QCU Co-hosts Four-Day APCORE-PIKSI 2023 Hybrid International Conference
The Asia-Pacific Consortium of Researchers and Educators, Inc. (APCORE) and the Politeknic Piksi Ganesha successfully co-organized the 2023 Hybrid International Conference, from August 29-31, 2023 at the Grand Asrilia Hotel Convention and Restaurant, Bandung, Indonesia, with Quezon City University serving as one of the partner co-host institutions.
The theme of this year’s hybrid conference is “Sustainable Research and Education: Trajectories, Hopes, Alarms and Expectations,” drawing more than 400 on-site and 700 online participants from around 100 universities and institutions in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, USA, and other countries in Asia Pacific.
Leading scholars from the Asia Pacific region convened in Bandung, Indonesia to exchange ideas and insights about the ever-evolving landscape of sustainable education and research.
The conference started with a warm welcome from Dr. H.K. Prihartono AH, President of AIC Indonesia, Director of Piksi Ganesha Polytechnic, and member of the APCORE International Board, followed by messages from the academic and institutional partners of the conference, including Dr. Theresita V. Atienza, QCU President.
Throughout the three-day event, attendees were exposed to wide-ranging keynote addresses and panel discussions by prominent scholars including. DR. Veeranoot Nisapatorm from Walailak University, Thailand, and Dr. Gyanmudra from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences delivered a master class on the future of sustainable education and research, and sustainable practices in higher education institutions, for the on-site and online participants.
On August 30, 2023, Prof. Dr. Ir. Aisyah Endah Palupi, M.Pd., Education and Culture Attaché of the Indonesian Embassy in Manila, delivered a keynote address on the conference theme. This was followed by plenary discussions by Prof. Dr. Vina Adriany of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization – Regional Center for Early Childhood Education and Parenting (SEAMEO-CECCEP); Dr. Ignasi Ribo from the Mae Fah Luang University; and QCU President, Dr. Theresita Atienza.
Among the key moments of the second day of the conference was the presentation of Dr. Atienza on Collective Knowledge Generation and Mobilization through University-Community Partnership, specifically discussing the importance of empowering community members to actively lead the knowledge production process to build their capacity in addressing immediate community issues through a community development approach. The discussion sparked an interesting conversation about the project-based approach and involving community partners in all research stages and decision-making processes.
The last day of the conference featured a keynote address of Dr. Alexander J. Klemm of the King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology in Thailand, followed by the plenary presentations of Dr. Md. Atiar Rahman from the University of Chittagong, Bangladesh; Prof. Ir. Teddy Mantoro of Sampoene University, Jakarta; and Prof. Dr. Nawzia Yamsin from the State University of Bangladesh.
Onsite and online presentations were also held in the afternoon of the three-day conference. The conference featured more than 300 paper presentations from more than 100 educational institutions across the region, including university instructors, industry practitioners, and undergraduate and graduate students.
A cultural event was organized on the second night of the event at the Swiss-Belresort in Bandung, providing the participants with more opportunities to network and socialize. A cultural tour was also held for on-site participants on September 1.
During the closing program, Certificates of Recognition to academic partners and recipients of the best research paper awards were awarded. In his closing message, Dr. Racidon P. Bernarte, Managing Director of APCORE, thanked the Politeknik Piksi Ganesha for hosting the conference, the conference secretariat and technical committee for their dedication in organizing the 2023 HIC, and the participants for their unending support to APCORE. He also invited the participants to attend future activities, including the November 2024 Executive Conference to be held at Stanford University, California.
QCU has been an institutional member of APCORE since 2021 and served as the technical secretariat of the APCORE-PIKSI 2023 HIC. Other academic and institutional partners of the event included SEAMEO-CECCEP, Abra Institute of Sciences and Technology, Lyceum of the Philippines University, Taguig City University, and Cagayan Valley University.
