Memorial is strengthening its research and academic connections with Southeast Asia through a new post-secondary partnership.
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) has been signed with PetroVietnam University (PVU). PVU was formed in 2010 to carry out research and development and training for PetroVietnam, the country’s state oil company. The MOU is for five years.
According to the MOU, both institutions are seeking ways to develop and carry out collaborative activities.
The activities include exchange of faculty members; undergraduate and graduate student mobility and exchange; exchange of publications, research materials, newsletters, etc; joint projects related to research, teaching and faculty development; and development of joint initiatives with partner institutions.
More engagement
On Wednesday, Nov. 8, Dr. Neil Bose, vice-president (research), welcomed a delegation from Vietnam to the St. John’s campus, where he signed an agreement of co-operation between Memorial and PVU.
“PetroVietnam University is interested in expanding its engagement with Memorial University.”
The purpose of the agreement is to facilitate and promote co-operation between both institutions, with each providing graduate training and funding to support qualified students as they pursue their graduate studies at Memorial.
“PetroVietnam University, located in Ba Ria City in the south of Vietnam, east of Ho Chi Minh City, is interested in expanding its engagement with Memorial University, especially to send more graduate students to Newfoundland and Labrador, and to discuss potential joint courses and research projects,” said Dr. Bose.
“Vietnamese universities have been expanding their engagement with Memorial. Last year, several Marine Institute staff attended the International Association of Maritime Universities annual general assembly, which was hosted by Vietnam Maritime University in Haiphong in the north of Vietnam.”
The agreement of co-operation notes that Memorial will provide an annual fellowship — $7,000 for master’s of engineering and $9,000 for doctor of philosophy — for sponsored students entering full-time studies in a graduate degree program at Memorial.
On-campus visit
During their visit, the delegates saw some of Memorial’s world-class research equipment while learning about the university’s diverse teaching and learning opportunities.
They met with Dr. Lesley James, associate professor and Chevron Chair in Petroleum Engineering and acting head, Department of Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, visiting her Enhanced Oil Recovery Laboratory in the Bruneau Centre for Research and Innovation.
They also met with Meghan Gamsby, head, Public Services, with the Queen Elizabeth II Library to discuss a library database access exchange, and Dr. Dennis Peters, acting dean, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, to discuss Memorial’s engineering program and future collaborations.
Memorial’s Vietnamese graduate students greeted the delegation and hosted them on a tour of the City of St. John’s.
Enhancing internationalization
Memorial’s Strategic Internationalization Plan 2020 sets the stage for a wide range of ambitious international and intercultural initiatives.
The purpose of the plan is to strengthen the university’s internationalization efforts for a wide range of ambitious international and intercultural initiatives.
The university’s Strategic Research Intensity Plan 2014-20 reflects a synergistic and integrated approach for strengthening all aspects of research at Memorial, including scholarship and creative activities, as well as the translation of knowledge into products, practices and policies, and other forms of community engagement.
Vietnamese partnership
Memorial already has connections to Vietnam through a partnership with the Vietnam International Education Development (VIED), under Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training.
That agreement supports co-operation between Canada and Vietnam by providing funding support and training to Vietnamese graduate students as they pursue graduate studies at Memorial. VIED fellows admitted as full-time doctoral students at Memorial will be awarded a CDN$5,000 fellowship each year for four years.
Among the delegates from PVU were Dr. Phan Minh Quoc Binh, rector; Dr. Le Quoc Phong, head, Academic Affairs Department; and Dr. Ho Trong Long, head, Geology and Geophysics department, PVU.
