Graduate Times June 2022

www.sgs.upm.edu.my
SCHOOLOFGRADUATESTUDIES,UNIVERSITIPUTRAMALAYSIA |JULY2022

Liftingthebarriers

DeansForward

>> TheSchoolofGraduateStudies(SGS)hasalwaysbeenperceptivetowardsstudent
welfare.Covid19hasleftuswithverylittleoptiontopreparefortheworst;however,itiswith
greatperseveranceanddetermination,thatourstudentshavemanagedtoovercomesuch
adevastatingphase.Therefore,Iwouldliketocongratulateallstudentsandstaffofthe
SGSwhohavebeenworkingveryhardthroughoutthepastcoupleofyearstoensurethat
studentcandidature and rendered servicesprogressed well,respectively.Maintaining
minimum disruption to the existing academicprocessesand proceduresisindeed a
challengeduringthepandemic,butasateam,wehavemanagedtodosowithadaptive
strategiessupportedbytheUniversity.

Istronglybelievethatconsistentcommitmentsandacleargoalwerethemainfactorsthat
have keptusgoing through thisunexpected challenge.On thatnote,thisedition of
GraduateTimesismainlyfocusedonhowtheliftingoftheenforcedbarriersimpactusin
general.Theefforttogatherdifferentperspectivesisessentialtohelpusunderstandthe
challengesfacedbystakeholders.IhopethatthiseditionofGraduateTimescouldgive
studentsinsightsoncurrentprocessesandprocedures,amendedrulesandregulationsas
wellasservicesandassistanceatSGS.
Staysafeeveryone.

Editor’sLetter

Ms.Pavithra >> Justwhenwethoughtthattimeisallthatwe
PanirSelvam cantakeupforfree,iteventuallygaveusa
specialticketto pause and re-evaluate
GraduateTimesEditor thingsaroundus.Covid19outbreakandthe
Movement Control Order (MCO) that
followed along the game,showed how
delicateandfragileouremotionscouldbeat
the most unpredictable phase in life.
Students had to go through so many
challengesjusttocompletetheiracademic
requirementssuchasexams,thesis,viva
etc.

In between all these tasks, most
postgraduates are also entitled to other
rolesinlifeasaspouse,parent,oranem-
ployee/employer.Therefore,thiseditionof
Graduate Times has specifically gathered
some insightson how ourpostgraduates
marched through the Covid19 trail.I,on
behalfofmyeditorialboard,wouldliketo
also express ourheartiestgratitude for
thosewhohaveassistedusinproducing
thiseditionofGraduateTimes.

Prof.Dr.ZalilahMohdShariff

Dean
SchoolofGraduateStudies
UniversitiPutraMalaysia

Contents

PutraSarjanaSeminarsOfferExtensiveKnowledgeTowardsResearchand
Publication.............................................................................................................1

3MinutesThesis(3MT)SpeaksVolumeonResearchIdeas................................2

WhenTehTarikAttracts.........................................................................................3

GettoKnowYourRepresentatives!.......................................................................3

CelebratingTheSuccessWithGraduands............................................................4

YES2Malaysia-TheBiggestEducationMalaysiaFusionExpoinJeddah...........5

EnhancingTwo-WayCommunicationBetweenStudentsandSponsors..............5

ToTurkeyForTraining...........................................................................................6

ChitChatBits.........................................................................................................7

ScholarshipsandFinancialAidsForThoseinNeed..............................................8

RevampingThesisSubmissionMethods...............................................................8

JugglingGrades,TimeandALifebyAissvaryaSankar(PhDinHuman
Genetics)................................................................................................................9

ResearchIdeas

PUTRASARJANASEMINARS

OFFEREXTENSIVEKNOWLEDGE

TOWARDSRESEARCHAND

PUBLICATION

Putra Sarjana wasprimarilyestablished asa learning
supportprogramme,directed to active UniversitiPutra
Malaysa(UPM)postgraduates.Themainideaistocater
students’knowledge setskillsbyproviding a range of
necessaryskillsthatcan be applied in theirresearch,
career, academic and other subsequent prospects.
Seminarsandworkshopsaretailoredwithfieldexperts,
accordingtocurrentresearchneeds.Thisincludessenior
lecturers,professors,andpractitionersfrom withinand
outside of UPM itself.Apart from academic-related
sessions,italso encompassesactivitiesthatintegrate
social,psychomotor,affective,andemotionalintelligence
domains.Therefore,studentswho participate in Putra
Sarjanaseminarswouldnotonlybeabletohonetheir
researchskills,buttheyalsogettoexperienceabroader
spectrum ofknowledgeasanindividual.

Thefirsthalfoftheyearfocusedonresearchskills,mainly
on publication and academicwriting requirements.Till
date,atotaloffive(5)onlineseminarswereconductedon
aweeklybasis.Thefollowingarethelistofallthesessions
thathavesuccessfullysecuredmaximum numberof300
participants:

DATE/TIME TITLE SPEAKER

2ndJune2022 ThesisDevelopmentJourneyfor Dr.ThavamaranKanesan
10.00am-12.00pm PhDandMasterstudents

23rdJune2022 TheVivaVoce Prof.Ts.Dr.ZuriatiAhmad
11.30am-01.30pm GrammarPoints Zukarnain

30thJune2022 Assoc.Prof.Dr.NoritahOmar
10.30am-12.30pm
1stJuly2022 HightImpactPublishingClass Dr.ThavamaranKanesan,
10.00am-12.00pm forstudentsandAcademicians,
anAttempttoExtractJournals ChiefEditorofProofreadingbyaUKPhD
1stJuly2022
10.00am-12.00pm BiosafetyandBiosecurity BiosafetyandBiosecurity
AwarenessBriefing AwarenessBriefing

1|SchoolofGraduateStudies,UniversitiPutraMalaysia

3MINUTESTHESIS(3MT) Summarizinganentireresearchplaninjust3minutes
SPEAKSVOLUMEON might seem impossible however, the key skill to
RESEARCHIDEAS communicatearesearch’ssignificance(s)toagroupof
non-expertsshowstheresearcher’sunderstandingofhis/
herscientificapproach.TheSchoolofGraduateStudies
(SGS) has conducted its annual3MT competition,
Universitylevel,from11thApril2022till20thApril2022via
Zoom.Three winners from each category;Science,
Science&EngineeringandSocialScience,weretrained
torepresentUPM intheNationallevelheldonlineonthe
28thofJune2022.UPM hasmanagedtosecureseveral
placings in the Nationals,raising the expectations in
settingtheparhighernextyear.Congratulationstoallthe
participantsatboththeUniversityandNationalsforyour
outstanding performance.Moreover,SGS extends its
heartiestgratitudetotheall-facultyofficers,administrative
staffsand coachesinvolved in making the processa
success.Whatisavictorywithoutitswarriors?

SchoolofGraduateStudies,UniversitiPutraMalaysia|2

Students'

CORNER

WHENTEHTARIKATTRACTS

Casualdeliverancecanbringextraordinaryimpactinanevent’s
reachability.ThisstatementwasprovenwithresultsbytheSchool
ofBusinessand Economic’sPostgraduate StudentClub 2022
(GSC).Their"TehTarikSession''withinternationalspeakerProf.
Dr.MustaphaYounisfrom theUnitedStates,hasthegreatest
numberofpostgraduateparticipantstilldate,inthefaculty.The
topicwas‘Tipson Preparation forViva’,and the participants
rangedfrom localtointernationalstudents.Thishybrideventhas
successfullyattractedatotalof555postgraduatestudentstoregis-
terandfullyattendthetalk.Complimentsandencouragingremarks
from participantssignifiedhow interactivethesessionwas.The
hallwasoccupiedtothemaxwith350participants,givingthem the
badgeofanoutstandinglyvictoriousevent!

Gettoknow
yourrepresentatives!

VOICESOFPOSTGRADUATESINTHEUPM STUDENTS’PARLIAMENT

CongratulationstoNurFarihinAbdHadiKhanandSitiNabilah
uponbeingelectedasthePostgraduatesmembersinUPM Stu-
dentsRepresentative Council(MPP)forthe 2021/2022 Board.
TheseladiesarenowentitledaseatintheUPM Students’Union
Parliamenttodiscuss,scrutinize,propose,andexecuteinitiatives
thatarerelatedtopostgraduates’welfare.Soarhighasyoumove
forwardladies!

PUTRAGRADUATEASSOCIATION(PGA):
BRIDGESSTUDENTSANDSGS

NewlyestablishedPGAisanofficialpostgraduatestudent’sasso-
ciationthatcaterstobothlocal&internationalstudents.Boardof
Executivesareelectedamongpostgradstudentswithyearsofex-
periencesinacademicandindustries,givingoutapromisingtrack
forexcitingevents/activities!Membershipisopentoallcurrentand
activeUPM postgraduates,whoareinterestedinbeingapartof
SGSorevenUPM’sagendasfocusedonpostgraduates.So,wait
nomoreandregisteryourselveswithPGArightaway!

3|SchoolofGraduateStudies,UniversitiPutraMalaysia

CELEBRATINGTHESUCCESSWITHGRADUANDS

Beingagraduatemeansalotofdifferentthingsforthosewhohaveworkedhardforittherefore,theeffortsof
gainingthatsuccessshouldbecelebratedwithmuchhonour.Manyhadfacedchallengesbeyondwhatourima-
ginationcouldexpect,jugglingbetweenwork,academics,family,andhealthinthepandemicperiod.Hence,it
wastheutmostpriorityoftheUniversitymanagementinensuringtheirmomentofcelebrationishandledinthe
bestwaypossible.TheSchoolofGraduateStudies(SGS)tookuptheroleinmanagingpostgraduategra-
duandsduringthe45thand46thUPM ConvocationCeremonythatwasheldonthe8thofJanuary-13th
January2022and19th-24thofMarch2022.Approximately,atotalof3000postgraduategraduandswerelisted
forbothsessions,Theprocessstartedwithregistration,informationpooling,announcements,andacademicre-
galiacollectionandendedwiththegraduationceremonyitselfonthe24thofMarch2022.Graduands’welfare
andcomfortwereSGS’stoppriorityinensuringtheirgraduationceremonyremainsamemorableone.Theple-
asureofhandlingpostgraduatesfromvariousbackgrounds,stories,andaspirationsgaveaglimpseofgratitude
foreverymemberofSGSindut

SchoolofGraduateStudies,UniversitiPutraMalaysia|4

YES2Malaysia-TheBiggestEducation
MalaysiaFusionExpoinJeddah

Feedbacksandon-groundanalysisisverycrucialinunderstandingthecu-
rrentneedsofprospectivestudents.Onthatnote,UniversitiPutraMalaysia
(UPM)hasparticipatedintheYes2Malaysia-TheBiggestEducationMalay-
siaFusionExpoorganizedbyREXPO,EducationMalaysiaGlobalAssist
andsupportedbyEducationMalaysiawhichstartson12thMayuntil18th
May2022inConsulateGeneralofMalaysia,JeddahandEMGAREXPO
JeddahOffice.

UPM wasrepresentedbyofficersfrom theSchoolofGraduateStudies
(SGS)andDivisionofAdmissionandDivisionofAcademicGovernance
(BKAD); Mrs.RahmawatiUmarandMrs.NorliyaYahya.Theexpofeatu-
resmorethan16exhibitorsrepresentingtopMalaysianUniversitiesinclu-
dingUPM andforeignbranchcampuses.Variousactivitiessuchasbriefing
sessionswith potentialstudentsandsponsorsfrom variousagencieswere
conducted throughoutthe expo to deliverupdated information on the

courses/assistance/servicesavailableintheparticipatinguniversities.Visitorswereabletoobtainvariousinformationonfinancing,scholarships,
admission,andotherrelatedinformationbyaskingdirectlytotherepresentativeofeachuniversityandcolleges.Thetopthreecoursesratedby
studentsinJeddah,ArabSaudiofferedbyUPM areinbusiness,healthsciencesandinformationtechnology.UPM boothwasvisitedbyalmost
100visitorsinatimewithmostschoolleavers,parents,teachers,universitystudents,workingadults,membersoftheindustryandthepublic
seekinghighereducationopportunities.

EnhancingTwo-WayCommunication
BetweenStudentsandSponsors

Theeffectivenessofanimplementedinitiativecouldnotbemeasured
withoutfeedbackandopinion.TheSchoolofGraduateStudies(SGS)
handledavisitfrom theTertiaryEducationFund(TETFUND)Nigeria,
aneducationalfundplacedundertheNigerianMinistryofEducation.
Till2022,atotalof357NigerianTETFUND sponsoredstudentshave
beenfurtheringtheirpost-graduatestudiesinUPM,acrossfieldsofstu-
dies.Thevisitthatgatheredcurrentscholarshiprecipientswithsix(6)
representingdelegatesattheTunRashdanBabaAuditorium,became
aplebiscitesessionregardingsponsorshipprocessesandissuesfaced
bythestudents.ThesessionwasfollowedwithameetingbetweenTE-
TFUNDdelegates,SGSmanagementteamandBursarytodiscussstu-
dents’issuesaswellasthebestsolutionforthematters.Nigerianstu-
dentrepresentative,AbuBakar,voicedoutseveralmattersfrom the
students’pointofviewinthemeeting.Sponsorshipdisbursementpro
cesses,documentationandcommunicationwithstudentswereamong
themainlydiscussedtopicsthroughoutthesession.Suchsessionsare
crucialinensuringstudentswelfareandgoodinstitutionalrapportby
theUPM management.

5|JULY2022

5|SchoolofGraduateStudies,UniversitiPutraMalaysia

ToTurkeyforTraining

Trainingandconstantexposuretovariousadministrationalpracticesare
crucialindevelopinganadaptiveapproach.TheSchoolofGraduate
Studies(SGS)Hasparticipatedinthe‘BlendedWorkshopandTraining
forUniversityInternationalOfficers& Administrators''stafftraining
programmeorganizedbytheMiddleEastTechnicalUniversity,Ankara
Turkey in collaboration with the NationalAcademy ofEducation
Administration.TheworkshopwasheldfromMay30thtillJune3rd2022.
Theintensivetrainingmodulewasparticipatedinby17universities,
across the Middle Eastregion.University Putra Malaysia (UPM),
UniversitiTeknologiMalaysia (UTM)and UniversitiUtara Malaysia
(UUM)were among the publicuniversitiesthathave attended from
Malaysiameanwhile,theKasetsartUniversityhasrepresentedThailand
intheoccasion.

Ms.Nadjla,theHeadofInstitutionalRelationsandFinancialAidUnit,has
representedSGSthroughoutthetraining.Shewasgiventheopportunity
topresentacomprehensiveframeworkon“PartnershipDevelopment
andAssessmentApproaches”duringthePanelSessiononMay31st
2022,alongsideothercolleaguesfrom differentdepartmentsinUPM.
Feedbacksandsuggestionswerecollectedinordertoimprovisethe
whole presentation hence,provided more opportunities in revising
appropriateamendmentsinfuture.

SchoolofGraduateStudies,UniversitiPutraMalaysia|6

chitchatThissectionhascollectedsomebrief
opinionsofstudentsandstaffontheir
preferenceswhenitcomestostudying/
workingthroughouttheMovement
ControlOrder(MCO)period.Someof
them haveevenmentionedhowSGShas
assistedthem whilesomehave
expressedthe difficultiesalongtheway.
Nothingwaseasynornormalwhenthe
barriercommenced,wasn'tit?

IfeltstudyingathomeduringtheMovementControlOrder(MCO)gaveme
moretimetofocusonmywritings.Itwasmuchmoreconvenientcomparedto
attendingphysicalclasses.SGS wasbeinghelpfulbythequickresponses
throughemailorphoneclass,ifIweretocontactthem forassistance.

MohdFakhrulRadzi
(MasterofScienceinMicrobialBiotechnology)

Iwentthroughalotofproceduralchallengesduetothestrictpoliciestoenter
Malaysia.Iwasabletocontinuewithmycourseworksubjectsfrom mycountry
howeveritwashardonmyresearchwork.ThesecondwaveofCovid19made
itmuchmoredifficultbutapartfrom thatitwasokay.Thenetworkproblem was
the mostchallenging issue forme to attend online classesand Ifeellike
attendingphysicalclassesheregivesaveryminimalamountofdistraction.SGS
doeshelpmeincertainmatterswhenIreachouttothem.

MuraBello
(PhDinEnvironmentalHydrologyandHydrogeology)

Iam afull-timestudentandIfeltitwasquitehardbecausemystudywastotally
lab-based,andwewerenotallowedtocomebacktocampusduringtheMCO
period.IcamebacktocampusaroundJuly2022tocontinuemyresearch
works.IdidnothavetocontactSGSmuchwithinthisperiodasIwasalreadyin
my4thsemesterandwasfocusedonmyresearchworksaswellaswritings.

ChanYeeHan
(MasterofScienceImmunopharmacology)

Itis easierto manage and assiststudents face-to-face as the message
deliveranceismuchclearerwhenstudentsarehere,physically.Itrequirestime
anddifferentlevelsofreachabilityifwearetohelpthem incertainmatters,soit
isbettertogowiththephysicalapproaches.

MuhammadAtfiMDKhamijah
(AdmissionUnit,SchoolofGraduateStudies)

7|SchoolofGraduateStudies,UniversitiPutraMalaysia

PRIORITISING
POSTGRADUATES’
WELFARE&NEEDS

SCHOLARSHIPSANDFINANCIALAIDS
FORTHOSEINNEED

Asufficientandconduciveenvironmentiscrucialinensuring
students’academicperformanceasawhole.TheSchoolof
GraduateStudies(SGS)hasalwaysbeenactivelyproposing
andscoutingforpossibleentities/agenciestoprovide
scholarshipsforouractivestudents.Schemes,financialaids
andscholarshipsarealwaysopenforapplication,exceptfor
thosewithspecificdeadlines,inorderforstudentstoapply.
ThefollowingisthelistoffinancialassistancethatSGSis
currentlyofferingforthepostgraduatestudents:

GRADUATERESEARCH GRADUATERESEARCH SPECIALGRADUATE
FELLOWSHIP(GRF) ASSISTANTSHIP(GRA) RESEARCHALLOWANCE
SCHEME(SGRA)
INTERNATIONALGRADUATE PUTRAALUMNI
STUDENTSCHOLARSHIP SCHOLARSHIPSCHEME BIASISWAKHAS
(IGSS) (PASS) WARTAWAN(BKW)

Atotalof546localand82internationalpostgraduatestudentsarecurrentlyreceivingtheabovelisted
financialassistance.SGSismorethanwelcomingforstudentstoapplytheavailablefundsasitwillhelp
theiracademicjourneyinsuchahugeway.Formoreinformation,sendinyourinquiriesto
[email protected].

REVAMPINGTHESISSUBMISSIONMETHODS

PertainingtothealarminghealthemergencyandMovement
ControlOrder(MCO)enforcementthroughout2022till2022,
SGS hasseveraltimesrevamped itsmethodsin accepting
students’ thesis submissions. Students were assisted in
submitting theirthesisonline and viva voce appointments
weremadetobeheldvirtually,throughout2020.Itwasthen
graduallyadaptedintohybridpracticewhentheGovernment
startedtoloosentherestrictionsinseveralsectors.Therefore,it
easedtheprocessforstudentstoGraduateonTime(GOT)as
perhow theyhaveitplanned.Now,SGSisactivelyutilising
hybridpracticesinensuringtheefficiencyofthesissubmission
and viva voce matters.This greatly helps in facilitating
postgraduatesthatcouldnottravelbacktoMalaysiadueto
Covid19restrictionsorthosewhoareundergoingquarantinein
therelateddates.

SchoolofGraduateStudies,UniversitiPutraMalaysia|8

JUGGLING
GRADES,
TIMEAND
ALIFE

BY

A ivarya

Sankar

PHDINHUMAN
GENETICS

PANDEMIC!Ifyouaskmehowlifewasbeforeit,Iwouldsimply studies,IwasalsoanappointedGraduateResearchAssistant,
sayIdon’tremember.EventhoughtheCovid-19pandemic collegefellowandavolunteerinafewNGOs.Iwillnotlieand
startedonly2yearsback,itsurelyfeelsforever.Timeswere sayjugglingtheworkloadbetweenthesewasastrollinapark.
toughduringthepandemicwithtravelrestrictions,shortageof ITWAS HARD.TherearetimesIbrokedownandcriedmy
foodsupplies,unemploymentandthefearofgettingCovid eyesout.Butwhatkeptmegoingwasmymotivation.Whyam
constantlyrunninginourminds.Socialandfinancialfactors Ihere,whyam Idoingthis?Allofusstartedthispostgraduate
aside,thepandemicdefinitelytookatollonstudents’education journeyfora reason and myreason iswhatpushed me
andtheirmentalhealth.Theeducationgapbetweenstudents forward.Planningahead,makingdailyto-dolistsandhaving
grew widerandtheinterestofstudents’towardseducation regularmeetingswithmysupervisorreallyhelpedmemanage
grewnarrower.Itisalittleeasierwhenyouhaveasystemsuch myworkandachievemytargetevenwhenIwasathome.
as schools ora group offriends among undergraduate Wakingupeverydayandspendingjust5minutestolistdown
studentsbutcanthesamebesaidforpostgraduatestudents? yourtargetsofthedaywillallowyoutovisualisewhatneedsto
Postgraduatelifeisindeedalonelyone.Yoursupervisors,your be done and push you towardsit.Iremembertelling my
colleagues,yourlabmatesmaybethereforyoubutattheend parentstheyneedtosetanappointmenttomeetmeatleast2
oftheday,its’youandyourproject.Duringthechallengingtime weeksaheadformetoarrangemyscheduleandwork.Of
ofthe pandemic,postgraduate studentseverywhere faced coursetheylaughed.Youmaybethinking,thisgirlmustbeall
manyobstacles.Notbeingabletogotothelabtoconducttheir workandnoplaybuthere’sasecret.Ifyoucanplanaheadand
projects,unabletocarryoutfieldworkresultinginfailureto makeavisualisationofyourtasks,youwillbesurprisedwith
achievetheirmilestones. the time you have leftforself-indulgence.Workand life
balanceisimportantforyourownwell-being,mentallyand
Personally,Ifound the ‘lockdown’period to be a difficult emotionally.Intheend,lifeismorethanaboutmereexistence,
chapterinmylife.Beingcoopedathomeandnotbeingableto itisaboutliving.Gooutandlive,getoutofyourcomfortzones
completemytargetedworkduetovariousrestrictionsdefinitely andstriveforexcellence.Ifyouputyourheartintosomething,
taughtmeathingortwo.Regardlessofwhatlifethrowsatyou, youwillworktoachieveitandnothingisgoingtostopyou,not
you willonlycome outstronger.Besidesmyprojectand evenaPANDEMIC!

9|SchoolofGraduateStudies,UniversitiPutraMalaysia

EmailAdress ServicesProvided

[email protected] ·Admissionapplication
[email protected] ·Defermentofadmission
·Englishrequirements
[email protected] ·Registrationfornewstudents
[email protected]
·Defermentofsemester
[email protected] ·Add/dropsubject
[email protected] ·Academiccandidature
[email protected] ·Supervision
[email protected] ·Examination
[email protected] ·Graduation(Transcript,SenateLetter,Certificate)
·ConfirmationLetter

·Financialassistance/scholarships
(GRF,SGRA,GRA,IGSS,PASS&BKW)

·UPM-ICP(Joint/Dual/Doubledegree)
·Internationalscholarships
·Financialassistanceforinternationalpresentation

andresearchattachment
·Mobilityprogramme

·Thesissubmissionforexamination
·Thesissubmissionafterthefinalexamination(vivavoce)
·Vivavocearrangement
·Appointmentofexaminers
·Publicationrequirements(GS-25)

·Students'generalwelfare
·Learningsupportprogramme
·SGSsocialnetworksites

·Tuitionfees
·Droppedstatusduetooutstandingfees

·NewapplicationforStudentPass
·Extension/RenewalPass
·New/RenewalDependantPassApplication

·UPM-IDstudentemail
([email protected])issues

[email protected] ·PutraBlast(contentorprofile)issues
·PutraVirtualID(PutraVID)

SchoolofGraduateStudies,UniversitiPutraMalaysia|10

gRADUATETIMES

SchoolofGraduateStudies
UniversitiPutraMalaysia