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As part of the prestigious Australian Group of Eight, Monash has been well-known for their dedication to research, churning out world-class academia, hence establishing itself as one of the leading universities in Australia despite its young age. Its motto, Ancora Imparo, “I am still learning”, is reflective of this aspiration as the university expands itself on the global stage through their various campuses across the globe. 2008 is a year for celebrations at Monash University Sunway Campus, as Monash University marked its 50th Anniversary, while its Sunway campus also marked its 10 years of establishment in Malaysia.

A couple of years back, when MABIC interviewed the Dean of Science, Prof. Pua Eng Chong on the dedication and output of research in Monash University Sunway Campus, it was not surprising to feel the excitement as the completion of the new campus building held great promise for expansion and improvements to the young campus. Today, walking through the hallways of Monash, one could not help but be in awe of the modern, innovative architecture, and bustling campus grounds. Even the research labs seem to be humming with energy, unlike its predecessor where they were described as being “secret underground hives of activity”. Who could blame Prof. Pua for beaming like a proud father during the course of the interview as today, MUSC is known to be one of the foremost universities in the country.


Expanding On The Monash Advantage


As part of the prestigious Australian Group of Eight, Monash has been well-known for their dedication to research, churning out world-class academia, hence establishing itself as one of the leading universities in Australia despite its young age. Its motto, Ancora Imparo, “I am still learning”, is reflective of this aspiration as the university expands itself on the global stage through their various campuses across the globe. 2008 is a year for celebrations at Monash University Sunway Campus, as Monash University marked its 50th Anniversary, while its Sunway campus also marked its 10 years of establishment in Malaysia. A couple of years back, when MABIC interviewed the Dean of Science, Prof. Pua Eng Chong on the dedication and output of research in Monash University Sunway Campus, it was not surprising to feel the excitement as the completion of the new campus building held great promise for expansion and improvements to the young campus. Today, walking through the hallways of Monash, one could not help but be in awe of the modern, innovative architecture, and bustling campus grounds. Even the research labs seem to be humming with energy, unlike its predecessor where they were described as being “secret underground hives of activity”. Who could blame Prof. Pua for beaming like a proud father during the course of the interview as today, MUSC is known to be one of the foremost universities in the country.

“When we last spoke, I remember it was in the old (Sunway) campus, where we were sharing cramped quarters with Sunway (University) College,” said Prof. Pua. “It was just a year or so ago, and yet so much has happened since then.” Indeed. Since the last interview in May 2006, 5 batches of students have graduated from the campus. Some have decided to stay and further their knowledge capacity in research. Several have gained accolades including the Yang di-Pertuan Agong scholarship, Erasmus Mundus scholarships, and various research grants. Those who have entered the workforce are currently establishing themselves in various fields, including those outside of biotechnology and science.

	Prof. Pua Eng Chong

“I remember speaking to ex-students from Monash during the recent Monash Science alumni gathering held in October, and I usually like to ask them about how they have been doing. Some told me that they were working in various non-biotech related fields including finance and IT, which may be surprising to most, but I wasn’t surprised at all,” he said. “A degree in science is like a key to the world, and when you graduate, you do not need to have to go back into the same field, because what the undergraduate degree does is to provide you with a certain kind of mindset which allows you to troubleshoot, think out of the box and excel in whatever field you may be interested in.” It was also in this very same line of thought that the School of Science at MUSC decided to begin offering an open-ended degree to undergrads. To date, Science undergrads at MUSC are required to take a number of course units in order to fulfill the requirements in obtaining a Bachelor in a limited number of majors, including Biotechnology, Medical Bioscience, Environmental Science, and more recently Food Technology. However, when the open-ended bachelor policy is in place, students are allowed to take any course in the school, provided they fulfill the credit hours to graduate with an general Bachelor of Science, or even match subjects to fulfill a major. “The possibilities are limitless. We are also currently in talks with the other schools to allow cross-discipline studies, so as to allow students to be able to access the best of what Monash has to offer while accommodating for their interests as well.” This is truly the Monash advantage. In fact, the school has been successfully recruiting various experts in the region to join their flanks. Several academics that have recently joined the school are very well-known and well established in their respective fields. The aim, according to Prof. Pua, is to buck up on the research output in Malaysia contributing to R&D and national development.

“I hope to see Monash (University Sunway Campus) expanding and accelerating academically as well as research-wise. Our researchers have been awarded by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations and MUSC many research grants, of which spells millions of ringgit being put into expanding the research capacity of the campus. In this respect, researchers at Monash have been progressing exponentially as the number of research papers and journal articles have soared compared to previous years,” he gushed. “We have an edge, and we hope to keep ourselves right at the forefront as we begin to mature as a school”. These achievements are the results of excellent team work by all dedicated staff in the School. While I will be leaving Monash at the end of 2008, I am confident that the School will continue to do well under the new leadership in future.?





		By K. C. Liew for MABIC