SURABAYA, Aug 28 – Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) has strengthened its undergraduate mobility agenda through a vibrant academic visit to Universitas Negeri Malang (UM), Indonesia, weaving science learning with cultural literacy and leadership. The programme blended guest lectures, laboratory walkabouts, and a student colloquium with visits in Surabaya, turning travel into a living classroom. What began as an itinerary matured into a reflective journey that invited students to ask better questions, notice how context shapes experimentation, and recognise responsibilities that accompany scientific knowledge.
UTM’s role was decisive and enabling. The university framed mobility as an integral part of a degree, not an optional extra, coordinating logistics, safety briefings, and funding pathways so participation rests on merit and motivation. By pairing academic deliverables with community engagement, UTM ensured the visit produced more than photos. Experiences were structured, outcome-driven, and inclusive, with clear targets that connect mobility to graduate attributes such as global mindset and leadership.
The Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, was the engine of this success. Its academic leads curated the learning arc from pre-departure orientation to on-site mentoring and post-trip synthesis. Lecturers delivered talks on spectroscopy, materials science, and innovation, while students presented their work and practised scholarly dialogue with UM peers. The department’s insistence on reflective practice—journals, group debriefs, and peer feedback—helped participants translate activity into understanding. Students returned with sharper questions, more transparent communication, and a stronger sense of professional identity.
Inside UM’s laboratories, participants observed instrumentation, safety culture, and workflow organisation that both echoed and contrasted with those at home. They learned how research groups divide responsibilities, how maintenance schedules protect high-value equipment, and how small improvisations keep experiments moving in resource-aware settings. Guided tours were conversational by design, inviting students to compare methods, troubleshoot together, and recognise good science travels well across borders when respect, curiosity, and rigour are shared.
Beyond the bench, the itinerary connected heritage and nature to scientific thinking. Riding intercity rail, tracing the story of a historic submarine, navigating a botanical maze, and witnessing volcanic terrain seeded discussions about energy, sustainability, and resilience. Shared experiences strengthened cohort bonds and improved communication across cultures. Students reflected on how field observation sharpens measurement instincts: lighting, temperature, and terrain all matter when designing experiments and evaluating data.
The visit’s lasting value lies in continuity. UTM secured faculty-to-faculty touchpoints for joint projects, micro-internship possibilities, and virtual research exchanges that widen access while keeping costs manageable. The Department of Physics has committed to turning mobility outputs into classroom inputs—case studies, lab improvements, and a mentoring pipeline where alumni of the trip coach the next cohort. In doing so, UTM shows mobility is not a one-off excursion but a scaffold for lifelong learning and regional partnership.
As students return, their reflections converge on a central lesson: science is a human enterprise. Instruments impress, but empathy and adaptability elevate technical skill into leadership. By investing in thoughtful mobility, UTM and its Department of Physics are equipping undergraduates to become collaborators who think beyond borders and serve communities through evidence, creativity, and care.
Prepared by: Siti Salwa Alias, Chiang Ming Wei, and Wong Wei Xiang