APU

We are glad to share that our FIRST EVER Media, Arts and Design Festival (MADFest) was a great success! 

The festival, organised by the APIIT School of Media, Arts & Design (SoMAD), spanned from Wednesday, 27th January to Saturday, 30th January 2016. A series of activities and events were laid out by the dedicated team of organisers, which included industrial talks, workshops, artwork displays, game competitions and more. These activities also saw participation from the public and secondary school students; 7 Secondary 4 students from the Asia Pacific Smart School (APSS) participated in the Monster Sculpting workshop as well.

The activities held were aimed to spread awareness about APIIT SoMAD programmes and to create a platform for students to express their creativity. It was also seen as the ‘report card day’ for our first batch of SoMAD students, as they exhibited their artworks they did in their classes throughout the year. A handful of impressive masterpieces were exhibited -  some even got purchase offers from visitors who were interested to bring them home!

Besides the games tournament and the cosplay competition which created a lot of buzz among the students community, the doodling and sculpting workshops also received overwhelming response from the students; all sessions were a full-house. Other than a memorable hands-on experience, participants of the workshop also brought home their artworks of the day – a clay sculpture or a button badge with their doodles on. Apart from that, industry experts from ESports Malaysia, MDEC and Tau Films also shared their working experiences in the design field, in which students were able to gain insights and learn about their future career pathway. 

Looking forward to see more great events like this in the future! Thumbs up to the MADFest committee and the students who participated to make this event a wonderful one. For the complete photo gallery, visit: http://tinyurl.com/hsd29lr 

We are pleased to announce that APU had signed the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with ERL Maintenance and Support Sdn. Bhd. (E-MAS).  E-MAS is a subsidiary of YTL Corporation, in which its main role is to provide engineering and maintenance support to the existing high-speed-train (HST) KLIA Ekspres.  The HST provides transportation to thousands of passengers every day, linking KL Sentral to KLIA and KLIA 2.

The MOA is the result of multiple meetings involving Head of School of Engineering, Dr. Thang Ka Fei, Dean of Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Technology, Prof. Ir. Dr. Vinesh Thiruchelvam, Director of Environmental Investments at YTL, Mr. Ralph Dixon, and CEO of E-MAS Mr. Thomas Baake.  In addition, simulation and feasibility studies are conducted as an ongoing process to determine the optimum mechanism to harvest wind energy at the field.    

Under the MOA, School of Engineering student, Bryan Ooi Joon Kit will complete the final year project (FYP) under the supervision of Mr. Alvin Yap Chee Wei, with the title of “Electricity Generation From Train Movement on KLIA Ekspres”. Phase I of the project has been completed and the student is currently undergoing Phase II of the project for testing and completion.  The MOA was signed on 22nd January 2016, by Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ron Edwards representing the University and CEO Mr. Thomas Baake representing E-MAS. The ceremony was witnessed by the Head of School of Engineering, Dr. Thang Ka Fei.

Through this collaboration, our students contribute by applying the knowledge to develop sustainability solution to real world problems, while building industry network and preparing to enter the workforce.  The research is one-of-a-kind in the world and when completed, and it propels YTL – APU to the forefront of wind energy research on HST. 

With great pleasure and pride we would like to share that the ‘Global Congress on Computing and Media Technologies’- GCMT 2015 organized by the prestigious Sathyabama University, Chennai, India in association with Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation, Malaysia (APU) from November 25th  to 27th, 2015 was a great success. GCMT 2015 gave an opportunity for both the Universities to bring together researchers, developers and practitioners from academia and industry to share their research results and developments in area of Innovative Computing and Media Technology.

GCMT 2015 received more than 500 papers in early submission and 240 papers were accepted. More than 85% of the papers were from international participants as far as USA, Africa, Singapore and UAE apart from Malaysia. All accepted papers in GCMT '15 will be published in Scopus/ Web of Science Indexed journals. It is also a pleasure to share that 11 APU Staff from the School of Computing & Technology presented their research papers in GCMT 2015 either by physically attending the conference or presenting through Skype sessions.

We are also proud to announce that the paper presented by Mr. Daniel Mago, co-authored by Ms. Gayatri brought laurels to APU by winning the ‘Best Paper Award’ at GCMT-2015. 

GCMT-2015 was covered exclusively by most of the national and regional media channels/newspapers in Tamil Nadu. Most importantly, Doordharshan – the India National Television Channel covered the event, which was broadcasted all across India in Prime Time News.

Mr. Leo Gertrude David, lecturer School of Computing was the initiator and the link behind our association with Sathyabama University. He had spearheaded this collaboration with Sathyabama to organize the entire conference representing APU. Academic Leaders Mr. Kamalanathan, Dr. Chen Tet Khuan and Mr. Naresh Kumar Appadurai represented APU in the event. Dr. Chen Tet Khuan also delivered keynote address entitled "Computer Games Development： From the Perspective of Game Level Design & Documentation" and chaired one of the parallel sessions. Mr. Muhammad Ehsan Rana, Head of the School of Computing, provided overall leadership and guidance to the staff towards ensuring the overall success of GCMT 2015.

Students and staff from the APIIT Education Group took a break from their studies and work to indulge in the tastes of the world as the Asia Pacific Language Centre (APLC) hosted its 6th International Food Festival at its premises recently. 

The event saw active participation of students from over 20 nationalities; they prepared signature foods of their countries and served them at the event’s booths, while explaining to incoming visitors about the name, the origin and the ingredients of each foodstuff displayed. Over 200 visitors had the opportunity to taste food that are not commonly available in Malaysia, such as “Shashlyk” from Central Asia, “Vadai” from South India, “Kabsa” from Saudi Arabia and Jordan, Egg Pancake from China, Kimchi Noodles from Korea and more. While feasting on these delectable foods, participants also fed their minds with knowledge as they learnt about the preparation processes and stories behind the foods through interactive conversations among each other. The study hall of APLC immediately transformed into a platform for cultural exchange.

It was an eye-opening experience for everyone who attended. Mahmood Al Harrasi, an Omani student of APLC, expressed his excitement during the event, “Today is a great day for me, as I tried many foods from many cultures, and I have learnt a lot through tasting the foods of others.” 

On November 18, 2015 (Wednesday),  VMware Inc (NYSE: VMW), the global leader in cloud infrastructure and business mobility, announced a collaboration with Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) by signing  an Memorandum of Agreement (MoA).  The collaboration will enable students with the right knowledge and skills on virtualization and cloud technologies as part of APU and VMware’s commitment in developing relevant skillsets to support Malaysia’s growing digital economy.  

The MoA was signed by Prof. Dr. Andy Seddon (Dean, Quality Assurance and Partnership, APU) and Mr. Laurence Si (Country Manager, VMWare Malaysia) at One World Hotel in conjunction with VMware vForum event which, IT professionals  engage with experts and learn about the latest technologies, tips, and trends in the Information Technology.

As a result of this MoA, the APU-VMware collaboration will include the following provisions to staff and students, and more:

1. The creation of a Center of Excellence, known as the VMware Cloud Innovation Centre, where VMware software-defined datacentre and cloud solutions will be hosted on the APU campus, providing staff and students the platform for training, talent development, research and development and proof of concept initiatives. APU will also have access to materials and tools created by VMware engineers via the VMware IT Academy Program resources and VMware Laboratory. Training modules and activities will include webinars, technical deep-dive discussions.
2. Leveraging VMware’s expertise in enabling businesses in Malaysia in today’s mobile-cloud era, VMware will collaborate with APU to jointly develop relevant APU-VMware elective or specialization module(s) in emerging technologies, such as cloud computing, software defined networks and software-defined datacentres. Joint APU-VMware Industrial Certification will also be provided to successful students upon elective module(s) completion. 
3. VMware will provide a 70 percent discount off VMware Certified Professional Certification examination fees for eligible APU full-time students as prescribed under the VMware IT Academy Program.
4.  VMware will also sponsor awards for outstanding APU students and/or graduates who have completed the training and gained VMware Certified Professional (VCP) and Associate (VCA) certifications. 
5. APU will appoint VMware Student Ambassadors to lead university activities to raise students’ awareness of the VMware IT Academy Program, VCA and VCP Certifications, and virtualization and cloud computing technologies.

As a part of its commitment in developing Malaysia’s next-generation workforce, VMware will be also be providing internship opportunities, providing on-the-job training for students to gain relevant work experience and witness technology in action.

Our students made us proud again! 

Team YOLO, comprising Nicholas Ian Nonis, Choong Chih Xien and Goh Eu Gene, bagged the 1st Runner Up position of the UTP-HAX National Hacking Competition, which was organised by Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS on the 13th and 14th of November 2015. The competition saw participation from more than 40 teams, who came from local private and public universities.

3 teams of students represented APU in the competition: Team YOLO, Team EZ (Alexandr Suhameraa, Maray Omaraliev, Ahmed Nabil Al-Eryani) and Team NACHOS (Toong Chee Sheng, Syahmi Suleiman, Mohamed Siddiq Rahmat). The competition was intense – as students had to scan, test, hack, defend and use creative and constructive methods to secure their system. Throughout the competition, our students, who were from the APU Cyber Security & Forensic Club (CSFC), demonstrated outstanding effort and excellent teamwork; in which Team YOLO and Team NACHOS managed to enter the semi-finals, while Team YOLO eventually stood out as one of the finalists of the competition.

Other than securing remarkable positions at the competition, our students demonstrated their outstanding problem-solving ability – as Team YOLO attain 3 Bounty Awards (a special award given to the first team to solve a challenge), whereas Team EZ bagged 1 Bounty Award as well. 

Apart from the prizes and achievement they accomplished, these students were also exposed to memorable experiences of performing their best under pressure. The UTP-HAX was a good platform for them to seed creativity, foster innovation and stimulate teamwork among themselves. Congratulations to the teams and thumbs up to their coaches: Mr. Yogeswaran Nathan, Mr. Sulaiman bin Harun, Ms. Yusnita Yusof and Mr. Khoo Li Jing for their guidance and dedication in managing the teams.

We are pleased to announce that our university has entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Signal Transmission (M) Sdn. Bhd.  Signal Transmission (M) specializes in delivering automation solution to the farming and fishing industries.  In the need of expansion, the company employs our internship students and provide funding to our students for final year projects (FYP).  Under the MOA, the student will complete the project under the supervision of Alvin Yap Chee Wei, with title “Design and Development of Intelligent Fertigation System with the Integration of Modulating Control Valve with PID Feedback Loop and SCADA Monitoring and Control.” 

The MOA was signed on 16^th October 2015, by the Deputy Vice Chancellor Prof Ron Edwards representing the University and CEO Mr. Tan Beng Kee representing Signal Transmission (M) Sdn. Bhd. The ceremony was witnessed by the Dean of Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Technology (FCET), Prof. Dr. Ir. Vinesh Thiruchelvam and Head of School, Dr. Thang Ka Fei.

The company is the 63^rd industry partner addition to the existing board of members.  In these collaborations, the industry partners offer valuable advice to the University for Curriculum Development, while providing internship and FYP opportunities to our students.  Through the industry partnerships, our students benefit by applying their knowledge to solve real world problems, while building industry network and preparing to enter the workforce.

As part of MDeC’s efforts to position Malaysia as a Big Data Hub in ASEAN, the National Big App Challenge 2.0 was organised to provide a platform for teams, start-ups, software companies and students to showcase their Big Data applications to the Malaysian market. As differed from the previous National Big App Challenge, MDeC provided “twice the fun” as they divided the challenge into two categories: the Cyberjaya City Hacks and the OpenGov Hacks. 
 
Our team of APU students excelled in both categories; as they were announced as the Top 5 Finalist of the Cyberjaya City Hacks and the Top 10 finalist of the OpenGov Hacks. Despite stiff competition from industry experts and software companies, our students impressed the judges with their outstanding skills, as they became the only student team selected into the finals of Cyberjaya City Hacks! Among all the universities and industry professionals that participated, APU team was the highest placed university / tertiary team.

The National Big App Challenge 2.0 was a platform up to industry standards, as it involved a series of selection and judging processes, which were catered for the participation of industry experts and software companies. Our team, who named themselves “Analytical System Solvers”, prepared for the Ideation & Validation, Hack & Pitch and Video Submission processes under the guidance of their mentor, Mr Manoj Jayabalan. At the finals, our students had the opportunity to meet the team of judges and VIPs, which was made up of industry experts such as Mr. Richard Stirling from Open Data Institute, UK, YBhg. Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa, Chief Secretary to the Government of Malaysia (Prime Minister’s Department) and YBhg. Dato’ Seri Zainal Rahim bin Seman, General Director of  The Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU). 
 
Congratulations and well done to Wayne See Wei Earn, Azhar bin Anuar Veera, Chong Yeong Dee and Swee Tze Xiang for their dedicated effort over the three months of competition. Special thanks to their mentor, Mr Manoj Jayabalan, APCA group, Prof. Dr. Ir. Vinesh Thiruchelvam and Ms. Hema Latha Krishna Nair for guiding and monitoring the students’ progress! We are proud of the students’ achievements and delighted to see that they have gained more exposure towards the Big Data industry through this platform created by MDeC.

A Career Day which involved over 40 local and international corporations took place on the 23rd of June and the 25th of June at APU Campus, TPM and Faculty of Business & Management (FBM), Mines respectively. The event that was organised by APU Careers Centre saw participation of prestigious companies, such as Alliance Bank, Top Glove, Mediasoft, Public Bank, Fusionex, Sony EMCS and more.

The main objective of the event was to provide APU students with the opportunities to participate in on-the-spot interviews with potential employers, which is essential for them to secure internship and career opportunities in the respective companies. Apart from the exhibition booths, career talks also took place in the classrooms; in which students were given the opportunities to understand more about the companies’ background, as well as to be exposed to the academic requirements, personalities and traits needed to secure a job in the respective companies.

It was a great effort being put in by APU Careers Centre in organising the career days; we look forward for more events of such nature, which are beneficial for all current APU students in terms of increasing their employability and enhancing their professionalism.

A group of 28 students and lecturers from the APU Media, Tourism and Services Cluster of the Faculty of Business and Management (FBM) embarked on a learning journey outside the classroom on the 19th of August 2015 (Wednesday), as they explored the majestic caves of Batu Caves and admired the Malaysian history of the tin industry at the Royal Selangor Pewter Visitor Centre. This educational trip was held to educate the students on the concepts and execution methods required to operate a tourist attraction, as well as the tips and techniques required to conduct an efficient and effective guided tour at renowned tourism attractions.

The caves expedition was an eye opening experience for the students; as it was not only an adventure into the unknown, but also a combined history, biology and geology lesson about the formation of Malaysia as a landmass and how the elements worked together to create a wonderful specimen of a time warp, with a living fossil (the Trapdoor Spider, Liphistius batuensis) being preserved for research and future generations. The heart and soul of the experience was the amazing dedication and knowledge of the guides who were truly dedicated and passionate towards preserving a living ecosystem. 

The next stage of the trip was a glimpse of another part of the history of Malaysia. A guided tour of the Royal Selangor Visitor Centre did not only showcase the history of tin mining and its subsequent flourishing enterprise, but also the artistry and processes that enabled high quality, handmade products to be produced with minimum waste and maximum efficiency. 

The overall trip was an AWESOME experience for the students as they enjoyed learning outside the classroom in the truest sense. Hopefully more trips like these can be organised in the future, to benefit our students as they are able to attain knowledge in a more interesting and creative way.