Antarctic research missions
YOU may not have heard of the Sultan Mizan Antarctic Research Foundation, better known as Yayasan Penyelidikan Antartika Sultan Mizan (YPASM), but it has been around for six years now. Its vision is to ensure the conservation of the polar regions, especially the Antarctic continent, and the promotion of research collaboration between countries.
Recognising the need to sustain Malaysia’s involvement in polar research, YPASM introduced the Smart Partnership Initiative in collaboration with seven local universities – Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Universiti Malaya, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and International Medical University.
Thus far, according to executive officer Hafiz Ambar, YPASM has provided 10 polar research grants, 10 fellowships and eight berth supports to research stations in Antarctica worth RM2.6mil mainly to young Malaysian scientists. Thirteen recipients from 28 YPASM grant projects have successfully participated in research expeditions to Antarctica and two recipients to the Arctic.
“This year, for the first time since Malaysia’s involvement in Antarctica, we will be attending the 20th Meeting of the Committee on Environmental Protection, which will be held in conjunction with the 40th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in Beijing, China,” Hafiz shared about YPASM’s near future goals.
At this meeting, Malaysia – through the Ministry of Science, Technology & Innovation (Mosti) and YPASM – would provide input and participate in the decision making process of the committee including those on the issues of Environmental Impact Assessment, protected areas, conservation of flora and fauna, environmental monitoring, marine pollution, wastes from past activities, historic sites and monuments, and non native species.
Mosti is spearheading the formulation of Antarctic Act as well as the preparation of the National Polar Roadmap. And Hafiz says that YPASM will play a major role in ensuring the implementation of the National Polar Roadmap by the Malaysian researchers working in these areas.
Meanwhile, YPASM will continue its ongoing projects, including its Students on Ice: Arctic Educational Expedition, through which the foundation sends secondary school students and teachers to the Arctic to provide them exposure to Malaysia’s involvement in polar regions. This programme is also targeted at inculcating interests among them to pursue science education.
Selection for the 2017 expedition is being made through a Polar Science Camp scheduled from May 4-6. Malaysian students and teachers will join more than 100 secondary school students from around the world, scientists, historians, travellers, authors and teachers throughout the educational expedition.
YPASM also conducts Malaysia’s Journey to the Ice: Women in Antarctica interactive motivational talks. Through this programme, Malaysian women researchers share their experiences, research and personal stories of how they faced challenges especially when they participated in the Antarctic research expeditions. So far, this programme has been held in 16 secondary schools.
There’s also the Polar ICE (Innovative Community Engagement) Challenge under the platform of MOSTI’s Social Innovation Fund. The winner of the Polar ICE challenge this year was a project by a documentarian, photographer and writer, Mahendran Balasupramaniam, entitled Abstracting Ice which combines visual documentary and photographic art to create an immersive exhibition on Antarctica. The grand prize was an invitation to join a group of about 100 distinguished artists, researchers and visionaries of all ages on an expedition to Antarctica from March 17-27. – By Ann
Marie Chandy.