VGU Newsletter 03/2015 - Vietnamese

Newsletter 03/2015
Newsletter 03/2015
Contents
Editorial............................................................................................................................................................... 3
News from the Campus .................................................................................................................................... 4
Visit of Vietnam’s State President at VGU .......................................................................................................... 4
Visit of Mr. Volker Kauder to Ho Chi Minh City ................................................................................................... 5
VGU Opening Ceremony - Marking the New Academic Year.............................................................................. 5
New DAAD Scholarships for Two Study Programs at VGU.................................................................................. 6
World Bank Scholarships for Students at VGU.................................................................................................... 6
VGU Established Lawyer Training Center ........................................................................................................... 7
Update on VGU’s New Campus Planning............................................................................................................ 8
News from Research ...................................................................................................................................... 11
Expansion of Research and Technology Transfer at VGU ................................................................................. 11
Student’s Success in Unicef’s Worldwide Competition „Wearables For Good“ ................................................ 12
Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Workshop ............................................................................... 12
VGU Student Project Selected For Second Round of Vietnam Maker Contest .................................................. 13
Selected Student Projects from Study Program Electrical Engineering & Information Technology .................. 14
Robot Soccer Programming Contest Championship ......................................................................................... 16
Student from EEIT Won Fellowship to Study in USA ......................................................................................... 17
Info-Session for VGU’s 911-Scholarship Program ............................................................................................. 17
News from Conferences ................................................................................................................................. 18
th
The 13 Global Conference on Sustainable Manufacturing at VGU ................................................................. 18
International Conference “The Future of Ho Chi Minh City Metropolitan Area” .............................................. 20
International Conference on Sustainable Urban Development ........................................................................ 21
VGU Selected to Host EASTS Conference 2017 ................................................................................................. 21
News from Workshops ................................................................................................................................... 22
Seminar on Magnetic Resonance Imaging by Ms. Jingyuan Chen from Stanford University ........................... 22
Visit to the University of Science and Technology of Hanoi (USTH) .................................................................. 23
Special Seminar on Planning and Shaping Identity for Cities ............................................................................ 23
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Summer School of Computational Engineering in Germany ............................................................................. 24
Dean of the VGU Engineering Faculty Visits RUB.............................................................................................. 25
VGU Is Co-Organizing the Green Challenge 2015 by Bosch .............................................................................. 25
News from Administration ............................................................................................................................. 26
Report from Human Resource Department ...................................................................................................... 26
Report from Finance Department ..................................................................................................................... 27
Report from Management Unit VMU ............................................................................................................... 29
External Events .............................................................................................................................................. 30
VGU Consortium - Meeting of Members in July 2015 ....................................................................................... 30
Camp of Vietnamese Students Association “SiViDuc” held in Germany ........................................................... 30
VGU’s Teambuilding Trip 2015 ......................................................................................................................... 31
Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival in Dau Tieng District.............................................................................. 33
Staff News ...................................................................................................................................................... 34
Thank You for Supporting Mr. Bui Quang Hung ............................................................................................... 34
Imprint ........................................................................................................................................................... 35
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Newsletter 03/2015
Editorial
Dear readers,
This year we are celebrating 40 years of diplomatic ties between Vietnam
and Germany. Our university is an important part of this special friendship
between the two countries and is considered to be a “lighthouse project”
of Vietnamese-German relations in the Joint Declaration of Hanoi, signed
by German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel and Vietnamese Prime Minister
Nguyen Tan Dung in 2011.
The VGU is earning its position as a leading research university in the
region. As the first "New Model University Project" of Vietnam, VGU is
committed to following the German university model which stresses the
unity of teaching and research and is based on academic freedom. In VGU-President
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Mallon
practice, this means that a lecturer´s research results flow directly into the
lectures and students get the opportunity to participate in research
projects. Another principle that ensures the applicability of theoretical knowledge and the
development of problem-solving skills is the use of project-based learning, which can be practiced
even in industrial projects. An important part of the students' academic education is the inclusion of
laboratory exercises to put the theoretical knowledge into practice.
On this basis VGU is investing in the education of a new generation of leaders and thus to a
sustainable future of Vietnam. The success of this concept and its significance is underpinned by
strategic partnerships between VGU, its academic partners and industry.
We are proud to introduce to you, in this issue of our newsletter, a few examples of our results in
education, research and technology transfer: VGU has been selected to host the world’s 3rdbiggest
conference on transportation issues, the 12th International Conference of the Eastern Asia Society for
Transportation Studies (EASTS) in September 2017. The conference is estimated to attract about 700
guests from all over the world. We are confident that this event will have a great impact on
Vietnam’s research and business in the field of transportation and urban development and make a
big contribution in enhancing VGU’s reputation.
VGU’s past conferences, the 13th Global Conference on Sustainable Manufacturing (GCSM) and the
International Conference on “The Future of Ho Chi Minh City Metropolitan Area” have also been
great events and successes for VGU’s development. Read more about the outcomes of these
conferences on pages 10 and 11.
In addition, this newsletter issue is packed with news regarding research activities, including
student’s projects, people behind VGU and their success stories and reports from important visitors
at our university.
As always, if you have any feedback to this newsletter, we appreciate hearing from you.
Enjoy reading!
Yours sincerely,
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Mallon
VGU President
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News from the Campus
Visit of Vietnam’s State President at VGU
On Sunday, 04th October 2015, VGU was honored to welcome a very special guest, Vietnam’s State
President Truong Tan Sang.
Group picture with President Mr. Truong Tan Sang (middle) at VGU.
In a festive ceremony, more than 250 guests and media representatives got an insight into the
achievements as well as future plans of Vietnam’s first new-model university. The State President
praised VGU’s positive contribution to Vietnam’s educational landscape, by putting the focus on
targeted technology transfer. In this regard, Mr. Truong Tan Sang stressed Vietnam’s high demand
for qualified local and foreign lecturers and he particularly mentioned VGU’s high standards of
teaching and research based on the German model which are expected to increasingly attract
students from Southeast Asia in the following years.
Mr. Truong Tran Sang underlined that VGU’s international approach and prioritization of high-quality
educational standards should be considered a breakthrough in Vietnam’s education reform which
support the countries’ 2020 industrialization and modernization program.
The President’s genuine interest was emphasized when he addressed two students from the
audience, asking them to present their personal experience of studying and living at VGU, first from a
Vietnamese and second from an international perspective.
The presidential visit clearly demonstrated that VGU’s international collaborative efforts do not
remain unnoticed and are of high relevance and importance for Vietnam’s educational landscape and
its future sustainable growth.
Emma Stoll, Volunteer
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Visit of Mr. Volker Kauder to Ho Chi Minh City
On 25th August, the Parliamentary Group Leader of the ruling CDU and CSU in the German
Bundestag, Mr. Volker Kauder, was in
Ho Chi Minh City to meet
representatives
of
German
businesses. From VGU’s side,
President Prof. Jürgen Mallon joined
this meeting.
Firstly, Mr. Kauder updated the
audience on current political issues in
Germany, such as the financial help
for Greece or the challenges of the
refugee crisis. After that, he listened
to the reports from German
businesses and education partners in
Vietnam.
Mr. Volker Kauder (5th person from the right) at his meeting with German
businness representatives and Prof. Mallon from VGU. Picture by AHK
Developments of ongoing projects
and prospects for the future,
including VGU’s development and
future strengthening, were discussed.
Mr. Kauder will take all the feedback from German representatives in Vietnam home and discuss
ways to find solutions for the problems in the German parliament.
Karina Scholz, PR-Officer
VGU Opening Ceremony - Marking the New Academic Year
On 23rd October 2015, to celebrate the beginning of the 2015-2016 academic year, the VGU was
honored to host a very special guest, President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central
Committee Nguyen ThienNhan.
On this occasion, the VGU welcomed this year's new students and took a look back to the very
beginning of the university's still young history, with only 23 students in the first intake, to this year’s
intake with almost 1200 students
Prof. Nguyen ThienNhan underlined to VGU's
major contribution to Vietnam's educational
landscape as the lighthouse-project and
cornerstone to the enduring successful
partnership between Germany and Vietnam.
He expressed his joy at the positive
development
of
the
educational
establishment in recent years, saying that it
laid a basic foundation for further researchoriented university models in Vietnam.
He expressed his hope that the educational establishment would help increase the position of
Vietnam’s education sector in the region and bring it to meet international standards.
The VGU trains an elite that is qualified to meet the demands of the local and international labor
market and therewith ensures Vietnam's positive reputation for the future.
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On the occasion, the VFF President Nhan thanked the World Bank, the German government and
Germany’s universities and professors for the successful cooperation and their great support in the
process of constructing and developing the Vietnamese-German University.
Emma Stoll, Volunteer
New DAAD Scholarships for Two Study Programs at VGU
The VGU as a state university and lighthouse-project of the bilateral relationship between Vietnam
and Germany are of major relevance for the local and international educational as well as socioeconomic development. This is the result of the VGU's tireless effort to maintain the highest-possible
standards in studying and teaching. To keep up with high-class international qualification
requirements, the VGU gets financial support from politics and industry. This year, the university has
1.2 Mio. USD for scholarships at its disposal. The grants will be awarded to the most promising
young talents studying at the VGU.
This year, two master programs Mechatronics and Sensor Systems Technology (MSST), and
Sustainable Urban (SUD) have been the first two programs which received a new scholarship type
from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) – DAAD scholarship Type I. The scholarship
offers tuition fee and living costs to attract excellent Vietnamese students or international students
from neighboring countries to study at VGU. The total amount of the scholarship for MSST and SUD is
5,500 EUR of which tuition fee is 950 EUR per term and living allowance is 300 EUR per month.
All accepted students for the intake 2015 were invited by Email in August to apply for the scholarship
until August 31, 2015. The students were informed
about the scope of the scholarship, the selection
process and criteria and the documents that have to
be submitted with an enclosed letter.
Selection Committee interviewing an applicant in
Germany via Skype. From far away to closer: Ms.
Annette Klosa, DAAD representative, Ms.
SilkeHeimlicher, Head of Academic Affairs
Department, Dr. JörgFranke, Academic Coordinator of
MSST, and Dr. Tran Le Luu, Lecturer and Coordinator
of MSST.
All eligible applicants were invited for an interview on
September 3, 2015. A committee consisted of
representatives from DAAD, SUD, MSST and AA
interviewed best 14 Vietnamese applicants including
1 applicant in Thai Nguyen, Northern Vietnam, and
one applicant in Germany. After one day of intensive
interviews, four applicants of each program were
selected. DAAD and VGU believe the scholarship
recipients will have better support and motivation to
study at VGU. In 2016, DAAD will continue to offer the
scholarship to MSST and SUD.
For
more
information
please
contact
[email protected].
Do Kim Thanh, Scholarship Officer
World Bank Scholarships for Students at VGU
Funded by the World Bank loan, VGU has issued two new scholarships in August 2015. The Women
scholarship and Opportunity scholarships have two types of support: (1) Full scholarship (covering
tuition fees + living stipend) and (2) Tuition scholarship (covered 100% tuition fees). The Women
scholarship intends to support and encourage female students to study one of three selected master
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Newsletter 03/2015
engineering programs, Computational Engineering, (Transport
(
and Logistics
ogistics (from 2016), and
Mechatronics and Sensor Systems Technology.
Technology
ents of the master programs
The Opportunity scholarship aims to provide financial aid for students
Computational Engineering, Transport and Logistics, Mechatronics and Sensor
or Systems Technology,
and Sustainable Urban Development, coming
comi from disadvantaged families or under-represented
under
regions in Vietnam.
Do Kim Thanh, Scholarship
Schola
Officer
VGU Established Lawyer Training Center
VGU has established a Lawyer Training Center (German:
(
Station fürRechtsreferendare).
The first two trainee lawyers (Referendare) arrived in July and the third joined them in August 2015.
Kate Wilson
Dr. Robert Germund
Dennis Kasprzik
Thee trainee lawyers who are working for VGU have finished 5 years of law studies at German
Universities and passed their first state exams at a master’s level. They are highly qualified and were
carefully selected from a pool of applicants based on their outstanding
outstanding academic achievements (with
honors).
The traineeship is required for their further education to become judges, lawyers or state attorneys.
attorneys
The trainee lawyers provide legal services to the Vice President for Administration for a wide range of
topics
ics and support the presidential board and the administrative departments with advice on legal
issues.
During the following 8 months,, there will be 8 other trainee lawyers at VGU. They will be paid by the
federal states of Germany and therefore are cost-neutral
cost neutral for VGU. Each trainee lawyer is here for a
duration of three months.
The trainee lawyers report directly and exclusively to Dr. Mathias Neukirchen, Vice President for
Administration.
The achievements of the first three trainee lawyers at VGU, during
during the first two months, are:
• first draft of the “Rules of Procedure of the Vietnamese-German
Vietnamese German University”, which
contains binding rules to regulate the internal affairs at the university
• first draft of the “Framework Examination Regulations”, which contain the general
academic structure for all study programs of the VGU
• support of the Presidential Board in legal matters.
In the coming next month the trainee lawyers will elaborate:
• standardization of the implementation process for new employees;
• developmentt of a privacy policy;
• publish different articles in journals.
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Newsletter 03/2015
The combination of interesting and demanding tasks and the professional collaboration with
different departments is perfect for their educational training and the trainee lawyers are looking
forward to new challenges.
Dr. Mathias Neukirchen, Vice President for Administration
Dr. Robert Germund, Trainee Lawyer
Update on VGU’s New Campus Planning
The new campus of the Vietnamese German University is planned to be Vietnam’s most modern
campus, not only due to its design, but also because of its facilities which will create an ideal learning
and working environment for students, lecturers and staff alike.
Covering a total area of 50 hectares, the new campus will be located 40 km from Ho Chi Minh City in
the New Urban area of My Phuoc, ThoiHoa Commune, Ben Cat District in Binh Duong Province.
The design by architecture-firm MACHADO SILVETTI from Boston, USA for the layout of the campus
(master plan) and structures to be built was selected as the best in an international competition in
2013.
VGU New Campus – phase 1 to be finished in 2019
The construction of the Campus is divided into two phases. Upon completion of phase 1, the Campus
will be able to support studies of up to 5.000 students and permit the planned relocation of VGU to
the new campus in 2019. During phase 2, the campus will be completed and be able to support the
studies of 12,000 students.
The construction of the new campus will make a significant contribution to VGU's main objective of
strengthening its role in education and research in Vietnam and worldwide and will provide ample
space to implement new educational programs.
In direct proximity to each other, five academic cluster buildings will offer space for lecturers and
research staff. The buildings will be equipped with offices and state-of-the-art laboratories of
different sizes, and have modern equipment to facilitate interdisciplinary and intercultural research.
The laboratories are designed to meet or exceed international standards.
In addition to the learning that will take place in laboratories, students will also attend lectures and
seminars in the Lecture Hall, which will have a total of 50 seminar and lecture rooms of different
sizes and seating arrangements. In order to promote interactive learning, the seminar and lecture
rooms will be fitted with the latest technology and audiovisual equipment.
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Newsletter 03/2015
The new library, with its vibrant learning spaces and wide array of printed, digital as well as
interactive resources, will be able to support the different learning styles of students, and support
Overview Campus with Buildings
VGU's high academic standards by creating an environment where students and lecturers can easily
acquire new knowledge.
The new design also includes on-campus dormitories, which will feature furnished apartments,
lounge areas and recreational spaces. Students will also be provided with an abundance of leisuretime opportunities including, among other things, a sports center with various quality sports fields, a
gym as well as a swimming pool.
A modern food court, with a seating area of three floors, will offer a great variety of high-quality
food, ranging from light snacks to complete meals, including vegetarian, seafood, national and
international cuisines. In order to ensure the highest possible health and hygiene standards, all meals
will be prepared in separate kitchens.
There will also be two cafés, one in the administration building and a smaller one on the ground floor
of the library, to satisfy coffee cravings and, at the same time, provide additional break areas.
Thanks to a new oval shaped ceremony hall, which will accommodate more than 1.000 people, VGU
will become more open to the public. The hall’s well-thought-out design will make it an ideal venue
for various events, e.g. graduation ceremonies, official receptions, conferences and concerts.
In addition to its close cooperation with German universities, VGU aims to build further strategic
partnerships and networks with international educational institutions, therefore, the new campus
will also include an academic village to accommodate guest lecturers and professors from different
countries.
In a large exhibition hall, students and faculty of VGU will not only have the opportunity to showcase
the results of their own research, but also career and technology fairs will be able to be held.
Integrated research pavilions will offer space to exhibit VGU’s study programs and research fields as
well as to present students’ theme- and project-based work.
Besides its teaching staff, which provide the highest quality research and education, VGU's
Administration, including the Presidential Board, the Student Service Center, the Facility and Building
Management, Human Resources, Finance and Accounting as well as the Public and Relations
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Department sustain smooth operations at VGU and help support the creation of an ideal learning and
teaching environment, for example in modern offices and conference rooms.
The single departments will be situated in a separate building, which will also house the Alumni club.
The latter will be situated on the top floor, overlooking the whole campus area.
Timeline for VGU New Campus design and construction
The chart above displays the timeline for design and construction that divides the campus into four
zones. The phased approach enables each zone to be appraised, authorized, and built as the
corresponding design package becomes available, resulting in a potential saving of up to two years of
total construction time. Time savings result from allowing appraisal and authorization of subsequent
zones to run in parallel with construction of antecedent zones. Tentative agreement on use of the
phased approach with zoning methodology for construction of campus that is corresponding with
four zones as being designed by General Designer/Consultant MACHADO SILVETTI (MSA).
The technical design of the administration building, including the presidential office (see figure
above), as well as the exhibition hall and the technical plant has already started and is expected to be
completed by the end of this year. It will be more detailed in terms of the technical requirements for
the buildings and rooms as well as in terms of the infrastructure.
The design is being reviewed by the VGU planning team, who constantly provide feedback to the
designer.
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The bottom picture shows the view out of the Presidential Office overlooking the campus.
In the beginning of 2016 the technical design for the next zone will start, which includes the library,
ceremony hall, lecture hall and food court.
The construction will most likely start in September 2016 and is expected to be completed by the
summer of 2019.
Every day, the VGU planning team – the VMU Civil Engineer, Ms. Hoa and Deputy Head of the
Building and Facility Management, Ms. Klimas are giving their best to ensure the new campus’ quality
in design, space and technology and therewith contribute to the VGU’s ongoing success story.
Emma Stoll, Volunteer
Corinna Klimas, Deputy Head in Department for Building and Facility Management
News from Research
Expansion of Research and Technology Transfer at VGU
VGU is continuing to make progress in its development as a leading research university. It is
intensifying its research activities and is combining the previous selectively developed research into a
strategically oriented Research & Development (R&D) portfolio and developing new R&D priorities
and collaborations. Plus, VGU has begun an initiative to raise funds required for these goals and to
develop cooperation with industrial R&D partners. In collaboration with VGU researchers, strategic
research directions and priorities for VGU were developed that are scientifically significant, have high
relevance for Vietnam and have high synergies with the competencies of the German partner
universities.
VGU is continuously developing its research capacities and skills and has professionalized research
management, technology transfers and industrial relations through two new central service
departments. VGU has also attracted a number of competent and highly motivated young
Vietnamese lecturers, many of whom have studied at universities and institutes overseas where they
gained initial research experience.
These mentioned initiatives are increasingly bearing fruit. In Vietnam, VGU is currently negotiating
with ministries and funding agencies for the financing of research projects and is holding talks with
leading universities on research collaborations. Funding from national institutions, such as
NAFOSTED, has already been granted. In parallel, the R&D cooperation with existing industry
partners will be expanded and new partners will hopefully be won. Examples of this are cooperations with Bosch Vietnam on Green Mobility and currently ongoing are negotiations with
international companies like Infineon or Microsoft regarding future interdisciplinary R&D
collaborations.
Regarding academic research, student research is also being actively pursued. Remarkable projects
and first results have already emerged. A team of VGU students was chosen in September 2015 as
the only finalist from the region for the finals of the world's “Wearables for Good”-Competition from
Unicef (read more on page 12).
On this path of development, VGU has been able to develop a growing research landscape. But to
have further continuous development, the university needs to have deeper research co-operation
with its German partner institutions. Only through this sort of co-operation can the development of
new research programs be significantly accelerated and new joint research projects with Vietnamese
researchers be developed.
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Therefore, Dr. Michael Braun, who is responsible for technology transfer and industrial relations,
presented the strategy and implementation status of research and technology transfer of VGU at a
workshop with the academic partners of the VGU on October 13th in Germany. There he suggested
concrete proposals for new joint projects in dialogue with the VGU-researchers to the partner
universities. Following this, initial discussions with academic and industrial partners were conducted.
Dr. Michael Braun, Head of Department for Technology Transfer and Industrial Relations
Karina Scholz, PR-Officer
Student’s Success in Unicef’s Worldwide Competition „Wearables For Good“
A team of four students from VGU’s bachelor study program Electrical Engineering and Information
Technology (EEIT) has been chosen as finalists for the Unicef world-wide competition “Wearables for
good”. Hung Doan Viet, Uyen Nguyen Tran Phuong, An Le Din and Thy Pham Hoang Khanh developed
the idea of a “GuardBand” to protect children in danger and to improve their healthcare. The
students from VGU are the only representatives from Vietnam in this competition. There were 250
submissions from 46 countries across 6 continents and only 10 teams were chosen. It's a great
accomplishment by the students. Congratulations from all VGU associates on this success!
To learn more about the student’s idea, please follow this link: http://wearablesforgood.com/finalistguardband/
The team behind GuardBand: Hung Doan Viet, Thy Pham Hoang Khanh, Uyen Nguyen Tran Phuong, An Le Dinh.
Pictures: private
Here is an excerpt of their project description:
What is the problem GuardBand helps to solve?
Organization's reports and Unicef’s report, millions of girls and boys under 18 have to work as
labourers and are mistreated every day. The GuardBand system makes a major contribution in
preventing child abuse. Moreover, our idea also helps organizations to connect with benefactors in
order to support children personally or financially.
What does GuardBand do?
In order to protect children, the GuardBand is made up of three parts. The first part is a waterresistant band that used to collect audio data as well as data about the user's health and location,
thereby hiding the user's private information, by sending a GPS signal to a server, which is the second
part of the design concept. Aid organizations will evaluate the user's conditioned data to be enabled
to intervene in case of danger. The third part is an app, which will update information on each child
that can be evaluated in more detail.
Nguyen Minh Hien, Senior Lecturer, PhD
Electrical Engineering & Information Technology
Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Workshop
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On 29thSeptember 2015, for the
first time, the VGU organized a
seminar for students on
Intellectual
Property
and
Technology Transfer held by Mr.
Tran GiangKhue and Dr. Michael
Braun.
The
topic
was
interestingly introduced through
specific case studies of Son Tung
MTP, Flappy Bird, and IKEA.
Most of the participants
suggested
that
Intellectual
Property
and
Technology
VGU Vice President Dr. Nguyen Le Hung in front of the audience at the IP
Workshop
Transfer should be a subject for
study at university.
Dr. Pham Thuy Duong
PhD Coordinator and Officer of Research Management Dept.
VGU Student Project Selected For Second Round of Vietnam Maker Contest
A research project, Glovinator (automatic gloves), of a VGU's student group has been selected for the
second round of the Vietnam Maker Contest with Intel Galileo 2015 (VMIG), organized by
Vietnamese Youth Association. In the contest, participants will be given a board of Intel Galileo that
they have to create innovative solutions and devices. The VGU project aims to control electronic
devices via "smart gloves".This is the first, national wide, Intel creative contest in Vietnam.
Dr. Pham Thuy Duong
PhD Coordinator and Officer of Research Management Dept.
DAAD Scholarship Workshop
Mrs. Anke Stahl and Mr. Nguyen Viet Duc (DAAD) during their presentation at VGU
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On Wednesday, 23rdSeptember 2015, at VGU's Campus, Mrs. Anke Stahl and Mr. Nguyen Viet Duc
from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Branch office in Hanoi presented an
introduction to DAAD in Vietnam and their graduate scholarship programs.
DAAD provides various kind of graduate scholarships, such as full-time and part-time PhD scholarship
programs, short-term research scholarships for researchers, lecturers, and for specific courses
relevant to developing countries.
Dr. Pham Thuy Duong
PhD Coordinator and Officer of Research Management Dept.
Ho Chi Viet, DAAD Hanoi
Selected Student Projects from Study Program Electrical Engineering & Information
Technology
The results of the three projects presented here are examples of excellence in education at the VGU.
Project 1: Internet of Things Monitoring System for Vacuum Storage Stations
Students: Nguyen Thanh Quang, Duong Ngoc Quang Tam, Dinh Quoc Huy, EEIT2011
Advisers:Dr. Udo Klein and lab engineer Duong Huynh Bao
In this project, students developed a system which
controls the status of various vacuum storage rooms
(clean rooms used in production of semiconductor
chips). These rooms are located all over the world.
Instead of having a person manually check the status of
the clean rooms and take notes every day, the students
designed a system that has sensors that can detect
problems with the vacuum storage room’s environment
and then send an alert message via the Internet.
Student team developing a monitoring system for
vacuum storage stations
In addition, it is able to display a map of all nodes (all
clean room locations) and track the status of these
nodes in real-time.
The
company
KLA-Tencor
provides
process
control
solutions
and
yield
management products to the
semiconductor industry. Its
service organization stores
critical spare parts, which need
to be stored in a vacuum, in
local depots all over the world.
The purpose of these vacuum
storage stations (VSS) is to
Block diagram of data acquisition, processing, and display components for VSS
maintain a constant vacuum
monitoring system.
throughout the entire storage
period of the spare parts. The scope of the students' work for this project was to build a fully
automatic data logging, monitoring, and alert system for every VSS. The technical solution
incorporates the “Internet of Things” and uses real-time embedded systems to collect and log the
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Newsletter 03/2015
required sensor data, to process the data to extract relevant information, and to provide timely
information authorized persons in the event of irregular storage conditions.
Project 2: Quadcopter stabilization, control, and license plate recognition
Students: Pham Ngoc Bao Lam, Pham Anh Duy, Nguyen Ha Nhat Anh, EEIT 2011
Advisers:Prof.Dr. Peter Nauth and Dr. Nguyen Minh Hien
This research project focuses on the design of an air patrolling system (quadcopter) controlled by
human via glass goggles. The project has diverse practical applications such as traffic inspection,
consumer drones, real-time exploitation of dangerous and remote scenes (for example, measuring
toxic chemical pollution level), virtual reality (VR) in entertainment industry. As of current, the
project used the captured real-time image scene for license plate detection and recognition. Main
modules built by the students include (a) quad-copter control via a pair of VR glasses; (b) camera
stabilization with a 2D gimbal; (c) license plate recognition and tracking.
Project 3: Development of various recognition algorithms: sign language, speech, and fingerprint
Students: Bui Thanh Nguyen, Tran BaoDuy, Duong Kha Di, Nguyen Hoang VinhKhang
Advisers:Dr. Nguyen Minh Hien and lab engineer Tran QuangNhu
A set of recognition algorithms developed
for sign language gestures, speech
processing and fingerprint identification.
The methods use a combination of
conventional correlation method,
linearpredictive coding and sophisticated
support vector machines technique.
Nguyen Minh Hien,Senior Lecturer, PhD
Department of Electrical Engineering & Information Technology
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Robot Soccer Programming Contest Championship
VGU students won the first prize at the soccer tournament for robots, called Soccerbot 2015, which
was organized by Saigon High-tech Park Incubation Center (SHTP-IC) on 17thOctober.
Proud winners of Soccerbot 2015
Soccerbot 2015 was an intelligent robot programming
contest for students from technical universities in Ho Chi
Minh City. Each team was provided with the robots to
program and practice with. Those robots are able to move
on scroll wheels, communicate wirelessly and compete in
a 1.2m x 2.0m stadium. Each team had 3 primary robots
and 1 substitute robot.
Each team was required to write controlling software and
set up those robots so that they would have the ability to
work together, search for and identify the ball, goal and
other players, and score a goal or prevent the opposing
VGU’s “Soccerbots” communicating wirelessly
team from scoring goals.
According to the organizer, this was a technological playground for students who are fond of
electronics, information technology, automation, and robotics, and to make these students known to
Enterprises that are seeking high quality human resources.
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Newsletter 03/2015
Nguyen ThiTrucGiang, Marketing Executive
Student from EEIT Won Fellowship to Study in USA
A student from VGU’s bachelor study program Electrical Engineering and Information Technology
(EEIT), Nguyen Le Khoi Nguyen, won the Vietnamese Education Foundation
(VEF) fellowship for a PhD graduate study in the United States of America.
Congratulations on this success from all VGU associates! The VEF
competition is known to be tough and the final round is an interview by
three U.S. professors from top U.S. universities. These professors were
impressed by Nguyen and asked many questions to get to know about VGU
better.
The list of universities recommended by the U.S. professors for Nguyen are
The University of California Irvine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State
Mr. Nguyen Le Khoi Nguyen
University, Stony Brook University, The University of Arkansas, and The
University of Virginia, all of which have a PhD program Electrical & Computer Engineering.
VEF was established by the U.S. Congress under the Vietnam Education Foundation Act (2000) to
strengthen the bilateral relationship between the US and Vietnam through educational exchange
activities. The program was launched in 2003 and is ending this year.
Nguyen Minh Hien, Senior Lecturer, PhD
Department of Electrical Engineering & Information Technology
Info-Session for VGU’s 911-Scholarship Program
In order to promote the state funded 911 program, an Information Session was organized on
Saturday, 19th September 2015 in Ho Chi Minh City. The 911 Program provides full-time PhD
scholarships abroad. With this program, VGU aims to recruit local lecturers, who will get the chance
to do a PhD in Germany under the premise that they return to the VGU on completion of their PhD.
The scholarships cover all fees relating to the courses, living costs, health insurance, travel cost,
passport and visa fees, and one return air ticket.
At the event, President of
VGU, Prof. Jürgen Mallon
gave an introduction to
VGU as the first New
Model University project
in Vietnam, a joint project
of Vietnam and Germany,
with research oriented
education, a focus on
sustainable
high-tech
engineering and academic
support from 36 German
universities.
VGU Vice President Dr. Nguyen Le Hung, President Prof. Dr. Jürgen Mallon, Prof. Reiner
Anderl and Prof. Stark during their talk with the audience interested in the 911
scholarship program.
The President also highlighted the benefits of being a lecturer at VGU and the need for VGU to
recruit 120 lectures in the near future, when it is planned that VGU will have 5,000 students in 23
study programs.
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Newsletter 03/2015
We very much appreciated to have two special guests, Prof. Reiner Anderl and Prof. Rainer Stark
from Germany at the Info-session, thanks to their participation in the GCSM conference. Prof. Reiner
Anderl, Vice President of TU Darmstadt and Chairman of the VGU Consortium presented reasons to
do a PhD in Germany and research opportunities through collaborative research centers, graduate
school projects and research clusters. He also emphasized the German requirements for achieving a
Doctoral degree, which are to demonstrate the ability to do independent research and to be able to
defend the scientific results achieved. Prof. Rainer Stark, Director of the Chair for Industrial
Information Technology from TU Berlin then gave an example of joint research at the Collaborative
Research Center in TU Berlin.
An overview on 911 Program at VGU was given by Dr. Nguyen Le Hung, Vice President of VGU. The
application process was briefly discussed, with further instruction to be provided later by email to
the participants (which are also available on VGU’s website).
Following up this event, for three consultant Saturdays, sessions will be held at VGU campus
on October 17, November 21 and December 19, 2015, for those interested.
Dr. Pham Thuy Duong
PhD Program Coordinator & Research Management Officer
News from Conferences
The 13th Global Conference on Sustainable Manufacturing at VGU
The Global Conference on Sustainable Manufacturing (GCSM) is one of the world's largest events on
sustainable manufacturing, paving the way for international cooperation between industry and
education. The 13th GCSM was jointly organized by the Vietnamese-German-University and TU-Berlin
and held in BinhDuong New City from 16 -18 September 2015 thanks to the tireless commitment of
VGU President Prof. Dr. Jürgen Mallon.
Group picture of the 200 participants from 30 different countries who joined the GCSM 2015 in Bing Duong.
This year's motto "Decoupling Growth from Resource Use" strategically targeted innovative solutions
for global sustainable growth without the exploitation of natural and social resources.
200 participants from 30 different countries gathered at the Binh Duong International Convention
and Exhibition Center and had the chance to exchange hands-on experience and transdisciplinary
perspectives.
The GCSM welcomed many prominent guests, with special mention of Ms. Victoria Kwakwa, Country
Director of World Bank.
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Newsletter 03/2015
In her keynote speech Ms. Kwakwa called the GCSM "a good idea for many reasons", especially as it
serves a boost to Vietnam's rapid development and paves way for future cooperation.
The organizers of GCSM are especially proud to have had the highly acclaimed scientist and author
Prof. Gunter Pauli as one of the key speakers. Pauli gained special fame for his project “Blue
Economy”,that
that has already created over 100 new activities and over 13 million jobs worldwide. He
delivered one of the event's most memorable speeches and stressed the personal, as well as
scientific responsibility to“go beyond the obvious”and to inspire the future generation.
The Industrial Day on September 17th offered the opportunity
nity to meet influential leaders from
industry, such as Sanjeev Bahl, President of SAITEX, Dr. Reiner Hengstmann,
gstmann, Global Director at Puma
Safe Supply Chain as well as Plant Manager of Bosch Vietnam, Mr. RyosokeMasumitsu.
yosokeMasumitsu.
The high number of participants clearly
clearly depicts the importance and urgency of the topic. Over three
days, the conference served as a platform for young and established scientists to present their
concepts on sustainable manufacturing. In 22 paper sessions and 10 working sessions, innovative
innovati
concepts, meeting future challenges were introduced and left no doubt that with such bright minds,
there is a good chance for a bright future.
The conference showed that the
“bright
future”
of
sustainable
manufacturing is already a reality, as
seen from the example of SAITEX. The
company developed a method to
reduce the use of waste water in jeans
production from 140 liters to 14 liters
per jean. Success stories like these
illustrate that even small changes can
substantially reduce the exploitation
of natural
tural resources and therewith
therewi
increase the quality of life.
Ms. Victoria Kwakwa, World Bank’s Country Director for Vietnam, East
th
Asia and Pacific,, during her speech at the 13 GCSM.
In this regard, the conference's
framework program provided further opportunities for branch and transdisciplinary exchange. The
first day of the conference concluded with a gala dinner cruise, taking up on the idea of constant
forward movement. In the atmospheric setting of Saigon's waterfront at night, the guests enjoyed
Vietnam's culinary and cultural traditions.
As strategic
trategic partnership is the key to sustainable development, the participants of the GCSM
Industrial Day enjoyed a gala dinner at the Becamex Hotel as a further networking opportunity. The
guests were introduced to the Vietnamese customs of sand-painting
sand painting and karaoke, which supported
the Conference's motto of “bridging the gap” between
between Vietnam's ancient and modern culture.
The final day of the conference was characterized by the implementation of the previously
introduced concepts. Starting with an on-campus
on campus visit and laboratory tour at VGU, the participants
were introduced to the most
st notable student projects and the university's modern technical
equipment and resulting opportunities.
The next point in the program included a visit to Corporate Partners MinhLong and SAITEX, offering
the guests an insight into the companies' approaches to sustainable manufacturing techniques and
provided a chance for questions and open discussion.
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Newsletter 03/2015
After three days of exchanging experiences and networking, this year’s GCSM can be considered a
success and a step towards sustainable development. The participants repeatedly stated that they
got great inputs and new perspectives from the extensive trans-disciplinary and intercultural
exchange.
The conference's key values and objectives were perfectly summarized by International Chairman of
the GCSM, Prof. Dr.-Ing. GüntherSeliger, who stated that:"We only have one globe. We are all
dependent on it and therefore all of us have to work together."
GCSM 2016 will be held in Agrabies, South Africa, October 2nd-9th.
Emma Stoll, Volunteer
International Conference “The Future of Ho Chi Minh City Metropolitan Area”
In recent years, developing countries have
been experiencing fast economic growth
and associated rapid urbanization. In this
context, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s biggest
metropolitan area, has been facing
challenges in providing sufficient urban
infrastructures and services to meet the
needs of development.
From 24th to 25th September 2015, VGU,
with support of DAAD, UTC and REMON,
hosted the international conference on “The
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s biggest metropolitan area, by night.
Future ofHo Chi Minh City Metropolitan
Area” in Binh Duong with attendance of
more than 150 international and local representatives from academia, science and industry.
Among the most prominent participants were
Associate Professor Doctor Nguyen Hong Tien
– Director General of Technical Infrastructure
Department, Ministry of Construction and Mrs.
Anke Stahl – Director DAAD Branch Office
Hanoi. The Conference offered a great
opportunity for experts from academia and
industry worldwide to discuss challenges in
transport dynamics and modeling techniques,
focusing especially on developing countries, to
exchange best practices and to establish
transnational andinterdisciplinary cooperation.
Mrs. Anke Stahl, Director of DAAD branch office Hanoi
Some of the key topics were strategies for transport planning, managing traffic chaos and solutions
for megacities and new towns. Regarding Ho Chi Minh City, the comprehensive accessibility of public
transport as well as questions of traffic safety were discussed. The conference made a major
contribution to sustainable development in the fields of sustainable urban and transport planning.
Dr. Vu Anh Tuan, Director of the Vietnamese-German Transport Research Centre (VGTRC)
Emma Stoll, Volunteer
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Newsletter 03/2015
International Conference on Sustainable Urban Development
The “International Conference on Sustaining Urban Development – Applicable Research Directions”
has been a major success with over 80 attendees from Vietnam, Germany and others countries. The
Conference has been jointly organized by VGU and TU Darmstadt on 16th October, 2015.
The conference served as a platform for local and international representatives from academia and
industry to discuss about sustainable urban development and how to apply the researches to foster
the concrete development context more effectively.
Prof. Jürgen Mallon, President of VGU underlined the challenges coming with the continuing
urbanization with regard to Vietnam's dynamic growth in the next three decades. The major
challenge he mentioned was the decoupling of growth from the extensive use of natural resources.
The conference offered room for transdisciplinary exchange and aimed at presenting intercultural
approaches towards the future challenges of sustainable urban development, with regard to their
applicability in developing and emerging countries and Vietnam in particular.
Dao ThiBich Van
MSc, Research and Teaching Assistant
Sustainable Urban Development Master Study Program (SUD)
VGU Selected to Host EASTS Conference 2017
On 10th September 2015, a delegation from VGU went to Cebu, Philippines, to present a proposal to
host the 12th International Conference of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies (EASTS)
(2017) in Vietnam in Binh Duong & HCMC. For this purpose, VGU President Prof. Mallon delivered a
presentation to the nomination committee.
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Newsletter 03/2015
As a result, VGU has been selected to host the conference in September 2017. This is a great success
for VGU as the EASTS conference is the world’s third biggest conference on transportation issues and
will attract about 700 guests from all over the world. VGU’s Presidential
Presidential Board is confident that this
conference will make a big contribution to raising VGU’s reputation,
reputation, as well as having a great impact
on Vietnam’s (especially Binh Duong and HCMC) research and business in the field of transportation
and urban development.
In Cebu at the 12th International Conference of the Eastern
Asia Society for Transportation Studies (EASTS), VGU’s Dr.
Tuan also presented three academic papers and one study
report. The titles of the papers are: 1) Mode Choice Behavior
and Modal Shift to Public Transport in Developing Countries the Case of Hanoi City; 2) Accessibility to Public Transport
Systems in Developing Countries - An Empirical Study in Ho Chi
Minh City, Vietnam; 3) Mixed Traffic Saturation Flows of
Signalized Intersectionss in Motorcycle Dominant Cities. The
study report is entitled "Institutional Arrangement for Urban
Railway Line 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien) in HCMC" under
the Special Session on IRG (International Research Group)Group)
26 (Institutions for Railway Development in Asian
A
Cities
(IRDAC).
Dr. Tuan during his presentation at the 11th
conference of the EASTS in Cebu.
Mrs. Nguyen Le Linh,, Executive Assistant to President
Dr. Vu Anh Tuan Director of the Vietnamese-German Transport
ansport Research Center (VGTRC)
Academic Coordinator of Master Study Program Traffic and Transport
News from Workshops
Seminar
inar on Magnetic Resonance Imaging by Ms. Jingyuan
Chen from Stanford University
Following the example of VGU’s Senior Lecturer, PhD, Electrical
Engineering &Information
Information Technology, Nguyen Minh Hien, who did
her Postdoc at Stanford University, USA. Ms. Jingyuan Chen, a PhD
candidate from Stanford University, Department of Electrical
Engineering visited VGU and in particular the department of the
bachelor study program Electrical Engineering and Information
Technology (EEIT) on 22nd June 2015.
2015 She gave a seminar entitled
Ms. Jinyuan
inyuan Chen, Stanford
"Fun with Magnetic Resonance Imaging". Jingyuan Chen is a principal University
investigator in modeling and analysis of brain spontaneous activities
using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). She leads active research activities has recently
published numerous articles in the NeuroImage scientific journal and given numerous conference
presentations at the annual meetings of Human Brain Mapping and International Symposium on
Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
The seminar attracted around 40 students
students and provided valuable information ranging from the basic
concepts of magnetic resonance imaging as a medical imaging technique used to investigate the
anatomy and physiology of the body (signal generation, acquisition protocol, image reconstruction)
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Newsletter 03/2015
to the advanced applications of fMRI in order to understand the functioning mechanisms of our
brain, identify dysfunctional brain regions, and provide biomarkers that can aid clinical diagnosis.
In addition, the students had a glimpse of the Stanford resting-state fMRI system and current
research projects, such as using fMRI to regulate and control chronic pain in real time. The seminar
facilitated students' understanding of bio-imaging as a research and diagnostic tool that has been
adopted in academia and industry.
Nguyen Minh Hien,Senior Lecturer, PhD
Electrical Engineering & Information Technology Department
Visit to the University of Science and Technology of Hanoi (USTH)
On 21st August 2015 the presidential board of VGU paid USTH in Hanoi a courtesy visit. USTH was
established in 2009 as a second New Model University Project (NMUP) based on an
intergovernmental agreement between France and Vietnam. Similar to VGU, which is the first NMUP,
the USTH aims to provide excellent education and research.
During the meeting,
Prof. Patrick Boiron,
Rector of USTH, and
Prof. Jürgen Mallon
came to the conclusion
that both USTH and VGU
could be proud of all the
achievements that they
have reached in the
short time of their
existence. Nonetheless,
both universities are
facing some challenges
that are very alike. With
this in mind, Prof. Boiron
and Prof. Mallon plan to
Group picture after the visit at USTH with Prof. Dr. Le Tran Binh (USTH, Vice Rector cum
Director of University Implementation Unit), Nguyen Le Linh (VGU), Prof. Dr. Patrick
Boiron (USTH, Rector), Prof. Dr. Jürgen Mallon (VGU, President), Hoang Tram (USTH,
Assistant to Rector), Assc. Prof. Dr. Vu Thi Thu Ha (USTH, Co-Director of Administration)
and Gérard Gasquet (USTH, Director General) and Dr. Nguyen Le Hung (VGU, Vice
President). (left to right)
strengthen the long-term
relationship
between
both universities in order
to join forces in different
projects.
VGU is now looking forward to welcoming the presidential board of USTH to our campus in order to
deepen the discussions on further collaboration and generation of synergies in research and
education.
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Mallon, President
Special Seminar on Planning and Shaping Identity for Cities
All the faculty members and students of VGU’s Master Study Program Sustainable Urban
Development (SUD) recently joined forces to present a special seminar on “Public Space, Bottom-up
Place-Making and the Shaping of Identity for Cities” on September 9th, 2015. The guest speaker
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Newsletter 03/2015
wasDr. ToKien, who is a Senior Research Scientist and Senior Teaching Fellow at Singapore University
of Technology and Design (SUTD).
One of the highlights of the seminar was the emerging bottom-up and participatory approach that
compliments the traditional top-down one in the making of public space, and it was explained it
through diverse examples from around the world, as well as Vietnam. The seminar also outlines how
public space can play a role in shaping or enhancing the identity of a city, with the aim of improving
cultural sustainability.
SUD associates and students at the seminar
After listening and discussing withthe speaker, all attendees gained some knowledge and insight into
the making of public space and got a feel for the latest approaches for shaping the identity for cities.
This seminar is part of a strategic thrust to increase the number and quality of research activities of
SUD members and students. Thirty persons, including participants from VMU, were in attendance.
Dao ThiBich Van
MSc, Research and Teaching Assistant
Sustainable Urban Development Master Study Program (SUD)
Summer School of Computational Engineering in Germany
On 4th August 2015 the VGU's Computational
Engineering class of 2014 arrived at Ruhr
University Bochum for a one-month-summer
course at VGU's sister university in Germany. One
day later the students got started with the
serious aspects of their visit when they
participated in a four-day-seminar on 'Wind
Energy Facilities' that concluded with a written
test. Following this, there were two other block VGU students enjoying summer school at Ruhr
courses held specifically for the VGU students, University Bochum, Germany.
namely 'Geographic Information Systems in the
Field of Environmental Engineering' and an 'Experimental Lab' hosted by the RUB department of
mechanics. Thanks to financial support provided by DAAD, the RUB CE Coordination organized a
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Newsletter 03/2015
cultural program that featured a guided tour through the impressive Dortmund football stadium, one
day at Movie Park Germany and a football match of Vfl Bochum at the local stadium.
The students then had the opportunity to take advantage of a lecture free week to travel around
Germany and to explore German culture on their own.
Julia Lippmann and JörgSahlmen, Ruhr University Bochum
Dean of the VGU Engineering Faculty Visits RUB
Since 2009, the Ruhr University Bochum’s Computational Engineering Master's course has
maintained close bi-national relations with its sister program at VGU. Within the scope of this
cooperation the Dean of the VGU Engineering faculty paid a visit to RUB on 17thAugust 2015. The visit
allowed for the exchange of experiences and helped to identify cultural particularities of both
educational systems.
The visit included a guided tour through
the RUB wind tunnel, a campus tour, a
meeting with the Vietnamese CompEng
graduates who are currently pursuing
their PhDs at RUB as well as with the
participants of the VGU Summer School,
who were participating in a four-weektraining program at RUB.
After finishing lunch with Prof. Dr. Ing.
Mark, Dean of the Faculty of Civil and
Environmental Engineering Sciences,
Prof. Dr. Hackl, Head of the Department
Technician ReinhardElke, Engineer Sven Zimmermann and Prof. Dr. Klaus
of Mechanics and Computational
Hackl (left to right) from RUB together with Prof. Thi in Bochum.
Engineering Course
Director, Prof. Thi continued his journey to TU Darmstadt, which is also involved in a cooperative
training program with VGU.
Julia Lippmann and JörgSahlmen, Ruhr University Bochum
VGU Is Co-Organizing the Green Challenge 2015 by Bosch
The Green Challenge 2015 is an initiative by Bosch to unearth future talents in engineering and
design and to solve critical issues in the society.By giving young talents the tools, the know-how and
the expertise, Bosch and the co-organizers want to help make Vietnam a better place.
Co-Organizers of this competition are the Da Nang University of Science and Technology, the Ho Chi
Minh City University of Technology and the Vietnamese-German University.
The idea:
With 5 million motorbikes and underdeveloped infrastructure, Ho Chi Minh City dwellers have to
suffer from congestion, air pollution and noise pollution.Aiming to initiate the change to green
mobility and connectivity in Vietnam, Bosch Vietnam wants to develop a green 2-wheeler mobility escooter sharing system, a hassle-free system for electric scooters in Vietnam.
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Newsletter 03/2015
The brief:
Each team will develop a green 2-wheeler mobility e-scooter sharing system with 3 components:
Authentication and Payment Infrastructure, Solar Charging Station and e-Bike Tracking. The teams
should ensure that the cross functional aspects of this projects are sufficient considered. The teams
should keep environmental friendliness in focus.
The reward:
1stPrize:A field trip to Germany to visit Bosch’s plant and R&D center.
A training session with Bosch experts in Germany during the field trip.
2nd Prize:A training session with Bosch experts in Ho Chi Minh City.
3rd Prize: A set of BoschPower Tools foreach member.
The Jury Panel:
Mr. VoQuang Hue, Managing Director of Bosch Vietnam
Prof. Dr. Le Kim Hung, President of Danang University of Science and Technology
Mr. Guru Mallikarjuna, Managing Director of Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions
Vietnam
Ass.Prof. Dr.VuDinh Thanh, President of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology
Mr. MasumitsuRyosuke, Plant Manager of Bosch Vietnam
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Mallon, President of Vietnamese-German University
Mr. Martin Fethke, Head of Bosch Automotive R&D Centre
To learn more about the deadlines of the Green Challenge, visit http://www.bosch-greenchallenge.com.vn
Bosch Corporate Communications
News from Administration
One of the VGU's main objectives is to become the leading research university in South East Asia. In
order to reach this goal,everyone, not just the lecturers and students, but also every member of the
staff in every single department needs to do their best every day.
All of the departments - Human Resources, Financial Department, IT Department and Facility and
Building Management – must work closely together to ensure smooth operations on a day-to-day
basis. Each member of the VGU staff is important to VGU's ongoing success story.
In this newly established section, we will introduce you to every department of the VGU
Administrationand highlight their individual success stories of the last quarter of 2015.
Report from Human Resource Department
In any organization, human resource (HR) planning must be integrated into the organization´s
strategic plans. The decisions made by HR are extremely importance and must be based on the most
accurate information available. The HR Department of VGU is responsible for all HR matters and
reports directly to the Vice President for Administration, Dr. Mathias Neukirchen.
Team: Every working day, the colleagues of HR Department try their best to provide the highest
quality of service and create an excellent work environment.
The HR department is comprised of four members. The Head of the department is Dr. Dinh Hai Dung,
who started in June 2015. He has several years of working experiences in German universities and
26
Newsletter 03/2015
holds a PhD in Economics. Dr. Dung is supported by three competent HR officers: Ms. Phuong, Ms.
Thanh, and Ms. Vinh.
Dr. DinhHai Dung,
Head of HR
Mrs. Nguyen Thi
Thu Phuong
Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc
Thanh
Mrs. Hoang Thi
Thanh Vinh
Achievements: A great success of our team was this year's rapid increase in personnel numbers. As
of 01.11.2014, the team noted that VGU now has 78 members of VGU full time faculty and staff, with
17 full-time lecturers for all study programs. Currently, the VGU family counts 128 members, which is
an increase of about 60%.
New management positions for Finance, IT, Facility Management have been successfully filled.
Beside checking and readjusting of all existing contracts to new legal requirements, a separate
contract for Lecturers and Senior Lecturers was created.
The Team Building Event 2015, organized by HR, was a great success that strengthened the
relationships between all VGU staff members.
Plans: During the remaining months of 2015, HR plans to complete the deployment of a synchronized
HR software to optimize the daily work schedule and cope with many special cases that so often arise
in this developing stage of VGU.
In the coming months, the consulting package “Developing Human Resource Policy” financed by
World Bank will start.
Our target is to establish a HR policy that fits with the international academic labor market standards
but is still in-line with the Vietnamese labor laws.
Report from Finance Department
Team:The Finance Department is divided into the accounting and procurement teams. Currently,
three members of the accounting team are processing around 150 transactions per month amounted
up to VND 5 billion in total. In the meantime, the procurement team handles 30 requests per month
of different values. To maintain the high standard in operations, a new Head of Finance, Mr. Duong
Hoai Linh was recruited as the new Head of Finance.
Achievements:In early September 2015, a contract for a sustainable financial plan was signed
between VGU and a consultant, Mr. Richard L. Staisloff II. The project is scheduled to start in October
2015. With his support, we expect to be able to draft a feasible plan for the operation of the whole
university to not only ascertain the sufficient provision of financial resources both internally and
externally, but also to facilitate the strategic decision making process in Vietnam's dynamic
environment.
In addition, in August, a bidding package for the overall assessment of a consultancy firm was set up
and, subsequently, a bidding document was submitted to the State Treasury.
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Newsletter 03/2015
The consulting work is expected to commence in December 2015 and last for one year. The work will
support the establishment and implementation of a financial management system as an integrated
component of the university operation. The goal of the consulting work is to create a proper
reporting system for accounting and other relevant activities.
Plans:Policies of Fixed Asset Management and Inventory Management have been drafted and in the
next period, the Finance Department shall draft and submit for implementation a Standard Operating
Policy for all finance and procurement activities and set up an effective Internal Control System.
The Finance Department is collecting data needed to establish a new internal report system that will
assist the Senior Management in the decision making process. We are also developing a budget
control system for March 2016 so as to implement a transparent and comprehensive budget to all
departments.
Report from IT Department
Team: VGU's IT Department is well aware of the critical importance of having access to reliable
information. The department is responsible for the development and maintenance of an internal
network of laptops, desktop workstations, digital office equipment, networking equipment and
operating systems, and is committed to implementing a service management framework based on
best practice principles (ITIL) to drive the development of consistent service standards for IT support
across the University.
Quach Luom, New
Head of IT
Pham Minh Duy,
Deputy Head of IT
Dao Quoc Hung, IT
Officer
Nguyen HuyPhu,
ERP Technical
Manager for the
project
Tran HuuQuoc Van,
Nguyen Trung
Thanh, IT Executive IT Executive
The IT department’s main responsibilities include:
•
•
•
•
Management of the organization's hardware, software and communication
infrastructure.
Providing guidance for resolution of technology issues to VGU's faculty, staff and
students.
Maintenance of information security and network availability.
Development of plans and recommendations for future developments of VGU's IT
infrastructure.
Achievements/Plans: As part of World Bank consultant package, with support by a consultant of
Ernst &Young, we will develop a comprehensive IT strategy and system based on modern
technologies that allow integration with other university systems and processes.
Beginning 11th August 2015, the project will deliver an analysis of current IT trends and
developments, and market research into suitable, modern/emerging hardware, middleware and
software, a development plan for an IT Infrastructure, an improvement of the performance of local
network and Internet connection as well as of the IT system security.
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Newsletter 03/2015
Further, improved IT services for students will be designed, and a plan for employing and training
staff will be developed. All data will be as accurate as possible, including names and (estimated)
prices of components. The project is planned to be finished by the 1st March, 2016.
As an additional resource, a Helpdesk, intended to provide the end users with targeted information,
will be implemented by November 2015.
Last but not least, IT will improve WiFi service on the buses to improve working conditions for the
VGU staff during commuting.
Report from Management Unit VMU
A workshop chaired by the World Bank (WB) on 2014 and 2015 procurement plan progress and
bidding methods took place in Hanoi on August 20th, 2015. The workshop welcomed representatives
of the World Bank, the Presidential Board members of VGU and most team members of VMU at the
WB’s office in Hanoi. After a warm welcome by the WB’s Task Team Leader - Mr. Michael Crawford,
all participants started working on the workshop topics. All effort of VGU/VMU team members was
paid off, after one working day and with the support of the WB representatives, all issues were
solved. Mr. Crawford highly appreciated the good progress of the procurement plans of 2014 and
2015.
After the workshop, the WB’s Task Team Leader concluded that, as now all issues have been made
clear and the progress is satisfactory so the supervision mission, which is supposed to happen at the
end of October 2015, won’t be needed. Thus, the coming supervision mission is tentatively scheduled
in January 2016.
On 27th August 2015, VMU Director, Dr. Ha ThucVien together with PMU Director, Mr. Phan Quang
Dung, participated and presented in the Advisory conference with experts on efficient use of ODA
funding in education and training in period 2004-2014 held by the Committee on Culture, Education,
Adolescents and Children of the National Assembly in Hanoi. In the conference, the participants
focused on clarifying achievements, limitations, weaknesses, difficulties, obstacles, defining causes,
responsibilities of ministries, agencies, localities and beneficiary units of ODA projects in education
and training.
In the third quarter of 2015, VMU has implemented a number of procurement tasks, the
procurement team already signed 10 contracts for 7 packages with the total value of USD 945,000. At
the moment, the team members are in the progress of handling, assembling equipment and goods of
5 purchasing packages for EEIT, GPEM, Library and a solution for VGU’s asset management as well as
checking and taking over the library consultancy product and deploying 3 consultancy services of
Marketing, IT Strategy and Doctoral Training. Two consultancy packages of Human Resources and
Financial Management were already submitted to the WB for consideration. And 8 packages of goods
purchasing for EEIT, MSST, CS, GPEM and VGTRC are being evaluated. Regarding 3 packages of MSST,
GPEM and VGTRC, the request for proposals was issued. Together with the GPEM staff, the
procurement team is finalizing the technical requirements for one ICB package. The TOR of Longterm teaching consultancy package is being completed soon as well as the selection of the consultant
for education management and the team is currently working on completing the 2016 procurement
plan.
On 22ndJuly 2015, an administrative assistant, Ms. Van Thi Xuan Trang, joined VMU team. Ms. Trang
has been working as a project assistant and administrative assistant for several years and is now
happy to be a member of VMU/VGU team.
Starting from the 7th of September 2015, Ms. Ta Thi Thu Hien joined the VMU as a procurement
officer. Ms. Hien achieved the Master Degree of Engineering from Bach Khoa University and has
many years of experiences in procurement and project management.
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Newsletter 03/2015
External Events
VGU Consortium - Meeting of Members in July 2015
On 2nd July 2015, the 14th meeting of members of the VGU consortium took place in Bonn, Germany,
with Mr. Dr. Ha ThucVien and Deputy Head of Academic Affairs, Ms. Dr. Dang Thi Ngoc
N
Lan attending
the meeting of the consortium as special guests.
The main topic of the
meeting was Professor
Anderl's report on the
7th university council,
which took place in June
2015 in Frankfurt.
Professor Anderl was
appointed as a member
of the VGU university
council in May 2015, due
to his engagement and
academic
as
well
scientific support for
VGU since the beginning
of building up VGU.
Meeting of members of the VGU consortium in Bonn, Germany.
Other topics of the members meeting were the implementation of the Bachelor’s degree program in
Mechanical Engineering
gineering at VGU and general news from VGU. Furthermore the consortium welcomed
a new member at consortium. The University of Applied Sciences Bochum was accepted as a new
member of the consortium. The VGU consortium now includes 36 institutional members.
Nicole Binder, Head of coordination office of VGU Consortium
Camp of Vietnamese Students Association “SiViDuc” held in Germany
The Vietnamese Students Association in Germany organized a camp in Berlin, Germany, on August
14th – 16th, named “SiviDuc Berlin
rlin 2015″.
Mr. Thai, Head of Student Affairs,
Affairs
and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Anh Thi,
Dean of the Engineering Faculty,
represented VGU at this event and
promoted VGU’s 911 PhD scholarship
program. There were around
ar
130
students
listening
to
their
theirpresentation,mostly
undergraduates. Nevertheless, the
students found the 911 program
interesting.
Mr. Thai at his presentation of the 911 scholarship program in Berlin.
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Newsletter 03/2015
The SiViDUc camp was sponsored by the Vietnamese Embassy in Germany and received support of
businesses, the Overseas Vietnamese Association in Germany and international friends. Vietnamese
students delegations from France, Poland, the Czech Republic and
England were there, accompanied by one or two officials of the
Vietnamese embassy from those countries. This was the first time
such an event for Vietnamese students in Europe had been organized
and it happened thanks to the agreement and approval of the
Vietnamese embassies beforehand.
It was decided that next year the event will be held in France and the
organization team asked whether VGU could take part and support
them as well. Both the organizer and the Vietnamese ambassador
thankfully acknowledged VGU’s attendance several times. The camp’s
main activities included the 2ndCongress of the Vietnamese Students
Association in Germany (2015-2018), a vocational workshop, a SiViDuc
scientific workshop, a gala concert, a European football and
badminton tournament 2015 and many Vietnam’s folk games.
The lady ambassador of Vietnam in
Germany, Nguyen Thi Hoang Anh.
Vo Minh Thai, Head of Student Affairs
VGU’s Teambuilding Trip 2015
As one of many annual activities at VGU organized by the HR Department, the Team Building Event
this year was held between 14 Aug and 16 Aug 2015 in Mui Ne, a beautiful beach city in BinhThuan
Province. We, 66 members of the VGU family, spent a great time together doing many activities, such
as sport activities, gala performances, and team building games on the beach (What a pity the others
could not join!).
This year we organized a sharing talk about the experiences and passions of each member of VGU in
the evening we when gathered around a big camp fire. That was a really emotional moment. After
the team building trip, various shades of emotion arose among the participants. So far, the HR
Department has received over twenty comments. Some shared comments are really encouraging
“Thank you for making it a nice memory to all!”; “But the overall experience was AWESOME!”, some
are useful and contributive as well “If all (or almost all) of the staff of VGU joined the team building,
then we could obtain better results from this activity”, “Make it an obligatory trip for everybody.
Who cannot join, has to work”, “I wish, the teambuilding games would have taken place in the
afternoon”; some are funny “Phòngquánhiềucôntrùngnênmọingườiđềubịmuỗivàcôntrùngcắn –
(translation in English: Accommodation has many insects so most people were bitten by them).
Actually, they were not bitten in the rooms but in the garden and on the beach during the humorous
activities. In general, most of the submitted opinions are good (81%). As a conclusion, we
experienced a meaningful staff outing this year.
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Newsletter 03/2015
Group picture of the VGU family at the beach in Mui Ne
Dr. Dinh Hai Dung
Head of HR
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Newsletter 03/2015
Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival in Dau Tieng District
On the occasion of the traditional Vietnamese Mid-Autumn Festival, 60 students and several staff
members went on a charity trip to Dau Tieng District to celebrate the “Tet Trung Thu“ with the pupils
of HoaLoc Elementary School.
Starting off their weekend with a
long bus ride on the 26th of
September the VGU students and
staff visited the small fishing
village, which is about 50
kilometers from the university’s
campus. Some were still trying to
recover from the lack of sleep
caused by a long session of moon
cake baking while others were
worrying about having to sleep on
tables and chairs, but once the
buses arrived at the venue,
everyone seemed wide awake and
VGU students and staff members at HoaLocElemtary School
ready to start preparing for the big
night.
300 gift bags with stationery, milk, candy and homemade moon cakes had to be packed. Thanks to
the sponsorship of the companies Decathlon and Bobi Craft, the pupils were also to be presented
with toys and clothing.
Together with some staff members of the HoaLoc
Elementary School, a colorful stage was put up just
in time for the first pupils to arrive. The plan for the
night was to first style the girls’ hair with colorful
hair ties, which the VGU students had prepared, and
then present an entertainment program so
everyone could enjoy an unforgettable night.
However, despite all their careful planning, no one
could influence the weather conditions that night.
What started off as a light rain shower slowly
turned into heavy rain and forced all participants to
leave the stage and to run into the classrooms
before the performances had even begun.
VGU’s Vice President Dr. Ha ThucVien handing over a gift bag.
VGU's Vice President, Dr. Ha ThucVien, came along
to help VGU students to hand out the gift bags.
After joining members of the local community and teachers of HoaLoc Elementary School for dinner,
the festival ended with the students returning to the HoaLoc Elementary School to get some rest in
the classroom. Although the night didn’t exactly go the way it was supposed to go, all participants
still returned home happy that they had been part of this VGU tradition.
VyVy Tran, Volunteer
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Newsletter 03/2015
Staff News
Thank You for Supporting Mr. Bui Quang Hung
The Executive Committee (EC) of Vietnamese-German University's Labor Union would like to deeply
thank the VGU associates for having assisted with the request for aid for Mr. BuiQuangHung. In the
most turbulent time, Hung and his family have received care, encouragement, physical, emotional,
and spiritual support. This was a significant motivator for his triumph of the complication. In August,
after a comprehensive medical examination, his health has reached normal levels. On behalf of the
EC and Hung, I am honored to express the gratitude to all of you for your care, love and, practical
support to him and his family.
On Behalf of VGU Labor Union EC
Chairman
Dr. Ha ThucVien
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Newsletter 03/2015
Imprint
Imprint
Publisher:
The President of 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
Emma Stoll
Pictures: VGU, AHK as
signed, Machado
&Silvetti as signed
35