Malaysian Students to Visit OUS in November for In-Person Exchange

The Faculty of Information Science and Engineering at Okayama University of Science (OUS) held an international online seminar with Universiti Kuala Lumpur Malaysian Institute of Industrial Technology (UniKL MITEC) in Malaysia on October 7. Approximately 60 students from the two universities participated in the seminar, providing an opportunity for international academic exchange.

Four faculty members, two from each university, delivered lectures during the seminar. The session opened with a presentation by Professor Tetsuya Akagi, Dean of the Faculty of Information Science and Engineering at OUS, titled "Human History from Society 1.0 to 5.0 and Fundamental Technologies of Embedded Controllers for Mechatronics Supporting Society 4.0 and 5.0."

Associate Professor Mohd Ariff Afif Sani of UniKL MITEC, a graduate of the OUS Graduate School, then gave a presentation on the introduction of industrial robots. Professor Chonho Lee of OUS followed with a lecture covering the fundamentals of artificial intelligence (AI) and current technological trends. The final presentation was delivered by Dr. Mohamad Azmi, titled "Rethinking Green Logistics: From Individual Vehicles to the Entire Supply Chain."

Covering mechatronics, industrial robotics, AI, green logistics, and supply chain management, the seminar encouraged students to look beyond individual fields of specialization and consider how engineering technologies are interconnected and applied in society and industry.

First-year students from OUS also participated in the seminar. Attending four specialized lectures conducted entirely in English in a single day presented a considerable challenge for them.

Associate Professor Feifei Cho expressed her hopes for the students, saying, "Even if students cannot understand every word, they can use the slides to help them follow the content and rely on familiar technical terms to understand what is being discussed. Even when some parts are difficult to understand, the important thing is to keep listening until the end. I believe that accumulating these small experiences can become a first step toward future challenges, such as participating in international conferences, undertaking overseas training, or collaborating with engineers from other countries on development projects."

Students from Malaysia who participated in the online seminar are scheduled to visit OUS in November. The visit will provide an opportunity for students who had limited chances to interact online to meet face-to-face, share their experiences in engineering projects and university life, and build stronger friendships.

The online seminar marks the first step toward further international exchange between the two universities.