November 3, 2020, by Communications
UNM student one of the top five winners at nationwide competition
Third year PhD student, among top five winners at the National Level in the Materials Lecture Competition 2020. Ernest Yong Hsin Nam, beat 15 other finalists on 27 August to emerge in the top fifth position in the competition.
Ernest Yong Hsin Nam with his certificate
The competition is organised annually by the Institute of Materials Malaysia (IMM) and Institute of Materials, Minerals, and Mining (IOM3 UK). This nationwide competition is an initiative to promote awareness among young scientists and engineers in Malaysia on the importance of materials engineering and sustainability in the advancement of technology and humankind.
Ernest’s winning entry at the university-level competition was followed by an invitation for him to represent the university at the grand finale of the national-level competition. He presented part of his current research work on the synthesis of a temperature-responsive polymer and its subsequent fabrication into a 3D tissue engineering scaffold (an engineered material to allow cellular interaction and tissue formation) by utilising high voltage and an electric field to produce nanometer scaled fibers (i.e. electrospinning process). The highly specialised end application of this construct is to serve as an alternative to conventional cell culture platforms (using culture dishes or flasks) with improved performance in cell culture processes.
Customarily, the competition requires participants to deliver a 15-minute, in-person presentation, which will be followed by a Q&A session with a panel of judges. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, circumstances have required participants to deliver their lectures online at the group conference where pre-recorded lectures are played for the first time to the judges and audience via Facebook Live, followed by a live Q&A session with four judges who are selected academicians and professionals from diversified backgrounds in materials.
Ernest said, “It was a humbling experience. The competition provided the chance to compete against some very eloquent presenters. The process of preparation up to the day of the competition was a great opportunity for reflection (from a presenter’s perspective) and to further build on my own approach in presentations. Being among the top five certainly gave me a strong sense of validation as a presenter, while don’t mind the cliché, the whole experience was truly the biggest reward. I must thank my PhD project supervisor, Dr Albert Tshai for his early input, specifically on the scope of the presentation. I also extend my appreciation to the very supportive Dr Chai Ai Bao and Dr How Ho Cheng for being very constructive with their advice and generous with their time.”
Ernest’s PhD supervisor, Ts. Dr. Albert Tshai Kim Yeow was very happy with his achievement in the MLC 2020 competition. “Ernest is a motivated young researcher who possess the willingness and ability to learn new things. I am confident that his hard work and dedication towards his research will yield new scientific discoveries and help in the completion his research degree.”
The prize included a certificate of recognition and a cash prize of RM500.00. Due to the growing concerns over COVID-19 in Malaysia, the National Level of Materials Lecture Competition scheduled in April 2020 was postponed and held online on 27 August 2020.
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