Education for Sustainable Development:
The STEM Approach in Universiti Sains
Malaysia
Su Yean Teh and Hock Lye Koh
Abstract The appointment of Universiti Sains Malaysia as a Regional Centre of
Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development by UNESCO in 2005 provided
the incentives to spearhead several in-campus Education for Sustainable Development programs. The School of Mathematical Sciences, which has been actively pursuing education and research towards sustainable development goals since 1990s,
has developed outreach, academic and research programs to promote Sustainable
Development Goals, at local and global levels. This paper summarizes such research
programs that develop relevant skills and competences in quantitative methodology
for enhancing sustainable management of storm water, air quality and water quality
in campus and beyond. Also presented is a recent initiative in unifying science, technology, engineering and mathematics for analysing the adverse impact of climate
change on coastal groundwater and vegetation. This paper serves as a demonstration
of how quantitative methodology can address local and global environmental issues
and support implementation of SDGs in universities and beyond.
Keywords Water · Climate change · TUNA · MANTRA
1 Introduction: Education for Sustainable Development
(ESD)
Since the publication of the Brundtland Commission Report on Our Common Future
(WCED 1987), much enthusiasm has been devoted to the concept and implementation of sustainable development (SD), but with little discernible evidence of achieveS. Y. Teh (B)
School of Mathematical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia,
11800 Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
e-mail: syteh@usm.my
H. L. Koh
Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development, Sunway University,
47500 Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia
e-mail: hocklyek@sunway.edu.my
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
W. Leal Filho et al. (eds.), Universities as Living Labs for Sustainable Development,
World Sustainability Series, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15604-6_35
567
The STEM Approach in Universiti Sains
Malaysia
Su Yean Teh and Hock Lye Koh
Abstract The appointment of Universiti Sains Malaysia as a Regional Centre of
Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development by UNESCO in 2005 provided
the incentives to spearhead several in-campus Education for Sustainable Development programs. The School of Mathematical Sciences, which has been actively pursuing education and research towards sustainable development goals since 1990s,
has developed outreach, academic and research programs to promote Sustainable
Development Goals, at local and global levels. This paper summarizes such research
programs that develop relevant skills and competences in quantitative methodology
for enhancing sustainable management of storm water, air quality and water quality
in campus and beyond. Also presented is a recent initiative in unifying science, technology, engineering and mathematics for analysing the adverse impact of climate
change on coastal groundwater and vegetation. This paper serves as a demonstration
of how quantitative methodology can address local and global environmental issues
and support implementation of SDGs in universities and beyond.
Keywords Water · Climate change · TUNA · MANTRA
1 Introduction: Education for Sustainable Development
(ESD)
Since the publication of the Brundtland Commission Report on Our Common Future
(WCED 1987), much enthusiasm has been devoted to the concept and implementation of sustainable development (SD), but with little discernible evidence of achieveS. Y. Teh (B)
School of Mathematical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia,
11800 Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
e-mail: syteh@usm.my
H. L. Koh
Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development, Sunway University,
47500 Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia
e-mail: hocklyek@sunway.edu.my
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
W. Leal Filho et al. (eds.), Universities as Living Labs for Sustainable Development,
World Sustainability Series, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15604-6_35
567