KUCHING – Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus will host undergraduate students from a US university who are keen to learn about its research as well as the teaching and learning methodology at the Australian university branch campus.
The two chemistry students and a professor from Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) in North Carolina are expected to begin their stint at Swinburne Sarawak on 13 July.
“They will spend two weeks on campus to learn about our research projects,” said biotechnology lecturer Dr Ng Sing Muk.
Swinburne Sarawak collaborates with industry both in Malaysia and abroad in research. Its Research Centre for Sustainability Technologies was set up in 2012 to support multi-disciplinary research focusing on topics related to sustainability in niche areas related to the community and industry.
The visit by the Americans is a result of Ng’s six-month attachment with WSSU on a Fulbright scholarship program where he taught environmental science and general chemistry to undergraduate students. He returned to Malaysia in May.
“The students are also keen to experience how courses are taught at our university. So besides getting involved in research work at the labs with our students they will also attend some lectures,” said Ng, who specialises in chemistry with a focus to developing materials for optical sensor application.
The students’ trip to Swinburne Sarawak is a pilot project of the International Summer Undergraduate Research Experience, funded by the American National Science Foundation.
Swinburne Sarawak and WSSU are in talks to set up a mutual student placement program.
Ng is hopeful that such an arrangement could materialise in the near future as he believes that students from both institutions will have much to gain.
“What’s exciting are the numerous grants the American National Science Foundation has created to encourage dialogue and transfer of knowledge between American and Asian universities” he said.
WSSU, one of the host institutions on the Fulbright scholarship program, was founded in 1892. It was the first African-American institution in the US to grant elementary education teaching degrees in 1925. Today, WSSU has grown to include undergraduate and graduate programs in more than 40 majors that meet the needs of a fast-evolving job market.