Two UNIMAS graduates receive MTCC Academic Award 2021 for sustainability-related academic excellence
The last day of the 25th convocation ceremony of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) on 17 February 2022 has brought more excitement for Aileen Allysha Jack and Elvia Chong Qi Ern. The two graduating students from the Faculty of Resource Sciences and Technology were chosen by MTCC as the recipients of MTCC Academic Award on Sustainable Forest Management and Timber Certification (MTCC Academic Award) for their exceptional final year project theses and overall academic excellence for the year 2021.
Aileen Allysha Jack, who studied under the Plant Resource Science and Management Programme, received the award for her thesis titled “Studies on Vegetative Propagation of Bamboo Species (Schizostachyum brachycladum)via Artificial Means.” Describing the award as an encouragement to do more in the field, Aileen said her research evaluated the propagation of “buluh lemang” using artificial vegetative propagation method.
“I think bamboo is such a mysterious plant, but so far, not many studies have been done about it. Based on my research, I learnt that bamboos have the potential to be a substitute for timbers in the future. I hope I can further my research on this later on,” said Aileen who hails from Limbang, Sarawak.
“Winning this award is an eye opener for me and it’s a good start for me to pursue my dream to be an agricultural researcher and help improve the efficiency and safety of agricultural establishments,” she added.
Elvia Chong Qi Ern of the Animal Resource Science and Management Programme was given the recognition for her thesis titled “Activity Budget and Height Proximity of Captive White-handed Gibbon (Hylobates lar) in Gibbon Rehabilitation Project, Raub, Pahang.” The study was focused on the behaviours of the lesser known arboreal ape species in a lowland dipterocarp forest at the Gibbon Rehabilitation Centre in Raub, Pahang.
“I did the research because gibbons are lesser known ape species in Malaysia, unlike orang utan. Based on my research, I look forward to let people learn more about gibbons. And this award has boosted my confidence to dive deeply into this interesting field of study,” said Elvia from Kajang, Selangor.
“I’m currently exploring other related fields for my postgraduate study by doing internships or volunteering at different NGOs. I hope this will pave the way for me to become a wildlife conservationist in Malaysia. As a country rich in biodiversity, it is unfortunate that not many people have taken an interest to do research in biodiversity,” she said.
Aileen and Elvia received RM1,000 in cash and a certificate each. The awards were presented to them by the Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, Datuk Willie Anak Mongin at the academic excellence award and prize presentation ceremony held in UNIMAS, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak. Present were Vice Chancellor, Professor Datuk Dr Mohamad Kadim Suadi, Faculty Dean, Associate Professor Dr Samsur Mohamad and MTCC’s CEO, Siti Syaliza Mustapha.
Datuk Willie was among the invited dignitaries attending the last day of the convocation ceremony which was led by the Deputy Chief Minister of Sarawak, Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.
Datuk Willie said MTCC’s initiave in encouraging quality forestry-based studies among university students was in line with the Ministry’s effort in ensuring that forests and their rich biodiversity are sustainably managed while exploring new alternatives for timber. “This is important to ensure that the local and global demand for sustainable timber can continuously be fulfilled,” he said.
Siti Syaliza said the MTCC Academic Award was introduced in 2016 in line with MTCC’s continued effort to increase expertise in natural resources management, particularly for sustainability of forests and related industries. Its objectives are to motivate students to excel in their education and consequently pursue a career in sustainable forestry or timber-based sector.
“The MTCC Academic Award is not only about giving recognition to deserving students for academic excellence. As we know, the sustainability of our forests and resources lies in the hands of the young generations. So, it’s very important for these future leaders to be engaged in the pursuit to care for the forests and their resources from the university level. It’s essential for them to be career-ready – Well-equipped with the right mindset, knowledge and skills, and consequently make an impact to shape the future of our nation.”
She added that the 2021 MTCC Academic Award was a debut collaboration between MTCC and UNIMAS, and the annual award will continue to be given to deserving students until 2025. MTCC provides similar awards of excellence to several other universities, namely Universiti Putra Malaysia and Universiti Malaysia Sabah.