Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science (LKC FES) Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) student Tan Jing Jie and his team SatuFeature walked away with the Championship (Higher Education Student Category) and a cash prize of RM10,000, medals and a certificate for his team project titled “MyUndang”.

Faculty of Accountancy and Management (FAM) academic Dr Seah Choon Sen and his team NexScholar, with the same title for their project, was the Second Runner-up (Public Sector Category), winning a cash prize of RM4,000, medals and a certificate.

The prizes were presented on 7 November 2023 at the Majlis Anugerah Inovasi Perdana Sektor Awam (AIPSA) 2023, held at Dewan Perdana, Pusat Konvensyen Antarabangsa, Putrajaya (PICC). The event was attended by the Prime Minister of Malaysia YAB Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim.

Other members of the SatuFeature team consisted of Muhammad Irfan Jasni from Universiti Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Italy Design Institute; Muhammad Harris Shah bin Shahrudin from Universiti Kuala Lumpur British Malaysian Institute and Jhanarthananraja Nagaraja from Quest International University. The supervisor of the team was LKC FES academic Dr Kwan Ban Hoe.

Dr Seah’s other team members of NexScholar were Dr Ahmad Najmi Amerhaider Nuar and Dr Muhammad Aliif Ahmad from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

Highlighting his winning project titled MyUndang, Tan said, “MyUndang introduced a ground-breaking mobile application designed to revolutionise the lawmaking process by leveraging digitalisation, user-opinion voting, and gamification. Our innovative platform aimed to bridge the gap between citizens and the government, encouraging active participation in decision-making while offering rewarding incentives for engagement. Besides, we choose SatuFeature as our team name as our team consists of three different races, cultures, and family backgrounds.”

Speaking about his group achievement, Tan added, “This competition offered a multifaceted learning experience. It enabled us to delve deep into the practical applications of our technical knowledge, bridging the gap between theoretical understanding and real-world implementation. Moreover, the collaborative aspect of this competition provided an enriching opportunity to interact with professionals and enthusiasts from diverse cultural backgrounds. This intercultural collaboration not only broadens our perspectives but also nurtures essential teamwork skills, such as effective communication, cooperation, and adaptability. As someone who is immersed in the realm of Natural Language Processing and machine learning (my PhD studies), I am particularly excited about the chance to channel my expertise into developing a sophisticated chatbot. The competition served as a compelling challenge, pushing the boundaries of my skills and knowledge. The prospect of crafting a chatbot that can seamlessly interact with users, understand their queries, and provide meaningful responses is both intellectually stimulating and professionally gratifying.”

“Beyond the technical aspects, the competition represents a journey of personal and professional growth. It encouraged me to think creatively, solve complex problems, and innovate in the field of artificial intelligence. Moreover, working collaboratively with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds enhanced my ability to adapt to different perspectives and ideas. This experience not only fostered open-mindedness but also nurtured empathy and understanding, key qualities in today’s interconnected world. Winning this competition would be more than just a validation of our hard work; it would signify a significant milestone in our academic and professional journey. It would boost our confidence, affirming that our dedication, expertise, and teamwork can lead to remarkable achievements. Furthermore, it would serve as a testament to the power of collaboration and innovation, showcasing the potential of combining diverse skills and knowledge to create something truly exceptional. In essence, this competition represents more than just a technical challenge; it embodies a transformative experience that shapes not only our professional trajectory but also our personal growth. It highlights the importance of collaboration, cultural understanding, and the application of knowledge in real-world scenarios. The anticipation of contributing meaningfully to the competition and the thrill of potentially emerging victorious inspire a deep sense of fulfilment and drive,” enthused Tan.

Dr Seah from NexScholar team added, “NexScholar is a social networking platform for students, academics, researchers and industry players in enhancing collaborative relationships for research and innovation. This matching hub application makes it easy for groups to get information and build a network of relationships that can benefit each other. Through this application, the students can find supervisors who match the field of research being carried out, in addition to obtaining information related to references such as journals, job opportunities on campus, and related knowledge improvement courses. It gathers the pool of academic and research talents and strengthens the connection and collaboration. In addition, the platform provides opportunities for researchers to showcase research results that can attract industry to collaborate towards commercialisation.”

Moreover, Dr Seah said, “I would like to encourage my students to participate in additional activities, make new friends, and gain valuable experiences. Once you participate in outdoor activities outside the campus and interact with other participants, you will learn new things even better. Although I was occupied with daily work and personal matters, I took the opportunity to participate in this hackathon because I wanted to learn something new. My advice to the students is it is essential to work smart, turning your theory assignment into a practical project. Try to seek the right competition, so that you can continue enhancing your current research or prototype instead of creating a new prototype for every competition. Talk to your supervisors and professor as they have vast experience with competitions. Plan your future well and colour your resume with these outstanding experiences.”

Congratulations to both teams for the impressive achievements at CHIPTA  2023.

Organised by the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU), CHIPTA 2023 aimed to provide a platform for the development of innovative, creative and quality products or applications; create an inventing culture among the participants; encourage collaboration through a Quadruple Helix approach (Government, Industry, Academics and Citizens), and promote innovation ideas in the public service delivery system.