UMS-UTOKYO Nature Tourism Postgraduate Colloquium 2023 was jointly organized by the Faculty of Tropical Forestry, Universiti Malaysia Sabah and the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the University of Tokyo (UTokyo), Japan recently.

It was officiated by the UMS Vice Chancellor, Professor Datuk Dr. Kasim Hj. Mansor.

In his officiating speech, Kasim mentioned that the implementation of the colloquium was in line with UMS vision and mission to achieve academic excellence and international recognition through its attention to teaching and learning, research and publications, and social services.

“This postgraduate colloquium is organized as part of the ongoing collaborations under MoU, which was just extended for another five years, aims to provide a forum for meeting and the proliferation of ideas among the postgraduate students of UMS and UTokyo.

“It also aims to promote the culture of knowledge sharing in the field of forestry, and specifically on nature tourism,” he said.

He added that the colloquium will further strengthen both university working relationship and serve as a forum for learning from each other on various aspects of forestry.

“Nature tourism is a timely topic because tourism is one of the important industries in Sabah,” said Kasim.

Meanwhile, according to the Dean of the Faculty of Tropical Forestry (FPT), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Normah Awang Besar @ Raffie, FPT UMS has a long-standing relationship with the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UTokyo.

“With the signing of MoU in June 2017, UMS forestry was invited as one of the core universities in Asia to participate in the Asian University Forest Research Network under the Core-to-core Program of the Japan Society for Promotion of Science,” she said.

During the colloquium, five distinguished invited speakers delivered their talk pertaining to nature tourism management and development in Sabah.

They are Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kae Miyazawa from Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences (UTokyo), Dr. Maklarin Lakim from Sabah Park, Prof. Dr. Jennifer Chan Kim Lian from the Faculty of Business, Economics and Accountancy UMS, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fiffy Hanisdah Saikim from Institute of Tropical Biology and Conservation UMS, and Dr. Wilson Wong Vun Chiong from FPT UMS.

Confucius Institute and Academy of Arts and Creative Technology (ASTiF) of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) will jointly organize the 25^th Land Below the Wind Talk at Theatrette Ahmad Nisfu, ASTiF, UMS this 18 March.

The organizer has invited Associate Professor Dr. Shanthini Pillai from National University of Malaysia (UKM) to deliver her talk entitled “Diaspora, resilience and the Chinese in war-torn Malaya: A lesser-known perspective from a French Missionary”.

According to a statement from CI@UMS, Dr. Shanthini Pillai is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, National University of Malaysia (UKM).

“Her research interests are anchored primarily in cultural studies with reference to diaspora and transnationalism, ethnic diversity, and religious mobilities, especially in the context of global South Asian communities.

“She holds Research Fellowships at the University of Queensland, Australia and the Asia Research Institute, Singapore and currently head a research project on diaspora, religious mobilities and the French Missionaries in colonial Malaya.

“She published widely in her area of expertise, with recent work was included in the Social Sciences and Missions, The International Journal of the Sociology of Language, SOJOURN and The Australian Journal of Anthropology,” according to the statement.

CI@UMS statement also mention that the talk focuses on a lesser-known perspective of life in war-torn Malaya, using the recent English translation of a diary by one of the directors of a French administered Catholic Seminary.

“The diary, written in and of Penang during the Japanese Occupation is a valuable collection of day-to-day entries, not only for its revelations of life for the seminarians who were enrolled in the institution, but also to the local domestic help engaged over the years, most of whom were of Chinese heritage.

“There are also numerous references to the engagement between the French and the founding Chinese merchant community, especially in the context of trade and real estate.

“Drawing on these and other imprints of the Chinese community in the diary entries, the talk reflects on the thematic of diaspora, resilience, and other alternative trajectories of life for the community in Japanese-occupied Malaya.

The 25th Land Below the Wind Talk is opened to the public with free of charge and will be conducted in English.

 All are welcome to participate, kindly scan the QR code from the poster to register for the talk. For those who select to attend the talk Online also can scan the QR code from the poster.

The Faculty of Tropical Forestry, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) co-hosted the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) Seminar recently at Recital Hall, UMS.

The seminar was initiated by Preferred by Nature and was co-organized with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Malaysia and WWF Malaysia.

According to UMS Vice Chancellor, Prof. Datuk Dr. Kasim Hj. Mansor, as a university with associates from various industries, UMS was glad to provide a platform for discussion on the EUDR and its potential impact on Sabah's key sectors, such as timber, palm oil and rubber, which are essential to the livelihoods of many rural communities.

“Malaysia has experienced deforestation over the years due to various factors, including agriculture expansion, logging, and urbanization.

“It is hoped that this seminar will help shed light on what affected sectors can do to address the challenges and opportunities presented by the EUDR,” he said.

He noted that as the regulation will further drive responsible production in various industries, it is optimistic that the potential negative effects on smallholders can be mitigated, if impacted stakeholders collaborate with each other.

He also delighted to see a good turnout of UMS’ students at the seminar.

“I believe that it is crucial for our future professionals to learn about the regulatory landscape and its impact on our industries”, said Kasim.

Also present, Regulatory Impact Programme Director at Preferred by Nature (PbN) Malaysia, David Hadley Garcia; Director at FSC Malaysia, Charmaine Chee; Director of Market and Development, Southeast Asia at Preferred by Nature (PbN) Malaysia, Christian Schriver; and Forestry Chair Holder, Faculty of Tropical Forestry, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Berhaman Ahmad.

The seminar was attended by 100 participants from various government and private agencies, and industries that are related to forestry.

University Malaysia Sabah (UMS) graduate has been chosen as one of the five from Malaysia to the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Academic Fellowship program in the United States (US).

Lua Pei Ling, 24, UMS alumnus from the Faculty of Psychology and Education selected for the Spring 2022 cohort under the theme of civic engagement.

When contacted, she informed the program was conducted in a hybrid format, with an initial virtual component held in April-May 2022, followed by an in-person at the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) and Arizona State University from March 3 to March 22, 2023.

"There are three of us now at University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), while another two are going to Arizona State University.

"This YSEALI Academic Fellowship is a U.S. government program that provides skills training to young leaders in Southeast Asia.

"This exchange program is fully sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, which includes lodging, transportation, and stipend," she said.

According to Pei Ling, the Academic Fellowship focuses on one of three themes: Civic Engagement, Environmental Issues, and Social Entrepreneurship and Economic Development.

"My primary interest is in mental health advocacy, and participating in this fellowship has enabled me to establish a wide network and gain insights into civic engagement topics such as active citizenship, community building, and volunteerism.

"Throughout the virtual component of fellowship I joined last year, I have developed several mental health advocacy plans that promote inclusivity to the tertiary education students in line with my civic interest," she added.

The receiver of the Gold Alumni Award in UMS 24th Convocation also expresses her gratitude as one out of five to represent Malaysia in that prestigious international program.

"I am thrilled and honored for the opportunity which has allowed me to expand my horizons, develop my skills, and connect with young leaders from across the ASEAN region.

"This is my first time visiting the United States, and I'm absolutely in love with the culture here as well as my host institution, the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

"I hope to use this experience to inspire and empower other young people in my country to pursue their dreams and make a positive impact in our communities," said Pei Ling.

Also representing Malaysia at the YSEALI Academic fellowship program were Raenuga Indran, Jit Lee Woon Kiat, Nur Irdina Jailani, and Ahmad Alif Halimi.