05DISCOVER UBDGraduands seated in the Chancellor Hall while adhering to social distancing requirements in accordance with Ministry of Health guidelines. Photo: Azhar IsmatThe Vice Chancellor also announced that Physical Sciences in UBD has also placed in the 301-400 band in the Times Higher Education World Rankings. Encompassing fields that include Chemistry, Mathematics and Geology, such an achievement would have a great impact on research in the university.His Majesty, in a titah during the ceremony, lauded UBD’s efforts in updating its Computer Science programme and launching the Bachelor Degree in Digital Sciences with an emphasis on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Data Science, and Cybersecurity. His Majesty expressed hope that the university’s digital initiatives will be in line with and supports the Digital Economy Masterplan 2025 which was recently introduced.With regards to innovation, His Majesty called for research in UBD to be sensitive to changes on various landscapes. His Majesty used Smart Farming and Personalised Medicine as examples of existing research conducted in UBD. His Majesty pointed out its importance to remain competitive.After the presentation of graduation scrolls, His Majesty viewed a special exhibition which featured a research project by graduating student Nurbazilah Haji Metussin on a “Hand Gesture Recognition” device. The project aimed to develop a Natural User Interface (NUI) using hand gesture recognition to control different devices and systems. The model was developed to control appliances in a smart home using a video camera and machine learning models. NUI is not only convenient but can help those with disabilities to carry out daily activities such as switching lights on and off, or sounding an alarm.This year’s convocation ceremony was organised and coordinated closely with the Ministry of Health, in view of the current COVID-19 situation. Pre-event precautionary measures included mandatory swab tests and self-quarantine instructions for all graduates, invited guests and the organising committee. On the day of the convocation, graduates and guests at the Chancellor Hall were required to undergo temperature and BruHealth app screening while parents and guardians were accommodated at satellite sites on campus where they could view the ceremony via live broadcasting.As part of the festivities, a virtual Convo Run 2020, co-organised by the Office of Alumni Relations and Advancement (OARA), UBD and the UBD Students Association (PMUBD) was opened to UBD students, staff, alumni and members of the public. Allowing for participants to run anywhere and at any time for a duration of one month, categories for the virtual run included a 3km Fun Run, 10km Run, 21km Half Marathon, 42km Full Marathon, and 100km Run Challenge.
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