The Sultan of Selangor presenting the Gold Medal Award to Abd Latif (right), while Rotary Research Awards Committee Chairman, Datuk Dr J.S. Sambhi, and Rotary Club of KL DiRaja President, Andy Khoo.

16 April 2012 (Monday) – The Rotary Research Foundation of the Rotary Club of Kuala Lumpur DiRaja has chosen the Director-General (DG) of Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), Dato’ Dr Abd Latif Mohmod, as one of its Rotary Research Gold Medal Award recipients in recognition of his outstanding research and development (R&D) contributions in the area of ‘Forestry Science’.

Abd Latif received the award on 13 April at the Rotary Charity Foundation Research Awards Presentation from the DYMM Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj, the Royal Patron of the Rotary Club of Kuala Lumpur DiRaja, at Hotel Istana.

The Rotary Research Foundation honours people who have made excellent contribution in R&D carried out in any discipline of Arts, Culture, Science, Medicine, Engineering, Agriculture, Technology and Social Science. Founded in 1982, it was established to promote and recognise worthwhile research efforts carried out in the country in the past 15 years.

The Rotary Research Gold Medal.

Abd Latif. born in 1960, began his career as Research Officer in FRIM on 28 March 1985 and he rose to the position of the Deputy DG (Operations) in 2005 before taking over the helm as the DG in April, 2008.

His foresight and dedication throughout his 26-year service at FRIM has contributed significantly to the achievements in research, development and commercialisation (R,D&C) for the forestry sector in Malaysia.

Amongst his notable achievements were 50 inventions produced on the processing of rattan, bamboo and palms; 59 related industrial training and technical courses for 1500 entrepreneurs; and 47 small and medium scale rattan/bamboo mills (SME) established. His research findings have been published in about 300 different publications in various refereed journals, conference proceedings, handbooks, guidelines and manuals.

Abd Latif has also received numerous prestigious international and national awards including the National Young Scientist Award 1993; the IUFRO’s Scientific Achievement Award 1995; the National Inventor Award in 1997; and the Outstanding Young Malaysian Award 1999. He was also the first forestry scientist in Asia and Malaysia to receive the Eisenhower Fellowship Award 1999 and was conferred the ‘Best Manager of The Year 2011’ by the Awarding Committee of Europe Business Assembly for Applied Research and Scientific Achievements.

Abd Latif (fourth from left) posing for a photograph with some of the FRIM officers after the award presentation ceremony.

The FRIM DG was one of the 11 awardees at the presentation ceremony and the only one to receive the award in ‘Forestry Science’. Other recipients included Prof. Emeritus Dato’ Dr CP Ramachandran, Dato’ Khoo Kah Lin, Prof. Dato’ Ir Dr Chuah Hean Teik, Prof Dr Fun Hoong Kun, Prof Abdul Latif Ahmad, Prof Dr Ng Soon, Prof Ir Dr Mohd Sapuan Bin Salit, Dr C. Devendra and Dr Tee Ee Siong.