Report and Pix by Saiful Bahri Kamaruddin

BANGI, 4 Jan 2016 –  The National University of Malaysia (UKM) and its partners plan to do more research on the impact of technology on rural communities in the vicinity of new industries.

There should be more studies to find out whether there are negative effects of high technology activities on agricultural communities, said UKM Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) Prof Datuk Dr Mazlin Mokhtar.

The balance of scientific development and social needs to be addressed, Prof Mazlin said after signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on behalf of the university with  Aerospace Malaysia Innovation Centre (AMIC) and other stakeholders.

They jointly agreed to study the social-environmental impact of production of sustainable aviation jet fuel with leading aircraft manufacturer The Airbus Group.

Collaboration between scientists and sociologists is part  of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations slotted for 2015-2030, he said in an interview with the News Portal in Kuala Lumpur recently.

 “We need a balance between Science and Technology and Social Sciences. The mind-set change is very important, more important than the technology.

“We are bringing the next level of researchers through, giving motivation programmes and mentor protégé programmes,” he explained.

However, he noted that Malaysian researchers have their work cut out for them in achieving  goals set by the inter-governmental SDG for targets relating to international development, despite the country achieving all the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 2000-2015.

“Sustainable Development Goals contain  proposal contained 17 goals with 169 targets covering a broad range of sustainable development issues. These include ending poverty and  hunger,  improving health and education, making cities more sustainable, combating climate change, and protecting oceans and forests.

“So we form 17 groups for Malaysia to achieve all the 169 targets by 2030,” he clarified.

The cooperation between the interested parties included software to train technology workers in the manufacture of flight simulators.

“UKM will research the anthropological and socio-economic impact of the high technology industry on the local communities and the environment.

“There will be enhancement of operations in Malaysia, including aircraft part manufactures by all the big Aerospace players, at the Asia Aerospace City (AAC) network in Subang.

“The AAC at Subang is located in the Malaysia International Aerospace Centre (MIAC), which is the regional aerospace maintenance and repair centre,” he explained.

The AAC is the aerospace business hub offering a complete business ecosystem for industry players in South East Asia and is  developing its world-class infrastructure at its Subang Nexus.

He further clarified that UKM is developing Lembah Peria in Perak into a technopolis, which is envisaged to contribute the AAC and the Kulim Hi-Tech Park in Kedah.

“The Lembah Peria Technopolis is to be a green technology centre that will upgrade agriculture there. Efficient agriculture systems will be introduced, minimising chemicals and fertilizers while optimizing the use of water. The result is more crops per drop,” he stressed.

He added that with more aggressive research and development, the socio-economic aspects would also have to be looked into, such as providing housing and medical attention.