MONDAY, 11 FEBRUARY - The International Conference on Marine Science and Aquaculture (ICOMSA 2019) will be held from 12 to 14 March 2019, at Magellan Sutera, Sutera Harbour Resort, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

ICOMSA 2019 will be the 17th conference organized by the Borneo Marine Research Institute (BMRI), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), with the theme ‘Marine Biodiversity for Sustainable Management of Aquaculture and Ecosystem Services’.

According to a statement issued by BMRI, the conference will divided into 9 sub-themes: Aquaculture Environment Interactions, Marine Tourism, Remote Sensing and Coastal Oceanography, Seafood Safety and Security, Marine Inventory, Endangered Marine Species, Ecological Fisheries, Aquaculture Genetics and Marine Pollution & Ocean Health.

These topics are of global relevance and particularly important in the field of Marine Science and Aquaculture, where the marine ecosystem services play a significant role in socio-economic development, aquaculture industry and seafood security.

More than 100 participants from local and international universities and institutions will be expected to participate in ICOMSA 2019, and researchers in related field are invited to join ICOMSA 2019 and use this as a platform to share research findings.

For further details about ICOMSA 2019, please visit http://icomsa2019.wixsite.com/icomsa, or contact the Conference Secretariat (Dr. Zarinah Waheed) at 088-320000 ext. 2588.  

MONDAY, 24 JANUARY - Increasing the industry cooperation through network discussions and visits headed by dean faculty, Prof. Ir. Dr Abdul Karim Mirasa and few lecturers to Factory EcoOils Lahad Datu Sdn Bhd recently is one of the active approaches by the Faculty to synergised and strengthen industry relationship.

The meeting also presented an opportunity for EcoOils to present the detailed production process and the differentiation elements from other similar competitors.

UMS representatives were able to understand in depth the additional steps involved in production, which uses EcoMineral (final product after oil extraction from Spent Bleaching Earth) in a self-sustaining power generation system using steam to operate the plant.

Furthermore, the plant tour enabled UMS to visualize the investments and the measures taken by EcoOils to be truly Eco-friendly without disposed their spent bleaching earth after oil extractions to landfills.

Even though steam boiler produce end product or ash residue named as EcoProcessed Pozzolan (EPP), it is however have positive prospect application in mix concrete and brick manufacturing.

Prompted discussions on other avenues for R&D with UMS such in potential uses in asphalts, tiles, building materials, glass manufacturing with some of the possible innovations includes, silicon wafer and ceramic water filter.

Meanwhile, both UMS and EcoOils also benefited from the discussions toward the advantages to students from the teaching factory which produces the interlocking bricks.

EcoOils’s EPP has allowed them to explore another avenue to potentially reduce cost and produce cheaper and more functional products for the market.

The presentation of the completed projects by UMS using EPP enabled EcoOils representatives to envisage the use of the IBS in actual construction and the potential as an alternative building solution. Hence, produce sustainable construction material in line with concept 'waste to wealth'.

In a nutshell, the collaboration visit by UMS to Lahad Datu EcoOils SDN BHD was fruitful to both parties and provides a platform for a closer relationship and improved knowledge transfer.

The objective to reach better understanding and outline the collaborations for future efforts were truly achieved during this visit.

How much are we polluting the ocean with plastics? What kinds of plastics are we polluting our ocean with? Are we collaborating enough to work out a global solution to plastic pollution? In order to address these questions, an environmental education and public awareness programme, the first for the year, was successfully carried out on January 10th, 2019 (Thursday) between UMS (via the EcoCampus Management Centre) and Hokkaido Sapporo Keisei High School (a designated Super Science High School) at UMS. 

The programme commenced with a morning session of microplastic sampling at ODEC, UMS Beach. A total of 8 students from Japan, 8 students from SM All Saints KK, and 6 students from UMS joined hands to sample for microplastics from the beach at ODEC using the quadrat sampling method.

The sampled sand was later sorted for any plastic debris smaller than 5mm, which was classified as microplastics. Sorting included visual separation, floating, and burning. The data was eventually tabulated and compared with results gathered from Japan (Itanki-hama & Dream Beach) and Australia (Sunshine Coast).

A highlight of the programme was the ‘Sustainability Pledge Signing’ Session between UMS and Hokkaido Sapporo Keisei High School cordially led by Prof. Dr. Ismail Ali, UMS Deputy Vice Chancellor (Student Affairs & Alumni) representing UMS Vice-Chancellor and Mr. Hiroshi Nakahara from Hokkaido Sapporo Keisei High School. The pledge highlighted our joint commitments towards building a sustainable future for everyone for now and the future in tandem to the aspirations of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030 (UNSDGs 2030).

Subsequently, all invited guests and students also signed the pledge. The framed pledge was to be kept at UMS and Hokkaido Sapporo Keisei High School each for continuous reminder and motivation. The pledge signing session was carried out at the Seminar Room, Borneo Marine Research Institute.

During the session, Hokkaido Sapporo Keisei High School contributed kind sponsorship to 3 youth-based environmental sustainability NGOs too, namely Little Feet Initiative (LiFe), Seagrass Guardians, and UMS FEE Committee under the EcoCampus Management Centre.

These youth-based NGOs are actually established by UMS alumni/students, further showcasing the extension of UMS EcoCampus Agenda beyond campus life and proving that UMS alumni/students are able to make impactful changes to the society and world.

The programme presentations that followed was started by a talk on EcoCampus Agenda at UMS by Mr. Kueh Boon Hee, Deputy Director, UMS EcoCampus Management Centre, inclusive of brief talks from Little Feet Initiative (Mr. Elyas Eric Huil), Seagrass Guardians (Mr. Michael Yap) and UMS FEE Committee (Ms. Ivy Wong). Next was a talk on the microplastic survey by students from Hokkaido Sapporo Keisei High School.

Present during the programme were also Prof. Dr. How Siew Eng, Director, EcoCampus Management Centre, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ejria Saleh, Deputy Director (Academic and International), Borneo Marine Research Institute, Dr. Jakaria Dasan, Deputy Director (Corporate Communication), Centre for Strategic Management and Corporate Communication, and Dr. Nobuyuki Tsuji and Mr. Toshimi Oshima from the Hokkaido Sapporo Keisei High School.

MONDAY, 31 DECEMBER - According to the Ethnologue, 7,097 languages are spoken in the world today, but that number is always in flux depending on the survival of each language as “roughly a third of the languages are endangered”. 2018 has been a great year for languages and linguistics for RULLS specifically and for UMS in general. Since starting its operation on 1 Feb 2018, RULLS has worked to spread the message that UMS is on point to state that this university is relevant and a reference in the niche areas of languages and linguistic. Hence, it was apt that RULLS conducted its first workshop on the eve of the 2^nd International Conference on Languages, Linguistics, and Society on 7 Nov 2018 with the title ‘Language Revitalization and Documentation’. The 1-day workshop was led by renowned linguist, Emeritus Professor Dr. James T. Collins, from the Institute of Ethnic Studies (KITA), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

The workshop was divided into four sessions: Review of Praxis and Priorities (Documentation, Maintenance, and Revitalization), Preconsiderations (Principles, Constraints, Targets, Guidelines), Strategies (Scope, Priority Targets, Agents, Ages, Surveys), and Practice (Training, Reviewing, Rethinking, Reaching Out, Products, Continuity) with a break for lunch with the participants.

Working in groups, the workshop participants explored contemporary situation on the Borneo and Southeast Asia islands; critically examined the response of governments, linguists and community activists; learned to distinguish between language documentation and language revitalization; and were exposed to international language documentation and language revitalization initiatives.

Officiated by the Dean of PPIB, Prof. Dr. Jualang Azlan Gansau, the workshop was attended by about 40 local and international participants and held at the Bilik Mesyuarat Utama, PPIB. It was organized by the pre-conference workshop committee led by Dr. Jane Wong Kon Ling, who is also the Coordinator for the Brown Bag Seminar Series for Languages & Linguistics.

Emeritus Professor James T. Collins has been a Principal Research Fellow of the Institute for Ethnic Studies (KITA), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, since 2013. His principle interests are Austronesian historical linguistics, Malay dialectology, the minority languages of Maluku and Borneo/Kalimantan and the social history of Malay.

Fluent in Malay as well as Indonesian, Professor Collins has authored twenty-five books in Malay, Indonesian, and English. His award-winning book, Wibawa Bahasa Melayu: Kepiawaian dan Kepelbagaian (1999) has been reprinted twice, the latest in 2016. The third expanded edition of Malay, World Language: A Short History, was published in 2018. His most recent book is Bibliografi Dialek Melayu Semenanjung Tanah Melayu (2018); this Bibliografi completes a series of five bibliographies covering Malay dialects throughout Southeast Asia.

Emeritus Prof. Collins’ commitment to community outreach continues through his work on minority language revitalization in Indonesia and Malaysia with funding from the Toyota Foundation (Japan) and the Kone Foundation (Finland). RULLS is extremely proud to have such a prominent linguist led its first language revitalization and documentation workshop. js/ldw-1-2018