Nothing makes us prouder than seeing our students realising their potential and showcasing their talent on the big stage.
Biotechnology students Liew Xi Nee, Cloee Kong Kher Yan and Chong Hui Yee (pictured above) are the latest QIU students to do that, after they won first place in the National Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Association‘s agricultural competition recently, standing out among 27 presentations from an array of public and private universities.
The trio’s project was voted top by a panel of expert judges, finishing ahead of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM). Some of the other institutions involved include Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) and Kolej FELCRA.
The competition aims to showcase creative and innovative agriculture research that can solve real-world problems associated with the agriculture industry.
Our students’ winning research project is an innovative method of enhancing the seed germination of agricultural crops, using a science-backed seed priming formulation.
Under the guidance of Biotechnology lecturers, Ts. Dr Teh Chui Yao and Dr Kamariah Hasan, Xi Nee said the team focused on the major challenge of global food insecurity, noting that agricultural innovations based on biotechnology could be a key solution.
“Many people might not know it but Biotechnology has played a crucial role in our daily life. Our innovation aims to help small-scale farmers increase crop yield and reduce their cost or loss due to unhealthy seedlings. Increasing crop yield is one of the solutions to the second Sustainable Development Goal, Zero Hunger,” she said.
“I didn’t expect that my team and I would be able to seize first place in this national competition. The win feels amazing and personally, I was very relieved and overwhelmed when I saw our names being displayed on the slides because our hard work in coming up with the innovation and creating the video had resulted in something.
“As a Biotechnology student at QIU, I am grateful that I was able to apply the theories and practices I have learnt in class in real-life situations.“
We’re extremely proud of you ladies—not only for the win, but also for how impactful your work could be. Kudos!
