UTAR Master of Science (Computer Science) student Ling Yi Jun won "Best Presentation Award" in oral (student) category at the International Conference on Fisheries Engineering (ICFE) 2019, held from 21 to 24 September 2019 at Nagasaki University, Japan.

Themed 'Realising a Healthy Ecosystem and Sustainable Use of the Seas and Oceans', the conference reviewed Fisheries Engineering research and discussed the future direction of the research, which includes fisheries and environments associated with artificial reefs and seaweeds, construction of fishing ports, fishing boat and fishing gear engineering, resource survey technologies and information technologies relating to fisheries, thus contributing to mitigating global scale issues such as climate change, food security and safety, and energy supply. The conference also aimed at encouraging future generations of young men and women in the field.

"I am very honoured to win the award, especially to be chosen among so many good presenters. Attending the conference was certainly enlightening and I am very grateful to my supervisor Dr Lau Phooi Yee. With her guidance, I was able to complete my research and prepare well for the conference, but more so, being prepared was also a plus point for me. The assignments have also enhanced my ability to think critically. Altogether, I was able to give a clear and concise presentation and I was confident to answer questions raised by the other participants of the conference. Therefore, I am very grateful to be given this opportunity to learn so much more from other researches, and to be contributing to this research field," said Ling. She also walked home a certificate.

Ling presented her research titled "Comparison of Feature-based Classifier and CNN-based Deep Learning for Fish Monitoring in Complex Environment". The aim of the research was to help aquaculture farms produce fishes at a more efficient and affordable rate in order to meet consumer demands of seafood, which in turn helps to mitigate over-fishing issues that greatly imbalances the marine ecosystem.