Kuala Lumpur Symposium on the AUN-KU Student Mobility Program toward Human Security Development held in Malaysia (23–24 November 2015)

On 23–24 November 2015, the Kuala Lumpur Symposium on the ASEAN University Network (AUN)-Kyoto University (KU) Student Mobility Program toward Human Security Development was held at the University of Malaya (UM). The AUN-KU Student Mobility Program toward Human Security Development is part of the Re-Inventing Japan Project subsidized by the Japanese government.

Participating were delegates from KU, UM, Burapha University (Thailand), and the AUN Secretariat. A great number of UM researchers and students were also in the audience.

On the morning of the first day, the general session opened with welcome speeches by Professor Noorsaadah Abd Rahman, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of UM, and Dr Nantana Gajaseni, Executive Director of the AUN Secretariat. Following these, KU Professor Eiji Nawata gave a general introduction regarding a collaborative education program run by the AUN-KU Student Mobility Program. Two keynote lectures followed: "Renewable Energy Research in Malaysia" by Professor Nasrudin Abd Rahim, Director of the UM Power Energy Dedicated Advanced Centre, and "Nurturing Young Talent for the Next Fifty Years: More Collaboration in Research and Education between ASEAN and Japan" by Professor Junichi Mori, Director-General of the KU Organization for the Promotion of International Relations (OPIR).

At the end of the session, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the Human Life Advancement Foundation (HLAF) in Malaysia and KU.

Parallel sessions were held from the afternoon of the first day through the morning of the second day in the fields of energy and environment, food and water resources, and public health. In each session, delegates from KU and UM made presentations about their departments and research projects. The public health session featured presentations by three students enrolled in double Master's degree programs, one from KU and two from UM.

Throughout the two-day event, participating professors and students had fruitful discussions not only in their respective fields but also across multiple disciplines.