MTCC Recognises Outstanding Achievements Of UMS And UPM Graduates
Kuala Lumpur, 27 November 2017 – The Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC), in an effort to promote academic excellence and inculcate a love for forests amongst university students, recently presented Academic Awards to three forestry undergraduates from two local universities.
The 2017 Awards were won by Norazlin Binti Rosli and Lim E Yee, both from the Faculty of Forest, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM); and Lim Mee Chingfrom the Faculty of Science and Natural Resources, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS). The award presented to UMS is named the Freezailah Forest Sustainability Award in honour of MTCC’s founding Chairman, Dato’ Dr Freezailah Che Yeom, who had led the organisation for 17 years.
First presented in 2016, the MTCC Academic Awards aim to recognise outstanding students from the forestry-related field of study who have distinguished themselves by demonstrating overall academic excellence and scholarship in their final year project thesis.
“This is the second year we are collaborating with UPM and UMS to recognise and reward young talents demonstrating outstanding academic achievement in forestry-related studies. Through the Awards, we hope to raise the awareness amongst students about the importance of sustainable forest management in Malaysia, and the role of the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS) in championing this pursuit,” said MTCC CEO, Yong Teng Koon.
“Promoting sustainable forestry through the implementation of the MTCS is the core of MTCC’s work. MTCC accords great importance to collaborating with local universities to inspire more young people to embark on a career in forestry and forestry-related industries,” Yong elaborated.
The recipients of the MTCC Academic Awards were selected based on the undergraduate’s overall academic performance and the quality of their final year projects that focus on fields related to Sustainable Forest Management, Forest Certification, Natural Resources Management, Environmental Impact Assessment, Forest Plantation Management, Chain-of-Custody Certification, or Timber and Non-Timber Forest Products Utilization.
Commenting on the Award win, Lim Mee Ching from UMS said, “We cannot wait until our vital forest reserves are depleted to start conservation works. It has to begin now, and it is everyone’s duty to protect our forests. The MTCC Award serves as an encouragement for young people to play a more active role in promoting sustainable forestry. Additionally, it also influences my interest to consider a career in a forest-related industry.”
Excited and grateful to have won the award, UPM’s, Norazlin Binti Rosli, said, “This award helped me realize the important role of forestry education in safeguarding the future of our forests. Forestry education not only equips our youth with good basic knowledge and skills to sustainably manage our forest resources; the wider perspective of forestry education lies in its potential to change mind-sets and promote actions to ensure the long term well-being of our forests.”
“MTCC hopes that the Awards will inspire more students to take up forestry-related courses and spur them to take on greater responsibility in promoting sustainable forest management in Malaysia. Additionally, timber being Malaysia’s third largest export-oriented commodity, we hope that these students will be inspired to work in the forestry sector upon graduation and make a positive impact on the environment and society,” Yong concluded.
UPM scholars, Norazlin Binti Rosli and Lim E Yee, received a Certificate of Achievement and RM1,000 cash prize each. Meanwhile, Lim Mee Ching from UMS walked away with a Certificate of Achievement and RM2,000 cash prize.