Research for Malaysian Scientists in Antartica Through Sultan Mizan Foundation

KUALA LUMPUR, July 4 (Bernama) -- A foundation will be set up to help fund local scientists to carry out large scale research in Antarctica. The foundation, called 'Yayasan Penyelidikan Antartika Sultan Mizan' (The Sultan Mizan Antarctica Research Foundation), in collaboration with the Malaysian Science Academy (ASM), will collect funds to build a national research facility in Antarctica which will be used by local scientists. ASM Chief Executive Officer Dr Ahmad Ibrahim said Malaysian scientists had already been doing research in Antartica since 1999, however, they had to borrow facilities and research equipment from the Scott Station managed by New Zealand. "We had joined the Antarctic Treaty in 2011 and we needed a research facility of our own to make it easier for national scientists to carry out studies and special research for the sake of national scientific knowledge," he told Bernama, here. According to him, 62 scientific expeditions had been conducted, involving 60 Malaysian scientists and researchers from 1999 till 2010. The determination of the Malaysian government to become one of the main research nations in Antarctica caught the attention of the Terengganu's Ruler, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin. On Nov 21 2011, while he was still the King of Malaysia, Sultan Mizan set foot on Antarctica through the US Army special aircraft C-17 Globe Master which landed on the Pegasus Field, a runway built on ice field. Dr Ahmad also said ASM will organise the Academy of Science International Conference 2012 (ASMIC) on July 10, a platform for local and international scientists to hold in-depth discussions on various issues relating to science and technology including palm oil, energy, and water resources. "We (ASM) will try to collect views from scientists who will be attending ASMIC to find solutions regarding the need to use new energy sources, as the rate of energy production and consumption in the country is balanced at this point," he said. -- BERNAMA