ASM Sci. J., Vol. 1, No. 2, 2007

Abstract

We are in an era where information and communications technology (ICT) pervades every sphere of our lives and ithas an impact on every sphere of knowledge and technology and their advancement and acquisition. Hence it is notsurprising that ICT related issues dominate the pages of the second issue of the ASM Science Journal. The articles showthat computational techniques, procedures, modelling, simulations, and statistical analyses are effectively employed tosolve a myriad of scientific problems related to communication of sound, vehicle seat assembly line, analysis of speechsignal generation and colour coding.In addition, this issue carries a review on the future direction of agriculture in sustaining productivity without degradingthe environment.Related to agriculture are the food security issue and the current food crisis. This leads us to the question: How do weput ICT to better use, interweaving it into relevant scientific research, policy prescriptions and implementation plans, thusproviding solutions, in large or small part, to the current food crisis? This crisis stems not only from a lack of supply butalso, inter alia, from inefficient distribution, inequitable ownership of land, and, recently, elements of speculative trading.How can ICT contribute to solving these problems in a scenario where agriculture is becoming less resource-intensiveand more knowledge-intensive against a backdrop of the need to induce agriculture and agriculture-related activities togenerate more income, create more jobs and, of course, produce more food? The world community at large will be wellserved by an ICT community that extends its focus to these questions.Also found in the pages of this issue is a report on the education programme associated with the national Angkasawan(astronaut) project. The education programme, led by the Academy of Sciences Malaysia, was carefully conceived and wellco-ordinated, spanning a few years and involving many teachers, academics and space scientists who prepared the lessonplans for schools. Unfortunately its execution was far from ideal.Had the full aspirations and objectives of the programme been met, much of the negative perception on the scientific aspectsof the Angkasawan project could have been averted. The plan called for the media, public and students to be systematicallyand consistently educated and informed of the substantive scientific elements of the activities the Angkasawan carried outat the International Space Station. A million school children were targetted, all of them directly engaged in the classroomat the cognitive level under the supervision of teachers, which would have ensured that the Angkasawan project had anoptimal impact on the country, both in the short- and long-term. The final number of school children who eventuallymanaged to get directly involved with the project through the education programme remains to be tallied.We are also proud to profile the winners of the 2006 Mahathir Science Award. Not least for the fact that they are homegrown researchers, solving a problem of immense gravity under challenging circumstances. Perhaps their success storycould lead to the establishment of a national disease crisis centre of sorts, something the Academy has always advocatedand Tun Mahathir himself has referred to on several occasions.A journal is only as good as those who contribute to it. And ASM is definitely not shortof supporters, particularly from the local research organisations. The bigquestion is how do we sustain our efforts to produce a journal worthy ofeventually being included in the ranks of other world class journals? Toachieve this we need nothing less than a scientific community heaven-benton continuously striving to produce the best research results on Earth.