Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) held its 34th Convocation Ceremony to celebrate the graduating students from the class of 2022 at UBD’s Chancellor Hall on Monday, 22 August 2022. His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, Chancellor of UBD and His Royal Highness Pengiran Muda Mahkota Pengiran Muda (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, Pro Chancellor of UBD consented to attend the ceremony.
This year saw a total of 1,028 graduates, consisting of 18 PhD graduates, 296 Master graduates, 703 Bachelor graduates from the tenth batch of UBD’s distinctive GenNEXT programme, as well as 11 Diploma recipients. PhD and Bachelor Degree graduates received their certificates from His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam during the morning session, while Masters and Diploma recipients received their certificates in the afternoon from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
Receiving His Majesty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince during the respective sessions was UBD Vice Chancellor Dr Hazri Haji Kifle. After the presentation of graduation certificates, His Majesty and the His Royal Highness the Crown Prince then consented to view a special exhibition which featured the use of technology to elevate Bruneian culture and art.
This year’s Design & Creative Industries (DCI) graduate Abdul Aliff Azizi Abd Rahim from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) integrated Augmented Reality (AR) in the “Rhythm of Brunei” photobook. It allows readers to learn about the culture of Brunei Darussalam while enjoying the beauty of Bruneian traditional music through animated elements.
Muhammad Irfan Awang, a 4th Year undergraduate also from the DCI programme at FASS, featured his capstone project “19th Century Brunei”. The two-part art project incorporated a painting and a Virtual Reality (VR) environment depicting what Brunei Darussalam’s Kampong Ayer could have looked like in the 1800s. It utilised Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) to create the immersive environment and for visual reference to create the painting. The project referenced existing records that describe the physical appearance of Kampong Ayer back then, from how the houses look like as well as how they were structured throughout the village.
In view of the current COVID-19 situation where Brunei Darussalam has entered the Endemic Phase in June, graduates, invited guests and the organising committee were required to perform Antigen Rapid Tests (ART) which were uploaded to the BruHealth app on the day of the event prior to entering the Chancellor Hall. Masks were also mandatory to be worn throughout the ceremony.