Aini Ideris, UPM’s first woman vice-chancellor, crowned National Academic Figure

KLANG, Oct 31 — Former Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) vice-chancellor Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Aini Ideris was named National Academic Figure at the 17th National Academic Awards (AAN) ceremony here yesterday.

The award was presented by Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir at a hotel here, with Dr Aini also receiving a trophy, certificate and RM200,000 in prize money.

Dr Aini, 73, has contributed to avian medicine, animal biotechnology and vaccine development, including the development of the Newcastle disease vaccine (NDV4UPM) and a fowlpox vaccine, which have entered international markets.

She also made history as the first woman appointed UPM vice-chancellor, serving from 2016 to 2020, and previously received the 2010 National Academic Award in the Innovation and Product Commercialisation category.

She was also awarded the 2026 Merdeka Award in the Outstanding Contribution to Science, Technology and Innovation category.

The 17th AAN recognised the excellence and contributions of nine academics from higher education institutions (IPTs) in various fields.

The Promising Academic Award went to Prof Dr Ong Wee Jun of Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUM) and Associate Prof Dr Serene Lock Sow Mun of Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP).

The Innovation and Product Commercialisation Award went to Associate Prof Dr Mohd Khairi Abu Husain of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), while the Book Publication Award was presented to Dr Siti Noor Hafizah Mohamed Sharif of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).

The Teaching Award (Arts and Social Sciences) went to Associate Prof Dr Saipolbarin Ramli of Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI).

Other recipients were Associate Prof Dr Jayanthi Arasan of UPM for the Teaching Award (Pure Sciences); Dr Ooi Say Keat of USM for the Journal Article Publication Award (Social Sciences and Arts); and Prof Dr Yong Wai Fen of XMUM for the Journal Article Publication Award (Sciences).

Recipients in the respective categories received RM50,000 in prize money, a trophy and a certificate, while the Promising Academic Award recipients received RM25,000.

In his speech, Zambry said the ceremony represented the nation’s highest honour for scholars and academics who had dedicated their lives to advancing knowledge and contributing to society and the country.

“This recognition is not merely an acknowledgement of past achievements, but also a responsibility to continue exploring knowledge, producing quality work and inspiring future generations.

“We want to produce scholars who not only achieve excellence for themselves but also build the greatness of their nation. Scholars can reach for the sky while remaining rooted to the earth,” he said.

The AAN is an annual programme organised by the Higher Education Ministry since 2002. This year’s edition was managed by the Academic Excellence Division of the Department of Higher Education, in collaboration with USM and Universiti Tenaga Nasional (Uniten), which served as the programme’s committee and secretariat. — Bernama

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巴生10月31日电马来西亚博特拉大学（UPM）前副校长拿督艾尼伊德里斯博士昨天在第十七届国家学术奖（AAN）颁奖典礼上被评为国家学术人物。

该奖项由高等教育部长拿督斯里赞布里·阿卜杜勒·卡迪尔博士在当地一家酒店颁发，艾妮博士还获得了奖杯、证书和20万令吉奖金。

73 岁的艾尼博士为禽类医学、动物生物技术和疫苗研发做出了贡献，包括研发了新城疫疫苗 (NDV4UPM) 和禽痘疫苗，这些疫苗已进入国际市场。

她还创造了历史，成为马来西亚博特拉大学（UPM）首位女性副校长，任期从 2016 年到 2020 年。此前，她曾获得 2010 年国家学术奖创新与产品商业化类别奖项。

她还荣获了 2026 年默迪卡奖，以表彰其在科学、技术和创新领域的杰出贡献。

第十七届AAN表彰了来自高等教育机构（IPT）的九位学者在各个领域的卓越成就和贡献。

最有前途的学术奖授予了马来西亚厦门大学 (XMUM) 的 Ong Wee Jun 教授和马来西亚国油科技大学 (UTP) 的 Serene Lock Sow Mun 副教授。

创新和产品商业化奖颁给了马来西亚工艺大学 (UTM) 的副教授 Mohd Khairi Abu Husain 博士，而图书出版奖则颁给了马来西亚理科大学 (USM) 的 Siti Noor Hafizah Mohamed Sharif 博士。

教学奖（艺术和社会科学）授予了苏丹伊德里斯大学 (UPSI) 的副教授 Saipolbarin Ramli 博士。

其他获奖者包括：马来西亚博特拉大学副教授 Jayanthi Arasan 博士，获得教学奖（纯科学）；马来西亚理科大学 Ooi Say Keat 博士，获得期刊文章发表奖（社会科学和艺术）；以及厦门大学杨伟芬教授，获得期刊文章发表奖（科学）。

各类别获奖者分别获得 50,000 令吉奖金、奖杯和证书，而“有前途的学术奖”获得者获得 25,000 令吉奖金。

赞布里在讲话中表示，该仪式代表了国家对那些毕生致力于增进知识、为社会和国家做出贡献的学者和学术人士的最高荣誉。

“这项荣誉不仅是对过去成就的认可，也是对继续探索知识、创作高质量作品和激励后代的责任。”

他说：“我们希望培养的学者不仅能为自己取得卓越成就，还能为国家的伟大建设做出贡献。学者既能胸怀大志，又能脚踏实地。”

自2002年以来，马来西亚高等教育部每年都会举办AAN（学术成就奖）活动。今年的活动由高等教育部学术卓越司负责管理，并与马来西亚理科大学（USM）和马来西亚国家能源大学（Uniten）合作举办，Uniten担任了本次活动的委员会和秘书处。——马新社

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一名14岁少年因向亚娄市一列KTMB列车投掷石块，砸碎车窗而被捕。

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提名日到了：马六甲为期14天的竞选活动今天开始。