October 4th 2023, SERDANG - The School of Graduate Studies (SGS) has received a remarkable visit from Ms. Sena Galazzi, the Associate Programme Manager of The Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD), an international organization that has been providing research training, career development, and networking opportunities for women scientists throughout the developing world at different stages in their careers since 1998. OWSD has supported over 470 women scientists from science- and technology-lagging countries (STLCs) to undertake PhD research in the natural, engineering, and information technology sciences at a host institute in another developing country in the Global South, including Malaysia.

The visit was warmly welcomed by Prof. Dr. Zalilah (Dean of SGS), Prof. Dr. Hjh. Firdaus Mukhtar (Deputy Dean of Admissions, Institutional Relations, and Financial Aid Unit), and the staff members of the Institutional Relations Unit, as well as 12 OWSD PhD fellows who are actively undergoing their studies and research in various faculties of UPM.

Conducted at 2.30-5.30 PM, the meeting was divided into two separate sessions, with the first session held exclusively among OWSD Associate Programme Manager and SGS representatives. This brief session took place in the Dean's Meeting Room at 2.30-3.30 PM, objectively to discuss UPM experience and suggestions on how to make programme improvements from an institutional perspective of working with OWSD Fellows, apart from discussing existing synergies and identifying any possible future areas of collaboration in Malaysia and Southeast Asia generally.

The meeting was then shifted to Meeting Room 1, whereby 12 out of 18 active OWSD PhD fellows registered under Full-Time and Sandwich (part-time) modes in UPM were invited to provide their inputs regarding the fellowship. Throughout the two-hour session, various feedback and experiences were recorded to ensure a potential improvement in the fellowship management process.

The visit came to its end with a souvenir exchange and group photos with Ms. Sena Galazzi and the OWSD fellows. 

Date of Input: 09/10/2023 | Updated: 08/11/2023 | aslamiah