THE STAR, TUESDAY 17 OCTOBER 2017

More than meets the eye

EVEN though it is a fundamental
human activity, communication is
an underrated word. It is so closely
associated with our personal life
that we pay little attention to the
professional aspects of it.
The same applies to the media.
Our lives are so intertwined with
the use of media that many do not
see the need to study it.
Often, those who are interested
in studying the arts, media, social
sciences or communications have
a hard time convincing others
that what they are pursuing is
worthwhile.
Dr Tan Meng Yoe, coordinator
for the Master in Communication
and Media Studies programme at
the School of Arts and Social
Sciences, Monash Malaysia,
addresses three myths about the
field of communications to help us
see the value of people with these
skills.
l Myth 1: There are no jobs
Unlike medical students who
become doctors and engineering
students who become engineers,
there is no one job to associate
with students of the arts.
The truth is, graduates of the arts
are adaptable enough to find jobs
everywhere. Every industry in the
world, no matter the product or
service, needs to connect with the
public.
You can choose to work in the
media industry that provides
services to a wide variety of clients
or in a non-media company
managing public relations, internal
communications, corporate
communications, crisis
management or social media.
Graduates from these fields are
some of the most creative and
versatile individuals in the job
market.
l Myth 2: Anyone can
communicate well
Communicating well does not
come naturally to everyone. Think
of the number of times people get
into arguments because of a
miscommunication.
Within an organisation,
instructions from work supervisors
can be completely misconstrued,
leading to poor morale, a toxic
collegial environment and lower
productivity.
When you think about how a
one-time gaffe in front of a
microphone can bury a politicians
career or how a poor response to a
social media comment can hurt a
companys reputation, you will
notice that poor communication is
prevalent in society.
Part of the problem lies in the
incomplete understanding of what
communication is. Communication
is a two-way process. It is not just
about talking to people, making
movies, writing e-mails or giving
instructions.
Communication is also about
understanding others and the
wider world around us, whether
personally or through the media.
This, of course, requires a great
deal of critical thinking
something that many shun because
it takes too much intellectual effort.
The better we understand the
complexities of human culture,
both on the personal and
institutional level, the better we
can learn to express ourselves
effectively.
l Myth 3: No training is
needed for good communication
Since communication skills do
not come naturally, training is
necessary to master them. It is time
corporations pay more attention to
all communication processes
within their organisation.
Whether it is the flow of
information between departments
or engaging with the media to
improve public perception, experts
in these areas are crucial.
It is often reported that lack of
communication skills is a common
reason people do not get hired or
fail to progress in their careers.
Therefore, it is crucial to invest in
specialised training to develop
experts who can fill these gaps. Dr Tan.
The Master of Communications
and Media Studies offered at
Monash University Malaysia
provides just that.
Over the course of one and a half
years, students collaborate with
like-minded people from various
industries, engage with research-
active scholars in this field of study,
learn different theoretical
approatches to communication,
broaden their contextual
knowledge by learning about the
latest social- and media-related
issues in Asia, and embark on a
research project that develops
expertise on the topic of their
interest.
At the end of the journey,
graduates are well equipped to go
far in their careers.
n For more information, visit
www.sass.monash.edu.my.

Producing holistic graduates with strong leadership skills

MANAGEMENT & Science
University (MSU) is a premier
university in Malaysia and is
among the top institutions in
South-East Asia.
It offers programmes at
postgraduate and undergraduate
levels in the areas of business,
management, medicine, health
sciences, information sciences,
engineering, education and
hospitality.
MSU prioritises quality
education, incorporates 21st
century learning in the lesson
delivery and focuses on producing
holistic graduates.
The incorporation of global
mobility programmes and
extensive industrial training
components in students learning
experiences ensures the highest
standards of impactful innovation,
employability and industrial
relevancy of MSU graduates.
MSU integrates the global best in
educational innovations. Real-
world scenarios are brought into
the classroom learning experience.
Strategic thinking and thought-
provoking case studies expose
students to and equip them with a
higher level of practical problem-
solving abilities.
All modules are designed with
strategic industrial and corporate
input as well as an opening
vignette to major events and real-
world issues around the globe.
MSUs professors hail from
multicultural backgrounds and are
among the best consultants and
professionals in their respective
fields and disciplines.
They have conducted high-
impact research and published
academic papers across a broad
range of business, industry and
professional areas. Their
contributions have made
meaningful and concrete impact
in the global community.
The postgraduate programmes at
MSU are carefully crafted to
cultivate leadership and a real
research contribution that
addresses industrial hands-on
challenges at the highest
management level.
Due to the tremendous and
exciting state of flux within
business and management
communities, top management
must adapt rapidly to stay
competitive, relevant and
strategically positioned to tackle
global trends by possessing the
relevant postgraduate
qualifications.
MSU recommends PhD, masters
in business administration (MBA)
and other masters programmes
that emphasise innovative
research, scientific knowledge and
industrial application on both
domestic and international
platforms.
The highest degree awarded by
MSU is the PhD, which signifies
the pinnacle of academic and
professional standing.
Doctoral training involves close
working relationships with leading
faculty members on projects of key
interest with an industrial or
Extensive
industrial
training,
real-world
scenarios
and
corporate
input are
some of the
ways MSU
sets out to
deliver
quality
education.
scientific focus.
With advanced facilities and
technical support, MSU provides an
excellent academic climate for
postgraduate engagement with
faculty members.
In addition, MSU faculty
members are active in top-level
research, with leading projects in a
wide range of areas and interests
that requires innovative
approaches to push the boundaries
of interdisciplinary research.
MSU offers advanced degrees at
MBA, master of science (MSc) and
PhD levels covering areas such as
management, business, accounting,
finance, educational management
and leadership, education
(Teaching English as Second
Language), computer science,
information and communication
technology, food service
technology, biomedicine,
engineering, applied science,
biomedical sciences, information
technology, pharmacy and clinical
pharmacy.
These programmes are offered
under the School of Graduate
Studies (SGS) and Graduate School
of Management (GSM). The award-
winning study programmes of the
university meet stringent
standards set by both local and
international bodies.
The accreditors include
Malaysian Qualifications Agency
(MQA), the United Kingdoms
Accreditation Service for
International Colleges (ASIC) and
Japans Alliance on Business
Education and Scholarship for
Tomorrow (ABEST21).
The QS World University
Rankings 2016 placed MSU on
par with world-class standards
for its teaching, employability,
facilities, social responsibility and
inclusiveness.
It was also acknowledged as the
most entrepreneurial private
university of 2016 by the Higher
Education Ministry and is the first
non-Japanese university accredited
by ABEST21.
Recently, MSU was awarded the
BrandLaureate Best Brand in
Education for Leadership and
Human Capital Development 2017.
n For more information,
call 03-5521 6868, e-mail
enquiry@msu.edu.my or visit
www.msu.edu.my.
2 Postgraduate
Siti Maslinda receiving the award from Prof Sir David Greenaway.
A multi-faceted
professional
SITI Maslinda Sheikh Othman, a Master of
Business Administration (MBA) graduate
from The University of Nottingham Malaysia
(UNMC), recently received the Alumnus of
the Year Award for 2017 at the Alumni
Laureate Awards.
She was recognised by the university for
her contribution towards the successful
implementation of corporate social
responsibility (CSR) campaigns in the
organisations that she has worked for.
One of the markers of a great university
is the quality of its graduates. We have a
global community of graduates who are
playing key roles in their chosen fields and
ours is a genuinely multinational
community.
Today, we are proud to have with us
an alumna who has been contributing to
successful community engagement in her
professional capacity to improve lives, says
UNMCs chief executive officer (CEO), provost
and pro-vice-chancellor Prof Graham
Kendall.
Siti Maslinda introduced Air Asias
Corporate Social Responsibility Programme
Donate Loose Change. Proceeds from the
campaign were donated to the National
Heart Institute foundation to fund heart
surgeries for eight patients.
Besides that, she worked with Air Asia
as a government relations specialist and
special assistant to the group CEO.
She was instrumental in Kenanga Kares, a
CSR programme in education, community
and environment, and was also part of the
transformation team.
In November 2012, Siti Maslinda
established an accredited early development
centre, JellyBabies Early Childhood Centre,
which adopted the concept of learning
through play.
Throughout her role in different
establishments and industries, she created
government relations strategies and plans
for key ministries and relevant agencies in
Malaysia as well as overseas.
She believes in the importance of strong
relationships between an organisation and
relevant government ministries and agents.
Currently, Siti Maslinda is head of
corporate communications at Parkway
Pantai Group.
The Alumnus of the Year Award was
presented at the Alumni Laureate Awards,
which is an annual event to recognise
outstanding alumni and provide a
networking platform for graduates of The
University of Nottingham.
University of Nottingham in Malaysia
Sdn Bhds (UNiM) chairman Tengku Tan Sri
THE STAR, TUESDAY 17 OCTOBER 2017
It is a privilege to be
able to obtain a good
education and contribute
to the society. Being in
that position means we
have the ability to extend
a helping hand to others
who may not be as
fortunate as us.
Therefore, I strive to
find ways, big or small,
to give back to society
through any means.
Siti Maslinda Sheikh Othman
Datuk Seri Ahmad Rithauddeen Tengku
Ismail, Federal Court judge the honourable
Datuk Dr Prasad Sandosham Abraham,
Malaysia Nottingham Graduates
Associations president Goh Hoon Huar,
UNiM board member Datuk Zainal Abidin
Haji Ahmad and East Asian Education
Limited Trust officer Neil Pickering also
attended the event, which was held on
Sept 23 this year.
It is a privilege to be able to obtain a
good education and contribute to the
society. Being in that position means we
have the ability to extend a helping hand
to others who may not be as fortunate
as us.
Therefore, I strive to find ways, big or
small, to give back to society, says Siti
Maslinda.
The University of Nottingham has more
than 270,000 graduates in the alumni
community, a global family originating from
the foundation of the university in 1881.
Approximately 5% of the alumni are
Malaysians.
The University of Nottingham has been
rated the best university in the United
Kingdom for graduate employment,
according to The Times and The Sunday
Times Good University Guide for 2017.
n For more information, e-mail
study@nottingham.edu.my or visit
www.nottingham.edu.my.
THE STAR, TUESDAY 17 OCTOBER 2017
VC COLUMN
Celebrating Malaysias engineers
IF you had to identify one
strength of Malaysian research,
you would probably choose
engineering. Malaysian
universities generally perform
better in engineering than the
world rankings would suggest.
According to the QS World
University Rankings, University
of Malaya (UM) is currently
ranked 114th.
However, it is ranked 35th
in the world for engineering
and technology.
If you dig even deeper
and look at specific disciplines,
the pattern continues. In the
four major engineering
disciplines, UM performs better
than its overall world ranking.
Malaysias other research
universities also punch above
their weight in terms of
engineering.
Looking at overall rankings
provides a good overview
of a universitys performance.
However, the overall
contribution is from individual
researchers.
It is not surprising that
Malaysia has excellent
engineers. One of the many
examples of such individuals
is Higher Education Ministrys
director general Datin Paduka
Ir Dr Siti Hamisah Tapsir, who
is a civil engineer.
The University of Nottingham
Malaysia Campus (UNMC) also
has a few world-leading
engineers.
The following are two of the
many engineers we could have
chosen.
Prof Dr Ir Dominic Foo
Prof Dr Ir Dominic Foo is a
professor of process design and
integration in the Department of
Chemical and Environmental
Engineering.
Last year, he received the
Top Research Scientists Malaysia
Award.
This award recognises the
accomplishments of Malaysian
researchers as role models of
science excellence, science
ambassadors and leaders,
leading the nations science,
technology as well as innovation
agenda.
One key reason Prof Foo won
this award is his world-leading
research in chemical engineering
process design and integration.
Prof Foo is an active member
of professional engineering
bodies in Malaysia and the
United Kingdom.
He has published three books
and more than 110 papers in
international refereed journals.
He has also given more than 170
conference presentations.
No stranger to major
accolades, Prof Foo won the
Innovator of the Year Award by
the Institution of Chemical
Engineers (IChemE) in 2009.
Shortly afterwards came
recognition from the Institution
of Engineers Malaysia, which
presented Prof Foo with the
Young Engineer Award 2010.
In 2012, Junior Chamber
International granted him the
Outstanding Young Malaysian
Award while in 2013, he received
the Award for Outstanding Asian
Researcher and Engineer from
the Society of Chemical
Engineers, Japan.
Postgraduate 3
Research World Engineering Chemical Civil and Mechanical aeronautical Electrical and
university ranking and engineering structural and manufacturing electronic
By technology engineering engineering engineering
PROF
University
GRAHAM 114 35 38 51 - 100 33 23 The table
of Malaya
shows five
KENDALL Universiti research
229 145 51-100 101-150 51-100 101-150
Putra Malaysia universities
that are
Universiti
Besides that, in 2014 he was Kebangsaan Malaysia 230 135 51-100 101-150 51-100 51-100 better in
awarded with The University of engineering
Nottingham Vice-Chancellors Universiti than their
253 90 51-200 51-100 51-100 51-100
Achievement Award. Teknologi Malaysia overall
world
Universiti
ranking.
Prof Ir Dr Denny K.S. Ng Sains Malaysia
264 93 38 51-100 51-100 51-100
In 2012, Prof Ir Dr Denny K.S.
Ng won the Young Chemical Prof Ng, are a small representative Engineering is adding significant n Prof Graham Kendall is the chief
Engineer of the Year award by sample of the leading scientists at value to the country both in terms of executive officer, provost and
IChemE. UNMC who contribute to its global research profile as well as pro-vice-chancellor of The University
A record number of entries this important discipline in the impact that it is having in of Nottingham Malaysia Campus.
were received for the award Malaysia. society. Twitter: @Graham_Kendall
but he triumphed and became
the first Malaysian to ever
do so.
The award recognises
individuals who demonstrate
achievements and tangible
applications of chemical,
biochemical and/or process
engineering skills to address
important economic,
environmental or social issues.
Prof Ng was awarded with
Ten Outstanding Young
Malaysian Awards 2017 under
the Scientific & Technological
Development category.
Prof Ng has been at UNMC
for the past eight years and is
currently the Business
Engagement and Innovation
Services (BEIS) head.
As the head of BEIS, he
actively promotes collaborations
between industry, academia and
policymakers.
Prof Ng also actively
contributes to the development
of national science policies and
strategies.
He was selected as a
representative of the science
community by the Academy of
Sciences Malaysia in the
Exclusive TN50 Roundtable
Dialogue between Prime
Minister Datuk Seri Najib
Tun Razak and Malaysian
scientists.
Prof Ng also initiated the
Centre of Sustainable Palm Oil
Research (CESPOR) at UNMC.
This cross-disciplinary research
centre focuses on the entire
value chain of the palm oil
industry, from plantations to
consumers.
To date, CESPOR has secured
industrial research contracts
worth more than RM2mil. He
has also secured more than
RM5mil of research and
industrial grants from the
government and industry.
One of the significant
research outputs is to develop
a pre-commercialised scale
treatment system to convert
wastewater into biogas and
recover the treated water.
Together with his co-workers,
he has developed an integrated
solution, which is known as an
Integrated Recovery and
Regeneration System, to
transform all solid and liquid
waste from palm oil mills into
value-added products.
UNMC is rightly proud of the
contribution that it makes to the
engineering landscape in
Malaysia and the two featured
researchers, Prof Foo and
4 THE STAR, TUESDAY 17 OCTOBER 2017