IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (IOC/WESTPAC) awarded prizes on 30 March 2011 at its Eighth International Scientific Symposium, Busan, Republic of Korea, to four outstanding young scientists from the region, two for the best oral presentation and two for the best poster. The IOC/WESTPAC Best Young Marine Scientist Award was first established this year for the serial IOC/WESTPAC International Scientific Symposia in order to assist young scientist to further dedicate themselves to marine science, and observations.

After three days’ selection, Ms. Yajuan Song (China) and Mr. Lutfi A. Rosli (Malaysia) won the Best Young Scientist Oral Presentation Award with their presentation on “Improvement in the South Asian summer monsoon climate model by using non-breaking wave-induced mixing” and “Population genetics of scleractinian coral, pocillopora damicornis along the coasts of Peninsular malaysia: Towards a new approach of Malaysian marine park management respectively. While Mr. Kenji Tsuchiya (Japan), Mr. Truong Hai Trinh (Vietnam) obtained the Best Young Scientist Poster Award with their posters on “Responses of biological communities in lower trophic levels to a typhoon passage in Sagami Bay, Japan” and “Zooplankton community structure in the coastal waters of Binhthuan province, Vietnam during harmful algal blooms” respectively.

The four winners will be awarded the full financial support for their participation to the next IOC/WESTPAC International Scientific Symposium in 2014 once their abstracts are accepted, including the most economic roundtrip air ticket, food and local accommodations.

Let’s cheer these young winners and wish them a brighter career development in marine science.