Students, academics and visitors have attended a showcase of engagement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region held at Bournemouth University (BU).
The ASEAN region, which comprises ten countries and a population of more than 600million people, has been celebrated at a special engagement event held by students and academics at BU.
The event saw speakers talk about a range of projects including a knowledge exchange with the Vietnamese media, and the Hotel Resilient project, which looks at strengthening resilience in the tourism sector in the wake of natural hazards such as extreme weather. Students from BU’s Indonesian Society also took part in Saman, a traditional welcoming dance which celebrates important occasions as the event began.
Students from the Vietnamese Student Society also talked about what they were currently working on as a Society, their plans for the future, and some of their experiences while being students at BU.
President of BU’s Indonesian Society and MSc Sport Management student, Kharisma Putra Kartono said: “We were invited to the event by Global Engagement at BU, so that we could tell people about our student journeys, and showcase some of BU’s engagement with ASEAN countries.
“ASEAN is a distinctive mix of cultures in Southeast Asia that are not well-known, so wanted to inform people about ourselves while being recognised as coming from a distinctive region. This event was a good way to educate people and introduce our country to them.”
Lee Miles, a Professor of Crisis and Disaster Management at Bournemouth University’s Disaster Management Centre (BUDMC) also introduced the Malaysia Hub of Practice, during which he outlined the function of the hub in facilitating change and encouraging innovation in professional practice.
Pro-Vice Chancellor, Professor John Fletcher, who opened the event, said: “Our BUzz events tap into the fact that the world is now a small, interconnected place. Bournemouth University has built its reach internationally, reflected in our global engagement, as well as our Research Excellence Framework, and research papers with international collaboration, which have risen more than 6-fold in the past four years.
He added: “I’d encourage all staff at Bournemouth to reach out for new horizons, and really make a difference on the global stage.”
