Malaysia celebrates academic excellence in forestry

11 January 2017 News

Aimed at inspiring a new generation of forestry talent, the Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC), our national member in Malaysia, celebrated the end of 2016 with the inaugural MTCC Academic Award.

“MTCC is delighted to be collaborating and supporting local institutions of higher learning, particularly those institutions offering courses which feed young talent into local forestry and related fields,” said MTCC CEO, Yong Teng Koon.

“Through the MTCC Academic Award, MTCC hopes to strengthen our link with the local universities to inspire more young people to embark on a career in the field of forestry and its related industries.”

"The MTCC Academic Award recognizes the achievements of students and encourages them to continue to excel even after their graduation. Besides their overall academic performance, the award winners were also judged based on the quality of their final year thesis, submitted as partial fulfillment of their course structure,” Yong added.

23 year old Chaw Vi Vian from the Faculty of Science and Natural Resources, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), won the Freezailah Forest Sustainability Award – the award named in honor of MTCC’s founding Chairman, Dato’ Dr Freezailah Che Yeom, who retired last after leading the organization for 17 years.  

The important role of young people

“I would like to thank my supervisor and friends for their help. Without them, it is impossible for me to produce a good thesis,” said Chaw Vi Vian following her acceptance of the award.

“As youths, we can help to conserve and protect our forest starting from ourselves. I hope that Malaysians will have a deeper awareness on the importance of conserving and protecting our environment."

"In my opinion, young Malaysians are able to encourage sustainable forestry by having the awareness of our environment and using more green products," she concluded.

Looking to the future

“MTCC hopes that the award will inspire more students to take up forestry-related courses and spur them to play a greater role in promoting sustainable forestry in Malaysia,” Yong concluded.

"With timber a key contributor to the nation’s economy, the forestry sector is still an attractive sector for graduates who are passionate about contributing towards a sustainable economy while making a positive impact on the environment and society."