Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB) launched the first UTB Science, Technology and Engineering Connect (UTB-STE Connect) 2023 at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Berakas yesterday.
The event was officiated by His Royal Highness Prince (Dr) Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah ibni His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, and the Pro-Chancellor of UTB.
His Royal Highness was greeted by Minister of Education Datin Seri Setia Dr Hajah Romaizah binti Haji Mohd Salleh, who is also the Chair of UTB Council and UTB Vice-Chancellor Datin Paduka Professor Dr Hajah Zohrah binti Haji Sulaiman.
The ceremony began with the recitation of Verses 57 and 58 of Surah Al-A’raf by UTB School of Business lecturer and first runner-up of the National Al-Quran Reading Competition for Adults for 1444 Hijrah Dr Siti Wardah binti Major (Rtd) Haji Abdul Rahman.
It proceeded with a welcoming speech from the Vice-Chancellor of UTB and a sabda from His Royal Highness, followed by the inauguration of the UTB-STE Connect 2023 and a multimedia presentation.
A plenary session was delivered by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Vice-Chancellor Professor Datuk Ir Ts Dr Ahmad Fauzi bin Ismail.
His Royal Highness then presented a token of appreciation to the Vice-Chancellor of UTM and received a pesambah designed by School of Design student Aiman bin Roslan.
The event, organised by Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP), and Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), UTB-STE Connect 2023, is a biennial congress that aspires to bring together luminaries from academia, science, research, engineering, industry, and stakeholders to discuss and exchange ideas to create a brighter future together in their respective fields.
Themed ‘Research and Application for a Better World’, it features a diverse programme structured around five conferences and three special feature events, offering a broad spectrum of topics and discussions.
Five conferences are included in the 9th Brunei International Conference on Engineering and Technology (BICET 2023); the 6th International Conference on Applied Computational Intelligence in Information Systems (ACIIS 2023); the 2nd International Conference on Business, Management and Information Systems (ICBMIS 2023); the 1st International Conference on Agrotechnology, Beverage and Food (ICABF 2023); and the ATU-Net 1st International Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Computing, Engineering, and Science Education (InvENT 2023).
Also featured are the 11th Asia Technological University Network (ATU-Net) Board Meeting; the 2nd UTB University Presidents’ Forum; and the UTB Women Leadership Forum.
The launching marked the beginning of the congress including the five conferences together with the UTB Women Leadership Forum 2023 and the 11th ATU-Net Board Meeting 2023.
The final day of the congress today will feature the Women Leadership Workshop alongside the concurrent five UTB-STE Connect 2023 conferences.
The UTB-STE Connect is sponsored by various organisations and agencies, with Brunei Press Sdn Bhd as the platinum sponsor; Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) as the gold sponsor; and Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd (BSP), Brunei LNG Sdn Bhd, and Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) as the silver sponsors.
Bronze sponsors are Netcom Computer House Sdn Bhd, Berakas Power Company Sdn Bhd (BPC), ITPSS Sdn Bhd, Datastream Digital Sdn Bhd (DST) and other sponsors include Progresif Sdn Bhd, Artesian Fresh Sdn Bhd, Rustique by Absolute, Flower Journal, Auto Haus, Eight Tea, Healthy Food BSB and Elpresso Coffee.
The ACIIS 2023 is co-sponsored by the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society, Malaysia Chapter and sponsored by the ASEAN University Network/Southeast Asia Engineering Education Development Network (AUN/SEED-Net) – Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Marking a testament to UTB’s commitment to fostering innovation, advancing knowledge dissemination, and promoting global collaboration, UTB-STE Connect 2023 provides an opportunity for thought leaders and change-makers to shape the future through the fields of science, technology and engineering. – Lyna Mohamad
