Workshop held to establish Joint Masters Degree in Food Security and Climate Change (MS FSCC)
The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) hosted the first workshop to establish the Joint Master’s Degree program in Food Security and Climate Change (MS FSCC) at the SEARCA Headquarters, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines on 7-8 November 2016.
The MS FSCC is a project initiated by the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC) and is jointly led by Kasetsart University (KU) and SEARCA. It is a 3-year project, which was awarded funding under the ERASMUS + Capacity Building for Higher Education Program. The first year of the project is meant to establish the curriculum; the pilot implementation is set to start in August 2017.
The two-day workshop, also supported by the Food Security Center of the University of Hohenheim, aims to identify the professional profiles of future graduates of this specialized Master’s degree, based on market demand. It is also a first step to recognize the various degree programs and courses existing in the partner universities that may be considered for the MS FSCC.
In his welcome remarks, Dr. Gil C. Saguiguit, Jr., SEARCA Director, emphasized that the MS FSCC program will not just enhance and broaden the specific areas of study in the field of ARD but will also promote internationalization of higher education in Southeast Asia. Dr. Poonpipope Kasemsap of KU, Co-Project Leader, and Dr. Didier Pillot of Montpellier SupAgro, Project Coordinator for EU, also delivered their Messages in the Opening Program.
The partners to the MS FSCC project include: Kasetsart University, Chiang Mai University, and Prince of Songkla University in Thailand; Universiti Putra Malaysia and Nilai University in Malaysia; Institut Pertanian Bogor and Universitas Gadjah Mada in Indonesia; University of the Philippines Los Baños and Central Luzon State University in the Philippines; Royal University of Agriculture and University of Battambang in Cambodia; Montpellier SupAgro and AGREENIUM of France; Gottingen University in Germany; BOKU of Austria; AGRINATURA (European Alliance on Agricultural Knowledge for Development) based in the Czech Republic; and SEARCA. (Jarah N. De Guzman)
Prof. Datin Paduka Dr. Aini Ideris is new UPM Vice-Chancellor
PUTRAJAYA - Prof. Datin Paduka Dr. Aini Ideris has been appointed as the new Vice-Chancellor for Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) for a duration of two years, effective January 1, 2016 until December 31, 2017.
Prof. Datin Paduka Dr. Aini, who is the Director of UPM Corporate Strategy and Communications Office, replaces Prof. Dato’ Dr. Mohd Fauzi Hj. Ramlan whose tenure as UPM Vice-Chancellor ended on December 31 last year. She received her formal letter of appointment from Higher Education Minister, Dato’ Seri Idris Jusoh.
Prof. Datin Paduka Dr. Aini Ideris expressed her gratitude to Prof. Dato’ Dr. Mohd Fauzi Hj. Ramlan for his leadership qualities and contributions towards UPM while he was the Vice-Chancellor, saying under the latter’s tenure, the university had succeeded to maintain its excellence as a leading university at both the national and international levels.
“I also want to express my gratitude to Dato’ Seri Idris Jusoh for the trust, opportunity and mandate given to me to continue with the legacy to give the best of services to the university.
“With this appointment, I will strive harder to enhance UPM’s achievements as a leading research university in order to steer and bring the image of the country to a higher level, in addition to continuing with the efforts for more successes and academic excellence amidst the challenges, particularly the need for a paradigm shift in enhancing the quality of the nation’s agriculture sector,” she said.
Formerly UPM Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International) from December 2008 to November 2013, she was instrumental in the preparations for the university’s SWA Accreditation, autonomy and other curriculum-related improvements as well as teaching and learning at UPM.
With her vast knowledge in dealing with issues at both the national and ministerial levels, she has held various positions in the past, including the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Committee Chairman/Rector (Academic and International) of IPTA from January 2012 to 2013, chairman/member in various other committees at the Higher Education Ministry/ Education Ministry, Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry and the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry.
Prof. Datin Paduka Dr. Aini Ideris is a renowned scientist in detecting and controlling avian diseases through the commercialization of a “Newcastle” vaccine in 1995 and “fowl pox” culture tissues in 1996 which had penetrated the market in nine countries.
In 2005, she was involved in a joint research in the commercialization of an important vaccine for chickens to fight against contagious bursal diseases. Her team of researchers also developed several diagnosis kits for fast detection of avian influenza (bird’s flu which is a zoonotic disease), ‘Newcastle’ and ‘Mycoplasmosis’ diseases.
In 2011, Prof. Aini received the National Academic Award (Anugerah Akademik Negara (AAN) 2010 under the Innovation and Product Commercialization category for her success in the innovation and commercialization of ‘Newcastle’ disease vaccine (ND V4-UPM).
She was also named as one of 10 researchers for Anugerah Inovasi Negara 2012, Anugerah Alumni Terbilang UPM 2012and was announced as 2013 Malaysia Best Research Scientist.
The climax of her success was in 2013 when she was absorbed to be an inaugural member of Honour of the World Veterinary Poultry Association, the most prestigious achievement in scientific, training and health teaching on avian as well as leadership community in developing nations.