WINNING SMILES: The participants and winners strike a pose with the organiser from Malaysia Footwear Manufacturers Association(MFMA),Mr Irene Tan and Associate Professor Dr.Irene Tan Ai Lian from UCSI University.

Practicality – it is the core value that drives UCSI University's Praxis concept of applying theory to practice. Praxis is the University's academic approach to furnish students with unrivalled industrial exposure, within and beyond the classroom.

With this concept, it is of no surprise that students from the University's De Institute of Art and Design are intensely competitive, constantly pitting their design abilities against teams from other universities in numerous competitions, at both national and international levels.

One such competition was the recently held International Shoe Festival 2012 at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) on 29th March 2012, which was segregated into two categories, namely "Creative Arts" and "Miniature Shoes".

Four groups of students from the University's Fashion and 3D Animation Design programmes participated in the competition and bagged four consolation prizes in total, two for each category.

The students' winning art pieces from the Creative Arts category were entitled "Summer in the Garden" and "The Opera" while "The Gothic" and "The Dream" were the winning showcase titles for the Miniature Shoes category.

The "Creative Arts" theme necessitated participants to design apparel and a pair of shoes using recycled items, strictly without sewing and the use of fabric.

As for the "Miniature Shoes" category, students were required to design a series of at least 6 original shoe designs through various techniques – with a measurement limit of 3-5 inches per shoe – complete with backdrops and platforms as part of their showcase.

The festival is an annual event organised by the Malaysia Footwear Manufacturers Association (MFMA) and The Tourism Board of Malaysia, initiated by YB Dato' Sri Dr. Ng Yen Yen and Dato' Jimmy Choo.

Officiated by Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Hajah Haminah, the festival aims to create an international platform for industry players and young talents in the field of design to showcase and promote their original footwear to a global audience.

Undoubtedly, participants were able to gain valuable insight to intricacies in the industry pertinent to their professional development, such as teamwork and communication skills, to name a few, especially during interactions with key market practitioners.

One of the participants, Foong Sze Wei, from the "De Institute" 3D animation programme, said "The competition has helped me learn and develop new skills in fashion design."

She added that although this was her first time participating in the competition, she was proud to represent the University and had put her best foot forward when competing with some of the more experienced competitors.

Teoh Sim Tee, a fashion student from one of the University's winning teams, commented "We took almost two to three months to develop the shoe designs. During the designing process, I learned to juggle time between studies and working on the project for the competition."

It was a good learning experience, she said, especially in terms of communicating well to the audience and coherently presenting the designs as well as developing good teamwork.

Nur Mashita Bt. Kamalun Ariffin, Head of "De Institute's" Fashion Design department, commented "Competitions are an excellent learning platform for students to stay in touch with the latest updates (in the industry)."

She added that students were also able to interact with and receive constructive feedback directly from prominent figures in the industry, such as those selected as judges in competitions.

Irene Tan, a lecturer from the Faculty of Social Sciences & Liberal Arts, said that the festival was also a great way for the students to evaluate (and put to practice) what they had learnt and gauge the strengths of other participants – in short, a comparison of skills and techniques.

Another event that took the spotlight recently was the Science Meets Art exhibition cum competition installed at the Kuala Lumpur Library Gallery at Dataran Merdeka in March this year, organised by the Goethe-Institut Malaysia and Pusat Sains Negara.

The competition hoped to elevate student awareness on the relationship between art and science – that is often intertwined – and how science is reflected in art and lifestyles, among others.

Foong Sze Wei and Tang Man Ying from "De Institute" bagged the second and third place, respectively – beating more than 280 participants from various colleges and universities. David Ng, also from"De Institute", was selected for one of five Special Mention prizes.

Apart from competitions, the University's students are also actively involved in community-related projects. On 16 June, twelve volunteer students were involved in the beautification of Tadika Sri Cempaka in Taman Cuepacs, and decorated the kindergarten with mural paintings.

Discussions are also in place to beautify a paediatric ward with twenty five paintings.

Notably, "De Institute" places strong emphasis on practical, hands-on training – thus exposing its students to the various aspects of industrial practices and ethics.

Mashita commented that UCSI University is the only university in Malaysia to offer a degree in which fashion design makes up 75 percent of its curriculum and the other 25 percent comprises marketing-related subjects.

The practical-based programme not only provides students with knowledge in fashion design, she said, but in business and marketing aspects as well.

Dennis Wong Chee De, Head of "De Institute's" 3D Animation department, commented "We place more emphasis on specialisation, which means that students are already equipped with the fundamental skills upon graduation."

Feedback from our industry partners, he said, is that much time and effort still needs to go into training students, especially during placements and internships.

He added "Here, we ensure that students are fully equipped with practical experience and possess specialised skills because the field of 3D Animation is very broad.

For example, students can major in 3D animation or 3D modelling, among others. This is how we have designed our curriculum."

Guest speakers, industry advisors and external examiners are often invited, he said, to ensure that the programme is kept relevant to the latest industry updates.

In line with the Praxis approach, plans are afoot to build an in-house design studio, similar to a full production studio, where students will be exposed to real-life studio learning.

Deliberations are also in place to establish a production studio that takes on actual industry projects, which will involve both students and lecturers alike.

To find out more about UCSI University's 3D Animation and Fashion Design courses and scholarships, feel free to pay us a visit on our Open Day from 21^st to 22^nd July 2012 (between 9.00am – 6.00pm), contact our counsellors at 03-9101 8880 or email us at www.ucsiuniversity.edu.my/onlineenquiry for any enquiries.

You may also visit the UCSI University website at www.ucsiuniversity.edu.my.