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Working together with the community has always been a priority for the Institute of Social Informatics and Technological Innovations (ISITI), as the interaction with the various communities provides both researchers and students with the opportunity to understand the dynamics involved in community based research.
In consideration of the importance to maintain and further cultivate close working relationships between researchers and the community, both Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) and Cornell University will be formalizing a collaborative agreement to develop a service learning programme for students from Cornell University at the different ISITI research sites in Sarawak. This programme, which is primarily undertaken by ISITI, will integrate meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience of students.
This collaborative effort will see joint participation from both UNIMAS and Cornell University to work in areas of mutual interest and foster cooperative relations especially to develop academic, cultural and technical interchanges through mutual assistance in the areas of research and innovation. This collaboration will also focus on areas that would lead to development activities that will benefit communities and the institutions, especially their students.
ISITI welcomed the first cohort of Cornell University students to Sarawak earlier on this year to the research sites in Bario and Long Lamai. The group of eleven students was involved in various activities with the community on areas concerning eco-tourism, cultural preservation, economic development and environmental impacts. Upon their return, the students shared their thoughts and experiences with both the teams from ISITI and Cornell University through a reflection session. This activity highlighted not only the benefits that the students were able to gain through these exchanges but the potential research that could be conducted based on the issue of sustainable development.
Through this collaboration, ISITI and UNIMAS will also be able to further develop academic and scientific relationships with Cornell University as well as build on community engagement activities between the community and students from both UNIMAS and Cornell University.
