| Azaraimy HH |
THE President of the Republic of Singapore, Halimah Yacob, and her husband, Mohamed bin Abdullah Alhabshee, visited the Botanical Research Centre (BRC) at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) yesterday.
On arrival at the BRC, Halimah Yacob was welcomed by Dato Paduka Awang Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sulaiman, the Minister of Education and Chairman of the UBD Council; Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali bin Apong, the Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism and Deputy Chairman of the UBD Council; and Datin Dr Hajah Anita Binurul Zahrina binti Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Wijaya Dato Seri Setia Haji Awang Abdul Aziz, the Vice-Chancellor of UBD.
The Singapore President’s visit began with a planting of a tree, the Agathis borneensis, also known as Borneo Kauri, which is categorised as an endangered species based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The population of Agathis borneensis in Southeast Asia has been depleted due to overexploitation, for its high timber value and high quantity production of resin.
President Halimah and her delegation then proceeded on a tour of the BRC Nature Trail and its greenhouse, where they viewed the different types of timber species, local plants, orchids, medicinal herbs and agarwood.
She also viewed the exhibition area, while being briefed on the medicinal aspects of the Pawas plant and the sustainable energy research carried out at UBD, including the UBD Flyer which generates electricity for the Simpur Café’s signage located in the BRC compound.
UBD also conducts research on the generation of sustainable electricity, using photovoltaics and biomass plant residues.
President Halimah and Mohamed bin Abdullah Alhabshee signed the BRC guest book, followed by light refreshments and a photo session at Simpur Café.
Simpur Café is a UBD-owned café that operates in the UBD campus premises.
It offers cuisines incorporating fresh herbs grown from the BRC, like its sister restaurant, the Simpur Da Nang Restaurant in Vietnam, launched by His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, and the Chancellor of UBD in November last year.
Simpur Café also serves as an internship and a training venue for Hospitality students from the Institute of Brunei Technical Education (IBTE).
UBD is partnered with several universities in Singapore, including National University of Singapore (NUS), National Technological University (NTU) and Singapore Management University (SMU). UBD and NUS are co-founding members of the International Consortium of Universities for the Study of Biodiversity and the Environment (iCUBE), which UBD chairs and holds the Secretariat.
It is a network of universities aimed at promoting collaborative research and education on biodiversity, climate change and the environment.
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