3DiscoverNEWSStudent Focus: An Unforgettable Internship At The Forest Research Centre And Rainforest Discovery Centre At Sepilok, Sandakan, SabahWhen we were briefed about the choices we had for where to spend our Discovery Year, the Sabah Forestry Research Centre (FRC) immediately struck us as the most attractive place from which we would be able to acquire the most experience and knowledge. Six students from the Biology programme chose the FRC and our Deputy Dean, Pg Dr. Mohamad Iskandar Hj Petra made the necessary arrangements for us. The FRC is a huge research and education facility with more than 30 researchers engaged in research in fields such as plant diversity, natural forest management, plantation silviculture, insect diversity, tourism, the utilisation of forest products, ethnobiology, biotechnology, tree breeding, watershed management, phytochemistry and pest management.To get there, we flew to Kota Kinabalu and then took the bus to Sandakan. The journey from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan takes approximately six hours and the route is scenic with a majestic view of Mount Kinabalu along the way. The bitter cold bit us as we were passing Mount Kinabalu. When we first arrived in Sandakan, we were amazed by the city, which has many historical sites and exciting opportunities that we had never experienced before. Sepilok, where the FRC is located, is 14 miles from Sandakan. Sepilok is known internationally as a great place for visitors to view and appreciate wildlife in their natural habitat through the Orang-Utan Rehabilitation Centre and the Rainforest Discovery Centre as well as the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve.Dr. Lee Ying Fah, the Director of the Forest Research Centre, is a former student of our Dean, Professor Dato Mohamed Abdul Majid, and he had negotiated a 12-week intensive internship programme for us with the FRC, including subsidised housing, beginning in January 2012. We stayed at the FRC Guest House which is located within five minutes of the centre. The accommodation and facilities provided were excellent and exceeded our expectations. We usually travelled to town and market by bus every weekend to buy groceries and other necessities.Currently there are numerous research programmes in the FRC in support of sustainable forest management in Sabah. On arrival we were paired up and were assigned to one of three units – Systematic Botany, Tourism and the Rainforest Discovery Centre. We were moved from one unit to another after 17 days so that all of us could experience working in different environments.By Nadirah Abd Manaf (Discovery Year Student from Faculty of Science)3DiscoverFEATURESHis Majesty with UBD’s Discovery Year Students at the Rainforest Discovery Centre.
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