md Hasnan, who 

majors in Art and Creative Technology, is the only 

DY student at Sangmyung University, and despite 

not taking Korean language in UBD, he managed 

to get through his classes, make new friends, 

and exchange ideas and information with his 

colleagues and professors. 

For Dayang Nurliyana Faiqah Haji Hamdan and 

Dayang Norshazleen Aida Awang Bakri, both 

majoring in Professional Communication and 

Media, as well as Dayang Siti Nurzaimah Zaitunah 

Haji Zaim, a major in Sociology and Anthropology, 

they first experienced seclusion from the local 

students as well as the local people due to the 

way they dress especially with the tudongs. 

However, through sharing the Bruneian culture, 

ideas and simply talking with the local students 

and the professors about Brunei Darussalam, they 

slowly gained acceptance among the local folks. 

According to them, “studying at Ewha Womans 

University will definitely open up new experiences 

and new insights on how we view people, the 

chance to be more receptive to change and 

appreciate differences.” 

These experiences were shared by the 

undergraduate students currently studying in 

Korean universities under UBD’s DY programme with 

the Vice-Chancellor, Dato Dr. Haji Zulkarnain Haji 

Hanafi, and Assistant Vice-Chancellor, Associate 

Professor Dr Azman Ahmad, during the Vice- 

Chancellor’s visit to Seoul, South Korea. 

Educational visit from Maktab Sains Paduka 

Seri Begawan Sultan to PAPRSB Institute of 

Health Sciences 

UBD Students Undergo Discovery Year in 

South Korea 

As part of their GenNext undergraduate degree 

programmes, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) 

students spend from one to two semesters during 

their Discovery Year (DY) either studying in one of 

UBD’s overseas partner universities, carrying out 

innovation or incubation initiatives, undergoing 

internship or placement in industries, businesses 

or government or non-government organisations, 

or engaging themselves in community outreach 

projects. 

At present, there are 19 UBD students under the DY 

programme in South Korea, comprising 5 students 

at Inha University, 4 students at Korea University, 

3 students at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, 

3 students at Ewha Womans University, 2 students 

at Sookmyung Women’s University, 1 student at 

Sangmyung University and 1 student at Daejon 

University. 

Most of these UBD students are only experiencing 

life independent of their Bruneian families for the 

first time. By going out of their comfort zone, the 

students are experiencing a transformational 

journey that improves their analytical, 

communication and reasoning skills, as well as their 

ability to overcome the challenges in settling down 

and adapting to student life in a foreign institution 

and a foreign country. 

“Life as an exchange student at Korea University 

has definitely been an enjoyable one. Though I 

am a business student, I have taken the chance 

to explore other modules such as the Korean 

language, culture and history. Through our buddy 

system, we have the opportunity to learn more 

about their culture and travel around Korea. The 

bonds that I have already formed with my buddies 

and international peers through all the unique 

activities make this experience even more special,” 

said Dayang Nurkhairunnisa Afiqah Haji Mursidi, a 

Bachelor of Business Administration student. 

“The classes are small, the teachers are engaging 

and class discussions are more meaningful. I 

guess the best thing about this programme is the 

realisation of how incredible this opportunity is. 

Apart from experiencing the way of life here, the 

friendship and connection we are making would 

be treasured for life,” said Awang Muhammad 

Hafiz Anas, Bachelor of Arts in Environmental 

Studies student. This was similarly echoed by 

Dayang Arshianny K. Salim, Bachelor of Science in 

Applied Physics student, and Dayang Hajah Lailatul 

Syaahira Haji Kamis, Bachelor of Arts in Historical 

Studies student, who are undergoing their DY at 

Inha University. 

Dayang Nur’aqilah Md. Boestaman and Dayang 

Siti Norain Haji Mohd Yusuf, admitted that they went 

through some difficulties when they first arrived at 

Sookmyung Women’s University, including finding 

halal food and adjusting to the winter weather. 

They now have a great experience as they could 

learn to be independent since they are away from 

their parents, and they could study other modules 

that are not offered in UBD. Aside from studying, 

they also enjoyed visiting historical places and 

other well-known landmarks in Korea with their 

international friends. 

On 17 April 2012, the Pengiran Anak Puteri Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah Institute of Health Sciences 

received an educational visit from Maktab Sains Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan. The visit was comprised of 

four education officers and forty-six pre-university students. 

The main objective of the visit was to expose the students to the academic programmes and facilities 

offered at the institute and to encourage them to apply to the institution for higher education. 

The group were first welcomed by the Public Relation officer of the Institute , Awang Deeni Rudita Idris, 

and later briefed on the courses offered by the institute by the respective Program Leaders. This was then 

followed by a guided tour around the institute by the visit coordinators. 

According to the students, the visit was highly enjoyable and they were excited to apply for the various 

courses in the hopes of joining the Institute.

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Earth Hour UBD 

Biodiversity of Fish seminar and workshop 

A one-day seminar and workshop on fish biodiversity was held on 7 April 2012 at the Senate Room of 

Chancellor Hall, UBD. It was jointly organised by the Biological Science Programme of the Faculty of Sciences 

and UBD’s Office of Graduate Studies and Research. 

The seminar featured two experts - Associate Professor Dr Hjh Zohrah Hj Sulaiman from the Biological Science 

Programme, UBD and Professor Richard Mayden of the Department of Biology Laboratory of Integrated 

Biodiversity Conservation and Genomics at Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri, United States. 

The two presenters talked about fish biodiversity from various perspectives and focus. AP Dr Hjh Zohrah for 

instance had a regional focus on the freshwater fishes of Borneo, while Professor Mayden delivered a talk 

on the broader, global biodiversity of freshwater fishes. AP Dr Hjh Zohrah also presented a paper titled “Case 

study on relationship between biogeographic boundaries and intra-specific genetic patterns in fish”. 

Professor Mayden also conducted a workshop called “Modern methods in sampling, preserving, fixing 

freshwater fishes (and other fishes and aquatic organisms)”, which included a topic on the best practices for 

obtaining tissues, and the critical nature of biodiversity collections. 

The workshop would benefit researchers in UBD and from other relevant agencies to improve methods of 

obtaining and preserving fish samples and tissues DNA or Protein studies. The workshop also addresses the 

critical need for biodiversity inventories that hold the collected species, proper environmental controls, 

infrastructure, and long term maintenance. Such facilities and services are needed to document the 

existence of species over time to defend any claims of environmental damages for various reasons and 

then the loss of species. There are still many studies for which evidence for species existence are not yet 

documented or catalogued. 

The workshop was also aimed to contribute towards the Heart of Borneo initiative of conserving large tracts 

of forest, by serving as a model initiative for similar and related biodiversity studies. 

Earth Hour is an annual international event created 

by the WWF (World Wildlife Fund), which started in 

2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million individuals 

and more than 2,000 businesses turned their lights 

off for one hour to take a stand against climate 

change. Only a year later and Earth Hour had 

become a global sustainability movement with 

more than 50 million people across 35 countries 

participating, and this global event has only grown 

in magnitude since, with over 128 countries and 

territories joining the global display of climate action 

for Earth Hour 2010. 

This year, Earth Hour 2012 was organized to be held 

on 31 March with the slogan of “I will, if you will”, 

and it garnered the support and involvement of 

Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), making UBD one 

of the few million institutions taking part in Earth 

Hour 2012. Ten days before Earth Hour UBD, UBD 

started a ‘ten day video campaign’ before 31 

March, challenging students all over Brunei to do 

something environmental. The challenge video was 

also aired on the Earth Hour Brunei’s official website 

as well as YouTube to further promote the cause of 

doing something for the environment for more than 

just an hour. 

Earth Hour UBD took place on a Saturday, 31 March 

2012 at the IBM centre, Universiti Brunei Darussalam. 

The opening ceremony started with a recital of 

the Do’a followed by a welcoming speech by the 

guest of honor, Dr. Haji Ramlee Haji Tinkong, the 

Dean of Students. 

After all the formalities, the launching of Earth 

Hour UBD commenced at 8.30pm and lights in 

UBD were switched off for an hour. In that one 

hour, all participants held glow-in-the-dark sticks 

and enjoyed activities such as face-painting. 

Participants also put their signatures on a banner as 

a pledge to become more dedicated and to play 

their part in conserving the environment. 

Earth Hour UBD 2012 was organised and initiated 

by an association under the UBD Student Council, 

known as the Executive of International Relations 

and Sustainability Resources, in collaboration 

with the larger university community and various 

affiliated clubs such as the Student Community 

Outreach Team (SCOT) and the UBD Volunteer and 

Charity Club (UVC). 

Global Poverty Project CEO 

shares leadership lessons 

Hugh Evans, a humanitarian and recipient 

of the 2004 Young Australian of the Year 

Award, spoke recently at UBD about his 

experiences and leadership lessons in an 

ongoing campaign to eradicate extreme 

poverty. The talk took place on 10 May 2012 

at the Senate Room, Chancellor Hall. 

Evans, who co-founded the Global Poverty 

Project, began his personal journey towards 

this goal after learning about it in school 

and later experienced it first-hand with a 

brief stay in a Manila slum. He went on to 

start various activities to raise awareness 

and engage others in the cause, and 

shared that in addition to commitment and 

hard work, effective leadership played a 

vital role in ensuring the success of such 

initiatives. Among his achievements to date 

include starting the Oaktree Foundation, a 

youth-run aid and development agency 

in Australia, becoming the first World Vision 

Youth Ambassador to South Africa, and 

more recently, starting various povertyrelated 

campaigns, such as Make Poverty 

History, Live Below the Line and The End of 

Polio 

The public lecture was part of the young 

Australian’s programme of encouraging 

and engaging individuals, especially 

youths, to use their creativity and passion to 

make positive changes in the world. While 

in Brunei, he also spoke at the Jerudong 

International School (JIS).

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Homestay in Kampong Sungai Matan 

On 11 May 2012, nineteen Prince of Songkla 

University (PSU) students, who were in Brunei under 

the Global Discovery Programme, went on a 

two-day homestay in Kampong Sungai Matan. 

This activity was both educational and enjoyable 

for the Thai students. They were accompanied by 

three UBD academic staff members along with 

three student volunteers or buddies. Kampong 

Sungai Matan is a small village located in Kota 

Batu, which is less than thirty minutes away from 

the capital. What is so unique about the village is 

that half of it is built on land and half on water. This 

feature along with the traditional cultures that still 

prevail in the village have made Kampong Sungai 

Matan a desirable tourist attraction for both locals 

and foreigners, and because of this the village has 

earned a bronze medal in the excellent village 

category award in early 2012. 

Upon arrival at Kampong Sungai Matan, the 

students were greeted with a very warm welcome 

by the outgoing head of the village and other 

local residents. They then listened to a short 

briefing and a slide presentation on the history of 

the village as well as the daily activities that are 

carried out there. The vibrant visitors then checked 

into the Matan Homestay, which later proved 

to be an ecstatic experience for everyone. 

Everybody was looking forward to staying for 

the night in a house on water. They then joyously 

strode on the wooden walkways for a tour of 

Kampong Sungai Matan and observed the many 

activities that are prevalent in the small village. 

These include cooking traditional delicacies 

such as penyaram, preparing preserved or dried 

fish, building boats and making handicrafts from 

recycled paper. In the evening, the students were 

entertained to colourful and lively traditional 

dance and musical performances. 

The following day, the students went on an 

adventurous cruise along the Brunei river and had 

the opportunity to stop at Kampong Sungai Bunga 

– a modern village in Kampong Ayer, visit a fishbreeding 

site in Kampong Pudak, as well as see the 

little legendary island, Pulau Cermin. At the end 

of the two-hour river cruise, the students stopped 

by a house in Kampong Sungai Matan and were 

treated to a cooking demonstration. Some of them 

tried their hands at preparing as well as frying local 

fish snacks or “keropok lekor”. 

All in all, the Matan Homestay was a truly 

memorable and unforgettable experience for the 

Prince of Songkla University students. 

UBD signs MoU with Gyeonggi Institute of 

Science and Technology Promotion, Korea 

UBD and the Gyeonggi Institute of Science & 

Technology Promotion (GSTEP) from Korea have 

reached a formal agreement to collaborate in 

the areas of science and technology as well as 

research and development (R&D) with the signing 

of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 

28 June 2012. The MoU signing took place at The 

Core, UBD. 

Signing the agreement on behalf of UBD was 

Vice-Chancellor Dato Paduka Dr. Haji Zulkarnain 

Haji Hanafi, while GSTEP was represented by its 

President, Dr. Won-Young Lee. Also present at the 

event was the Republic of Korea Ambassador to 

Brunei, His Excellency Mr. Choi Byung Koo. 

Established in 2010, GSTEP has the main mission of 

becoming a global leader in regional innovation 

and a leading institution in the globalisation of 

science and technology. Therefore, it is committed 

to supporting joint research between industries 

and universities, networking among industries, 

universities and research institutes, providing joint 

research facilities and equipment, and conducting 

science and technology policy research. 

Pursuing to become a networking hub between 

industries, universities and research institutes, the 

GSTEP will do its best not only to activate industryacademia-research 

institute cooperation within 

the province but also to promote cooperation with 

other provinces and with other countries at the 

global level. GSTEP expects to create synergies by 

integrating these functions that support technology 

innovation. 

Under the partnership, each side will pursue 

many significant activities such as exchange of 

faculty members, research staffs and publications, 

among others. This collaboration would benefit 

UBD in terms of strengthening its research culture 

as well as building local human capacities. In the 

long term, it will aid in the diversification of Brunei 

economy.

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Groundbreaking Ceremony for PAPRSB 

Institute of Health Sciences extension building 

Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) held a 

Groundbreaking Ceremony for the proposed 

Pengiran Anak Puteri Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah 

Institute of Health Sciences Extension Building on 

29 May 2012 on the university campus. The event 

was officiated by Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang 

Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr.) Haji Awang 

Abu Bakar Haji Apong, the Minister of Education. 

Also present were Yang Mulia Dato Paduka Dr. Haji 

Zulkarnain Haji Hanafi, Vice Chancellor UBD, UBD Principal Officers, UBD staff, the team of consultants and 

contractor. The event commenced with the recital of Surah Al-Fatihah, opening remarks by Dr. Hajah 

Maslina Haji Mohsin, the Dean of PAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences, followed by the ground breaking 

ceremony, an exhibition viewing and a presentation. 

The project has been awarded to Tobishima (Brunei) Sdn Bhd for a contract value of $21,185,000.00 with 

a 20-month construction duration, which is expected to complete by early June 2013. The architect for 

the project is Arkitek Idris, Othman & Associates Consulting Engineers as C & S and M& E Engineer, and 

Hanafi Konsaltan as the Quantity Surveyor. 

IHS joins International Nurses’ Day 

Celebration 2012 

International Nurses Day is celebrated around the 

world every May 12, the anniversary of Florence 

Nightingale’s birth, who is widely considered as the 

founder of modern nursing. 

International Nurses Day is an opportunity to 

celebrate nursing and the contribution that nurses 

make: improving the lives of individuals and 

their families, the health and wellbeing of whole 

communities and the wider population. 

To commemorate this meaningful occasion, the 

students and staff of the Pengiran Anak Puteri 

Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah Institute of Health 

Sciences (IHS) participated in a walkathon as part 

of this year’s International Nurses’ Day celebration 

on 13 May 2012. The event, which included an 

aerobic session, was organised by the Ministry of 

Health and took place at the ministry’s Health 

Promotion Centre. 

IHS students go for End of Semester Retreat at 

the Berakas Forest Reserve 

Twenty-three students from the third cohort of the 

Diploma in Health Sciences (Nursing) successfully 

completed a one-day retreat organized by the 

Program Pembangunan Pelajar, PAPRSB Institute of 

Health Sciences, facilitated by Awang Haji Mohd 

Zuffry Haji Abd Hamid and Dayang Hajah Salmah 

Haji Md Noor. The retreat was held at the Berakas 

Forest reserve and kicked off with a jungle trekking 

session together with sixteen Institute of Health 

Sciences staff members. The day was filled with 

activities that would enable students to reflect 

on how they have evolved professionally during 

their first year of their Diploma Programme, reduce 

lecturer-student gaps in discussion and decision 

making, and practice team work, respect and 

tolerance when negotiating. These values need 

That afternoon, some of the IHS teaching staff 

also attended an evidence-based workshop by 

the ministry. Other related events that IHS took 

part in included a thanksgiving ceremony at the 

Jubli Perak Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque 

in Jangsak, and the academic nursing forum at 

the Bridex Hall in Jerudong. Both events were held 

earlier in the same week. 

The International Nurses’ Day theme for 2012 was 

“Closing the Gap: From Evidence to Action”. Using 

the best and latest evidence in healthcare is of 

paramount importance to contemporary nursing 

practice. Nurses must constantly strive to use 

evidence based approaches in their nursing care 

and also stress how to incorporate evidence into 

everyday decision making. 

to be instilled within students in order for them 

to become sensitive and successful health care 

professionals. It is hoped that this retreat will boost 

the students’ motivation to face their second year 

and improve their team spirit. 

Meeting with Professor Crossick 

on creativity and knowledge 

On 29 May 2012, staff of UBD had an informal—and 

what turned out to be a very lively—discussion 

and debate with Professor Geoffrey Crossick, 

Vice Chancellor, University of London, on the 

importance of creativity in the field of education 

and research. There were four predominant issues 

discussed: 1) How is creativity applicable to the 

sciences and what is the value of creativity to the 

sciences 2) What does knowledge economy and 

knowledge transference mean and what are their 

roles in the creative industries 3) How is knowledge 

valued and what are the challenges it poses for 

research and education policies 4) How do we 

identify what is important for a creative education 

and affirm the efforts made by creative individuals 

that do not conform to the norm of staff key 

performance indicators 

Professor Geoffrey Crossick predominantly used 

his vast experience in the UK to validate and 

express the significance of the creative industries 

to staff capacity development and, conversely, 

the consequences of marginalising creativity 

in education. In précis, creativity as defined by 

Professor Crossick is hyperbolic and chaotic but 

necessary because “[in] addition to the direct 

economic contribution of the creative industries, 

creativity has a pervasive upgrading influence 

across the economy.” 

Public Lecture: Video Teaching in 

Mathematics by Dr. Mark Nelson 

Dr. Mark Nelson of the School of Mathematics and 

Applied Statistics at the University of Wollongong, 

Australia paid a visit to UBD from 19 to 27 May. 

During his visit, he delivered a public lecture in the 

Inspiring Hall on the “Uses of videos as resources for 

teaching mathematics”. 

The mathematics programme at the University 

of Wollongong offers service courses in basic 

mathematics to between two hundred and three 

hundred entry-level students each year. Among 

the problems facing the teachers of these courses 

is the wide disparity in the students’ backgrounds 

in mathematics, many of whom are weak in 

prerequisites such as elementary algebra. In 2005 a 

consortium of academic staff including Dr. Nelson 

used a grant from the Australian Learning and 

Teaching Centre (ALTC) to commission a series of 

short, professionally produced videos showing the 

staff working through standard algebra problems. 

The students were expected to view the videos 

in their own time and thus progress quickly to a 

uniform starting level. 

The success of this initial project was demonstrated 

by a marked improvement in the students’ 

performance on standard tests, and it soon 

became apparent that there was demand also 

for videos on more advanced topics in the firstyear 

mathematics curriculum. Consequently, from 

2006 onwards, the mathematics staff organised 

the production of educational videos of many 

Institutions of education must be prepared to take 

the risk of research that is creative but may not fit 

the normal academic process of research funding. 

As such, one suggestion is that 20% of the pool for 

research funding could be cordoned-off for high-risk 

research projects. Finally, Crossick noted that UBD’s 

change journey is very impressive and going in the 

right direction with its GenNext programme. The 

institution’s cross and inter-disciplinary programmes 

engenders creativity in the students and also fosters 

the cross-pollination of ideas and content amongst 

Faculty members. 

different types, eventually involving undergraduate 

and graduate students. This turned out to be a 

far-sighted move, as when Australian government 

budget cuts brought an end to the ALTC grant 

money, the mathematics staff at the University 

of Wollongong became more reliant on videos 

produced by the students or the staff themselves, 

many of them utilising the now popular tablet 

computer. Currently about three hundred University 

of Wollongong mathematics videos are publicly 

available at the open-access website oer.equella. 

com. 

Dr. Nelson finished his talk – which was punctuated 

with excerpts from a number of the videos he had 

described – by mentioning some of the drawbacks 

of the project. The production of videos is timeconsuming, 

and should only be attempted with 

the material and financial support of the university 

administration. Also, many academic staff are 

unfamiliar with video production, and in some cases 

even suspicious or afraid of it. For this reason, it is 

best to involve only those staff who are enthusiastic, 

and to enlist the help of students, who tend to be 

more at ease with the technology. Another problem 

is the storing of the videos, which can take up a lot 

of file space. In Wollongong’s case, it proved to be 

more practical to host 300 videos on EQUELLA rather 

than the university’s e-learning system. Nevertheless, 

the use of video resources in teaching mathematics 

can serve as a model for innovative teaching in 

other disciplines.

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15 

PAPRSB IHS receives a visit from The 

Commission of the Kingdom of Lesotho 

On 18 April 2012, the Pengiran Anak Puteri Rashidah 

Sa’adatul Bolkiah Institute of Health Sciences, 

Universiti Brunei Darussalam had the pleasure of 

receiving a visit from the High Commissioner of 

the Kingdom of Lesotho, Her Excellency Madam 

Ntsebe Kokome. 

The objective of the visit was to explore potential 

collaboration in academic research between UBD 

and the Kingdom of Lesotho particularly in the field 

of nursing and midwifery. 

KBFSC receives a delegation from 

Mahasarakam University 

On 25 April 2012, a five-member delegation from Mahasarakam University (MUS), Thailand, visited the 

Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre (KBFSC) as a part of their reconnaissance visit to Universiti Brunei 

Darussalam. This group was led by the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Research and Director of 

the Botanical Research Institute, MUS. 

While at the KBFSC, the visiting members were briefed by Associate Professor Dr. Kushan Tenakoon, 

Director of KBFSC, on the recent research developments, ongoing residential educational programs and 

the vital role that KBFSC plays in understanding Brunei’s rainforests and biodiversity. The group discussed 

the prospects of mutual research initiatives and student exchange programs. The visiting group was taken 

on a guided forest walk along the Ashton trail by Hajah Masnah and Teddy Chua. In the evening, the 

visitors toured the laboratory facilities and display of specimens found from Belalong forest displayed at 

the center. The visiting delegation expressed their fascination and admiration about the facilities available 

at the KBFSC and potential for future collaborations. 

MoA strengthens links between Universiti Brunei 

Darussalam and Universiti Utara Malaysia 

A signing ceremony for the Memorandum of 

Agreement (MoA) between Universiti Brunei 

Darussalam (UBD) and Universiti Utara Malaysia 

(UUM) was held at The Core, Universiti Brunei 

Darussalam, on 10 May 2012 concerning 

cooperation and collaboration in student 

exchange under the Student Exchange 

Programme (SEP); and research and development. 

Signing on behalf of UBD was Dato Paduka Dr. 

Haji Zulkarnain Haji Hanafi, Vice Chancellor UBD; 

and signing on behalf of UUM was Professor Dato’ 

Dr. Mohamed Mustafa Ishak, Vice Chancellor 

UUM. Present to witness the signing were Dr. Teo 

Siew Yean, Director at the International and 

Public Relations Office UBD, Dr. Hijattulah Abdul 

Jabbar, Director at Centre for International Affairs 

Cooperation UUM and Principal Officers of UBD. 

UUM Professor Dato’ Dr. Mohamed Mustafa Ishak, Vice 

Chancellor, giving his address 

The recital of Surah Al-Fatihah and doa selamat were led by Yang Mulia Ustaz Haji Firdaus bin OKK Haji 

Noordin. 

The overall objective of the MoA is to promote understanding and goodwill, to strengthen cultural ties, to 

promote research and development, and to broaden students’ experiences and horizons. 

Upon arrival to the institute, Her Excellency Madam 

Ntsebe Kokome was briefed on the institute, its 

teaching, learning and research facilities by the 

Deputy Dean of Administration, Awang Ahmad 

Faisal Haji Zainal Abidin and the program leader 

of the nursing and midwifery program, Dayang 

Irmawati Haji Ahmad. It was followed by an 

exchange of information from Her Excellency 

about the Kingdom of Lesotho, its health services 

as well as issues related to nursing and midwifery 

education of her country. 

The visit was then followed by a tour of the institute 

during which Her Excellency expressed her interest 

and enthusiasm towards the programmes and 

the facilities that are available at IHS and she also 

expressed her hope for a successful collaboration 

in exchange of students between UBD and 

Lesotho, and also the sending of students to UBD to 

undertake Nursing and Midwifery undergraduate 

programmes at PAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences. 

UBD welcomes Thailand’s Prince of Songkla 

University students 

Universiti Brunei Darussalam recently held 

a welcoming ceremony for nineteen 

undergraduates from Thailand’s Prince of Songkla 

University who are currently in Brunei to undergo a 

three-week Intensive English Course under UBD’s 

Global Discovery Programme. Held at the Inspiring 

Room of the University’s Student Affairs Centre, 

the ceremony was officiated by the Director of 

the Continuing Education Centre, Dr. Salbrina Haji 

Sharbawi. Also in attendance at the ceremony 

were the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social 

Sciences, Dr. Yabit Alas, and Dr. Bordin Waelateh, 

the Associate Dean for Special Affairs of the Prince 

of Songkla University. 

Dr. Salbrina Haji Sharbawi with Dr. Bordin Waelateh,the Associate 

Dean for Special Affairs of the Prince of Songkla University 

In her welcoming remark, Dr. Salbrina noted that this visit is the first ever by students from the Prince of 

Songkla University, and the second received under the Global Discovery Programme this year. Earlier in 

the year, fifteen students from Thailand’s Yala Islamic University completed a three-month Intensive English 

Course during which they were also taken on a weekend homestay at Kampong Sungai Matan. 

The Global Discovery Programme, conducted by the Continuing Education Centre, is a programme 

designed to offer international students an opportunity to experience student life in Brunei. Learning is 

not limited to the classroom, as weekend homestays and site visits to places of cultural and educational 

interest are among the main components of this programme. First launched in 2011, the programme has 

seen UBD receive internationals students from as far away as the USA. 

Guests at the ceremony were also entertained to a dikir hulu performance by the Prince of Songkla 

students.

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17 

UBD collaborates with East-West Center, 

Hawaii on ASEAN English Enrichment Project 

Interview with Annie Leonard 

Interview with Annie Leonard, Author and Director of The Story of Stuff, one of the 2008 Times Heroes of 

the Environment and one of the Washington Examiner’s Five Most Important Environmental Movement 

Leaders, on her trip to the Kuala Belalong Field Studies Center (KBSFC), 23 June 2012 

Interview by Khairunnisa Ashari, representative from UBD’s International and Public Relations Office 

use the other side or not , if I should take a paper 

bag from a store when I don’t really need one, if I 

can remember where it came from , it helps inspire 

me to create less waste. So that’s the professional 

side. On the personal side, I’ve come because it 

makes my heart so happy to be in the forest. Often 

for environmental experts, our main relationship 

with the environment is from textbooks or looking at 

charts and graphs and data, and all of those charts 

and graphs and data help us understand nature 

in one intellectual way. But there’s another way 

to understand nature – with your whole body and 

heart, and to do that you have to visit nature. 

Khairunnisa: I agree with that. I know you’ve only 

been here for a few minutes, but can you tell us 

how you feel about being in KBFSC so far 

UBD has inked a deal to establish a partnership 

with the East-West Center (EWC) of Hawaii, 

USA to implement the Brunei-English Language 

Enrichment Project for ASEAN. This collaboration was 

formalised with the signing of a Memorandum of 

Understanding (MoU) between the two institutions 

on 11 June 2012 at the Institute of Leadership, 

Innovation and Enterprise (ILIA) in UBD. 

On hand to sign the MoU were the Vice Chancellor 

of UBD, Dato Paduka Dr. Haji Zulkarnain Haji Hanafi, 

and the President of the EWC, Dr. Charles Morrison. 

The signing was witnessed by Dr. Salbrina Sharbawi, 

the Director of the Continuing Education Centre, 

UBD, and Dr. Terrence Bigalke, the Director of the 

EWC Education Programme. Other witnesses 

comprised officers from various Government 

ministries, the U.S. diplomatic mission in Negara 

Brunei Darussalam as well as senior UBD and EWC 

officials. 

The Brunei-US English Language Enrichment Project for ASEAN Programme is a five-year project supported 

by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MoFAT) of Negara Brunei Darussalam and the State Department 

of the Government of the United States of America. UBD has been selected to carry out the project on 

behalf of the Brunei government and this is in part due to the successful implementation of the Initiative 

for ASEAN Integration project for CMLV that was conducted in June 2011. The fact that UBD is the leading 

higher institution in the country for English education and human capacity building is also another factor for 

why this university has been chosen to spearhead the project. 

The project’s main aim is to improve the level of English in ASEAN through the building and strengthening of 

English teaching capacity in ASEAN. Other aims include: to assist participants to develop new skill-sets such 

as ICT literacy; to increase people-to-people linkages; and to nurture appreciation and raise awareness of 

the rich cultural diversity of the ASEAN countries. Through these aims, the project is expected to strengthen 

Brunei-U.S. partnership as well as deepen multilateral ties within ASEAN. 

The highlight of the project is an 11-week English Language Programme for 70 participants from 10 ASEAN 

countries, comprising teacher trainers and officers/diplomats. It is scheduled to be held from September to 

November 2012 in the programme’s first year. Participants will spend seven weeks in UBD anad four weeks in 

EWC. 

Another feature of the project is the English Foreign Language Fellows Exchange Programme which will 

involve a number of Bruneian and American fellows being placed in key institutions in ASEAN for 10 months. 

UBD and U.S. academic staff will also participate in exchange programmes between UBD and a number of 

tertiary institutions in the U.S. A biennial Forum on English for ASEAN Integration is also expected to be held in 

2013 and 2015. 

In her welcoming remarks, Dr. Salbrina, who is also the Brunei – U.S. Project Executive, noted that the project 

is already underway with the start of the Needs Assessment activities in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and 

Vietnam. 

Dato Paduka Dr. Haji Zulkarnain noted the international nature of the project, which sees UBD further 

widening its access to institutions of higher learning in the U.S. and throughout ASEAN. According to the Vice 

Chancellor, the project also supports UBD’s vision of becoming one of the top 50 universities in Asia by 2015. 

Khairunnisa: Could you tell us a bit about your 

background 

Annie Leonard: My name is Annie Leonard and 

I’ve come to Brunei from California, United States. 

It’s my first time to Brunei but I’ve travelled in the 

region a lot. I’ve spent about 20 years of my life 

studying all this stuff in our lives, our electronics, 

and cellphones and clothes and shoes and books 

and cars and furnitures ; all this stuff that we fill our 

lives with. I’ve been very curious about where it 

comes from and where it goes. It turns out that all 

of this stuff has a hidden life: it comes from some 

place (from forests, from oceans, from mines, from 

factories) and the we use it without even thinking 

about it . And then throw it out: it goes to a dump 

or even an incinerator. So I’ve traveled all over 

the region and all over the world, actually, looking 

at the factories where our stuff is made and the 

dumps where our stuff is dumped. And what I 

realise is most people are not aware the hidden 

environmental and social and health costs of the 

way that we’re making this stuff. So I’m on a mission 

to make people more aware of it, and to figure 

out how we can make and use stuff in a way that’s 

more healthy, more sustainable and more fair. 

Khairunnisa: You mentioned that your research 

mostly encompasses garbage and waste 

management. So, why are you interested to 

get into the rainforest Is this related to your 

background or your personal interest 

Annie Leonard: I’m interested in coming to the 

forest both professionally and personally. On the 

professional level, I’m interested in our stuff and the 

stuff we’re using and wasting. And a lot of that stuff 

comes from the forest. It’s really important to make 

those connections. So when I’m using a piece of 

paper, and if I’ve [thought about whether] I should 

Annie Leonard: Haven’t you seen my face light up 

I just feel so alive and so, so happy to be here and 

very grateful. Thank you for allowing me to be a 

guest here. 

Khairunnisa: Thank you for coming here. How do 

you feel about the destruction of tropical rainforests 

and loss of biodiversity 

Annie Leonard: It’s so painful. It is so important that 

we protect nature , not just to provide people the 

opportunities like we’re having today to appreciate 

it. But also because the forests are the lungs of the 

planet. With this crazy depressing climate change 

that’s happening, we need the forests more than 

ever. Deforestation is one of the biggest drivers 

of climate change. Keeping the forest intact is 

not just good for biodiversity, not just good for the 

local people, the local economy and the local 

environment, but it’s also good for the health of 

the entire planet. We [absolutely must] keep these 

forests intact. 

Khairunnisa: Finally, can you share your thoughts 

on how to get the public to understand the 

concept of sustainability and the global warming 

phenomenon 

Annie Leonard: Well, I came to Brunei to participate 

in the National Environment Conference and it was 

very inspiring and it made me feel an enormous 

amount of hope for the future of Brunei because 

there were hundreds of young people there. I 

thought I would have to convince them to care 

about the environment, but not so. They knew 

about the environment. They care about the 

environment. They were enthusiastic about finding 

solutions. I think we have the public very much 

on board. Now what we need is business and 

government leadership.

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19 

UBD team wins Brunei ABU Robocon Competition 

A team of students from the Faculty of Science 

(FOS), UBD won the national level of the Asia- 

Pacific Robot Content (ABU Robocon) competition 

on 23 June 2012 and will be representing the 

country in the regional ABU Robocon 2012 in Hong 

Kong this August. The competition was held at 

Radio Television Brunei (RTB) in Sungai Akar, and 

was organised jointly by RTB and the Science, 

Technology and Environment Partnership (STEP) 

Centre, Ministry of Education. 

The five-member UBD team, headed by Haji Isyrah 

Fahmi Haji Osman and supervised by FOS Deputy 

Dean Chong Kim Onn, defeated their competitor 

from Jefri Bolkiah Engineering College (MKJB) to 

win a B$1,000 cash prize and trophies. The other 

members of the team are Lim Ren Foo, Hazirah Haji 

Jalil, Hung Chi Ho and Siti Amirah Haji Abd Hamid. 

The team built three robots, one manual and two 

automatic. The manual robot must be operated by 

one of the team member while the two automatic 

robots were pre-programmed to complete the 

tasks required in the competition. The team had 

been preparing and building their robots since last 

December, applying their knowledge of know-how 

in programming, mechanical and engineering that 

they have learnt in class. 

ABU Robocon is an Asian Oceanian College robot 

competition that was founded in 2002 by the Asia- 

Pacific Broadcasting Union. The contest is aimed 

to create friendship among young engineers and 

computer scientists that will lead their countries into 

the 21st century to help advances in engineering 

and technologies in the region. This is an annual 

event and every year the host country will set the 

competition with different theme so that robots 

can be competed to complete a task within a set 

period of time. This year the theme is “Peng On 

Dai Gat”, which means in pursuit of peace and 

prosperity. 

UBD hosts first Asean + 3 Junior Science 

Odyssey competition 

UBD had the privilege of hosting the inaugural Asean + 3 Junior Science Odyssey (APTJSO), an 

international science and technology education programme for gifted students, from 10 to 17 June 2012. 

The programme was jointly organised with the ASEAN+3 Centre for the Gifted in Science (ACGS), the 

Republic of Korea and the Special Education Unit, Ministry of Education of Brunei Darussalam, with support 

from the Ministry of Development, Brunei Darussalam, the ASEAN Committee on Science and Technology 

(ASEAN COST), and the ASEAN Secretariat. 

A total of 63 participants aged between 13 and 15 years old participated in the APTJSO, 12 of them 

from Brunei. Others came from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, China, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, 

Vietnam, and Sweden as an observer country. 

The event, themed “Science and the Dynamics of Tropical Rainforest” took place at the IBM Center where 

participants attended special lectures, the Faculty of Science for the laboratory skills assessment and The 

Core Lecture Hall for team presentations. The students were also taken on field visits to Andulau and Bukit 

Sawat. Meanwhile, accompanying teachers attended a concurrent workshop where they discussed and 

presented on best practices within science education and education for gifted students. 

Left to right (back): Dr. John V. Howard (Medical Director of the MRCGP [INT] Programme), Dr. Iona Health (President of RCGP UK), 

Dato Paduka Dr. Haji Zulkarnain bin Haji Hanafi (Vice Chancellor UBD), Dr Hajah Rafidah Haji Gharif (Senior Medical Officer, Ministry of 

Health) 

Left to right (front): Dr. Hajah Maslina Haji Mohsin (Dean of the PAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences, UBD), Dr. Colin M Hunter (Honorary 

Treasurer, RCGP UK) 

UBD’s tenure as host body for MRCGP 

International examination extended 

UBD has signed an agreement with the Royal 

College of General Practitioners (RCGP), United 

Kingdom to extend its role as host examining body 

of the MRCGP [INT] Accreditation for another 

three years beginning December 2011. 

This extension in accreditation will enable current 

eligible local and regional doctors to participate 

in the examination and obtain membership in 

Brunei Darussalam. MRCGP [INT] is now an integral 

part of career progression for general practitioners 

and family physicians. Holding the examination in 

Brunei Darussalam helps existing senior members 

of the medical faculty, both in Universiti Brunei 

Darussalam and in the Ministry of Health, to obtain 

recognised and standardised training, enabling 

them to eventually be examiners for membership. 

This entails structured improvement under the 

tutelage of Dr. Mary Selby, the International 

Development Advisor, appointed specifically to 

look into the quality of this examination. 

The signing ceremony took place on Wednesday, 

16 May 2012 in St. Pancras, London, United 

Kingdom. Its signatories were the Dean of the 

Pengiran Anak Puteri Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah 

Institute of Health Sciences, UBD, Dr. Hajah Maslina 

Haji Mohsin, and Dr. Colin M Hunter (Honorary 

Treasurer) from RCGP UK. 

The MRCGP stands for Membership of Royal 

College of General Practitioners, and has served 

as a benchmark for training and assessment of 

General Practitioners and Family Physicians. The 

MRCGP [INTERNATIONAL] was later developed by 

the Royal College of General Practitioners, United 

Kingdom, for international doctors who can be 

trained and assessed based on the challenges 

and requirements of their local healthcare system. 

The UBD-RCGP collaboration first began in 2005, 

making Brunei Darussalam the first country in 

the South-East Asian region to develop this 

international qualification, with several other 

countries now following in its footsteps. 

Present to witness the occasion was UBD Vice 

Chancellor Dato Paduka Dr. Haji Zulkarnain Haji 

Hanafi, as well as Dr. Iona Health, President of 

RCGP UK and Dr. John V. Howard, the Medical 

Director of the MRCGP [INT] Programme.

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21 

Universiti Brunei Darussalam and 

Sungkyunkwan University sign MoU 

Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) and 

Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) of South Korea 

have agreed to further bilateral cooperation in 

fundamental research and higher education with 

the signing of a Memorandum of Understandings 

(MoU) on Thursday 29 March 2012. 

Under the MoU, the two universities will conduct 

scholarly visits of students and academics, 

joint research projects and publications as well 

as exchanges of publications, materials and 

information. 

“Brunei is an emerging economy in the near 

future, and has the potential to be a hub for the 

region, including the field of energy research 

and education, and SKKU is delighted to forge 

this close collaboration with UBD,” said SKKU’s 

President, Professor Kim Jun-Young. 

The MoU was signed by UBD Vice-Chancellor 

Dato Paduka Dr. Haji Zulkarnain Haji Hanafi and 

SKKU President, Professor Kim Jun-Young in Seoul, 

South Korea. 

Also present at the event were UBD’s Assistant 

Vice-Chancellor for Education, Associate Professor 

Dr. Azman Ahmad and senior management 

of SKKU, including Professor Song In-Man, Vice 

President, Professor Chah Dong-Ok, Vice President 

of International Affairs, Professor Kim Yun-Bae, 

and Professor Terence Henderson, Director of 

International Affairs. 

SKKU has been making significant progress in the 

QS Asian University Rankings. Between 2010 and 

2011, SKKU rose from 43rd to 27th in the rankings, 

which puts it ahead of institutions such as 

Shanghai Jiao Tong in China and only one spot 

behind Korea University. 

Founded in 1398 by royal decree as a Confucian 

institution, SKKU is considered to be the first 

and oldest national education institution in 

Korea. SKKU is now broader in scope, has two 

main campuses: one for humanities and social 

sciences, and the other for the natural science, 

which includes a large nanotechnology centre 

funded by Samsung.The UBD delegation also met 

Professor Song Jae-Hoon, President of Samsung 

Medical Centre and Dean of SKKU School of 

Medicine, and toured the facility. 

Samsung Medical Centre has opened the largest 

cancer centre in Asia, with 655 beds in total, and 

achieved one of the world’s highest cancer and 

organ transplant operation survival rates. As a 

teaching hospital for SSKU School of Medicine, 

Samsung Medical Centre trains and nurtures 

clinical specialists and medical specialists using 

problem-based learning (PBL), which is a method 

shared by UBD’s Pengiran Anak Puteri Rashidah 

Sa’adatul Bolkiah Institute of Health Sciences. 

University Brunei Darussalam and Chonnam 

National University sign MoU 

Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) and Chonnam 

National University (CNU) of South Korea have 

agreed to further bilateral cooperation in 

research, education and capacity building with 

the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding 

(MoU) on 30 March 2012. 

Under the MoU, the two universities will conduct 

scholarly visits of students and academics, 

joint research projects and publications as well 

as exchanges of publications, materials and 

information. 

The MoU was signed by UBD Vice-Chancellor 

Dato Paduka Dr. Haji Zulkarnain Haji Hanafi 

and CNU President, Professor Kim Yoon-Soo in 

Gwangju, South Korea. 

According to Dato Paduka Dr. Haji Zulkarnain, 

UBD is interested to explore the virtual or global 

classroom initiative with several top universities 

including CNU. He also expressed his desire to 

send medical students from UBD to undergo their 

Discovery Year at CNU Hospital, and reciprocally 

hosts CNU students to spend one semester in UBD, 

or for a short period of time under UBD’s Global 

Discovery Programme undergo an innovative 

course incorporating experiential learning, and 

explorations of the communities and habitats in 

and around Brunei Darussalam. 

Also present at the event were UBD’s Assistant 

Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Associate Professor 

Dr. Azman Ahmad and senior management of 

CNU. 

Established in 1952, CNU has remained steadfast 

in fostering the development and integrity of 

future leaders and professionals as one of the 

world’s leading institutions in research and 

scholarship. Currently, CNU has approximately 

32,000 undergraduate and 6,000 graduate 

students over its two campuses located in 

Gwangju and Yeosu, in addition to 1,500 faculty 

and staff members. 

CNU is positioned 97th in the 2011 QS Asian 

University Rankings. CNU is well-known for and 

strong in the areas of life sciences and medicine, 

as well as arts and humanities, which were 

ranked 86th and 90th, respectively, among other 

universities in Asia. CNU also conducts extensive 

research on micro-robotics and agriculture.

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23 

A Life in Biology: 

Reflections on a visit to the KBFSC 

By Dr Jon Barnes 

I have been fascinated by animals since an early 

age. Initially it was butterflies and moths, then 

pond life. However, going to the University of 

St Andrews in Scotland opened my eyes to the 

scientific, investigative approach to biology. I 

was very lucky. Although St Andrews was then 

a rather small university, it had within its Zoology 

Department two men of true international 

standing – Professor Michael Callen, and Professor 

Adrian Horridge. 

It was the latter who took me under his wing, and 

his particular interest was the nervous systems 

of lower animals. This might to be a rather odd 

interest, but his philosophy was that all animals 

(and of course humans too) have brains made 

up of nerve cells that function in identical ways. The nervous systems of higher animals (and especially 

humans) is so unbelievably complicated, that progress in understanding how behaviour is controlled 

by the nervous system seemed impossibly difficult. However, invertebrates have much simpler nervous 

systems, so there was a real chance of being able to unravel the neuronal circuitry that underlies simple 

behaviours in lower animals, whether locomotion, escape responses, or learning. Essentially we wanted 

to be able to draw a neuronal circuit, like an electronic circuit in an amplifier that would demonstrate 

principles that could be applied to higher animals. With him, I worked on jellyfish (Honours project) and 

crabs (PhD). Subsequently, until the mid-1990s, I continued to study locomotion in arthropods (mostly 

crabs and crayfish), trying to unravel how locomotion in these animals was generated by the interaction 

of a pattern generator within the central nervous system and the input from various sense organs that 

could adapt the pattern of nervous impulses going to the leg muscles to the terrain over which the 

animal was walking. 

So I was very much a laboratory scientist. However, I gradually began to realise that studying animals 

in their environment was critical to a proper understanding of any behaviour. So, thanks to a colleague 

and friend, Professor Roger Downie, I joined a number of student expeditions to Trinidad, where there 

are both rainforests and mudflats. It was on these mudflats that the fiddler crabs I wanted to study were 

ready to exhibit their rich behavioural repertoire to anyone with the patience to study them. This I did 

with a very able postdoctoral researcher, Dr John Layne, who continues our work to this day. 

At around this time, thanks to a student, Gavin Hanna, I started being interested in a completely 

different topic, adhesion in tree frogs. With the increasing interest in biomimetics, gaining inspiration 

from nature, and studies on geckos that showed that they had amazing adhesive powers that might 

lead to the development of new smart adhesives, this has become a ‘hot topic’ in science, involving 

both biologists like myself and materials scientists, able to transfer the biologists’ results into man-made 

surfaces with similar properties. With collaborators at the Max-Planck Institute in Germany, this has given 

new life to my scientific career, allowing me to continue an active research career into my ‘retirement’. 

Studying adhesion in tree frogs has been a productive area for me, and has many biomimetic 

implications, such as new adhesives that stick under wet conditions. However, the behaviour of torrent 

frogs, found largely in SE Asia, are especially interesting as they can adhere to rocks with water pouring 

down all over them. So when, a few years ago, I met Professor Ulmar Grafe in Würzburg, Germany, 

and he suggested that I might wish to come to Brunei Darussalam to study frogs at the University’s Field 

Station at Kuala Belalong, I kept in the back of my mind that a trip to Brunei was likely to be productive, 

and that working with Ulmar would be a real pleasure. 

Patent filed for a medical data monitoring system 

A patent for a medical data monitoring system has been filed by Dr. Md. Mahmud Hasan from the 

Faculty of Science, UBD. Among the possible advantages of this system are that it will allow patients 

undergoing cardiac rehabilitation to use an electrocardiogram (ECG) recorder at home to upload their 

ECG information via the internet to hospital databases for diagnostic purposes, thereby reducing the 

need to take regular trips to the hospital. 

A noteworthy facet of this patent is that it leverages the growing impact of the internet on healthcare, 

enabling patients to upload their medical data using a portable battery-powered device as long 

as they have access to a PC with an internet connection. This device may also be used for cardiac 

research, follow-up of cardiac activities, sports and emergency units, as well as regular cardiac care for 

improving health. 

This patent is one of nine recently filed by UBD, amongst them a kit and method for detecting 

cerebrovascular disorders, an energy monitoring and control device dubbed the UBD i Home, a smart 

plug for load-shifting time deferrable devices, and a modified soxhlet apparatus for bran oil fuel. 

The opportunity to come arose two years ago, and I spent a productive and exciting six weeks at Kuala 

Belalong, with two members of my research team, one of whom, Dr Thomas Endlein, is with me again 

this year, together with a research student, Niall Crawford. We have found the environment of the Ulu 

Temburong National Park to be a real hotspot for amphibians, a true ‘frog heaven’, and the facilities 

of the Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre excellent. We have been able to bring complex apparatus 

from our laboratory at Glasgow University in Scotland, here to Borneo and do sophisticated analyses 

that compare the adhesive abilities of two of Brunei’s common frogs. These are the Harlequin Tree 

Frog and the Black-spotted Rock Frog, which have highlighted the extraordinary adhesive abilities of 

the rock frog. However, we haven’t all the answers and we all very much hope to be able to make a 

further visit to continue our research in this unique rainforest environment. Interactions with students of 

the University here have been particularly valuable, especially Kristy Loh and Hanyrol Ahmadsah. All of 

us would like to thank the staff of the Field Centre for their generous hospitality. 

Group research project on Perceptual 

Computing in progress 

A group research project on Perceptual Computing is currently underway with Dr. Md. Mahmud Hasan 

from the Computer Science Program of the Faculty of Science at the helm. Dr. Hasan submitted the 

research proposal for the project in 2011, and the research group plans to examine several technologies 

including speech and sound recognition, computer vision, natural language understanding, dialog 

management/ planning, learning, user modelling, haptics, vision based interaction, head tracking, 

appearance-based gesture recognition, and full body tracking. 

The research agenda is to develop individual components such as speech recognition and synthesis, 

visual recognition and tracking, and user modelling. Dr. Hasan has anticipated that this research project 

will provide a “deeper semantic understanding and representation of human-computer interaction” 

and that “the expected benefits are immense.”

24 


DiscoverCONFERENCES 

25 

Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre 

(KBFSC) Postdoctoral Research Fellowship: 

Bryophytes as Indicators of Ecological & 

Climatic Variations 

The UBD/KBFSC Research Fellowship for 2012 has 

been awarded to Dr. Aline Horwath (Department 

of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, UK). 

During the year-long fellowship, Dr. Horwath will be 

investigating the use of “Bryophytes as indicators 

of ecological and climatic variation in different 

forest types of Brunei Darussalam.” 

In view of the alarming predictions of accelerating 

global environmental change, it is important 

to understand the potential impact of climatic 

variation on vulnerable ecosystems such as the 

tropical forest canopy. Located in the ‘green 

heart of Borneo’s biodiversity hotspot’, the forests 

of Brunei harbour a hidden botanical treasure. 

The primary objective of Dr. Horwath’s study is to 

survey the currently unexplored forest canopy 

flora and demonstrate that species distribution 

patterns and ecophysiological properties of the 

largely overlooked epiphytic bryophytes (mosses 

and liverworts) can provide valuable clues about 

the microclimatic conditions found in the different 

forest types in Brunei. 

Canopy access will facilitate the recording of 

microclimatic data, as well as the collecting of 

plant specimens along microhabitat gradients 

and across a complex forest ecosystem matrix. 

Stable isotope markers (13C, 18O and D) will serve 

as sensitive tracers of environmental conditions, 

allowing the identification of the primary drivers, 

which are responsible for the observed bryophyte 

diversity patterns. Overall, these findings will 

not only provide important indications about 

the potential effects of climate change on 

the distribution and composition of bryophyte 

communities but also on the overall species 

richness of the forest ecosystem as a whole. 

Dr. Horwath aims to raise scientific and public 

awareness about the uniqueness of the canopy 

biome and to highlight the extreme vulnerability of 

canopy dwellers to future environmental change. 

The publication of the first checklist of epiphytic 

bryophytes will serve as an important benchmark 

for future conservation efforts of the exceptional 

biodiversity wealth of Brunei. In addition, the 

new collaborative link between the University 

of Cambridge and UBD will enrich the expertise 

of both institutions and initiate fruitful future 

investigations of tropical forest ecosystems. 

Dr. Horwath’s local collaborators are Dr. Faizah Haji 

Metali, Professor Dato Haji Mohamed Abdul Majid, 

and Associate Professor Dr. Kushan Tennakoon of 

the Biology Programme, Faculty of Science, UBD. 

Work on this project commenced in April 2012. 

Please contact the Director of the KBFSC AP Dr. 

Kushan Tennakoon for further details on this annual 

fellowship (kushan.tennakoon@ubd.edu.bn). 

FBEPS-AGBEP Ph.D. Colloquium ends on a 

high note 

The FBEPS-AGBEP Ph.D. Colloquium ended on 6 June 2012 with a soft closing ceremony held at 

the Core, Universiti Brunei Darussalam. The two-day colloquium which took place on 5-6 June 2012 

was a joint collaboration between the ASEAN Graduate Business and Economics Programme 

Network (AGBEP) and the Faculty of Business, Economics and Policy Studies (FBEPS) of Universiti 

Brunei Darussalam (UBD), which was first initiated by FBEPS at the 12th AGBEP Network Meeting held 

in Bangkok, Thailand in January 2012. The theme of the colloquium was “Bridging the Research 

Community Towards Excellence”, and the range of topics included but were not limited to (1) Islamic 

Finance and Halal Branding; (2) Business and Entrepreneurship; (3) Knowledge Management; (4) 

Accounting and Finance; and (5) Economics. This colloquium is one of the many initiatives undertaken 

by FBEPS, with the sole aspiration to foster a fertile research culture which could facilitate graduate 

students to thrive and blossom into high achieving intellectuals and to cultivate strong research skills in 

all the students regardless of what career they choose to pursue. 

The colloquium concluded with best paper awards in two different categories. The best paper award 

for AGBEP member university was received by Mahrinasari M.S from Universitas Gadjah Mada whereas 

Haji Masairol Haji Masri from the University of Manchester received the best paper award for non AGBEP 

member university. The awards were presented by the Dr. Hazri Haji Kifle, Dean of the Faculty of Business, 

Economics and Policy Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam. 

This was the first Ph.D. Colloquium initiated by AGBEP and member universities will take turns in hosting 

the colloquium. Dr. Amin Wibowo, the Deputy Director of General Administration and Director of Ph.D. in 

Management from Universitas Gajah Mada announced yesterday that the second PhD Colloquium will 

be held in June 2013 at Yogyakarta, Indonesia. 

AGBEP is an organisation comprised of member universities with Master programmes in Business and 

Economics, which serves to enhance cooperation between academic and researchers of member 

universities. It was formed as one of the initiative of ASEAN University Network (AUN), driven by the need 

to develop, standardise and internationalise graduate business and economic programmes across the 

region. 

UBD Mathematics seminar series 

The Mathematics Group of the Faculty of 

Science, UBD, has organised a number of talks 

for its seminar series. The series featured three 

visiting academics as well as postdoctoral fellow 

Dr. Natalia Rozhenko, who had arrived from the 

Ukraine.The first talk was presented by Professor 

Bernd Silbermann of Chemnitz University of 

Technology, Germany, on his ground-breaking 

work on “Variable-coefficient Toeplitz matrices” 

on 14 March 2012. Two weeks later, on 28 March, 

Dr. Rozhenko spoke about her Ph.D. research 

on “Passive realizations of stationary stochastic 

processes”, which has important applications to 

many areas of signal processing, particularly noise 

reduction. Another presentation was delivered on 

2 May 2012 by Mr. Honza Zapletal of VSB Technical 

University of Ostrava in the Czech Republic, who 

spoke about his Masters thesis, “The boundary 

element method for the Helmholtz equation in 3D”. 

Meanwhile, on 23 May 2012, a presentation on 

using videos as Mathematics teaching resources 

was delivered by Dr. Mark Nelson of the University 

of Wollongong, Australia, who highlighted his talk 

with case studies from his institution.

26 



27 

Seminar on Islamic Finance 

A seminar on Islamic Finance was held at 

Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) from 9 to 10 

April 2012 with a theme of ‘20 Years of Islamic 

Finance in Brunei: Challenges and Opportunities’. 

This seminar was jointly organized by the Sultan 

Omar Ali Saifuddin Centre of Islamic Studies 

(SOASCIS), UBD’s Faculty of Business, Economics 

and Policy Studies (FBEPS), and the Markfield 

Institute of Higher Education (MIHE), United 

Kingdom. 

The seminar was officiated by Yang Mulia Awang 

Javed Ahmad, Council Member of Universiti Brunei 

Darussalam (UBD) and the Managing Director of 

Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam Berhad (BIBD). The 

welcoming remarks were delivered by Dr. Hazri 

Kifle, Dean of UBD’s FBEPS. A keynote address was 

delivered by Professor Toseed Azid from the MIHE. 

The opening session was also attended by Dr. 

Haji Adanan Haji Awang Basar, Acting Director of 

SOASCIS, foreign ambassadors, senior government 

officials, participants from academic institutions 

and practitioners from both the public and private 

sectors. 

The first day saw papers being presentated by 

experts from UBD, MIHE and an established local 

legal consultant. On the second day, panel 

discussion sessions by industry players on Islamic 

Finance tackled issues of the opportunities and 

challenges faced by the industry. 

UBD hosts 11th Borneo Research Council 

Conference 

The 11th Borneo Research Council Conference 

(BRC) took place at the Chancellor Hall, UBD from 

25 to 27 June 2012, bringing together more than 

180 scholars from various disciplines, institutions and 

nations. The conference had the theme “Identities, 

Cultures and Environments”, which address issues 

and challenges facing the island and its people. 

The opening of the conference was officiated by 

the Deputy Minister of Education, Dato Seri Setia 

Haji Yussoff Haji Ismail. The ceremony commenced 

with a main keynote address by Professor 

Nancy Peluso from the University of California 

Berkeley, who spoke about natural and cultural 

transformations on Borneo brought about by 

various forces and processes. 

The seminar aimed to look at the Islamic Finance 

industry objectively, evaluating its development 

over the past twenty years and identifying the 

opportunities and challenges it is currently facing 

in order to provide a platform for improvement 

of the industry and thereby ensuring its future 

sustainability. Collaboration with the MIHE enabled 

an international analysis of the industry to be 

presented, and provided benchmark and sharing 

sessions of the industry’s experience internationally. 

Local expertise from UBD and the Islamic Finance 

industry players also provided input from a current 

national standpoint. Areas of discussion included 

the performance and operational efficiency of 

Islamic banks, the marketing of Islamic financial 

services and microfinance, the legal infrastructure, 

education and qualifications, and opportunities 

and challenges in Brunei. 

The seminar aimed to provide a platform for 

the exchange of views between academics 

and practitioners on the future direction and 

development of the Islamic financial services 

industry. In addition, the sharing of knowledge and 

experience amongst the participants gathered 

during the seminar will contribute towards 

the advancement of Islamic finance in Brunei 

Darussalam. 

The BRC also featured two other keynote speakers, 

Professor Wan Zawawi Ibrahim and Associate 

Professor Ulmar Grafe, both from UBD, who 

presented on bumiputera identity in Sabah and 

Sarawak, and biodiversity conservation in the Heart 

of Borneo, respectively. 

Held biennially since it first began in 1990, the BRC 

attracts scholars from all over the world, but is 

only ever hosted by Bornean universities. The 2012 

BRC, organised by the Faculty of Arts and Social 

Sciences, was the second to be hosted by UBD. It 

featured seven panel sessions on various themes, as 

well as several concurrent presentation sessions on 

topics that range from history, language and music 

to politics, urbanism and the natural environment. 

UBD hosts forum on child protection 

By Pg Dr Norhazlin bte Pg Haji Muhammad 

A five-day forum on child protection was held on 

campus from 2 to 7 June 2012, bringing together 

11 relevant local agencies from both the 

government and non-government sectors to share 

their experiences and knowledge and discuss issues 

and concerns. Organised by UBD’s Islamic Studies 

Research Cluster and the Sultan Omar ‘Ali 

Saifuddien Centre for Islamic Studies, the forum was 

officiated by Assistant Vice Chancellor (Academic 

Affairs) Associate Professor Dr. Azman Ahmad. 

The event featured 11 forum sessions, tabled by 

representatives from the Community Development 

Department (JAPEM) of the Ministry of Culture, 

Youth and Sports, the Special Education Unit under 

the Ministry of Education, Women and Children 

Abuse Investigation Unit of Criminal Investigation 

and Intelligence Division at the Royal Brunei Police 

Force, Attorney General’s Chambers and Court, 

Society for the Management of Autism Related 

Issues in Training, Education and Resources 

(SMARTER) Brunei, Pusat Ehsan Al-Ameerah 

Al-Hajjah Maryam, Learning Ladders Brunei 

Darussalam, Centre for Children with Special Needs 

(KACA), Syariah Court of Appeal, and the ASEAN 

Commission on the Promotion and Protection of 

the Rights of Women and Children. 

The information shared and discussions generated from the forum would contribute to an international 

study on child protection in the Islamic context, which is a joint collaboration between the Islamic Studies 

Research Cluster of Griffith University in Australia, the University of Southampton in the UK, and Islamic Relief 

and Terre de Hommes which are international NGOs that specialise in child health care and protection. 

The university received positive feedback on this forum from stakeholders, researchers, participants, 

teachers, public and the media. The discussions in this forum are paramount to the needs of data 

information for research and for suggestions towards refinement of policies, procedures and practices on 

child protection in Brunei Darussalam. 

On the closing day of the forum discussions, 20 suggestions for resolutions on the improvement of child 

protection in Brunei were brought forward for consideration. The university anticipates that this forum will 

spur the enhancement of policies, procedures and practices on child protection in Brunei Darussalam. 

Left to right: Professor Robert Reece, Member of the Board of Directors, BRC; Yang Mulia Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Yussof bin Hai Islmail, 

Deputy Minister of Education and Mr Jayl langub, recipient of the BRC Medal of Excellence.

Sixth issue . April - June 2012 - Universiti Brunei Darussalam

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