UNAIR NEWS – Library is the window to science and civilization. So the greatness of a university can be reflected from its library. As Universitas Airlangga is aiming towards world class university (WCU), the library should get extra attention.
Therefore, UNAIR delegates who were on duty at Aston University carried out benchmarking activity at the University of Birmingham Library and Oxford University Library on September 9, 2018.
UNAIR delegation was divided into two. Dr. Andy Hamim Zaidan, M.Si., PhD conducted benchmarking at Oxford University, while Prof. Dr. Moh. Yasin, M. Si and Prof. Dr. Retna Apsari, M.Si went to University of Birmingham library. The tasks carried out by the three delegates were not only around Aston University.
Two of UNAIR delegates received funding from Newton Fund and one delegate funded by Universitas Airlangga, Kemenristek Dikti, to bring benefits for UNAIR. It is not limited only to the field of photonics and biophotonic and its applications.
Aston University in addition to being a reference for Photonics and Biophotonics expertise in the UK, also has the best School of Business, with three international accreditations, ABMA, AACSB, and EQUIS.
In the future, the potential for cooperation in this field can be continued by other competent delegates of UNAIR, including Faculty of Vocational Studies UNAIR as the main practitioners of business. Business Department at Faculty of Vocational Studies will continue collaboration with other competent faculties in UNAIR. It can be started with research collaboration and student or staff outbound mobility for further study.
When entering the library area of University of Birmingham, there was only one word could describe it: extraordinary. Students and lecturers are spoiled with all journals, books, text books and supporting facilities, including a very comfortable room, a complete computer facility, discussion room, cafeteria, photo copy, research room, extraordinary on line administration .
In winter, the library is open 24 hours for lecturers and students. With their own accounts, students / lecturers can easily surf in cyberspace, find any references, and photocopy them.
“I am sure that UNAIR can surely spoil its lecturers and students by designing a world-class library.”
ALQUR’AN STUDIES
One interesting thing there is the extraordinary research and manuscript related to the Qur’an. The academics have been actively studying the Qur’an and its great content.
A study can be developed between University of Birmingham researchers and colleagues in faculties and linear programs at Universitas Airlangga. For example in Islamic Economics at the Faculty of Economics and Business and Postgraduate School of UNAIR.
Faculty of Law lecturer who was studying at the University of Birmingham on Energy Law, Indry Wahyuni SH., MH., said that she had a dream to make UNAIR library the center for scientific references for all UNAIR academic community.
Back to library is her motto. The library was designed with bright and challenging colors in UK. It makes the library look dynamic and friendly. It reminds them to the design of kindergarten schools and play groups.
Besides its library, the University of Birmingham also stood witness to the birth of great physicists in its era. It felt like in the past physics community and communicating with experts who invents the laws. One of them was Poynting, the inventor of the law of intensity derived from the multiplication of electric field vectors and magnetic field strengths.
The law of intensity is a spectacular study in the field of photonics to the realm of applications in the medical and industrial fields, which has been discussed in detail in the Photonics of Medical Diagnostics Workshop on September 7-8, 2018.
Andy Hamim Zaidan at Oxford University also saw the original handwritten formula by Einstein. UK is indeed the birth city of physics. Witnessing the legacy from expert of physics make their love for physics in particular and science in general even greater.
The greatness of Physics can be seen in the UK. Let us try to be in the same frequency to get maximum resonance which bring us towards World Class University.
The greatness of the library in Birmingham was witnessed on September 12, 2018. This country really makes libraries look like malls that attract citizens to visit and make the library as the center of their activities. I believe, Indonesia will be able to make it happen, especially for the beloved alma mater of Universitas Airlangga. (*)
Author: Prof. Retna Apsari , from Aston University, UK .
Editor: Bambang Bes
