Museums Connect Phase I Museum Profile Form

• Phase I Museum Profiles for the 2013 cycle must be submitted by US and non-US museums no later than October 15, 2012 to be included on the Museums Connect website for review. Pre- partnered US and non-US museums must submit a Phase I Museum Profiles no later than January 14, 2013. • All materials must be submitted in English, in a sans-serif font (e.g., Arial or Verdana) at 11 or 12 point, and formatted for letter-size paper. • Please note page limits. Additional pages are not considered for review.

About the Museum Melaka Museums Corporation – Maritime Museum Complex Name of Museum Perbadanan Muzium Melaka, Kompleks Warisan Melaka, Jalan Kota, 75000 Melaka, Malaysia. Mailing/Street Address Melaka, Melaka, 75000, Malaysia City/State/Mailing Code/Country

+606-282 6526 / +606-282 1289 Telephone (include all country codes)

www.perzim.gov.my Website (if applicable) Datuk Haji Khamis bin Haji Abas General Manager Name of Director (First Name FAMILY NAME) Title 1954 126 museum corporation in UNESCO World Heritage City Year Founded Number of Paid Employees Type of Museum

Size and Range of Collections Thousands of collections on old maps, traditional ship models, weapons, and battleships are displayed in this complex, comprising the “Flor de La Mar” Portuguese galleon replica, Royal

Malaysian Navy Museum, besides the marine and coastal heritage gallery built with Department of Fisheries and WWF-Malaysia. This complex also features the history of seafaring in Melaka and the spread of commercial influence during the Malacca Sultanate era at the Straits of Malacca.

Facilities Audio-visual room with a ship background setting attracts the interests of fellow participants whenever the talks are held in this museum complex. The galleon replica with three floors inside provide areas for “Sleepover at the Museum” program which has won the Best Tour Program awarded by Malaysia Ministry of Tourism in 2011. The return of 2nd Melaka-Palembang Historic Voyage has just been held at the spacious river square behind the replica this October 2012.

Public Programs and Other Public Activities The awareness talk and exhibition conducted with Department of Fisheries, Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia, and WWF-Malaysia this September 2012 was published in the website of Convention on Biological Diversity at http://www.cbd.int/idb/2012/celebrations/my/. Receiving near 470,000 visitors alone in 2011, this museum complex has been a hotspot for marine nature and maritime archeology activities, with FS Ouessant Agosta 70 Submarine being its latest collection.

Mission Statement

Objective: To collect, preserve, and disseminate quality information and material about the historical heritage professionally for future generation.

Vision: To improve the museology sector in Melaka as a world class education and tourism centre.

Mission: To foster education and tourism through the development of museums and historical sites with professionalism and quality.

Project Ideas List three to four projects your institution is interested in developing with a partner museum. Projects should involve community engagement in both countries. Museums Connect does not fund projects concepts focused solely on staff development, exhibition design/object exchange, or artist residencies. Use only the space provided.

Marine and Coastal Biodiversity Conservation Campaign: Melaka has the highest population density of Hawksbill Turtle in Peninsular Malaysia. Tanjung Tuan near the historical Cape Rachado lighthouse is listed as Important Bird Areas by BirdLife International. Sustainable marine and coastal tourism program in alliance with conservationists, responsible tour operators and planners can advance and demonstrate best practice and policy on marine conservation and social issues.

Boatbuilding, Heritage Rowing, Nature Photographing: Melaka River is the river of life, with th immense historical and ecological significance for this town celebrating 750 anniversary this year.

Kids Pirate & Maritime Commerce Festival, Archeology Conservation Field School, Scavenger Hunt and Sleepover Program: Malacca Sultanate achieved its glorious moment as a maritime port much credit also to the courageous seafarers. Malacca was colonised by Portuguese, Dutch, and British then, leaving various artifacts recovered underwater for all to cherish for.

Community Involvement Direct community engagement is the foundation for Museums Connect. List ways in which community members in both countries may be directly involved in executing the project. Use only the space provided.

Melaka together with New Bedford, San Francisco, and Lake Champlain for instance have their own distinct marine and maritime heritage treasured much. People make their living from these resources and thus its sustainability is crucial to their survival. Through the proposed activities, interviews can be documented to be shared virtually online in collectively championing for the common goals of sustainable marine tourism.

Students from both countries participating in the sleepover program, packaged with awareness

activities and talks by different speakers in the ship, can exchange their experience and the shared history they could identify via further discussion. Art work created under the guidance of mentors can be displayed at the river square for public viewing. Documentation with the locals will enhance the connection of the younger generation in tracing history development of the river and maritime port their lives depend on.

About the Project Coordinator

Attach a one-page bio in English

Yin Yee Lai Male Female First Name Middle Name/Initial (if used) FAMILY NAME

Curator Assistant Conservation and Management of Biodiversity Position Specialty

[email protected] +6017-6807997 Email Address Telephone

Is the Project Coordinator a full-time, permanent employee of the museum? Yes No

Languages Please list all languages in which the Project Coordinator is proficient. Please include English even if it is the Coordinator’s first language.

English Excellent Good Fair Language

Mandarin Chinese Excellent Good Fair Language

Malay Excellent Good Fair Language

Cantonese Excellent Good Fair Language

French Excellent Good Fair Language

Project Coordinator - Lai Yin Yee

EDUCATION

April 2012 United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Online course: Introductory e-Course to the Global Commons

Expected to Graduate in November 2012 Bachelor of Applied Science (Conservation and Management of Biodiversity) Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) Kuala Terengganu, MALAYSIA. CGPA: 3.61 Related Coursework: Wildlife Management, Tropical Natural Resource, Policy of Science and Technology, Field Ecology, Wetland, Biology of Organisms, Taxonomy and Systematics of Organisms

Spring 2011 – exchange scholar student State University of New York at Plattsburgh (SUNY Plattsburgh) New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Coursework: Plant Diversity and Evolution, Ecology, Introduction to Sociology, Critical Reading, College Writing II.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Melaka Museums Corporation (PERZIM) Curator Assistant, August 2012 onwards . Curation for exhibition of museums’ collections . Educational and public outreach programs event management

Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) Intern, July – August 2011 . Herbarium management . Field collection and specimens processing

WWF-Malaysia, Melaka Hawksbill Turtle Conservation Project Intern, April - June 2010 . Nesting habitat and egg protection . Engaging local community in turtle conservation projects

HONOURS / AWARDS

2012 Delegation Member for Malaysia in APEC Youth Summit 2012 2012 Best Documentary Research and Best Feature Stories in International Debate Education Association “Youth in 21st Century: Debating and Producing Media Workshop” 2012 2nd place winning team for NRG Battle – World Edition of World Gas Conference 2012 Secretary, U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur Malaysian-American Alumni Partnership 2011/2012 2011 First place for U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur "Celebrating Diversity Essay Contest" 2011 USA Government Department of State Global Undergraduate Student Exchange Scholar 2011 Champion for action plan in Malaysia DENSO Youth for Earth Action (DYEA) Competition - Malaysia’s representative to Global Program 2011 held in Indonesia 2011 UMT Sportswoman Award (Basketball) 2010 Secretary, Golden Key International Honour Society Chapter UMT Session 2010/2011 2009 UMT Vice Chancellor Debating Championship (English category) - Champion Team’s first speaker Dean’s list for five semesters