A secure future: Prof Asma says the next generation must be nurtured from young because the sciences are an important component of the economy. File photo
MALAYSIA must start nurturing the next generation of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals from young because the sciences are an important component of the economy.
Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM) president Prof Datuk Dr Asma Ismail (pic) said Covid-19 is proof that individuals and industries in the sciences are spared the negative economic repercussions resulting from the pandemic.
“Businesses in general are impacted but corporations that have science, technology and innovation as their foundations are shielded, with some actually recording a growth.
COMMENT | Addressing mRNA vaccine safety and efficacy concerns
Modified1 Feb 2021, 11:58 pm
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COMMENT | There have been a number of concerns highlighted about the messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine over the last few weeks. As young Malaysian scientists, we would like to delve into the science or technology behind the mRNA vaccines in the hope that it would provide the people with a more wholesome understanding of the technology.
Like the general population, the scientific community was caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the Covid-19 virus. Among other initiatives, there was an urgent need for scientists to try to develop a vaccine that would stop the spread of the virus.
Effecting positive change: Lam’s experience as a flood victim spurred him on to devise a water production system with his teammates.
A PHD candidate’s experience of coping with floods and the resulting effects on daily life led him to come up with a solution to Malaysia’s clean water problem.
Together with two other researchers, Lam Jia Yong from Universiti Putra Malaysia, Norfazliana Abdullah from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, and Mohamad Fakhrul Ridhwan Samsudin from Universiti Teknologi Petronas designed an automated self-powered water treatment and monitoring system for drinkable water production.
The team worked together on this project during the 2020 Young Scientists Network-Academy of Sciences Malaysia (YSN-ASM) Chrysalis programme, and subsequently won the Best Team Award for the Chrysalis Award.
RECENTLY, our professors were ruffled by comments made by a respected figure in the academic world, Tun Arshad Ayub. During a press interview, Arshad said that our professors, who now number about 2,500, are lacking in quality.
Naturally, some professors did not take too kindly to the comments. A retired professor now living in New Zealand wrote a letter to the editor to provide a balanced response. He said it was not quite right to describe all professors in the country as lacking in quality.
In fact, there are professors who are actively involved in advising the government on various policies for the country. Most of them are fellows of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM).
29 Jan 2021 / 17:25 H.
PETALING JAYA: A research consultant has cautioned that the rise in Covid-19 cases in the country could be due to one of the mutant virus variants, dubbed the UK B1.1.7, that has been spreading rapidly in over 40 countries worldwide.
University Malaya’s Prof Datuk Dr. Lam Sai Kit, who is also Senior Fellow at the Academy of Sciences Malaysia, said the Health Ministry may have missed out many positives caused by variants due to far too few genome sequencing on Covid-19 samples.
The United Kingdom variant (B 1.1.7) was first detected there, specifically in London and the nearby county of Kent, last September.