LKC FES students win second place at NACES 2023

Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science Bachelor of Chemical Engineering with Honours students Khoo Kher Inn, Tan Zhe Kai, Tie Yan Eng and Yap Yi Mun won Second Place at the National Chemical Engineering Symposium (NACES) 2023 under the Plant Design category. The competition was held from 16 to 17 December 2023 at Universiti Malaya. The team won a cash prize of RM600, a medal and certificates of achievement for their project titled “The production of man-made rice grain (MMRG)”.

From left: Ir Shum Keng Yan, Dr Ng Yee Sern, Dr Shuit Siew Hoong, Wan Jia Wei, Kelvin Chuah Jing Le, Tie Yan Eng, Yap Yi Mun, Justin Yeap Jia Qing, Khoo Kher Inn, Tan Zhe Kai, and Dr Steven Lim

The team expressed their delight, “This was truly a wonderful experience for us as we were able to learn new things throughout the research of the plant design process. We initially joined the competition to obtain experience and prepare for our Year 4 Plant Design 1 and 2 subjects.”

They added, “We are truly grateful to the judges for acknowledging our process. If our plant process is used in the future, we will be able to produce a cheaper alternative to rice grain to fight against food hunger and enhance food security in the future. We would also like to thank Assoc Prof Dr Steven Lim, Ts Dr Shuit Siew Hoong, Dr Ng Yee Sern and Dr Yap Yeow Hong for their guidance throughout the competition.”

Themed ‘Mainstreaming Lab-Grown Food: Chemical Engineers to the Rescue!’, the competition was organised by the Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya together with the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) Malaysia. The event aimed to provide participants with a platform to interact and debate how chemical engineering may help develop a sustainable food system. The event also served as a platform for Chemical Engineering students to showcase their knowledge, innovative ideas, critical thinking ability, and soft skills to the community.