UC welcomes UBC and NTU in its 31st Executive Board Meeting

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia – Twenty-one officers of the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC) converged here for the 31st UC Executive Board meeting hosted by Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) on 13 – 14 November 2018.

During the meeting, the UC welcomed Canada's University of British Columbia (UBC), which recently reactivated its Affiliate Membership, and National Taiwan University (NTU), which expressed intention to apply as an Associate Member. Aside from UGM, UBC and NTU, also present in the meeting are representatives from the other UC members, namely, Institut Pertanian Bogor and Brawijaya University of Indonesia, Kasetsart University of Thailand, Universiti Putra Malaysia, University of the Philippines Los Baños, and Tokyo University of Agriculture. The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) serves as UC Secretariat and co-organizer of the meeting.

The Executive Board reviewed the accomplishments of the UC in the current year and planned for its programs and budget for the succeeding year. It also discussed updates and a sustainability strategy for the ERASMUS+-funded project on establishing a Joint Master program in Food Security and Climate Change (MSFSCC).

Through SEARCA's initiative, the UC was launched in 1989 as a commitment made by leading agricultural universities to share resources and collaborate on student and faculty exchanges. It gives out annual student and faculty grants, and holds annual Summer Schools and Graduate Forums hosted by its members on rotation basis. The UC also supports dual or joint degrees and collaborative researches among its members, and partners with other networks and universities in and outside the region. (Maria Cristeta N. Cuaresma)

PhD student benefits from University Consortium (UC) Travel Grant

BOGOR, Indonesia – The Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC) awarded a travel grant to Ms. Jennet E. Razo, PhD in Environmental Science student at UPLB, for her participation in a summer program at Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB), Indonesia. The UC allocates funds each year to qualified lecturers or graduate students for travel to another participating UC member university.

Ms. Razo participated in the 12th International Summer Course Program for Agriculture and Ecosystem Resilience to Environmental Disaster toward Regional Sustainability on 2-10 September 2018. The event was organized by the Graduate School and the Center for Disaster Studies of IPB, the University of Rukyus, and Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology.

L-R; Takumi Akimoto, Ruth Kartika, Ummu Farah Fadillah, Haruka Norii, Jennet Razo (leader) and Ali Yansyah Abdurrahim (assistant leader)The program was arranged to understand regional sustainability by means of multifaceted research of disaster prevention and agriculture and ecosystem resilience from disaster and social-technology disruption. It involved plenary lectures and students' presentation on their research, field practice, technical tours, and group discussion toward regional sustainability. The issues covered specific to general aspects of technological implementation, research and development, organization and management, finance, government policy aspect, and human resources.

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) serves as UC Secretariat. The UC provides travel grants for students to go to another participating UC member to do research, present oral or poster papers, take courses for credit, and participate in trainings or workshops. The participating UC members are IPB, Universitas Gadjah Mada, and Universitas Brawijaya in Indonesia; Universiti Putra Malaysia; Kasetsart University in Thailand; UPLB; and Tokyo University of Agriculture in Japan.

SEARCA holds back-to-back activities at Universiti Putra Malaysia campuses

Mr. Truong Hong Vu Tuan Kiet (center) and Mr. Philip Donald Sanchez (fourth from right), both new SEARCA-UPM scholars, hold their scholarship certificates after the handover ceremony on 7 November 2018. With them are (from left) Mr. Saiful Azlin Maskan of UPM, Ms. Mary Grace A. Aquino, Dr. Maria Cristeta N. Cuaresma, and (from right) Dr. Norhashila Binti Hashim, Dr. Nor Azowa Ibrahim, and Dr. Nor Kamariah Noordin, all of UPM.

MALAYSIA – To promote the Center's scholarship programs, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), through its Graduate Education and Institutional Development Department (GEIDD), held a marketing roadshow on SEARCA scholarship grants on 8 November 2018 at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)-Bintulu campus. 

About 30 faculty members and selected graduate students from UPM-Bintulu attended the event. Dr. Maria Cristeta N. Cuaresma, Program Head for GEID, and Ms. Mary Grace A. Aquino, Program Specialist, led the activity.

Apart from promoting the regular SEARCA grants, Dr. Cuaresma also provided a presentation on the grants of the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC). Promotional materials were also distributed to all the attendees.

The team also met with key UPM officials to discuss possible collaboration with SEARCA and the UC, specifically on the project pertaining to indigenous crops, among others.

Prior to this event, SEARCA also conducted a simple Handover Ceremony of Scholarship Certificates at the UPM main campus in Serdang for the two new SEARCA-UPM scholars, namely, Mr. Philip Donald Sanchez, MS Agricultural Process Engineering student from the Philippines; and Mr. Truong Hong Vo Tuan Kiet, PhD Agricultural Policy student from Vietnam. The ceremony was held at the Faculty of Engineering and the certificates were formally handed over by Dr. Cuaresma and Professor Dr. Nor Kamariah Noordin, Dean of the UPM Faculty of Engineering.

Back-to-back with the handover ceremony was the orientation of new and ongoing scholars at UPM. Twenty-three scholars attended the meeting, which provided further information and clarification about the scholarship grant. The meeting was also an opportune time to discuss SEARCA's history and programs.

SEARCA provides high-quality academic grants, such as the full MS and PhD scholarships, Professorial Chair grants, Faculty and Student Mobility grants, and Academic Bridging programs. GEIDD holds an annual marketing roadshow at different agricultural universities across the region to promote its scholarships and other grants.

Dr. Maria Cristeta N. Cuaresma (back row, sixth from left) with SEARCA scholars during the orientation-meeting at UPM main campus.

Attendees during the marketing of SEARCA and UC grants at UPM-Bintulu campus on 8 November 2018.

UB hosts 4th UCGF

MALANG, Indonesia – Universitas Brawijaya (UB) hosted the 4th University Consortium Graduate Forum (UCGF) with the theme Sustainable Development of Tropical Resources: Issues, Challenges, and Recommendations. The forum was held back-to-back with UB's International Conference on Green Agro-Industry and Bioeconomy on 18 – 19 September 2018 at UB, Malang, Indonesia. More than 300 experts, academicians, practitioners, and students attended the conference, including 50 graduate students from the UC member universities. These students shared their research work and experiences during three parallel sessions: On-farm Production System; Off-farm Production System; and Production System Management and Regulation. 

On the second day, the UC officials and students visited one of the Agro-technoparks of the University, with Prof. Dr. Sumeru Ashari, the Director of ATP, sharing its Vision-Mission to the participants. He mentioned that agro-technoparks aim to (1) provide education, research, and community service; (2) serve as training centers of the University and the community for agro-complex business; (3) be an educational-cum-tourist spot, campground, and family recreation center; and (4) promote organic farming.

During the closing program, five students from UC member universities received the Best Paper award in the following categories:

1. Food microbiology, food safety and security & health, nutrition and medical (Ms. Anacorita O. Abasolo, UPLB)
2. Fisheries, aquaculture and marine resources (Ms. Remilyn M. Mendoza, UPLB)
3. Agricultural engineering & agroindustry (Ms. Gina D. Balleras, UPLB)
4. Animal Husbandry and Welfare (Mr. Hamdani Maulana, UGM)
5. Agro industrial production system management and regulation (Mr. Danang Kumara Hadi, UB)

The Graduate Forum is an annual activity of the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources, or the UC, that started in 2015. The Forum aims to provide opportunity for graduate students from UC members to share new knowledge, research ideas, and experiences in an open platform as well as promote greater integration of research through strategic partnership between and among UC member universities. (Zacyl R. Jalotjot)