| Universiti Putra Malaysia

200 Participants and Experts Attend 8th Malaysian International Seminar on Antarctica (MISA8)

By Khairul Anuar Muhamad Noh

SERDANG, 18 June- Around 200 polar researchers, policy makers and postgraduates in and out of the country attended the 8th Malaysian International Seminar on Antarctica (MISA8) where the results of the research on Artic, Antarctic and the Southern Ocean were presented by local and international researchers.

MISA which started in 2002 is organised every two years and it is a platform for researchers to foster and strengthen cooperation in research.

Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin who is the Sultan of Terengganu and also the patron of Yayasan Penyelidikan Antartika Sultan Mizan (YPASM) officiated MISA or the 8th Malaysian International Seminar on Antarctica on 18 June 2019 in Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Serdang, Selangor.

MISA8 which had the theme of ‘Polar Regions in the Global Climate System’ was organised by the Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment & Climate Change (MESTECC) with the cooperation of UPM, YPASM and the National Antarctic Research Centre (NARC).

During the opening ceremony of MISA8, his majesty presented the YPASM Research Grant worth RM150 thousand to Antarctica researchers, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Siti Aqlima Ahmad (Universiti Putra Malaysia), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Siti Aisah Alias (Universiti Malaya), Dr. Wan Mohd Rauhan Wan Hussin (Universiti Malaysia Terengganu) and Dr. Nur Athirah Yusof (Universiti Malaysia Sabah).

The Sultan also awarded the YPASM Grant for Berth Support worth Pound Sterling 27,500 to Dr. Mohd Shahrul Mohd Nadzir (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia) and Dr. Mai Chun Wan (International Medical University).

The Director of the Antarctic Research Centre in Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, Prof. Dr. Timothy Naish delivered his keynote speech titled ‘What does the Paris Climate Agreement Mean for Antarctica and the Southern Ocean’ after the ceremony.

Also present at the ceremony were Terengganu’s Chief Minister, Dr. Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar; Deputy Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change, Ms. Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis and the Vice Chancellor of UPM, Prof. Datin Paduka Dato’ Dr. Aini Ideris. - UPM

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