ISSUE 1 2020
Department of Environment
The history of the Department of Environment can be traced to the establishment of the Department of Environmental Science in August 1976, under the Faculty of Science. With the establishment of the Department of Environmental Science, the Faculty of Science was renamed the Faculty of Science and Environmental Studies. At that time, the Department of Environmental Science under the Faculty of Science and Environmental Studies was responsible for offering the Bachelor of Environmental Science bachelor's degree program, which was introduced in the same year the department was formed. This degree program was the first environmental degree program in Southeast Asia and has been recognized as a professional degree by the Public Service Department of Malaysia (JPA). On 1 September 2004, history was made when UPM management agreed to allow the Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science and Environmental Studies, to have its own new faculty, namely the Faculty of Environmental Studies. This provided opportunities and space for the Department of Environmental Sciences to grow as a faculty that focuses on all aspects related to environmental studies. The Faculty of Environmental Studies at UPM is the only higher institution in Malaysia that offers degrees at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the field of environment. The teaching staffs and researchers at the Faculty of Environmental Studies are experts from various fields, in line with the demands of teaching, learning and environmental research that requires skills, abilities and knowledge in various aspects. Due to the growing demands of the field, the Faculty of Environmental Studies later established two new departments for more effective management, namely the Department of Environmental Science and the Department of Environmental Management.

In line with the purpose of establishing these departments, two new undergraduate degree programs namely Bachelor of Environmental Science and Technology and Bachelor of Environmental Management have been introduced and both programs are placed under the management of the Department of Environmental Science and Department of Environmental Management respectively. In line with the name of these programs, the Bachelor of Environmental Science and Technology place emphasis on technical and scientific aspects in the environment, while the Bachelor of Environmental Management emphasize on aspects of environmental management and planning. Both programs are reviewed every three to five years to ensure that these programs remain relevant with the passage of time. In addition, in early 2020, both programs have received recognition from the Committee of Heads of Environmental Sciences, Institution of Environmental Sciences, United Kingdom. This recognition has further strengthened the quality of graduates produced from these two Bachelor programs, placing them on par with graduates from other universities abroad. In addition, MASPUTRA which is an independent body was also established by the Faculty of Environmental Studies. Under the management of MASPUTRA, the Master of Environment program which is a coursework master's program has been developed and offered. This program targets professionals who want to improve their knowledge in the field of environment to help them in their careers. However, in March 2020, the Faculty of Environmental Studies once again changed its status and returned to a department. This change of status is due to the merger of the Faculty of Environmental Studies with the Faculty of Forestry following the UPM's transformation plan. With this merger, the Faculty of Forestry and Environment was established. Lecturers, support staffs and students who were previously under the management of the Faculty of Environmental Studies have been placed under the management of new department namely the Department of Environment, Faculty of Forestry and Environment. However, this merger does not have any impact on both the Bachelor of Environmental Science and Technology and Bachelor of Environmental Management programs. MASPUTRA as an independent body was also transferred under the auspices of the new Department of Environment.

Currently, there are 2 Professors, 8 Associate Professors and 20 Senior Lecturers in the Department of Environment, which covers various areas of environmental expertise, from environmental physics to environmental law. As a department committed to environmental studies, the Department of Environment collaborates with various parties for research projects inside and outside of UPM. Among the other organizations that collaborate in research projects with the faculty are the Department of Environment Malaysia and the Ministry of Environment Japan. In addition, the Department of Environment also often conducts knowledge transfer projects with the community and alumni.

Figure 1. Study on effects of Northeast Monsoon on coastal water productivity at Peninsular Malaysia

Figure 2. Knowledge transfer through community engagement at SK. Balok Baru, Kuantan Pahang

Figure 3. Integrated Environmental Fieldwork on river flow measurement at Sungai Inki, Hulu Selangor

Figure 4. Benthos sampling was conducted in Kuala Selangor

Figure 5. Air and meteorology monitoring was conducted at the Bukit Melawati, Kuala Selangor, Selangor by first year students