Seven Malaysian Undergraduates to Examine U.S., Global Environmental Challenges

Embassy officers briefing the students.

Seven Malaysian undergraduate students from various universities, including Universiti Malaysia Trengganu, Universiti Teknology Malaysia Johor, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, and Universiti Sains Malaysia Penang have been selected to participate in a special program at the East-West Center at the University of Hawaii.  This program, entitled The Thematic Institute on the Environment will take place from May 10 – June 21, 2009.  Participants in the program will come from Malaysia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Singapore and were competitively selected. 

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the students who take part in this six-week program will look at global environmental challenges and the need for active leadership to deal with them.  The program will provide a deeper understanding of the environmental movement in the U.S. and how advocates for environmental conservation and action undertake advocacy, market, policy, cultural and scientific approaches to environmental issues.  During final week of their program, the students will travel to San Francisco and Washington, D.C for a field study.

On April 2, 2009, Public Affairs and the Economic Section organized a pre-departure briefing and visa interview for the 7 Malaysian undergraduate students at the U.S. Embassy.  The students met with Public Affairs staff to discuss the purpose and content of their upcoming program, and what to expect when traveling in Hawaii and the Continental United States.  They met other Embassy staff as well, including the Economic Counselor and the Environment Science Technology and Health officer.  Several local journalists were invited to attend and interview the students.