Dr. Lim Boo Liat is celebrated by Google Doodle on 21st June, which is today and it can be seen on the search homepage.
Google is honoring Dr. Lim today because it was on this day, in 2003, that he became the first South-East Asian and fourth Asian to receive an Honorary Membership to the American Society of Mammalogists (ASM). Definitely a moment to be proud of by everyone.
Born in 1962, Dr. Lim was a top authority on all things relating to Malaysia's biological variety when he died. He is recognised with helping to build Zoo Negara in Kuala Lumpur, and he has over 300 scholarly papers in the fields of mammalogy and parasitology.
Then, starting as a temporary lab assistant at the Institute of Medical Research (IMR) in KL in 1947, Dr Lim worked his way up to become a regular staff member in 1952. He took part in a number of scientific trips in Cambodia and Vietnam, focused on parasites and tiny mammals, among other topics.
Dr. Lim produced more scholarly papers between 1955 and 1969, and was subsequently asked to lead IMR's newly formed Medical Ecology Division.
Dr. Lim was also awarded a Sino-British Fellowship Trust Award from the British Council, which he used to study animal ecology at the British Natural History Museum for a year and a half.
He even received the opportunity to pursue a Masters Degree in Science at University of Aberdeen, Scotland. When he returned to Malaysia in 1972, he continued working as a full-fledged zoologist at IMR. In 1977, he got his PhD in Zoology from Universiti Sains Malaysia, and was then invited to join the World Health Organization's Vector Biology Control Research Unit (WHO).
After WWII, the Malaysian Nature Society was revived thanks to Dr. Lim and he was credited graciously for it. From 1999 to 2004, Dr. Lim collaborated closely with FRIM (Forest Research Institute Malaysia) on research that resulted in the discovery of a new mountain reed snake species located solely in Pahang's Genting Highlands.
Dr. Lim Boo Liat passed away at the age of 93 in July 2022. Thank you Dr. Lim for all you've done and providing for mentorship and ensuring the younger scientists had opportunities to publish their work.
