Steps to Become a

Research University

Published by the Counseling and Development Unit, SSSD Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS
 Editor’s Note

“Begin with an inspiration and move with a transformation”.

Nawal

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

1
Highlights
is transforming. Maybe not
exactly as how the Autobots and Decepticons do it (no,
the star-shaped design of the new academic buildings
will not appear out of thin air), but to the same degree
of importance nonetheless. Improvements can be seen
and is sought after in every area possible by UTP’s
tireless and forward-thinking administration. Hence we,
the students, as recipients of this privilege should
honour and uphold our end of the bargain by
continually seeking to also transform ourselves to
match the high standards not only expected, but
required of us. Among the targets UTP has laid out for
itself are being a research university, self-accreditation
and talent creation.
As we all know, UTP is relatively young when
compared to other Institutions of Higher Learning
(IHLs) in Malaysia. With that in mind, it is no wonder
why we have not achieved a research university status
yet, considering our up-to-par infrastructure and
curriculum. However, putting aside age, as it is only an
illusion, another factor as to why UTP has not reached
this Holy Grail is related to their main
clients, the students. The writer, being one himself,
admits to have never truly grasped the concept of a
research university as the concept itself has never been
fully explained to the students. What benefits does a
research university have in contrast to a ‘regular’
university and what are the requirements to be one are
among the queries puzzling students. If UTP really is
determined to ‘upgrade’ its status, then the role of
students is a crucial one and the troubles stated above
should be addressed first and foremost.
Self-accreditation is also on the list of goals and
relates to the average student. This is down to the
explanation placed upon it by UTP’s administration. It is
a welcomed sight to see the statement released by
Datuk Dr Zainal Abidin Hj Kasim, the man himself,
explaining on the upcoming Academic Performance
Audit or Institutional Audit conducted by the Malaysian
Qualifications Agency that also sheds light on UTP’s
quest for self-accreditation by 2014. According to the
Rector, only universities that are recognized as able to
manage efficiently their main activities and supporting
activities (such as infrastructure, finance, human
resources, , etc.) will be granted self- accreditation. With
it, UTP would be given the trust and responsibility to
ensure a guarantee of quality of its own academic
programs. In other words, UTP would hold an
autonomous power in the design, implementation,
monitoring of its academic programs. For a technical
university specializing in engineering and technology and
with close relation to the petroleum industry,
self-accreditation would without a doubt enhance UTP’s
commitment towards producing quality graduates.
Talent creation is the talk of the town and the
IHL community with fluency in science, technology and
innovation stressed; sounds similar to
‘well-roundedness’, right? Basically that is what it is, only
just put in a more flashy and commercial arrangement of
words. It has always been UTP’s mission to produce
well-rounded graduates and the journey still continues
as long as UTP remains standing. Among the recent
initiatives conducted include the creation of new
academic programs, such as the Bachelor of Technology
(Hons.) Petroleum Geoscience. UTP also has the longest
industrial training among IHLs. Though the stricter re-
quirements can be perceived as a trouble to the stu-
dents, especially by the students, its all for the
betterment of all involved.
Transformation is a natural process; a crawling
caterpillar becomes a butterfly flying gracefully in the air
and small tadpoles become magnificent frogs.
However, if not done correctly with the proper planning
and implementation, the end result can be far worse
than what we begin with. Like how the environment,
habitat and time plays a role in the butterfly and frog
analogy, we all play a role in ensuring the success of our
university’s transformation. With that: UTP-ians,
assemble!
2
Exclusive Interview

I
n this edition of the Inspirer, we were
fortunate to have an exclusive interview with our Rector,
Y. Bhg Datuk Dr Zainal Abidin B Hj Kasim. The interview
revolved around the university’s Transformation Plan
which had recently been implemented. The Transformation
Plan aims to transform UTP into a research university by the
year 2013. A brief academic background of our beloved Rec-
tor; Dr. Zainal Abidin Hj Kasim was a student of Malay College
Kuala Kangsar (MCKK), Malaysia and studied for his ‘A’ Levels
in Cardiff, United Kingdom from 1971 to 1973 under the
MARA
Scholarship programme. He received his B.Sc. in Chemistry
Polymer Science from Loughborough University of Technol-
ogy, UK in 1976 and later in 1980 under the PETRONAS
sponsorship, his M.Sc. in Petrochemical/Hydrocarbon
Chemistry from UMIST, UK. He did his PhD in Aromatisation of
LPG using Zeolite Catalysts at the Institut Francais Petrole (IFP)
in conjunction with the University of Paris VI. Enjoy the
following interview.
What is the transformation of UTP about and why is there a
need for such a change?
We have been in existence for the last 13 years. Initially we
spent most of our time for effort in developing the physical
structure and the academic undergraduate programmes and
that development was in accordance with the Master Plan
meant for the purpose. However, the university needs to be
dynamic. Whilst we are proud to produce quality graduates,
based on our superior academic performance, it is high time
that we now move on towards R&D. hence transforming UTP
from not only as a provider of quality graduates but also
developing breakthrough technology and aiming itself as a
Center of Excellence in R&D and to attain international
recognition by the year 2020. Along the way we have targeted
ourselves to be recognized as a Research University in the
country by 2012.
What did you expect from this initiative and what is the final
outcome?

When planning out this initiative, we had to take into consideration PETRONAS journey towards
being a global champion, the Malaysian higher education strategic direction, the technology
development for the future and the way sustainable development should be managed. A team was formed to
develop a detailed action plan for UTP’s journey towards world class. In the process, they revisit the current
researches, recommended new ones and develop technology roadmaps for all research areas. They also
determined the required infrastructure such as office facilities, equipment and reviewed other processes for
operational excellence. In the final stage, an effective implementation program was proposed. At the end of
the study, a total of five technology roadmaps were proposed and accepted namely Enhancement of Oil
Recovery, Deepwater, Carbon Dioxide Management, Green Technology and Nanotechnology.

3
Exclusive Interview

When will these plans be implemented and who will be What are the key successes of this transformation plan?
the key players?
One of the key success factors of a university is the
The implementation program is already in place. It is quality of the graduates produced whilst UTP and its
critical for the TP’s (Transformation Plan) success, management has and will continue to provide their best
everyone at UTP has to play aide. The commitment also
in nurturing the students, the latter must also play their
has to come from the top management. The Rector will
drive the overall plan and he will be assisted by the role well. Undergraduate students should continue to
TP Secretariat headed by En. Solihuddin bin Ahmad strive for excellence in the academic performance as well
Nasaruddin, UTP’s Registrar. The themes have been as building the right qualities through co-curricular
identified and each one will be championed by a member activities to ensure they are well demanded upon
of the Senior Management and they are; graduation. Postgraduate students must have passion to
drive and sustain the research they are carrying out. Their
Leadership Champion: findings should be published in well known journals that
Prof Ir Dr Ahmad Fadzil Mohamad Hani would help boost our universities standing in R&D.
Competency Champion:
AP Dr. Hilmi Mukhtar
Research Culture Champion:
Tn. Hj. Mohd Noor Rosli Baharom
Research Performance Champion:
AP Dr. A Rashid A Aziz

Each of the champions will be assisted by a Functional

Manager and a few Change Agents. The Research
Enterprise Office is now called Research and Innovation to
reflect its expanded role. The Research Leaders who are What is your personal hope for this entire
responsible to drive each of the focused areas will report
transformation plan?
to this office.

What are the challenges do you expect in implementing
this transformation?
UTP can be considered as a fairly new university having
established about 13 years ago. One of the main
challenges is to recruit and retain experienced academic
staff to lead researches and to mentor the younger ones.
The current staff has carried out the functions well and
we hope to attract more. In the meantime about 70
percent of our staff are pursuing their postgraduate
studies locally and overseas. Another challenge is limited
funds. We cannot be too dependent on our
parent company. Efforts are being taken to collaborate
with external parties in research. To carry out credible
research one needs quality postgraduate students. We
anticipate about 1200 postgraduate
students in two years time to carry out research in the
area we have focused on. Whilst it is not difficult to
attract overseas students, the challenge remains winning
local students so that the knowledge and experience will
remain in the country. I hope more UTP graduates would
stay on to further their studies.
This is not an ordinary change but a transformation one.
Five technology roadmaps were accepted for
implementation, with it other potential areas were
identified. Some of these are meant to support
PETRONAS’s journey towards global championship whilst
other are related to sustainable development. Its
implementation requires the commitment at all levels.
I hope all the staff and students will support this initiative
undividedly and to play their respective role effectively.
The success of the university lies on all of us. I would like
to see our aspiration to be recognized as a research
university in the country be a reality by 2013 and as a
world renowned centre of excellence by 2020. This calls
for creating a centre of excellence encompassing a
positive mindset. We must have a sense of urgency to
transform if we are
to achieve our aspirations.

“WE MUST HAVE A SENSE OF URGENCY TO TRANSFORM

IF WE ARE TO ACHIEVE OUR ASPIRATIONS.”
~ Datuk Dr Zainal Abidin B Hj Kasim

4
The Observer
I
n a few years to come UTP envisions to
become one of the most prominent research
universities in the world. A transformational plan has
been put to work under a very hardworking steering
committee consisting of lecturers and staffs. This com-
mittee has been proposing and monitoring changes
needed in critical areas such as work values, pro-
gramme syllabus and facilities for the past few months.
They have a tight schedule to raise the quality of this
university to international standards.
Some might think that, it is the university that
is changing and is of no concern to the
students. Sadly, they are wrong. The transformation
that UTP is undertaking now is a major signal
indicating that students should be adaptable to the
changes proposed along with it. Those who cannot
cope will be left behind while the rest will push
forward, advancing together with the
university. The change is also showing the
determination of the management to increase the
quantity of quality students on par with the mission
and vision of the university.
5
The most important thing is students too
need to transform as rapid as the university
itself. We would not want multi-million dollar
facilities but a timid human capital. Only parallel
advancement in both areas will bring us to the
vision of becoming a leading university in
engineering and technology. Advancement in human
capital refers to the development of students in
areas such as competency level, soft skills, technical
skills, and strong basic fundamentals. These are things
that define what students should do to transform
themselves too. The success of all the changes brought
forth, will only be determined by looking at the success
of the students. This shows that student is the driving
force in this transition phase to become a well-known
research university.
In order to run parallel with the transformation
plan, there are two omnipotent steps that should be
taken not just for the graduating final year students,
but by all students in general. The first important step
is to embrace a paradigm shift in viewing academic
matters as crucial and top priority. Right now, most of
us are more concern with grades that later can never
reflect how strong the knowledge and skill acquired to
obtain such grades. Some are proud of getting high
scores but behind it there is a huge scam of plagiarism.
We need to change this view to a more effort-based
and not result-based perspective.
The Observer
Grades does not really matter. The most
important thing is to view academic session as a
platform to attain knowledge and skills to the
maximum. Meaning to say that, we are willing to
take proactive steps in wanting to know everything
even though exceeding the syllabus set for us. This
desire of information is the thing that will drive
a life-long learning attitude among students which is
much needed in future career development.
Thus, those who do not learn will be losing out to
those who do not care about grades but are thirsty
for knowledge.
Nonetheless, some will argue that life in
university is not just about studying. We need to
expose ourselves to things that cannot be learnt
from class such as teamwork, professionalism and
management skills. This is true in a sense but we
also cannot run away from the fact that we will later
work in a highly specialised field be it engineering or
technology. These specialised fields need
specialised knowledge and even more than that
when we include the fact that those fields are also
changing from time to time. In the end, we have to
go back to the basic understanding that we gained
from the lessons in university. At that moment, then
we will start to regret not understanding well our
studies in our university lives. Therefore, in a long
term career investment, investing in skills and
knowledge brings more benefit than those
"non-classroom values".
The second step is to apply the new
paradigm into efforts to achieve it; attitude
change. Personal mission without the embodiment
through actions and will power will fade. Thus, to
survive along with the changing university and the
world, we should start to change our attitudes. We
always have this saying, ‘First world facility, but
third world mentality’. Ultimately, this statement
will remain valid until we change our behaviour
to accompany the structural advantages that we
have. In terms of facility, inarguably UTP is
well equipped at every department but we have
much more to do in terms of human resource.
Students must embody the attitude of
striving for the best. In any work and task, we must
do our best to make it worthy of our reputation and
pride. This is because in whatever that we do, it
reflects our self-image. The greatness that we
achieve in our work will not only bring satisfaction
but most importantly, we are able to learn more
things along the way. This also brings us to the idea
of being professional in our work so that it will be
of a great quality and distinguishable from others.
Leave plagiarism away as it only taints our
efforts and could hinder further exploration
of knowledge if not unethical. We must also seek
every opportunity for us to know more so that
we become really good at what we do.
In reality, both steps need personal
realization and a strong desire to be excellent.
Stephen Covey in his book ‘7 Habits of Highly
Effective People’, mentioned that creating and
implementing anew habit is not easy. Thus, we must
be really determined to sweat ourselves and make
use of our lives in this university to the fullest. In the
west, they are already at top notch in facility
advancement as well as human development too.
To surpass them, we must strive even better and it
all begins with the success of UTP students to adapt
with the changing university and the changing world
too.

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Covey, Stephen R.,
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
6
Interview Articles
Motivation

7
Motivation Articles
Interview

Quiz answer for

last edition:
You want to know the result of your Quiz??
Find out the ANSWER in our next edition.
Fire
A cold
 What has fingers but can't type?  What has a mouth but never
smiles?
A nose
 What has ears but can't hear? A match
 What has a face but no head?
Towel
 What has arms but can't hug?
 What has leaves but isn't a tree? Darkness
 What has a head and a foot but no Stars
body?  What has eyes but can't see?
An Onion
 When is a car not a car?  What has legs but can't walk? A secret

8
Aspiration

Firstly, I am very grateful to be given this golden opportunity to

share about me and my valuable life experience with my beloved UTP
community. 5 years of experience being an undergraduate in UTP had
enriched me with various life experiences and vast knowledge. It turned
me into a wiser and marketable person in the outside world today. I’m
very proud to proclaim as a UTP student as UTP is a one of the best
engineering university in its class. UTP offers world-class quality education
with sophisticated facilities and best lectures from worldwide. This
conducive learning environment had assisted me to excel in my
academics, as I was able to maintain a first class honor degree results. To
keep a good balance between curricular and co-curricular I also have
participated in many activities and hold many positions in both university
organizations and external organizations. Such as the position of Director
of Promotion & Publication, Secretary, Facilitator of PETRONAS PEMADAM
program, Rotaract Interact Conference Group Discussion Leader, Bhangra
SIVA SANKARA ARUDRA dancer, Indian Orchestra Musician and 21 km marathon athlete
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING representing Malaysia and PETRONAS in Austria.

One of the most memorable period
throughout my 5 years of undergraduate is my 6
months internship program in BRP-Powertrain
(ROTAX), Gunskirchen, AUSTRIA. My internship had
taught me lots of lessons about life and
interpersonal skills that highly required to be a
successful figure in future. I was among the first
batch to be selected to undergo industrial training
in this company. Briefly about my intern company,
BRP-Powertrain is an international market leading
company in the development and production of
4-stroke and advanced 2-stroke ROTAX engines.
Throughout my internship period, I was
assigned with two major projects, which were the
Absorber Project and FORTRAN Project. Both these
projects were very challenging since they require
good background knowledge in engine testing and
troubleshooting, which I did not acquire in
university. Absorber Project was a troubleshooting
and designing project and FORTRAN Project was
test bench data analyzing software troubleshooting
project. I belief that nothing is impossible in this
world as long as required effort and interest is
placed in the particular job done. Hence, with this
belief and by being positive, I accepted both these
projects as a project leader and carried out them
with supervision from my supervisor. At the end of
my internship period, both of these projects were
successfully completed. These projects trained me
well in becoming a good project leader and it also
helped to build my confidence level to not give up
easily to any challenges faced in life.
Adapting to new lifestyle and new working
environment was a very demanding issue during the
initial period of the internship period. Such as
adapting to their language (Deutsch), the 4 seasonal
climates, the food, the rules and regulations of the
country, the living style and office working styles.
These issues had lead me to lots challenges in the
early days, such as in dealing with people or making
new friends and even to purchase groceries from
stores, since Deutsch is the officially spoken
language and English is rarely used. However, with
the assistance from my office colleagues and hostel
mates, I was able to pick up some basic Deutsch,
which was good enough for me to survive in the
community for the first few months till I could adapt
myself fully to the environment.
Quote

9
Aspiration

Besides that, dealing with the European

working lifestyle was one of my major issue that I find
challenging to deal with in the early days. In this
Completely dedicated to improve your
company, every job is done very systematically,
efficiently and by following fully the rules and
English
regulations strictly. Even, their expectations on interns
was high as they expect us to perform outstandingly by
being creative and innovative besides complying strictly Reverie
to the time constraints set. This was quite of a
demanding challenge, as I had to apply my fullest in  A state of dreamy meditation or fanciful musing.
getting jobs done to meet the management demands.
These hardships have trained me to be a very flexible She is lost in reverie.
and adaptable person and I belief this experience will
 A daydream.
help me to survive in any country that I will visit for
courier purposes or personal reasons in future. I would  A fantastic, visionary, or impractical idea.
like to take this opportunity to thank the PETRONAS
team in the host-company and my friends who was very They are reveries that will never come to
caring and provided me with great hospitability to fruition.
undergo this adapting process smoothly.
 An instrumental composition of a vague and
As a conclusion, I had the most memorable and dreamy character.
life enriching period by being 5 years in UTP. I belief I
had developed well academically and non-academically
with the full assistance from the lectures, UTP Eke
community, my friends and with all the learning
opportunities awarded to me throughout this period. I  To gain or supplement with great effort or
would proudly say UTP is the reason that caused me to difficulty.
be what I am today, as a well-rounded person. For this,
I would like to convey my heartiest gratitude to our He eked out an income by working two jobs
honorable Datuk Dr. Zainal Abidin Hj Kasim and the UTP
management for their great leadership in producing  To increase or make last by being economical.
well-rounded students and in making UTP as one of the
best engineering university in this region. I would like to
apologize for any of my shortcomings throughout my 5
years of journey in UTP. Best wishes to all my friends in Equanimity
UTP for the upcoming and challenges waiting ahead.
‘Be positive, think positive and u will see positive  Evenness of mind; steadiness of mind under
stress; calmness; composure.
results’.
For one whose mind has been notoriously
troubled, Brian Lara is at least retaining a
sense of equanimity.

He accepted their problems with composure

and she with equanimity.

Info from :
http://dictionary.reference.com/

10
Quickies

STARTING A RESEARCH
By: Siti Sara Lyana Binti Badly Sham
3rd Year 1st Semester Student -CVE

The university is undergoing a transformation from a Teaching-University to a Research University. This

transformation demands the surrounding population to be able to adapt and walk along the same phase of the
transformation. The university has done great effort by providing a larger quota for postgraduate studies, open up
research-industry relationship and many more. Students should grab this challenge and contribute to the university.
Consideration on pursuing the postgraduate studies should be made. No longer be the second choice of students
after failing to be employed upon graduation, now Postgraduate Studies need to be treated as a medium for those
who possess real passion for knowledge. In this edition, The Inspirer exposes the readers to few basic steps to start a
research.

LEARN FROM THE EXPERTS

Readings need guidance or else you might end up
having the wrong message to take home. Refer to
experts for explanation and start a discussion
which will help in developing your research
credibility. It is even better if you could have the
explanation from the researcher himself on the
thesis. Going for various research papers or
thesis presentation will be very helpful. For
better learning, actively ask questions or give
feedbacks and take note of the information
resources mentioned for future references.
Have the Right Attitude
Everything starts from you. Eventhough you are
technically skilled, it doesn’t promise you a good
ending of research. Develop a positive attitude
throughout the research. This is vitally important to
keep the focus on the research from being
distracted by any obstacle. Sometimes students
might experience self-doubt which may lead them
to quit on the research. Be proactive, stay focus and
love what you do. Have in mind that great passion
produces great work.
A Pen and Notebook as Your Best Friends
Humans easily forget and researchers are not
being excluded. Having a pen and a notebook is
essential in keeping the research-related items for
regular review purpose. You should also consider
having them at all time with you to note down
important points or ideas which might come and
disappear in a blink of eyes.
Be Familiar with Research Papers
Reading is the way to make a research paper
familiar to you. There are vast difference in
reading a text book and reading a research paper.
Text book usually provides readers with impor-
tant points to be given attention and explanation
is provided for better understandings. On the
other side, research paper requires readers to be
skilled enough in extracting the information from
the research paper. Besides, readers should be
thinking critically while reading. They should ask
questions such as “Is this findings applicable?”,
“What improvement could be done to make it
better?”, “Can the research be extended?” and
others. This practice will help readers in working
on their own research paper in the future.
Communicate with Your Work
Research process has to run simultaneously
with the writing of the research paper. This is
the way to communicate with your work where
you have to enjoy on what you are doing. When
you start to sit down and concentrate on the
writing, you will get into deep thinking and you
will discover the lack in the research and think
f o r
improvement. Writing do not only act as a check
and balance to the research but it is also acting
as a driving force to keep the momentum of
whole process is at its correct phase. Have
passion in your writings as it is what you plan to
share with others. Well, even the greatest ideas

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