UTM young scientist bags award
Chrysalis award given for waste-to-wealth research
KUALA LUMPUR: Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s (UTM) scientist Liew Wen Ching has won the 2022 Young Scientists Networkacademy of Sciences Malaysia (YSN-ASM) Chrysalis Award Final Pitch for her team’s research into the “waste-to-wealth” concept for the improvement of food security.
The proposed waste-to-wealth concept by Liew, together with fellow researchers Muhammad Luqman Nordin from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Shahidah Md Nor from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), converts agricultural waste into nutritional food with an immune booster vaccine and advanced packaging.
“The research proposal looks at projected diseases, climatic changes, ongoing wars, worldwide inflation, and an expanding global population that would have severely impacted global food security,” said the Academy of Sciences Malaysia in a statement yesterday, Bernama reported.
According to the statement, Liew took home RM4,000 and a certificate of achievement, while the runner-up, Lee Hui Jing from Universiti Tenaga Nasional (Uniten), won RM3,000. Nivaarani Arumugam from Universiti Malaysia Kelantan won third place, clinching RM2,000.
The Best Team Award went to the group, including Nivaarani and Lee, while the best presenter was awarded to Ng Wen Cai from Monash University Malaysia.
Chrysalis is a seven-month flagship leadership programme organised by YSN-ASM, aimed at identifying, developing, recognising and empowering PHD students within Malaysia’s science, technology and innovation ecosystem.
“The YSN-ASM Chrysalis Award is specifically designed to strengthen and nurture the talent and capability of young researchers so it can empower them in line with the development trajectory of Malaysia’s Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI).
“Throughout the programme, 15 finalists were assessed individually on, among other things, their demonstration of knowledge, enthusiasm, leadership, creativity, teamwork and presentation skills,” said the statement.
Selected YSN-ASM Chrysalis Award Finalists will receive continuous support and mentoring.