Page 259 - handbook 20162017

Faculty of Science Handbook, Session 2016/2017

DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY The Department has established cooperation in research
with geoscientists, universities and research laboratories
from developed and developing countries in fields of
The Department of Geology is the oldest Department of
Geology in the country. It was founded in Singapore in 1956 common interest. The Department also has good rapport
and relocated to The Kuala Lumpur Campus in 1960. From with agencies in the public and private sector in activities
related to research and consultancy.
its modest beginning with only 4 academic staff and 2 final-
year students in 1962, the Department has expanded and
evolved in terms of staff, facilities and students in line with Facilities
the development of our nation and the increase in demand The Department is equipped with a wide range of laboratory
of earth science graduates. In the last 15 years, the and field facilities for both teaching and research purposes.
Department produces about 50 graduates with Bachelor of Facilities for the preparation of rock slabs, rock thin-sections
Science in Geology and Applied Geology (introduced in and polished sections are available and include rock saws of
1968) annually. Presently there are 18 academic staff and various diameters and an automatic polishing. Excellent
21 support staff in the Department. teaching petrological, reflected and transmitted light
microscopes, as well as stereoscopes and a large reference
Objectives collection of topographic and geological maps, rocks,
As a main centre for earth science studies in a rapidly minerals and fossils are available for undergraduates and
developing nation, the Department is aware of its postgraduate students.
responsibility to train graduates of high quality in terms of The Department of Geology has one of the most advanced
academic excellence and communication skills. The organic geochemistry laboratory in Malaysia. The laboratory
Department constantly reviews and introduces new relevant
courses from time to time, to fulfil the requirements of both is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities such as
the public and private sectors. hydrocarbon Source Rock Analyser (SRA), GC, GC-MS,
Pyrolysis-GC, ATR-FTIR and microscope photometry
Degree Programs system.
The Department of Geology offers two undergraduate Other major teaching and research equipment include
degree programs, namely Bachelor of Science in Geology LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging), ICP (Inductively
and Bachelor of Science in Applied Geology based on Coupled Plasma), XRD (X-ray Diffractometer), XRF (X-Ray
semester system. This system provides students the chance Flourescence Spectro-meter), AAS (Atomic Absorption
to complete the course in a minimum of 7 semesters. Spectrometer), gravity meter, seismograph, magnetometer
Students who apply for the undergraduate course should and particle size analyser. Macro- and micro-photography
have some background in Physics, Chemistry & and image analysis facilities are also available within the
Mathematics in the STPM level, Matriculation or other Department.
equivalent qualification. The medium of instruction is
English. A well-equipped computer laboratory with internet support,
complete with geological and geophysical modelling
The Department has an excellent program of research software are also available for students who are encouraged
training leading to a Master of Science (MSc) or a Doctor of to use computer techniques for analysis of their data. There
Philosophy (PhD) Degree. These postgraduate programs is also a workstation laboratory with softwares for geological,
are based on supervised research and preparation of geophysical, petrophysical, structural and reservoir analysis,
dissertation. The Department also offers Master of Science modeling, visualization and simulation, that are widely used
in Petroleum Geology by coursework. For admission to the in the industry.
Masters degree program, the candidate must possess a
Bachelor of Science degree with Honours, while for the PhD The Department library, known as the Klompe Reading
program the candidate must possess a Master’s degree. Room, is well stocked with a wide variety of recent
geological books and literature and has access to the Main
Academic and Research Activities Library of the University which has the largest collection of
The staff of the Department are actively involved in studies books and journals in the region.
and research in all aspects of geosciences in Malaysia. To
fulfil the needs of the private sectors, research on economic Career Opportunities
mineral deposits, engineering and environmental geology, In our rapidly developing nation, graduates in geology have
and aspects related to petroleum exploration have been excellent career opportunities. Graduates from the
emphasised. Publications by the academic staff have Department have excelled in their career in both the public
contributed significantly to understanding of general and private sectors, in various fields such as academic,
geology, mineralogy, petrology, geophysics, stratigraphy, mining, petroleum industry, engineering geology and the
palaeontology, sedimentology, structural geology and construction sector. There is an increase in demand for
tectonics of Malaysia and the region. geology graduates. Expertise in geology is also required in
the construction of infrastructures, the chemical industries,
The staff of the Department are actively involved in the mitigation of natural hazards and environmental monitoring.
promotion and advancement of geosciences in Malaysia and
the South-East Asia countries through cooperation and ACADEMIC STAFF
linkages with various organisations such as the Minerals and
Geoscience Department of Malaysia, Geological Society of HEAD:
Malaysia, AGID (Association of Geoscientists for Dr. Azman Abdul Ghani, BSc (Mal), PhD (Liverpool).
International Development), IUGS (International Union of Mineralogy, Igneous Petrology.
Geological Sciences), AAPG (American Association of
Petroleum Geologists), UNESCO, and PETRONAS.
Members of the Department have played important and PROFESSOR:
pioneering roles in organising activities that are beneficial to Profesor Dr. Ismail Yusoff, BSc (Mal), MSc (Norwich), PhD
the nation and region, such as organising conferences, (Norwich) Hydrogeology.
training courses and field work. Dr. Wan Hasiah Abdullah, BSc (Mal), MSc, PhD
(Newcastle). Petroleum Geochemistry, Coal Petrology.
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