Newsletter July 2014 - Vietnamese

Newsletter July 2014
Newsletter 02/2014
Contents
1. News from the Campus
2
New Members of VGU’s Management
2
Visit of Fujitsu Delegation in Binh Duong
3
News from VGU’s Laboratories
4
VGU's Recruitment Efforts Paying Off
5
3D Printer - RepRapPro Huxley Project
6
EEIT Graduates Won Scholarship
6
2. News from Research, Conferences and Workshops
7
Asia Pacific Journal of Computational Engineering (APJCEN)
7
Vietnam Engineering Education Conference
9
Research Article Published in “Computers & Mathematics with Applications “ 10
Mid-Term Review in Hanoi
11
VGU Delegation Visits German Universities
12
3. Events
14
Friends and Supporters of VGU Founded Association
14
Unmanned Vehicle Race
15
VGU's Open Day 2014
15
First Vietnamese German Cultural Festival
16
First VGU Blood Donation
17
VGU Soccer Cup
17
4. Staff News
Welcoming New Staff
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Newsletter July 2014
1.
News from the Campus
New Members of VGU’s Management
The Presidential Board has had a new member since March 2014: Dr. Nguyễn Lê Hưng, who is VGU’s new
Vice-President for Research, joined us on 3rd March 2014 and reports directly to the President. Dr. Hung
earned his PhD from the University of New South Wales (Australia), specializing in Food Science and
Technology. From 2007 to 2012 Dr. Hung was Vice Rector at Nong Lam University in Ho Chi Minh City,
responsible for International Programs and Research Management. Before joining VGU, he worked as Senior
Lecturer at the School of Biotechnology, International University in Ho Chi Minh City.
From left to right: Dr. Ha Thuc Vien, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Anh Thi,
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Mallon, Dr. Lê Công Trứ, Dr. Nguyễn Lê Hưng.
VGU also has two new deans to support the university’s management. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Anh Thi is the
new Dean of the Engineering Faculty. He earned his PhD Degree from the University of Poitiers (France),
specializing in Aerodynamics. He joined VGU on 01st Mar 2014 and reports directly to Presidential Board.
Before joining VGU, Dr. Thi was the Director of the Information Technology Park and Director of the
Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Center, both from Vietnam National University.
Dr. Lê Công Trứ, the new dean of the Economics and Management Faculty, earned his PhD Degree from the
RMIT University (Australia), specializing in Business Information Technology. He joined VGU on the 1st of
March and reports directly to the Presidential Board. Before joining VGU, Dr. Tru was the Head of the
Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics, at Nong Lam University.
The official inauguration ceremony for all three took place on 7th April at the Binh Duong campus.
Once again, we wish them a warm welcome to VGU!
Karina Scholz, PR-Officer
Page 2 of 18
Newsletter July 2014
Visit of Fujitsu Delegation in Binh Duong
On 3rd June, a delegation from Fujitsu, the well known Japanese multinational information technology
equipment and services company, came to visit VGU in Binh Duong. The delegation was led by the Chairman
and Director of Fujitsu, Mr. Michiyoshi Mazuka, from the Fujitsu Ltd. Headquarter in Tokyo. He was
accompanied by Mr. Matsuura Taro, General Director of Fujitsu Vietnam Ltd. (Hanoi Head Office), Dr. Motoi
Okuda, Executive Architect Technical Computing Solutions Unit, Fujitsu Limited (Tokyo), Mr. Sei Kudo, Head
of Legal & Compliance, Fujitsu Philippines, Inc. (Philippines) and Mr. Ho Cong Huan, ERP Consultant, ERP
Solutions, Fujitsu Vietnam Ltd. (Vietnam).
At VGU’s campus, the guests were firstly
welcomed by President Prof. Dr. Jürgen Mallon
and Vice-President Dr. Nguyen Le Hung. Prof.
Mallon briefly introduced VGU's current
development and strategic development plan,
followed by an introduction of the Computational
Engineering program by Dr. Jörg Franke. Dr. Tuan
introduced the Traffic and Transport program and
the Vietnamese-German Transport Research
Center (VGTRC). Dr. Carsten Reise gave a
presentation about the program Global
Production Engineering and Management.
Group picture with Fujitsu and VGU associates after the visit
The guests were impressed that VGU's study programs and research initiatives are very much involving in the
IT and super-computing technologies that Fujitsu is very advanced at.
Mr. Michiyashi Mazuka thanked the President of VGU for inviting him to VGU, and gave a presentation on
the history of Fujitsu, its advanced technologies, and the company's forward looking strategies, including
possibilities for cooperation with VGU. His speech was followed by an introduction to Fujitsu's Vision and
Innovative Initiatives by Mr. Taro Matsuura (including a Vision for Human Centric Intelligent Societies, Cloud
Technology Service, Supercomputer Technology, Big Data, IT applications in Healthcare and Agriculture, and
an Initiative on Smart Cities and Better Transport Management - Utilizing Big & Real-Time Traffic Date for
Solving Transport Issues). Dr. Motoi Okuda introduced Technical Computing developed by Fujitsu and
concluded with an assessment that technical computing solutions are now expanding into numerous fields.
The meeting concluded with an agreement that there is a great opportunity for collaboration and
cooperation between Fujitsu and VGU in key aspects, such as the development of smart transport solutions
(for Vietnam), or the utilization of High Performance Computers (HPC) for simulations in the research fields
of Computational Engineering. Also VGU could contribute to the optimization of Fujitsu’s plants in Vietnam
by applying the methods of lean and sustainable manufacturing. Fujitsu plans to visit VGU again in a couple
of months for further discussion on technical collaboration and cooperation opportunities.
Vũ Anh Tuấn (Dr.Eng.)
Executive Manager, Vietnamese-German Transport Research Center (VGTRC)
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Newsletter July 2014
News from VGU’s Laboratories
In the summer term 2014 the seven lab rooms of the Binh Duong campus were prepared for installation of
new equipment and future operation. The students of the programs Electrical Engineering and Information
Technology as well as Mechatronics and Sensor Systems Technology have taken possessions of the labs step
by step.
Laboratory visit with Prof. Mallon and Dr. Vien in Binh Duong
President Prof. Mallon and Vice President Dr. Vien visited Binh Duong to learn about students' work and
future steps for completion of the labs. The function of the labs is very important as they provide the means
for students to gain hands-on practice and prepare for future jobs. The President emphasized the
importance of the labs, especially in light of the increasing number of students and the implementation of
additional programs.
Machine for Production of Electronic Boards
After the start of the laboratory for
Automation and Robotics (see last
newsletter issue), the laboratory for RF
Engineering and Electronics was the
second of the seven labs to become
functional for students' practical work. In
addition to the experiments related to
classroom instruction, research work will
be done in this lab. For this purpose a
machine was installed for the production
of electronic boards. The picture shows
students improving the design of a
special electronic board on the
Students with the machine for production of electronic boards
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connected computer.
Newsletter July 2014
First Student's Experiments in the Lab of Power Engineering
The laboratory for supporting coursework
for the class “Fundamentals of Power
Engineering” is ready for our students.
Two experiments with transformers and
electric machines will take place for the
program Electrical Engineering and
Information Technology. The series of
experiments with 17 groups of students
will start in the next days. In the
accompanying picture students are
shown preparing for experiments by
checking the control unit of the
Students are checking the control unit of the experimental setup
experimental setup and changing the
speed of the D. C. generator.
Prof. Dr. Joachim Lämmel, Academic Coordinator for M.Sc. Mechatronics &Sensor Systems Technology
VGU's Recruitment Efforts Paying Off
The master study program Computational Engineering has just recruited Assoc. Professor
Nguyen Xuan Hung (PhD in Belgium) on 1st April to become a senior lecturer of the
program. With his long-term experience in teaching and doing research in Vietnam as
well as his strong international academic network, we believe that professor Hung will be
able to contribute successfully to the development of the study program and to VGU. We
hope more professors will join VGU in the near future through our lecturer recruitment
process.
We also got one new senior full-time lecturer, Dr. Le Nhat Hanh (PhD in Taiwan), for the
study program SEPT MBA on 1st April 2014. We wish her a successful start and are looking
forward to her contributions for further development of SEPT MBA.
On three days 05th, 06th and 08th May candidates for lecturer positions for the bachelor
study program Computer Science gave trial lectures and were interviewed.
Professor Kurt-Ulrich Witt from our partner university (University of Applied Sciences
Bonn-Rhein-Sieg in Germany) was on-site at VGU's campus to support the selection
process. Representatives from the University of Applied Sciences Cologne, Germany, also
witnessed the trial lectures and interviews via online media. After three days of selection,
the recruitment committees decided to short-list the two best potential candidates for
further consideration; including one to become the academic coordinator.
Assoc. Professor
Nguyen Xuan Hung
Dr. Le Nhat Hanh
In the coming months there will be trial lectures for master study programs Transport and Traffic and
Sustainable Urban Development. We will keep all staff updated about the status of our lecturer recruitment.
Ms. Hoang Thu Nga, Officer for Lecturer Recruitment Process and Professorship Appointment
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Newsletter July 2014
3D Printer - RepRapPro Huxley Project
During a four-month-project four students from the master program Global Production Engineering and
Management (GPEM) gained experience with 3D printing using the RepRap 3D printer. RepRap is a low-cost
3D-printer that can “print itself”: All plastic parts of the
printer can be printed out by the printer. This new
technology is very promising, especially in Vietnam.
This idea behind the concept is called open
manufacturing and is similar to the concept of open
source software, in that designs are made publicly
available for anyone to use and modify without having
to pay royalties. VGU’s partner university for the GPEMprogram, the TU Berlin, provided a RepRap printer for
the students to gain practical experience.
The four students being busy with the printer
The project was conducted by GPEM-coordinator Dr. Carsten
Reise. The students started to experiment with the RepRap
printer, trying out the machine and testing all the special
features. They printed a small model of the Empire State
Building, for example. After that, they discovered that the
machine is self-replicating. They learned that this idea makes
the RepRap printer (almost) freely available for the benefit of
everyone. The students created a presentation of their project
for all the GPEM students of class 2013. In the future, they plan
to work together with the VGU roboclub printing out plastic
parts for the robots.
Anyone who would like to know more about the RepRapPro
Huxley Project is encouraged to contact the group
[email protected].
One example for 3D-Printing
via
email
Contact:
3d-printing-
Ms. Karina Scholz, PR-Officer
Suong Nguyen, Ninh Nguyen, Lam Nguyen, Hoc Vo (GPEM students)
EEIT Graduates Won Scholarship
Two graduates of VGU’s study program Electrical Engineering and Information Technology (EEIT) won a
scholarship of the German Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan Quy
and Mr. Nguyen Tat Dat now have the chance to do an internship of four months in Germany and after that
to apply for a regular job and get a “blue card” of the European Union.
The GIZ is a federal enterprise and supports the German Government in achieving its objectives in the field
of international cooperation for sustainable development. The GIZ is also engaged in international education
work around the globe. The Scholarship is a new component in the scope of the “Make it in Germany
Program” for University Graduates in Engineering/Technology fields, especially in Informatics, Construction,
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Newsletter July 2014
Energy, Electric/Mechanics, and Machine building/mechatronics. The participants are required to be less
than 31 years old, have graduated from a recognized Vietnamese/foreign university or German university
and must show a very good command of English and A2 level in German. The participants are sponsored for
a German course in Vietnam for three months and then fly to Germany in September for a four month
internship with salary.
Karina Scholz, PR-Officer
2.
News from Research, Conferences and Workshops
Asia Pacific Journal of Computational Engineering (APJCEN)
Since April, the Asia Pacific Journal on Computational Engineering (APJCEN)
has been affiliated with VGU and has had a secretariat located on VGU’s
Campus. In the following text, Prof. Nguyen Dang Hung, the Editor-In-Chief,
explains the reasons for and the history of APJCEN:
Cover of the journal
During my long career of 40 years as a researcher and professor at the
University of Liège, Belgium, I was always interested in starting a scientific
journal in my field. However, due to lack of time, I had to put on hold this
desire. Indeed, for the last 20 years, I carried out the dual functions of
permanent full professor in Belgium, and founder professor coordinator for
the two Centers of International Inter-University Master’s Degree Training in
Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Vietnam.
It is only after my retirement, after I returned to Vietnam to become academic advisor of the CompEng
program, Vietnamese-German University, and senior scientific and academic advisor at the Ton Duc Thang
University, Ho Chi Minh City, that I have had the opportunity to start working on this idea, and have received
encouragement, particularly from the authorities of the latter university. My long career as professor and
researcher from Vietnam has made me acutely aware of the underdevelopment of the scientific research,
and especially the state of scientific publication, in Vietnam and the need for an international scientific
journal in my own domain of activities that focuses on developments in the Asia-Pacific region.
My hope is that APJCEN will help young researchers from ASEAN countries, and especially from Vietnam, to
participate more in the international scientific activities.
When the Asia Pacific Journal of Computational Engineering (APJCEN) was opened for submissions in 2013, I
was aware of the difficulties caused by the current competition in this sector for scientific information,
especially since the Open Access formula is not yet very attractive to researchers in the world.
Nevertheless, encouraged by the support of more than fifty leading scientists from around the world and
especially the partnership agreement of the famous editor Springer, the advent of APJCEN has finally
emerged as you see today.
The Asia Pacific Journal on Computational Engineering (APJCEN) has set out to be an international
multidisciplinary peer-reviewed publication devoted to disseminating research and developments in
theoretical and applied mechanics.
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Newsletter July 2014
APJCEN constitutes a forum for researchers to present their original work and scholarly reviews of solid
mechanics, fluid mechanics, structural mechanics, material modeling, multi-physics and thermodynamics
with significant computational components. The journal will adopt a multidisciplinary approach to link
physical, experimental, and mechanics with the development and practice of computational engineering.
The journal is committed to providing comprehensive and innovative techniques in computational
engineering.
The regional denomination means only that the secretariat team is located in Asia, but you may recognize
that the list of editorial board consists of renowned scientists from around the world! This dissemination of
computational methods and their applications should have a positive impact on research and education at
universities, as well as developments in research institutions and industries throughout the Asia Pacific
Region, and particularly in Vietnam. We hope that the journal will attract young researchers to publish their
results and motivate them to use computational methods and software in various fields of science and
engineering.
Since April 2014 APJCEN has had a secretariat composed of two VGU’s young professors and official address
at the VGU’s Campus. I take this opportunity to thank my colleague Prof. Dr. Klaus Hackl, Lehrstuhl für
Mechanik – Materialtheorie Ruhr-Universität Bochum, coordinator of the CompEng program for his help and
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Mallon, President of VGU, for his clear vision of scientific development and his warm
welcome to APJCEN.
Prof. Nguyen Dang Hung, Editor-In-Chief
Academic Advisor of CompEng Program, Vietnamese-German University
Page 8 of 18
Newsletter July 2014
Vietnam Engineering Education Conference
On March 25-26 the 2nd annual Vietnam Engineering Education Conference (VEEC) took place in Ho Chi Minh
City. The event was organized by the US Higher Engineering Education Alliance Program (HEEAP) together
with Ho Chi Minh University of Technology. The theme this year was “Transformative Change: Educating
Engineers to Innovate the Future of Vietnam”. HEEAP involves the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID), the Arizona State University's Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering (ASU) and the Intel
Corporation as well as other companies. Its target is to improve the top engineering and technical vocational
universities in Vietnam, by e.g. training of lecturers in the US, curriculum development, workshop
organization in Vietnam, etc.
Like last year, the conference was organized with plenary sessions and panel discussions in the morning,
followed by parallel technical seminars and sessions in the afternoon. On the 26th, which was the only day
that I could attend, the plenary session’s topics were Technology Innovation and Public/Private Partnership,
and had presentations from MOST, USAID, industry and from the Director of the VNU-HCM Information
Technology Park, Dr. Nguyễn Anh Thi, who is also the Founding Dean of the Engineering Faculty at VGU. The
panel discussion then focused more on the needed as opposed to the current quality of engineering
graduates in Vietnam, with industry representatives stating that they just take less than 10% of the
applicants at the moment, due to weaknesses, especially in their attitude and abilities to work
independently.
After lunch I chaired the session
“Assessment of Student Learning” and
had the chance to learn about the
generally positive experience of
Vietnamese colleagues with modern
technologies like ePortfolio and with
the modernization of the assessment
strategy in an engineering module.
Right after this session I presented “The
Bi-National
Master’s
Program
Computational Engineering at the
Vietnamese-German University” in the
session “Research and Education
Collaborations III”. Although there were
only a few members of the audience
Audience listening to discussions at the conference
left, as this was the last time slot for
sessions, the talk was well received and
there were many questions and comments from Vietnamese colleagues and David Benson from Arizona
State University, who is the Academic Director of HEEAP Global Outreach and Extended Education. In the
second and last talk of this session he introduced the HEEAP Cloud Community, a newly developed platform
to allow for continued close contact of the participants in the HEEAP program, especially for those that are
back in Vietnam after their training at ASU.
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Newsletter July 2014
Like last year, the conference gave a condensed overview of the progress that is happening at Vietnamese
universities with regards to improving research and teaching in engineering science, and allowed us to make
VGU known to a larger audience. It was again confirmed that VGU’s education of highly qualified engineers
with independent working and social skills is very well suited to the needs of Vietnam’s industrial and
educational sectors.
Dr. Jörg Franke, Academic Coordinator for M.Sc. Computational Engineering (CompEng)
Research Article Published in “Computers & Mathematics with Applications “
VGU’s new Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer for Computational Engineering, Prof. Nguyen Xuan Hung,
published an article in the recent issue of “Computers & Mathematics with Applications”, a well respected
journal that provides a forum for those engaged in fields related to building successful simulations for
science and engineering using Partial Differential Equations (PDEs). It is published by Elsevier, a worldleading provider of information solutions that enhance the performance of science, health, and technology
professionals. Below, Prof. Hung shares a short summary of the paper he and his team wrote:
An isogeometric analysis for elliptic homogenization problems
It is a great pleasure to introduce all of you to an isogeometric analysis heterogeneous multiscale method
(IGA-HMM) which was recently developed by our research group. The method following the framework of
isogeometric analysis (IGA) and allows us to integrate Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Finite Element
Analysis (FEA) in solving practical problems. It was designed to accurately cover heterogeneities at microscale and efficiently retain the certain properties at macro-scale of inhomogeneous materials arising from
physics, engineering and modern technology.
Further information on this topic can be found in [H. Nguyen-Xuan, T. Hoang, Vinh Phu Nguyen, An
isogeometric analysis for elliptic homogenization problems, Computers & Mathematics with Applications 67
(2014) 1722-1741].
Prof. Nguyen Xuan Hung, Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer for Computational Engineering
Mrs. Karina Scholz, PR-Officer
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Newsletter July 2014
Mid-Term Review in Hanoi
From 24.- 28. February, a World Bank mission visited
Vietnam to conduct the Mid-Term Review (MTR) for the
Vietnam New Model University Project. The mission was
led by task team leader Michael Crawford and included
specialists from the fields of education, human
development, and procurement; as well as several
consultants. World Bank country director Ms. Victoria
Kwakwa, the Minister of Education and Training, Prof.
Pham Vu Luan and the German ambassador Ms. Jutta
Frasch also attended the meeting to introduce the
participants to the topic, and get a first-hand impression of
the actual status of the project.
VGU associates being busy at the meeting
Altogether, there were 55 participants, representing all project stakeholders, including the German
Ambassador in Vietnam, Mrs. Jutta Frasch, Mr. Christian Jörgens from the German Federal Ministry of
Education and Research (BMBF), Mr. Wolfgang Hendricks from the Hessian Ministry of Education, Research
and the Arts (HMWK) and Mr. Stephan Geifes from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
The meeting took place at the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) building in Hanoi. It was carried out
in different break-out work sessions, to deal with specific topics with a smaller group of experts. The major
focus was on construction issues of the new campus as well as on financial issues for the further
development of VGU. After five days, the review team and the participants presented a number of keyfindings and gave recommendations for the next period to MoET.
Overall,
the
participants of the
Mid-Term
Review
noticed
several
delays in the project,
but they came to the
conclusion, that the
money of the World
Bank loan can still be
spent by 2017 and
the new campus can
also still be built in
time.
Group picture after the successful meeting in Hanoi
Mrs. Silke Heimlicher, Head of Academic Affairs
Page 11 of 18
Newsletter July 2014
VGU Delegation Visits German Universities
VGU is currently developing an updated space allocation plan for the architects at Machado and Silvetti
Associates, the winner of the design competition for VGU’s new campus that shall be built in Binh Duong
province soon. Most important for the finalization of the floorplan design is the design specifications of the
laboratories for teaching and research, including their type,number, size and infrastructure requirements.
Therefore, a seven-person delegation from VGU, together with Mr. Craig Mutter from Machado and Silvetti
Associates, visited several German universities to learn about the organization of study programs, that are
intended to be established at VGU in the future, and especially about their state-of-the-art equipment of
laboratories for teaching and research.
Right after the arrival at Berlin Tegel in the early morning of Monday, April 14, the group went to the TU
Berlin to visit the Production Technology Center (PTC). There, Professor Seliger, Head of the Department of
Machine Tools and Factory Management, welcomed us with a presentation of his Department and possible
future cooperation projects with VGU in the field of sustainable manufacturing. After an introduction to
PTC’s activities in Microproduction Technologies by the head of the corresponding Department at the
Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technologies, Dr. Oberschmidt, we visited the 5000
square meter machine hall, saw several demonstrations of projects by PhD students and then went to the
Microproduction Technology laboratories for high and ultra high precision technology, recently opened in
2011.
The 5000 square meter machine hall of the Production Technology Center of TU Berlin in Germany
The last visit in Berlin was at the Department of Food Biotechnology and Process Engineering, headed by
Professor Rauh, before the delegation went by the ICE Sprinter to Darmstadt, where a visit of several
faculties of the TU Darmstadt was scheduled for the next day. On Tuesday Professor Anderl welcomed us
and gave an introduction to TU Darmstadt , before handing us over to Professor Linke, who introduced the
Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering and then guided us through one of their large machine halls,
the laboratory for hydraulic engineering, and the laboratory for material research in steel.
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Newsletter July 2014
After lunch we visited the Faculty of Chemistry and were shown the various wet and dry laboratories that
are used for teaching and research.
A look insight the Faculty of Chemistry at TU Darmstadt
From there we went to the facilities of Material Science, a interdisciplinary study and research program at
TU Darmstadt, where we were shown the cutting edge research laboratories for surface physics and high
temperature effects on material behavior. Their recently opened laboratory allows for basic practical
combined experiments in chemistry, mechanics and optics in an intelligent way.
After Material Science, the Master program in Energy Science and Engineering was next on the schedule. The
Dean of Studies, Professor Janicka, introduced the program, which was designed to meet the needs of the
changing requirements of the energy sector from supply to consumption. Then Professor Dreizler showed
us his experimental facilities for reactive flow research. These very densely arranged technical facilities were
in sharp contrast to the spacious drawing rooms, the wood workshop and the studios for sculpturing in the
Faculty of Architecture, our last appointment for this day.
On April 16, the delegation went to the Science City in Frankfurt Riedberg, where Dr. Grell welcomed us to
the Max-Planck-Institute for Biophysics. After a brief introduction to the Institute and the lessons learned
during its construction, he showed us the various laboratories and auxiliary rooms in the building. Then we
moved to the neighboring building, finalized in April 2013, which hosts the Max-Planck-Institute for Brain
Research. Being guided through the building by the Scientific Coordinator Dr. Berken and the facility
manager, Mr. Berken, we not only learned a lot about the laboratories, but also got a deep insight of the
building process.
In the afternoon Senior Professor Streit from the Faculty of Biosciences of the Goethe University
Frankfurt/Main showed us first through the growing Science City in Riedberg, with a library and new lecture
Page 13 of 18
Newsletter July 2014
halls, before we visited the Biologicum building, in which the Faculty of Biosciences is located. His successor
as Head of Department, PD Dr. Plath, even allowed us to use one room in his Department to hold a meeting
with representatives of Higher Education Information System (HIS) and one representative of the laboratory
planning company Dr. Heinekamp. In this meeting the current state of VGU’s lab planning was critically
evaluated and the further course of action discussed. Here the impressions and lessons learned in the last
days could directly be applied.
Dr. Jörg Franke, Academic Coordinator for M.Sc. Computational Engineering (CompEng)
3.
Events
Friends and Supporters of VGU Founded Association
A new “Association of Friends and Supporters of the VGU“ was established in September 2013 in Germany.
The aim of this association is to support the structure of the VGU and to intensify the partnership between
Germany and Vietnam. In particular, the founders of the association want to give financial support to VGU’s
institutes, to foster VGU’s junior scientific staff and to intensify the connection between VGU and its alumni.
Founding of the new association of friends and supporters of the VGU
The association was founded in presence of the German ambassador in Vietnam, Mrs. Jutta Frasch, in the
city of Wiesbaden, Hessen. The chairman is Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Bender, former chairman of the executive
board of Fraport AG. Other members of the executive board are the former Hessian minister for education
and the arts, Dr. Udo Corts (Deutsche Vermögensberatung AG) Mr. Vo Minh Tuan (Vietin Bank), Dr. Gabriela
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Newsletter July 2014
Soskuty (B. Braun Melsungen AG) and the state secretary in the ministry of education and cultural affairs,
Prof. Dr. Ralph-Alexander Lorz. Chief executive is Dr. Kambiz Ghawami (World University Service).
Prof. Bender aims to intensify the cooperation between VGU and industry partners. Therefore, he appealed
to the friends and supporters of the VGU to recruit companies for membership in the association. The
Minister of the Hessian Ministry of Science and the Art, Eva Kühne-Hörmann, emphasized that Vietnam is a
focus in the German-Asian cooperation and a future market for the German economy. There are many
possibilities for cultural, business related and scientific cooperation between Germany and Vietnam, she
said.
Mrs. Karina Scholz, PR-Officer
Unmanned Vehicle Race
On special invitation from the VNU International
University, a team of three EEIT-2012 students from the
VGU Roboclub competed in an "Unmanned Vehicle
Race" at the VNU International University in Thu Duc on
Thursday, 24 April 2014. The students had to program an
autonomous vehicle to follow a 40-m long track as fast
as possible. Despite the very short notice and only three
days of preparation, the students were able to finish the
course successfully, although not in the shortest time.
Due to their good performance, the students are now
qualified to compete in more advanced autonomous
A student looking at the track of the race
vehicle races in the future.
Dr. Udo Klein, Academic Coordinator for B.Sc. Electrical Engineering & Information Technology
VGU's Open Day 2014
VGU's Open Day is a yearly event, organized for parents and future students of VGU to visit VGU's campus,
and to get more information on the Entrance
exam and the bachelor programs at VGU. This
year, VGU's Open Day took place on April 6th,
2014 at Binh Duong campus with nearly 200
parents and high school students from HCMC
and neighboring provinces attending.
VGU’s Vice-President Dr. Ha Thuc Vien started
the event with the Information session
introducing general information of VGU and
study programs at VGU. Information about the
entrance exam for bachelor and the
foundation year were also presented to
parents and students.
Booth of a student’s club
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Newsletter July 2014
After the general Information session, participants were divided into two groups for the Finance Accounting
session and Computer Science-Electrical Engineering session. In each session, Dr. Myriam Hadnes, Dr. Udo
Klein and Mr. Thai with the support from volunteer students presented details of each study program,
including internships and career opportunities.
Then parents and students freely visited VGU's campus and saw exhibitions and performances by the
students’ clubs (REC, Music club, Dance club, Aikido club, Book club, Swimming club). Owing to these
activities and volunteer students from each program and club, the parents and students could get to know
more about the student’s social activities at VGU. The participants visited the dormitory at 11:30am, then
returned to HCMC.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Tam, Marketing Officer
First Vietnamese German Cultural Festival
The Vietnamese German Cultural Festival, which took place at Binh Duong Campus from April 25th – April
26th, was VGU’s first cultural event dedicated to the celebration of Vietnamese and German Cultures. The
festival aimed to bring the traditions and cultures of both countries to VGU's students through exhibitions,
music performances and funny games.
Started with music performances, the students were enchanted
by the traditional melodies of Vietnamese and German folksongs.
VGU's students showed that they are truly talented by using
guitars, violins and drums in their performances. Especially
impressive was Ms. Ho Cong Nguyen Binh, who wore a beautiful
“Ao Dai” and used “đàn tranh” to give a wonderful performance.
After the performances, students attended the “VGU amazing
race” which took students around famous German cities through
quizes and games. Games were created cleverly to test each
student’s brain and brawn. Teamwork was the important key to
win.
One of the many performances in traditional
Vietnamese costumes
The next day was a cultural exhibition of both countries. Students
also participated in more games which tested their endurances
and stamina. The students were clearly excited about this festival.
The board of organizers tried their best to showcase Vietnamese
and German culture equally but the festival ended up having
being about 8o% Vietnamese culture and 20% German culture.
With this experience, the Vietnamese German Festival 2015 will
surely provide more fun and more surprising events.
Mr. Nguyễn Hoàng Thiên Thư, Student Affairs Officer
Page 16 of 18
Newsletter July 2014
First VGU Blood Donation
On May 7th, 117 members of VGU participated in the first blood donation
in the university’s history. It took place at Binh Duong Campus and was
organized by the Presto group in cooperation with Binh Duong Red Cross.
Participants donated between 200 and 350 ml blood, depending on their
health status. Some of the volunteers could not donate blood, because
their hemoglobin levels were not high enough.
All the donated blood will be tested and stored at Cho Ray Hospital. Cho
Ray hospital is one of the biggest hospitals in Vietnam and has a modern
blood center. Every donor of the campaign received a bag of goodies,
including a "Heart of Courage" badge. The organizers thanked everyone
for their courage and selflessness. The second “VGU Bloodrive 2014” will
be held on October with the target of 150 blood donors.
Mrs. Karina Scholz, PR-Officer
Mr. Nguyễn Hoàng Thiên Thư, Student Affairs Officer
Two VGU staff members, Ms. Tien
(left) and Ms. Hanh, after the blood
donation.
VGU Soccer Cup
The annual Soccer Cup of VGU took place at Binh Duong Sports Center May 17th 2014. This is the annual
competition held to promote sportsmanship, team spirit and strengthen friendship among students as well
as staff.
Throughout 22 matches, each lasting 20
minutes, all teams competed against
each other while showing fair play spirit
in the burning heat from the matches as
well as the incoming tropical summer.
However, there can only be one winner.
“Green Eagles” bested “Minimon” with
the overall result of 2-1 and became the
new champions of VGU Cup 2014. For
the third place, “Badass” also overcame
their opponent on the penalty mark.
In the end, everybody had a fun and
team-building experience with each
other. Students, staff and teachers
The soccer players in action
came together to enjoy the matches,
the shade and the pool.
Mr. Nguyễn Hoàng Thiên Thư, Student Affairs Officer
Page 17 of 18
Newsletter July 2014
4.
Staff News
Welcoming New Staff
Since April, the following positions were filled:
Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer for Computational Engineering, Dr. Nguyen Xuan Hung
Senior Lecturer for MBA SEPT Program, Dr. Le Nhat Hanh
English Translator cum Interpreter, Ms. Luong Thanh Ha
Procurement Officer, Ms. Le Thu Thi Giang
Deputy Head of Facility Management, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Vi Khai
Personal Assistant to the President, Ms. Tran Thi Thanh Tra
Teaching Assistant for Finance and Accounting Program, Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuong Chau
Teaching Assistant for GPEM Program, Mr. Dang Quang Vinh
Officer for Research Management and Technology Transfer Dept., Lam Khai Tri
PhD Program Coordinator and Research Management Officer, Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Duc
We wish all newcomers a warm welcome to VGU!
Mrs. Karina Scholz, PR-Officer
Imprint
Publisher:
VGU – Vietnamese
German University
Le Lai Street
Binh Duong New City,
Binh Duong Province
www.vgu.edu.vn
Editorial Work:
Karina Scholz
[email protected]
Richard Bradley
Pictures: VGU, Presto
Page 18 of 18