VOLUME 13 | eISSN (2948 - 457X) | JAN - JUNE 2023 INSTITUTE OF CLIMATE CHANGE e-BULLETIN https://www.ukm.my/ipi/penerbitan/ IPI e-Bulletin can be accessed at
01 04 19 22 24 Institute of Climate Change (IPI) retains the copyright over all materials published in the bulletin. No part of this bulletin may be reproduced and transmitted in any other forms without the prior written permission of the institute. Advisors ›› Associate Prof. Dr. Zaini Sakawi Prof. Ir. Dr. Mardina Abdullah Chief Editor ›› Editor ›› Editorial Support ›› Published by ›› Copyright ›› EDITORIAL TEAM Dr. Teh Wai Leong Ts. Dr. Wan Shafrina Wan Mohd Jaafar Nurul Hajijah Hair Syarina Md Sah Noridawaty Mat Daud Tuan Noraida Tuan Hamzah Nurul Ain Nordin Dr. Siti Aminah Bahari Institute of Climate Change (IPI) Level 3, Research Complex, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, MALAYSIA. Tel: 03-8911 8482 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.ukm.my/ipi CONTENTS Page Content Coordinator: Graphic Designer ›› Noor Shuhaira Rejab Under The Sea: Reef of Diversity Programs and Activities Publications - High ImpactJournals Congratulations! Seminar on Sustainability Leadership 2023 In the Making of Environmental and Climate Change Data Repository 25 Selected Research Grants 30 5 Asia-Pacific Coral Reef Symposium (APCRS 2023) th 32
UNDER THE SEA: REEF OF DIVERSITY Dr. Wee Hin Boo Institute of Climate Change Has anyone remembered the vibrant colors of under the sea through the Disney movies “The Little Mermaid”, “Finding Nemo” or “Moana”? Coral reefs are often depicted in vibrant colors and complex structures, which are diverse and dynamic ecosystems teeming with life. These underwater flower gardens are made up of hard sea bottoms, such as rocks, corals, and shells, and serve as a natural protection for various animals. The main builders of coral reefs are reef-building Scleractinian hard corals, which create bony skeletons using calcium carbonate. These corals come in different shapes and forms, such as branching, plates, brainy structures, and boulders, providing a competitive advantage in the ecosystem. The complex structure of coral reefs with reef-building corals as the building block of the reef Although adult reef-building corals are immobile, they are part of the animal group called Cnidaria, which also includes jellyfish. However, unlike jellyfish, corals cannot swim due to their heavy skeletons and attachment to the hard sea bottom. Despite being stationary, corals are still animals and rely on external sources for food. They obtain their nourishment through active predation, catching prey, or by forming a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship with other living organisms. To maximize their food acquisition, corals extend flower-like polyps from their hard skeletons, resembling blooming flowers. It is important to avoid touching corals as they possess stinging cells, similar to jellyfish, that can cause discomfort or harm.
In addition to reef-building corals, coral reefs are also home to various other types of corals-like organisms. These include carpet anemones and zoanthids, which do not create their own skeletal structures but incorporate sand, dead coral skeletons, or shells. Zoanthids are colorful and can change colors under ultraviolet light, but they also produce a highly toxic substance called Palytoxin. The increase in zoantharians in coral reef habitats is attributed to extreme disturbances and climate change. Beyond corals, coral reefs host a diverse array of organisms, such as the vibrantly colored reef fish. Fish play a crucial role in the reef ecosystem, with species such as anemone fish, seahorses, butterfly fish, angel fish, groupers, snappers, parrotfish, sharks, lionfish, and moray eels. These fish form complex prey-predator relationships, contributing to the colorful dynamics of the reef. Fish swimming at the coral reefs (left) and Sea anemone housing clownfish (right) Other associated organisms in coral reefs include echinoderms (sea stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and sand dollars), mollusks (clams, snails, octopuses, squids, and sea slugs), and crustaceans (shrimps, crabs, and lobsters). Echinoderms are bottom feeders or scavengers, some of which help clean the reef or pose a threat to reef-building corals. Mollusks contribute to the reef structure, filter and clean the water, and add color through nudibranch sea slugs. Crustaceans provide cleaning functionality, defense mechanisms, and create complex crevices and caves, enhancing the structural integrity of the coral reef. Extended polyp of sun coral (Left) and Colony of zoantharian Zoanthus sansibaricus (Right)
Blue dragon nudibranch (Pteraeolidia ianthina) (Left) and Crown-of-Thorns seastar on the reef building corals (Right). Nevertheless, many more coral reefs are associated with organisms which we did not touch upon. However, we should not discount their importance in the coral reef ecosystem. With so much diversity and complexity within the habitat, coral reefs are actually very sensitive to changes. They required a very stable environment in order for all the components to work coherently. Thus, the coral reef ecosystem is very much threatened by human activities at the coast which will affect their resilience and survivability. Furthermore, the increasing threat of climate change has narrowed their comfort distribution and has worried stakeholders for their resilience in future climate. Sea fans at the cliff of the reef
In broadening the data collection’s coverage initiative, Environmental Management Centre (EMC) has made an official visit to METMalaysia to explore and pursue any potential collaborations that can be established between EMC and METMalaysia. During this visit, EMC was introduced to various kinds of data that are available at METMalaysia and methods used for the data collection. As part of the visit’s tentative, EMC also has been given a chance to tour around the METMalaysia’s office and witness the live data collection for the weather, the operation room, and technologies available to estimate the event of earthquakes and the weather studio that is used by the METMalaysia’s personnel to report on the weather in Malaysia for the news. Official visit to Malaysian Meteorological Department (METMalaysia), Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change (NRECC) Date: 9 January 2023 Venue: MetMalaysia Office, Petaling Jaya PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES th
Following the visit conducted in January to METMalaysia, EMC has hosted a forum entitled “Forum Bukan Sekadar Data Cuaca” virtually via Webex on the 10 of February 2023. The hosting of the forum was aimed to elaborate and expose availability and functional use of data that are available at METMalaysia. In this forum, the audience was introduced to various functions of data such as insurance claims, criminal, and for the aviation purpose. The forum was moderated by Dr. Ooi Chel Gee (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia), with two panelists, Encik Ambun Dindang (METMalaysia), and Dr. Ahmad Fairudz Jamaluddin (METMalaysia). The forum has attracted almost 400 participants from various institutions, including government and private organizations and communities. Forum Bukan Sekadar Data Cuaca Date: 10 February 2023 Medium: Online via Webex Platform th th
Bengkel Hala Tuju Penyelidikan & Pelan Strategi Institut Perubahan Iklim (IPI) Date: 22 - 24 February 2023 Venue: Holiday Inn Hotel, Melaka The workshop mainly focuses on building the IPI strategies for institute management and research in light of the Malaysia Research Assessment (MyRA) format and UKM Strategic Plan. nd th
Webinar on Climate Leaders: Leading the Action Against Climate Change (Series 2) – “University's Role in The Climate Change Battle: Leadership from ASEAN Universities” Date: 20 March 2023 Medium: Zoom Webinar Following the first series of Webinar on Climate Leaders: Leading the Action Against Climate Change on 17 October 2023, Institute of Climate Change (IPI) extended the second series with the theme “University's Role in The Climate Change Battle: Leadership from ASEAN Universities”. This event was hosted in collaboration with the Higher Education Leadership Academy (AKEPT) and the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia. The webinar was moderated by Associate Prof. Dr. Sharina Abdul Halim (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia) with four panelists, L.Arch. James Christopher P. Buno (University of the Philippines Diliman, Philippines), Prof. Djoko Santoso Abi Suroso (Institute of Technology Bandung, Indonesia), Prof. Banchong Mahaisavariya (Mahidol University, Thailand) and Associate Prof. Datuk Ts. Dr. Ramzah Dambul (Institute for Development Studies, Sabah, Malaysia). The webinar has gathered more than 400 participants from universities, external organizations, private companies, and the community around the world. th th
Siri Seminar IPI 3/2023: "Peranan Remote Sensing dalam Pemantauan Banjir dan Bencana Alam" Date: 11 April 2023 Venue: Online -Webex Knowledge sharing by Dr Muhammed Kamal Azidy Musa, Research Officer from Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA). He presented an understanding of the development of satellite technology for environmental management. This program was a collaboration with the Jawatankuasa Teknikal Penyelidikan Geoinformasi / Geomatik Kebangsaan (JTPGGK)– Working Group 3 (WG 3) – Ocean and Coast chaired by Assoc Prof Ts Gs Sr Dr Khairul Nizam Abdul Maulud. th
Courtesy Visit by Institute for Development Studies (Sabah) Date: 14 April 2023 Venue: CRIM Meeting Room, Level 2, Research Complex IPI welcomes Datuk Ts. Dr. Ramzah Dambul, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Institute for Development Studies (Sabah) to Institute of Climate Change. The visit was held to discuss possible collaboration in research and MoU. Workshop on Strategy to Publish in High Impact Factor Journals & Student Manuscript Clinic Date: 9 May 2023 Venue: Main Meeting Room, Faculty of Engineering and Build Environment This workshop was held to provide a platform for all IPI students to gain knowledge on how to publish high impact factor journals. IPI invited Prof. Dr. Zaharin Aris, Director of the International Institute of Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, University Putra Malaysia, to give a talk on “Motivation and Strategy to Publish in High Impact Factor Journals”. He is a prominent academic and has published many high-impact journals and publications. Selected students were also invited to the Student Manuscript Clinic for a one-on-one discussion for their papers. th th
IPI Seminar Series 4/2023: Sorotan Akta Lembaga Angkasa Malaysia 2022 Date: 16 May 2023 Venue: Webex Online IPI has organized IPI Seminar Series 4/2023 titled "Sorotan Akta Lembaga Angkasa Malaysia 2022". The talk was delivered by Mr. Mhd Fairos Asillam, Space Commander from the Ministry of Science, Technology & Innovation (MOSTI). The purpose of this program is to share the latest developments in space science-related activities in Malaysia as well as Akta Lembaga Angkasa Malaysia 2022. The program was moderated by Dr. Sabirin Abdullah and attended by more than 80 participants. th
This course has been attended by government officers, the private sector, and students with a fee of RM 300 per person. From this course, participants learned to understand the basic structure of data management and organization, familiarize themselves with the basic programming language of R and RStudio environment and be able to perform basic statistical analysis and transfer output in tables. Course R Programming for Beginner Date: 30 - 31 May 2023 Venue: IPI Seminar Room, Level 7, Research Complex th st
River Educational Trip to Sungai Klang in collaboration with Selangor Maritime Gateway Date: 6 June 2023 Venue: Sungai Klang, Selangor This trip was led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Wan Hanna Melini Wan Mohtar, following a potential collaboration meeting earlier in April 2023 with the company appointed by the government of Selangor as the caretaker of the Selangor Maritime Gateway (SMG) project, that is Landasan Lumayan Sdn Bhd (LLSB). The trip’s tentative started with a visit to the Mangrove Point, where the EMC team has been brought along the route through the mangrove area. Interestingly, the route was built and regarded as a development with minimal impact on the ecosystem. While the not interesting part is that, throughout the route, an abundance of litter such as refrigerators and mostly plastics, could be seen trapped in the mangrove areas. The EMC team was then brought to hop on the water taxi for the Interceptor visit. The team was given a chance to witness and observe the operation of the Interceptor, in trapping and collecting the non-stopping floating litter on the river. The team has been briefed that, upon the Interceptor operation, lives in the ecosystem such as birds and beavers could be seen again along the area, which is impossible to be seen before the Interceptor’s operation. th
Kursus ArcGIS Desktop Introduction Date: 6 - 7 June 2023 Venue: Makmal ICT Pusat Pencerapan Bumi, Institut Perubahan Iklim ArcGIS is a platform to create and manage spatial data. This course covers the basic theory of GIS, the basic tools in ArcGIS, and the 3D and surface analysis using ArcMap. This course was a paid course with a fee of RM 250 per person. The participants were from students and private companies. th th
Kursus Asas Statistik dan Interpretasi Data Kualiti Air Date: 8 June 2023 Venue: Makmal ICT Pusat Pencerapan Bumi, Institut Perubahan Iklim This course was designed for officers from the Department of the Environment to provide statistics and data interpretation for water quality. The data interpretation helps understanding the current condition of water quality and the pollution management. th
Courtesy Visit by President of Hadhramout University, Yemen Date: 9 June 2023 Venue: Pusat Pencerapan Bumi, Institut Perubahan Iklim IPI welcomed the President and representatives from Hadhramout University, Yemen. This visit was to discuss possible research collaboration and MoU. th
Visit from Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, India Date: 12 - 13 June 2023 Venue: Pusat Pencerapan Bumi, Institut Perubahan Iklim IPI welcomed the representatives from the Institute of Technology Roorkee, India. This visit was to discuss possible research collaboration and also the organization of an international conference to be held in November 2023. th th Program Komuniti Alam dan Perubahan Iklim Siri 1/2023 Date: 25 June 2023 Venue: Seri Tanjung Apartment, Section 7, Bandar Baru Bangi Environmental Management Center (EMC) in collaboration with UKM-YSD, JMB Seri Tanjung, and ESSA has organized a community programme that is Program Komuniti Alam dan Perubahan Iklim (KAPI) Siri 1/2023. This programme was held at Apartment Seri Tanjung located at Section 7, Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor. The programme aimed to instill awareness and hopefully managed to intrigue the local community to cultivate the recycling routine in their daily life. In this programme, communities were asked to bring along the recyclable materials and a recycling company (Trash4Cash) was there to buy their materials. At the end of the programme, a total of 944 kg of recyclable materials such as papers, boxes, bicycles and even washing machines, were successfully collected and bought by Trash4Cash. As the team collected feedback and testimonies from the communities, many of them stated that there were some items that previously they were not aware could be recycled, and thus, they believed that this program has broadened their knowledge and perspective. th
IN THE MAKING OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE CHANGE DATA REPOSITORY Wan Nurshamimi Wan Jusoh, Wan Hanna Melini Wan Mohtar, Tuan Noraida Tuan Hamzah Institute of Climate Change “Oh, it is very difficult to get data for my research study.” “Where can I get data about these environmental studies?” “Why is it so complicated to get this research data?” Complaints and questions like this are often heard among researchers when they want to get research data related to their study. Difficulty in obtaining research data from reliable sources is a problem that can have implications for researchers in planning, conducting, and making the results of studies that have been carried out as a reference for research that is currently or will be carried out. Researchers need some kind of data to support their findings or help them improve their research objectives and work plans Looking at this frequent phenomenon, the Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change (NRECC) or formerly known as the Ministry of Environment and Water (KASA) in collaboration with the Environmental Management Center (EMC) under the Institute of Climate Change (IPI) UKM has agreed to develop a data repository that stores research data related to the environment and climate change. The main objective of establishing this data repository is to be a reference center for researchers to obtain research data related to the environment and climate change and to be a platform that can convey knowledge about the environment and climate change to the public indirectly. This data repository is developed through several phases according to current needs and suitability. Data collection involving research data in the environment and climate change field is also carried out in stages. At the initial stage, research publications including journal papers and policy papers that are publicly available through online search are collected and stored in this data repository. The next data collection stage will involve research data collection within UKM researchers. Research findings related to environment and climate change including raw data, reports, published journal papers, and theses will be collected among UKM researchers that have an interest in storing and sharing their data in the repository. There are some regulations and guidelines for data sharing that need to be followed and agreed by the researchers. The data collection process perhaps can be expanded to not only UKM researchers but also other academic institutions in Malaysia. The development of the data repository is based on web page design, whereby there are main pages that consist of six main subjects which are policy, climate change, land, water, air, and socioeconomics. There are a few subcategories under each main subject. For example, there are river, marine, hydrology, and groundwater classified as water subjects, making it a more effective and efficient search for users. Users can find a list of data after clicking on a certain main subject and can get details such as year, source, place, and a summary of the data. These details can be a great help for users to get an informative overview of the data.
Some other interesting features that can be found on the home page are the whistleblower and infographics section. Whistleblower is designed for the users to make reports on environmental pollution that happened around them. The concept of anonymity can help users to submit such reports without revealing their identity. They need to provide information about the incident and valid photos so the administrator can channel the report to the responsible party. This will then help the responsible party to act more efficiently and effectively. Other than that, users can obtain information and knowledge about studies related to the environment and climate change through infographics displayed on the data repository. Conveying information and knowledge in this kind of informal method can help to gain an understanding of certain topics in more interesting ways. As an example, research findings in fish feminisation studies can be translated from scientific terms to an infographic sketch that is easier to understand. Contents displayed on the data repository Interesting features embedded in the data repository UKM researchers, the government, and the public can access this data repository, and the access level will be controlled accordingly. Some restrictions need to be followed according to different access levels that have been set by the administrator. Users need to register their accounts before logging into the data repository. They are allowed to explore the data repository and download the research data.
The development of a data repository can be an efficient and effective medium to get research data, especially on environmental and climate change topics. Researchers will be able to obtain data from a reliable source and the EMC data repository can be a onestop centre for environment and climate change research data. In addition, the collection of research data in the data repository will be able to avoid the redundancy of stored data and become a systematic way for users to obtain the necessary research data. By controlling the user’s access level, data security can be enhanced, and this data repository can be a beneficial platform for income generation in the long term. Data repository access and its benefits However, certain research data are considered confidential, and users need to obtain permission from the data owner. Users can only read basic information about the research data on the display of the data repository.
PUBLICATIONS HIGHIMPACT JOURNALS (Q1) NO. PAPER TITLE & JOURNAL NAME AUTHORS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 A central spiral split rectangular-shaped metamaterial absorber surrounded by polarization-insensitive ring resonator for s-band applications Materials Ahasanul Hoque An innovative compact split-ring-resonator-based power tiller wheelshaped metamaterial for quad-band wireless communication Materials Mohammad Rashed Iqbal Faruque An ultra-thin, triple-band, incident angle-insensitive perfect metamaterial absorber Materials Mohammad Rashed Iqbal Faruque Assessing the contribution of open crop straw burning to groundlevel ozone and associated health impacts in China and the effectiveness of straw burning bans Environmental International Ooi Chel Gee Climate-change-driven droughts and tree mortality: assessing the potential of uav-derived early warning metrics Remote Sensing Wan Shafrina Wan Mohd Jaafar Double elliptical resonator based quadruple band metamaterial absorber for EMI shielding applications in microwave regime Alexandria Engineering Journal Mohammad Rashed Iqbal Faruque Effect of stocking density on the growth, body composition, and blood parameters of cage-reared Gangetic mystus catfish (Mystus cavasius) Aquaculture Reports Noorashikin Md Noor FTIR and rheology study of alginate samples: Effect of radiation Radiation Physics and Chemistry Mohammad Rashed Iqbal Faruque Investigation of the effect of 131I on blood parameters for thyroid cancer treatment Radiation Physics and Chemistry Mohammad Rashed Iqbal Faruque Metamaterial based ku-band antenna for low earth orbit nanosatellite payload system Nanomaterials Touhidul Alam Metamaterial physical property utilized antenna radiation pattern deflection for angular coverage and isolation enhancement of mmwave 5G MIMO antenna system Radiation Physics and Chemistry Touhidul Alam Modeling carbon emissions of post-selective logging in the production forests of Ulu Jelai, Pahang, Malaysia Remote Sensing Wan Shafrina Wan Mohd Jaafar Broadband plasmonic metamaterial optical absorber for the visible to near-infrared region Nanomaterials Touhidul Alam Notes: Only authors from IPI academicians are shown
NO. PAPER TITLE & JOURNAL NAME AUTHORS 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 New aspects of energy conversion in magnetic island dynamics: particle-in-cell simulation of multiple island coalescence and mms observations The Astrophysical Journal Teh Wai Leong Non-English academics face inequality via AI-generated essays and countermeasure tools BioScience Wee Hin Boo Polarization insensitive oblique incident angle stable ultra-thin nano ring resonator-based metamaterial absorber for visible and nearinfrared region applications Optics & Laser Technology Touhidul Alam Projected effects of climate change on marine ecosystems in southeast asian seas Frontiers in Marine Science Wee Hin Boo Quantification of covid-19 impacts on NO2 and O3: systematic model selection and hyperparameter optimization on AI-based meteorological-normalization methods Atmospheric Environment Ooi Chel Gee Reduction of radar cross section by adopting symmetrical coding metamaterial design for terahertz frequency applications Materials Mohammad Rashed Iqbal Faruque UAV implementations in urban planning and related sectors of rapidly developing nations: a review and future perspectives for Malaysia Remote Sensing Wan Shafrina Wan Mohd Jaafar Underestimation of biomass burning contribution to PM2.5 due to its chemical degradation based on hourly measurements of organic tracers: a case study in the yangtze river delta (YRD) region, china Science of The Total Environment Ooi Chel Gee Polarization-independent fractal square splits ring resonator (FSSRR) multiband metamaterial absorber/artificial magnetic conductor/sensor for Ku/K/Ka/5G (mm-Wave) band applications Measurement Touhidul Alam
SELECTED RESEARCH GRANTS Associate Prof. Ts. Gs. Dr. Khairul Nizam Abdul Maulud Research Title: Program Data Alam Sekitar di Sepanjang Selat Johor, Sekitar Batuan Tengah dan Tubir Selatan Tahun 2023/2024 di bawah Obligasi Settlement Agreement Granted by: Kementerian Sumber Asli, Alam Sekitar dan Perubahan Iklim (NRECC) Amount: RM 500,000.00 INDUSTRY GRANT INTERNATIONAL GRANTS Dr. Kuhan Chandru Research Title: Gamma Ray Radiation on Polyester Droplets Granted by: Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan Amount: RM 96,606.91 NATIONAL GRANTS Dr. Teh Wai Leong Research Title: Ion Physics and Energy Budget in Reconnection Region Granted by: Institute for Space-earth Environmental Research (ISEE), Nagoya University, Japan Amount: RM 8,000.00 Assoc. Prof. Dr. Marlia Mohd Hanafiah Research Title: Thriving Strategy and Roadmap of Malaysia Low-Carbon Hydrogen Economy via Green Financing Mechanisms for Sustainable Mobility Granted by: Institut Masa Depan (MASA) Amount: RM 10,000.00 Associate Prof. Ts. Gs. Dr. Khairul Nizam Abdul Maulud Research Title: Analisis Perubahan Pantai Estuari di Semenanjung Malaysia menggunakan Teknik Geospatial Granted by: Digdat Sdn. Bhd. Amount: RM 35,000.00 Ts. Dr. Noorashikin Md Noor Research Title: Mercury Concentration Status in Aquatic Biota: A National Fish Mercury Dataset Granted by: Geran Penyelidikan Penyelesaian Alam & Perubahan Iklim (PAPI) Amount: RM 30,000.00 UNIVERSITY GRANT
CONGRATULATIONS ! DUTA INOVASI UKM ANUGERAH PEMBELAJARAN TERADUN 2022 Congratulations to the Institute of Climate Change for being awarded as the Winner of “Anugerah Pembelajaran Teradun 2022 (Kategori Institusi dan Pusat: Peratusan Pembelajaran Teradun Terbaik Bagi Institusi dan Pusat)” in conjunction with the Majlis Apresiasi Pengajaran AktivUKM™ 2023. Congratulations to Associate Prof. Dr Mohammad Rashed Iqbal Faruque for being appointed as Duta Inovasi UKM effective from 1st April 2023 until 31st March 2025. Filed 5 patent applications with 2 commercialized products. SILVER & BRONZE MEDAL AWARDS THE 6 INTERNATIONAL INNOVATION, DESIGN AND ARTICULATION (I-DEA) 2023 Congratulations to Associate Prof. Dr Mohammad Rashed Iqbal Faruque for winning two medals for his innovations in the 6 International Innovation, Design And Articulation (i-DeA) 2023 held on 9th - 11 May 2023 in UiTM Perlis. He was awarded a silver medal for his research entitled “Left Handed Metamaterial Absorber for Energy Harvesting” and a bronze medal for research “Metamaterial Embedded Cloaking Structure for Dual Band Operation”. th th th
SPONSORSHIP BY ASIA OCEANIA GEOSCIENCES SOCIETY ANUGERAH TERBAIK PENERBITAN FRIM (TESIS MSC) Congratulations to Nur Fatin Irdina Zulhamidi, an IPI PhD Student under the supervision of Prof. Ir. Dr. Mardina Abdullah, for being selected as a Student Volunteer for the 20 Annual Meeting of the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (AOGS2023) which will be held on 30 July - 4 August 2023 in Singapore. She was sponsored by the host, Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (AOGS). STUDENT RESEARCH EXCHANGE PROGRAM AT SHIBAURA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY JAPAN Congratulations to Muhammad Faid bin Mohd Rizal, who has been offered the Research Exchange Program at Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan on 11 September 2023 - 8 March 2024. He is an IPI Master student supervised by Associate Prof. Sr. Ts. Gs. Dr. Khairul Nizam Abdul Maulud. Congratulations to Aisyah Marliza Muhmad Kamarulzaman for being awarded Anugerah Terbaik Penerbitan FRIM (Tesis Msc). She is an IPI Master student, under the supervision of Ts Dr Wan Shafrina Wan Mohd Jaafar and Assoc. Prof. Sr. Ts. Gs. Dr. Khairul Nizam Abdul Maulud. Her thesis entitled “Mengenal Pasti Indikator Kesan Terimpak Terhadap Pembalakan Terpilih Menggunakan Imej Pesawat Udara Tanpa Pemandu'' was selected as the best among MSc thesis submissions from all universities in Malaysia by the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM). th th th th th She was also sponsored by IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (GRSS) held on 16 - 21 July 2023 in Pasadena, USA. th st
IPI STUDENTS WINNING THE 7 WORLD OCEAN HACKATHON COMPETITION IN FRANCE Congratulations to IPI students who won first place in the 7 World Ocean Hackathon Competition which took place on 9 February 2023 in Brest, France. The team was previously announced as the winner in the qualifying competition on 4 December 2022 in Kuala Lumpur. The students are Yu Hai Ping (Master Student), Nur Izzati Zaini (Research Assistant), Teoh Hwai Leng (Master Student) and Mai Izatul Nuraishah Mior Hazri (Practical Student) with a project titled "JellyGo! Development of the first predictive model for distribution & appearance of jellyfish in Penang". The JellyGo! is an application to provide information on the appearance of jellyfish in the coastal area of Penang (Malaysia). This can help to limit and predict the abundance of these marine organisms to plan and sustain the tourism industry in Malaysia. th th th th
VISITING SCHOLAR FROM SHANGHAI UNIVERSITY Congratulations to Dr. Ooi Chel Gee (Maggie) for being awarded a visiting scholar from Shanghai University, started from 6 May to 2 June, 2023. During the visit, she aimed to join a group discussion of air quality and climate change issues. th nd
TRAINING ATTACHMENT PROGRAM BY ASIA-PACIFIC NETWORK FOR GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH Congratulations to Ts. Dr. Wan Shafrina Wan Mohd Jaafar for being selected as the recipient of the Asia-Pacific Network (APN) Proposal Development Training Workshop 2023 training award at the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand from 22 – 26 May 2023. Dr. Wan Shafrina was among the 20 selected trainees from ASEAN countries and had been appointed group leader for Group 2 developing a competitive proposal on Climate Extreme Event. Her group proposal was selected as the best proposal overall with the highest mark evaluated by peers and mentors.
SEMINAR ON SUSTAINABILITY LEADERSHIP 2023 Norzatul ‘Ezzah Hasan UKM-YSD Chair for Sustainability Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia The Seminar on Sustainability Leadership 2023, organized by the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)-Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD) (UKM-YSD) Chair for Sustainability, was successfully held on 25 May, 2023. This seminar was a collaborative effort between the Institute of Climate Change UKM and the Centre for Civilisational Dialogue Universiti Malaya. The hybrid event took place at the Zenith Hotel in Putrajaya and was accessible online via the ZOOM platform. The seminar aimed to share experiences and best practices from various institutions and organizations in Malaysia, promote sustainability, and facilitate discussions on sustainable practices. Opening Speech by Honorable YB Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad The opening ceremony featured welcoming remarks from YBhg. Prof. Emeritus Dato' Dr. Mohamad Abd. Razak, Chairman of the Board of Directors at UKM, and was officiated by the Honourable Tuan Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, Minister of Natural Resources, Environment, and Climate Change. This prestigious seminar provided a unique opportunity to connect and network with prominent keynote speakers from renowned institutions. Among the distinguished speakers were YBhg. Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift, Chief Executive Officer of Bursa Malaysia Berhad, and YM Datuk Tengku Muhammad Taufik Tengku Kamadjaja Aziz, President & Group Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS). th
Keynote Address by YBhg. Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift (Left) and YM Datuk Tengku Muhammad Taufik Tengku Kamadjaja Aziz (Right). The organisers were also grateful to have several esteemed leaders as invited speakers, including Dr. Hjh. Yatela Zainal Abidin, Chief Executive Officer of Yayasan Sime Darby; YBhg. Datin TPr. Hjh. Noraida Saludin, President of the Malaysian Institute of Planners; YBhg. Prof. Emeritus Dato’ ChM. Dr. Mazlin Mokhtar, Deputy Head (Research) & Director of the Ecological Systems Program at the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network Asia Headquarters, Sunway University; and YBhg. Prof. Cheah Kok Hoong, President of the ESG Association of Malaysia and Executive Chairman of SteerQuest Sdn. Bhd. Their presence as invited speakers greatly enhanced the seminar, offering valuable insights and expertise on sustainability practices. The afternoon session featured a Sustainability Forum titled "Realising Sustainability Through Young Generation Leadership," moderated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Wan Hanna Melini Wan Mohtar, Head of Environmental Management Centre, IPI. The forum included influential young leaders actively engaged in sustainability and climate action efforts. The seminar successfully aligned with several Sustainable Development Goals, including knowledge provision (SDG 4), achieving gender balance (SDG 5), raising climate action awareness (SDG 13), and establishing partnerships (SDG 17). Sustainability Forum entitled “Realising Sustainability Through Young Generation Leadership”
5 ASIA-PACIFIC CORAL REEF SYMPOSIUM (APCRS 2023) Yu Hai Ping Master Student Institute of Climate Change Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia The fifth edition of the Asia-Pacific Coral Reef Symposium (APCRS) took place from 19 to 23 June 2023 and was hosted by the National University of Singapore, NUS with the support from National Parks Board. Held every four years, the symposium seeks to gather aspiring scientists and relevant stakeholders to work together towards practical solutions for conserving coral reefs and marine resources in the region. Town Green Group Photo Owing to the generous donors and sponsors, I had the incredible opportunity to participate in the symposium as one of the Regional Travel Grant recipients. The five days symposium was well organized into plenary speaker sessions, participant presentations (oral and poster), workshops and field trips. Perhaps what captured my impression the most was the Wall Street-like scenario during the oral presentation sessions. A total of 822 participants haste between neighboring rooms to catch up with their topics of interests between presentation timeslots, nothing but enthusiasm! th th rd
Among the 462 oral presentations, I shared the current work and progress of my study on Symbiodiniaceae diversity hosted by a single host species and how environmental variations can affect the phylogenetic composition of the symbiotic algae within Peninsular Malaysia. The presentation was allocated in the session – “Plasticity and adaptation of reef organisms to environmental change” under the theme – “Responses to environmental change”. Representing diverse backgrounds and fields of study, the presenters all converged with a shared mission: to unravel the fate of coral reefs amid an ever-changing climate and comprehend their responses to rapid environmental shifts. Echoing the symposium's theme, 'Coral Reef Science and Management in a Rapidly Changing World,' it became evident that a science-informed management is the key to safeguarding our delicate coral reef ecosystem in the Anthropocene era.
As the symposium entered its final day, there was a collective sense of determination to act. The closing ceremony featured prominent coral reefs conservation figures - Professor Leo Tan, Singapore’s very own ASEAN Biodiversity Hero and a special appearance by the one and only, Dr Sylvia Earle. As all good things must come to an end, Professor Leo Tan emphasized that it was merely a pause. Indeed, the symposium concluded with a renewed spirit and fostered bonds among attendees. The collective efforts in the coming years will come together again at the sixth edition of APCRS which will be hosted in the wonderful Sabah, Malaysia where symphonies of pristine coral reefs thrive. Selamat Datang and see you all there! Of course, marine biologists are fun people. We had the best gala dinner at the prestigious flower dome inside Gardens by the Bay, one of the most iconic destinations in Singapore where wonders bloom!
INSTITUTE OF CLIMATE CHANGE UNIVERSITI KEBANGSAAN MALAYSIA 43600 UKM BANGI, SELANGOR DARUL EHSAN MALAYSIA Tel: 603-8911 8482/8033 E-mel: [email protected]