Page 7 - 03/2022 PULSE@FASS e-Bulletin

Issue no. 3 | 2022

COASTAR Expedition (8-12 July 2022)

By Assoc. Prof. Dr Helena Varkkey

AP Dr Helena Varkkey is a co-researcher and mentor on a
British Council funded Research Environment Link project
titled "Coastal Ocean Actionable & Sustainable Teaching
and Research" (COASTAR), led by Dr Amy Then Yee Hui
from the Institute of Biological Sciences, UM. COASTAR
aims to empower future Malaysian leaders ("fellows") in
coastal sustainability research and to foster a new network
among early career researchers, academic mentors and
relevant stakeholders engaged in coastal issues. Under the
mentorship of multidisciplinary researchers from three
universities (Edinburgh Napier University, Universiti Malaya
and Universiti Sains Malaysia), COASTAR fellows will
engage in a yearlong series of empowerment and capacity Dr Helena participated in the Sekinchan/Kuala Selangor
building training modules. leg of the expedition, visiting Sekinchan Beach, Kuala
Selangor Nature Park, and Bukit Melawati, and participated
An expedition was organised under the project to provide in team building and experience sharing activities with the
the COASTAR fellows hands-on training and experience in other mentors and fellows.
taking field measurements with formal and informal
opportunities to share and learn about climate change, As an output of this project, fellows will co-create a new
sustainability, inclusion and working in interdisciplinary, module focusing on "Water" for Bite-Size Climate action, a
policy relevant areas. From 8 to 12 of July 2022, mentors series of online modules for Malaysian youth developed by
and fellows visited two of the most prominent mangrove Dr Helena and her team with support from the British High
forests in the East coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Commission in Malaysia.

MASK visit to the ROKN Navy Ship HANSANDO

By Assoc. Prof. Dr Helena Varkkey On the evening of Wednesday, 21 September 2022, members
of Malaysian Scholars on Korea (MASK) were invited to a
reception on board the Republic of Korea Navy Ship,
HANSANDO (ATH-81), docked at the Boustead Cruise Centre,
Port Klang. Representatives from the Faculty of Arts and Social
Sciences were AP Dr Helena Varkkey (Department of
International and Strategic Studies), Dr Geetha a/p
Govindasamy, Dr Tan Soo Kee, and Dr Jimmyn Parc
(Department of East Asian Studies). The reception was also
attended by Malaysian Navy representatives and other
Malaysian dignitaries. Attendees were able to interact with the
crew as they were treated to Korean and local delicacies and
cultural and musical performances by the talented seamen.

The HANSANDO was launched in 2020 and marks the first time
that the ROK secured a ship for crew training. It is capable of
housing 120 sailors and 300 trainees with lecture rooms and
labs for practice. The ship is designed based on stealth
technology and can also serve as a hospital ship and
emergency response ship. The 4,500-ton, 142-meter-long ship
can sail more than 12,000 km at the speed of 18kts (33km/h). It
is equipped with 76-mm and 40-mm guns and an anti-missile
decoy system. From Port Klang, the ship will sail onwards to
several other ports all the way to Hawaii before returning to
ROK.
7 | Pulse @ FASS