USM PENANG, 23 February 2019 – “Science is a beautiful gift to humanity; we should not distort it,” said Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the 11th President of India, who is also a physicist and aerospace engineer.

Sharing this view is Yap Jo Leen, the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) PhD candidate who has been selected to represent the northern region at the national FameLab finals in the next few months.

When interviewed at USM’s Purple Republic (PR) venue, the Penang lass said that she has always sought different ways of spreading ideas and to communicate to the public on issues relating to science.

Currently doing her studies in Zoology at the School of Biological Sciences USM, she mentioned the need to inform the public on the importance of doing conservation.

Yap has been involved in research and community outreach projects under the umbrella of USM and the Malaysian Primatological Society (MPS). She has also been involved as an environmental educator in programmes in Kuala Lumpur and Penang.

She sees conservation as a way to ensure that both man and animals could live together, and is initiating the construction of ‘canopy bridges’ with the cooperation of the Malaysian Public Works Department (JKR) to provide animals with pathways to move across roads safely. 

In 2018, for her work in environmental education, Yap was honoured with the North American Association for Environmental Education environmental educator (NAEEE EE 30 under 30) Award, being the first Malaysian to receive such an award.

The programme, which began in 2016, selects recipients from across the world who champion environmental-related issues and seek to change local communities. It is supported by the NAEEE and the Global Environmental Education Partnership (GEEP).

Wishing Yap the best in the upcoming FameLab national finals!

FameLab is the longest running science communication competition in the world, where the participants come from all over the world to take part in the finals, which is held at the Cheltenham Science Festival in the UK.

The main aim of the competition is to seek out individuals who could effectively communicate within 3 minutes, any issue relating to science.

In Malaysia, the sixth edition is organised by the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT), in collaboration with the British Council, and supporting the national STEM education effort.