Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) hosted the 3^rd Meeting of the Scientific Committee of the International Consortium of Universities for the Study of Biodiversity and the Environment (iCUBE), which was held concurrently with the workshop on Gastropod Thermal Biology and Climate Change in the Tropics.

The 3^rd iCUBE Scientific Committee Meeting was held on 9^th December at The Core, attended by researchers from iCUBE member universities from King’s College of London, University of North Carolina, Korea University, University of Auckland, University of Bonn, Monash University and Universiti Brunei Darussalam. The meeting was chaired by Assoc Prof Dr. Kushan Tennakoon, Director of the Institute for Biodiversity and Environmental Research (IBER) and Prof Dato Haji Mohamed Abdul Majid, Dean of UBD’s Faculty of Science (FOS). 

Discussions during the meeting focused on the planning of iCUBE activities for the next two years, and saw the tabling of several proposed workshops from the current iCUBE Chair, UBD. Amongst the proposed activities was the iCUBE Bukit Teraja Expedition, due to be held at the end of 2015 in collaboration with the Forestry Department at Brunei Darussalam’s Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources.

Members were also presented the next iCUBE activity, a workshop to be hosted and sponsored by Korea University (KU) from 2nd to 5th February 2015. This was followed by a briefing on the introduction of a graduate-level dual degree programme between the Faculty of Science, UBD, and the Division of Environmental Science and Ecology, Korea University. A significant milestone for iCUBE, the dual degree is an initiative proposed by Korea University and is due to be finalized during the workshop at KU.

Meanwhile, up to 30 participants from 13 member countries gathered from December 8 to 11 to discuss the future of climate change on natural tropical ecosystems at the workshop held at The Core Lecture Theatre at UBD. Upon launching the workshop, Hjh Normah Suria Hayati PJDSMDSU (Dr.) Hj Mohd Jamil Al-Sufri, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources, emphasized the pressing need to understand how organisms respond to ongoing global environment change and how this will affect ecosystems structures and functioning.

The workshop aimed to draw attention to the threat of future climate change on natural tropical ecosystems, and establish a platform for the discussion of climate warming vulnerability of tropical animals. It was also hoped that the workshop will help strengthen existing links and create new international connections between Brunei Darussalam and other countries, through people-to-people interactions as well as sharing of information and knowledge for better mutual understanding of environmental and climate change issues.

The workshop comprised a series of lectures, field trips and afternoon specialist discussion sessions. International visiting speakers and the scientific coordinator included Associate Professor Brent Sinclair (Western University, Canada), Professor Brian Helmuth (Northeastern University, USA), Associate Professor Christopher Harley (University of British Columbia, Canada), Professor Yunwei Dong (Xiamen University, China) and Christopher Willett (University of North Carolina).  

As part of the workshop and meeting, field excursions were also organized, involving visits to rocky shore and mangrove intertidal systems. A post-workshop excursion was held on 12^th to 13th December at the Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre (KBFSC), coordinated by the Institute for Biodiversity and Environmental Research (IBER), UBD.