Announcement

PENANG, 19 Nov. – Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) welcomes and supports the government’s initiative to enhance the country’s innovation through the setting up of the National Innovation Centre (MyNIC) which was announced by the Prime Minister, Dato’ Sri Mohd. Najib Tun Abdul Razak at the BioMalaysia 2009 Exhibition last Tuesday.

The MoU signing ceremony was held in conjunction with the launching of BioMalaysia 2009 from 17-19 November 2009 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

On October 9, 2009, the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and the RIKEN Center of Research Network for Infectious Diseases (CRNID) held a one-day symposium entitled “Building an Africa-Asia Knowledge Network on Infectious Diseases” at the Marunouchi Building in Tokyo.

Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) emerged first and second runner up in the National Writing Case Competition that carries the theme, Case Writing in Action : Dynamics Of Case Method.

In Nature China this week - A multifunctional protein critically involved in signal transduction also plays an important role in the regulation of blood cell production during early development

PENANG, 12 Nov – The Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) research delegation returned home victoriously with seven Gold medals and one Special Award from the International Exhibition Of Ideas, Inventions and Innovation Trade Fair (IENA 2009) at Nuremberg, Germany recently.

Challenger Series tournament (international men’s tournament) organized by students to be held

In Nature China this week - Researchers in Beijing have identified a negative regulator of mitochondrial antiviral signalling, an adaptor protein in the RIG-I antiviral pathway

This Initiative will support the formation of multinational teams from Canada and from low and middle income countries, who will develop networks and programs of research.

FRIM researcher, Dr Kevin Ng Kit Siong, received the Japan International Award 2009 for Young Agricultural Researchers at University of Tokyo, Japan on 4 November 2009.

In Nature China this week - Chinese-speaking dyslexics lack the phonological skills needed to pronounce Chinese characters and the visuospatial skills needed to judge character size

A new supercomputer developed at RIKEN has set a new record for computing performance by effectively harnessing the parallel processing power of computer clusters.

Six forest products testing laboratories at FRIM are pursuing MS ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation through the Department of Standards (Standards Malaysia).

FRIM and Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 27 October 2009 for collaboration in R&D of bioenergy, biocomposites and special chemicals from biomass.

In Nature China this week - New dinosaur fossils provide fresh insights into the nature of evolutionary transitions

The medals won were a Diamond, the Best Invention by Salon Archimedes (Russia), two gold and 6 silver. The British Invention Show, which was held 14 - 17 Oct 2009, is the largest innovation and technology expo in Britain. UiTM submitted 8 entries of which all had won medals.

The Forest Research Institute Malaysia has successfully conducted a “Dialogue with the Herbal Industry” on 15 October 2009.

The Frost the Trail KL Corporate Challenge Race, was held at the Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Kepong Botanical Garden on 11 October 2009, with participation from 14 companies, 25 teams and 100 runners.

Forest Research Institute Malaysia Director General Dato’ Dr Abd Latif Mohmod has been elected as the new Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Association of Forest Research Institutions (APAFRI) at the Association’s Fifth General Assembly held on 4 October 2009 in Kuala Lumpur.

Durban, South Africa. Two eminent scientists, Pramod Kumar Aggarwal from India and Carlos Clemente Cerri from Brazil, have been named the winners of the 2009 Ernesto Illy Trieste Science Prize at the opening ceremony of the TWAS 11th General Conference, in Durban, on 20 October.

As a constantly-growing and highly technology-focused university, UNIMAS recognised a need to establish an integrated IT infrastructure throughout the campus in preparation for implementing high speed cable and wireless e-learning services.

In Nature China this week - The 2008 Sichuan earthquake highlights how low-activity seismic zones can turn deadly over time

The Vice Chacellor of Universiti Sains Malaysia today officiated the start of the South-East Asian Association for Institutional Research Conference (SEAAIR) in Penang, Malaysia. The 2009 theme is The Future of Higher Education.

Media Advisory - The Deputy Minister for Science Technology and Innovation, Y.B. Tuan Haji Fadillah bin Haji Yusof will be officiating the 3rd International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) Regional Consultation in Asia & the Pacific on Tuesday, 13 October 2009 at 9.15 am at Hotel G, Gurney Drive, Penang, Malaysia.

In Nature China this week - Many middle-aged women in Chongqing are short and overweight because of severe malnutrition in their early years of life

The Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) received the Mahathir Science Award 2009 at an official ceremony held by the Academy of Sciences Malaysia on 28 September 2009 at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), Kuala Lumpur.

In Nature China this week - Researchers in China have generated healthy liver cells from human skin cells, making stem cell treatment an ethically acceptable alternative to liver transplantation

Communication and Human Development: The Freedom Connection? A public discussion with Amartya Sen, Michael Spence, Yochai Benkler, and Clotilde Fonseca

Collaboration between RIKEN and J-TEC on research into age-related macular degeneration may lead to new treatment

Universiti Sains Malaysia is pleased to announce that one of its academics, Professor Dr. Chandra Muzaffar, has been invited by Harvard University to deliver the first lecture in this year’s “Ecologies of Human Flourishing” series.