SMU undergraduate Jerrie Liao cultivated her interest in ocean conservation while studying in SMU. When the avid scuba diver started her undergraduate days at SMU two years ago, she wanted to participate in its annual marine conservation project Reef Alert because it involved diving with sharks. During a two-week trip to the Philippines to collect data on thresher sharks, she found herself drawn to the central cause of the project – the survival of the thresher sharks and the ecosystem.

Now, she is part of a team that aims to clean up the polluted Jerudong Beach in Brunei and carry out research on the type and source of the rubbish found there. Her team was selected to present their cause to a wider audience at the Our Ocean Conference Youth Leadership in Bail, Indonesia, next month. Apart from participating in overseas projects, Ms Liao also champions the cause locally. Last week, she spoke as a panellist at a student forum on sustainable development organised by Singapore investment firm Temasek Holdings.