Tan Sri Dr Zakri Abdul Hamid talks about fostering a sustainable future Malaysia at UCSI

KUALA LUMPUR: UCSI University (UCSI) in collaboration with the Higher Education Leadership Academy (AKEPT) recently organised an exclusive ‘Eminent Persons Series Pre-Conference Talk’ on campus grounds.

The talk featured Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Zakri Abdul Hamid, Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of Malaysia, as the keynote speaker. 

His talk was titled, ‘RESEARCH AND SCIENCE FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE MALAYSIA – Have we missed the bus, the boat, the train or the plane?”

During his talk, Tan Sri Dr Zakri said that it is not too late for Malaysia to ensure a sustainable future for the next generation. However, to achieve that goal, he pointed out that the responsibility should not lie solely on the shoulders of the nation’s leaders and scientists. 

“Yes, we have missed the [earlier] bus, the boat, the train and the plane, but our journey towards a sustainable future is ongoing. Science, technology and innovation are the way forward to address the challenges of the 21st century but every level of society needs to come together and play their part,” he emphasised.

The former Founding Director of the Centre for Global Sustainability Studies (CGSS) at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) then added, “In order to combat these urgent social and environmental challenges, input from the social sciences are also very crucial. It should not be an afterthought.”

The event was well attended by corporate leaders, professors and managers from higher education institutions, SMEs, trade associations, professional bodies and ministries. 

  

UCSI’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Academic Affairs and Support, and Director of De Institute of Creative Art and Design (ICAD), Professor Dato’ Dr Ahmad Hj Zainuddin was also present at the event.

“Technology has made knowledge accessible to everyone and education institutions must reinvent themselves to focus on connecting with industries and driving research. The university experience must provide so much more, and the upcoming SIAP conference is the perfect platform to drive this,” he said.

He added that UCSI’s internationalisation efforts have borne results.

“We have sent medical and engineering undergraduate students for research stints at Harvard University and Imperial College London. These are respected names in research, and speak volumes about the potential of UCSI and Malaysian education.”

The event was the last of a three-part pre-conference talk for UCSI’s Strengthening Industry-Academia Partnership (SIAP) Conference that took place recently. 

The series was kicked off by Dato’ Dr Hafsah Hashim, Chief Executive Officer of SME Corporation Malaysia, on 22 January 2016. Her topic was ‘COMPETING IN THE 21st CENTURY: Enhancing SME-University Engagement to Meet the Challenges’. 

The second pre-conference talk, which featured Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, Chairperson of AirAsia X Bhd, took place on 18 February 2016. Her talk was titled, ‘Staying Ahead in the Competitive World: How Malaysia should align itself with the 21st Century’.