Events

RCL-UM has been given an opportunity to visit Global Component Asia SDN. BHD. (GCA) in Subang to have a first-hand experience with the aircraft technologies that being manage by GCA. The meeting with the Chairman, Dato' Nonee Ashirin Dato' Mohd Radzi and her team was being done to discuss a potential coact between our institution with the commercial entity in expanding the local astronomy facilities in this country.

This important meeting marks the first inaugural partnership with a private sector and represents a valuable opportunity for both organizations to interact and collaborate effectively.

RCL-UM has been received an invitation to visit the Malaysian Meteorological Department (METMalaysia). This visit is an exciting opportunity for our institution to engage with METMalaysia and learn more about their vital work in the field of meteorology and climate science.

The objective of this meeting is to foster collaboration, knowledge exchange, and to deepen our understanding of the critical role of METMalaysia plays in providing weather forecasts, monitoring climate changes, and contributing to disaster management in Malaysia with the application of radio astronomy knowledges toward the development space weather studies. 

A special talk given by Prof. Dr. Zamri Zainal Abidin was held in National Planetarium, Kuala Lumpur. This talk focuses his journey on establishing a radio astronomy community in Malaysia. His efforts started back in 2005 when he travelled back to his home country as he completed his PhD in University of Manchester, United Kingdom.

This sharing session proves that his "Today's tears water tomorrow's gardens" in building this stellar community locally.

A total of three students has been arranged to visit China within the period to have training by the collaborators from China on configuring the LFRA equipment system. This visit is arranged to provide intensive and thorough training on operating the array system for the matching grant project.

This antenna system comprises 12 unit of Log-periodic Antenna shaped that fully equipped with a electrical measurement device called Mokulab that act as spectrum analyzer for the system and a ionospheric-beacon tracking+GNSS system. This system mainly focuses on the study of the solar activities and its effect toward the changes in the ionosphere of the Earth.

An inaugural lecture titled "Building Radio Astronomy Community: Challenges and Rewards was delivered by Prof. Dr. Zamri Zainal Abidin, the Head of Radio Cosmology Laboratory. His lecture provided a compelling and insightful overview of the challenges and rewards associated with building a thriving radio astronomy community. 

During his lecture, Prof. Dr. Zamri Zainal Abidin embarked on a journey of exploration, highlighting the importance of nurturing a cohesive and collaborative radio astronomy community. The lecture delved into the challenges that our community faces and unveiled the remarkable rewards that await those who actively engage in the cosmic quest for knowledge.

The Radio Cosmology Research Lab and the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) were coming together in person for the 3rd UM-NARIT Physical Bilateral Symposium after two years of online interactions. The symposium aims to discuss and advance ongoing research projects, exchange insights, and update each other on respective research activities. This event provides a valuable opportunity for both organizations to create a synergy physically and work together towards common research goals.

The first BURSTT (Bustling Universe Radio Survey Telescope in Taiwan) meeting was held virtually to discuss the collaboration between UM and ASIAA, Taiwan on building an FRB outrigger station in Malaysia as part of the BURSTT program. Led by Prof. Dr. Ue-Li Pen, ASIAA's scientific and technology team, represented by Chao-Te Li, Kai-Yang Lin, and Yao-Huan Tseng, shared their progress with the BURSTT Telescope. ASIAA is prepared to collaborate with UM, starting with a 6-month knowledge acquisition phase followed by another 6 months of involvement in data processing and analysis. This collaboration will strengthen Malaysia's position in FRB research.

A virtual meeting was recently held with Jung Taehyun, head of KASI's radio astronomy division, to discuss the possibility of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Universiti Malaya and KASI (Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute). This meeting marks the beginning of a series of discussions aimed at establishing an MOU between the two institutions.

The distinguished Prof. Dr. Ue-Li Pen, Director of Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics (ASIAA), paid a special visit to the Radio Cosmology Research Lab. The lab's postgraduate students seized the opportunity to showcase their work through engaging poster presentations, with each uniquely detailing their research. Notably, PhD student Affan Adly Nazri delivered an exceptional presentation, earning him the best poster award.

During the visit, Prof. Dr. Pen shared his insights on the latest developments in the field of Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs), making for an enlightening discussion, resulting in an MOU between UM and ASIAA on the making of a future FRB station in Malaysia.  The experience was valuable for both the students and the visiting professor, underscoring the importance of international collaborations in advancing the field of astronomy and astrophysics.

"Galaksi" is an upcoming astronomy-themed documentary that promises to be a one-of-a-kind experience. Hosted by Amirul Hazim Kamarulzaman, co-founder of Apadilangit, the series features 13 episodes of interviews with notable astronomy figures all over Malaysia, including Prof. Dr. Zamri Bin Zainal Abidin and Dr. Juan Carlos Algaba Marcos who will delve into topics ranging from Lohong Hitam (black holes) and Kehidupan Selain di Bumi (extraterrestrial life). But that's not all - at the end of each episode, there will be simple space-themed experiments and DIY projects for viewers to try in the comfort of their homes. The documentary is to be aired on the TV1 channel by Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM), possibly by the end of 2023 or early 2024, so be sure to keep an eye out for it!

For an exclusive sneak peek, check out behind-the-scenes photos and snippets of the documentary shoot at our very own Radio Cosmology Laboratory.

The Faculty of Science Three Minute Thesis is the faculty level competition that involves postgraduate students to present their thesis in just 3 minutes. On March 22nd, 2023, a PhD student from our lab, Shaiful Hassan, participated in the competition and competing with other 14 more students from 3 different departments in Faculty of Science. He presented his talk entitled "When Worlds Collide: The Surprising Impact of Environment on Galaxies". 

Tan Sri Zarinah Anwar, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of UM, together with the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), Prof Dr Yatimah Alias, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research and Innovation), Prof Dr Shaliza Ibrahim and the Faculty of Science's Dean, Prof Dr Zulqarnain Mohamed made a short visit to the Radio Cosmology Lab.

This e-Journal Club Talk was a special talk from an invited speaker, Dr. Stefan Duchesne, a researcher from CSIRO, covering his research topic "Diffuse Radio Emission In Galaxy Clusters: Observations with Australian Radio Telescopes".

The 1st Malaysian VLBI Workshop aims to formulate strategies to build a radio telescope in Malaysia, as a part of a global network of telescopes used for VLBI. The workshop included reports, lectures, discussions, and hands-on sessions.