A team of UTAR students achieved outstanding success at the prestigious MCMC Datathon 2024, organised by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
The team, comprising Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science (LKC FES) Bachelor of Science (Honours) Software Engineering student Choo Jia Zheng, Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) student Tan Jing Jie, and Faculty of Information and Communication Technology (FICT) Bachelor of Computer Science (Honours) students Jacynth Tham Ming Quan and Yam Zi Ying, secured second prize in the tertiary student category, earning a cash prize of RM3,000.
Additionally, team members Tan and Tham were recognised with the Best Presenter Award, which came with an additional prize of RM500. The proud team also walked away with trophies and certificates of achievement each.
Held on 4 November 2024 at Amari Kuala Lumpur, the award ceremony celebrated the achievements of participants who demonstrated exceptional innovation and creativity in leveraging Big Data, Machine Learning (ML), and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The MCMC Datathon 2024 challenged participants to develop solutions to enhance broadband quality, improve online safety, and boost e-commerce efficiency through smarter courier systems.
The competition followed a well-structured journey, ensuring diverse and meaningful participation. It began with an online application process open to three distinct tracks, namely Courier Companies, MCMC Staff, and Tertiary Students. Teams comprising three to four members were selected weekly, encouraging a variety of participants to join.
Once selected, teams participated in a virtual training programme held from 7 to 10 October 2024. These sessions, conducted daily, focused on essential topics such as Data Science, Python, ML, and AI. The training equipped participants with the foundational knowledge required for the subsequent competition phases.
The event proceeded with a Virtual Datathon on 14 and 15 October 2024, where teams received detailed project scopes and worked intensively to deliver innovative solutions. By the conclusion of the phase, the Top 15 teams were identified and advanced to the finals.
The Physical Datathon and Finals took place from 2 to 4 November 2024 in Kuala Lumpur, marking the competition’s culmination. In this final phase, participants developed and showcased their solutions to a panel of esteemed judges. They tackled challenges such as enhancing broadband quality, fostering online safety, and boosting e-commerce efficiency by leveraging smarter systems and technologies.
Team leader Tan described the competition as an invaluable platform for applying his research to real-world use cases. He said, “The competition gave me a platform to apply my PhD research in large language models to real-world use cases. I feel honoured that my teammates trusted my leadership, and it was inspiring to work together on this amazing project. I appreciate that my ideas were recognised, leading to a few seed funding opportunities to support our startup. I am also thrilled that my pitch and demo won the Best Presenter Prize, affirming my ability to deliver content effectively.”
Adding to Tan’s sentiment, Choo, the team’s undergraduate member, highlighted the learning opportunities provided by the competition. He said, “As an undergraduate student joining this hackathon, it has been a roller-coaster journey for me. I was able to learn and code along with my amazing teammates, who were more experienced than me. Big thanks to my team leader, who invited me to this hackathon and brought us to victory. The most important aspect of joining this hackathon is the external exposure to the workspace, which I would not have experienced within the University.”
Meanwhile, Tham, who contributed as the front-end developer and a presenter, shared, “As a front-end developer and the team member responsible for pitching, I am grateful for this hackathon, which provided me with the opportunity to showcase my skill set and presentation abilities. Working on the front end allowed me to bring our ideas to life through an intuitive and engaging user interface. I would like to extend my thanks to our team leader, who consistently helped fine-tune the connection between our presentation and the application.”
Last but not least, Yam, the backend developer, reflected on her experience and said, “As a backend developer, I am grateful for the opportunity this hackathon gave me to showcase my technical skills. I focused on building the systems and Application Programming Interfaces that powered the app, ensuring smooth functionality. Thanks to my team and team leader for helping align our work with the project’s vision.”
The MCMC Datathon offered a unique platform for participants to create impactful, real-world solutions while addressing critical issues in the digital space. It provided opportunities for participants to showcase their skills in data science, ML, and AI, allowing them to demonstrate their technical expertise.
Participants also benefited from mentorship sessions with industry professionals and entrepreneurs, gaining valuable insights and guidance throughout the competition.
Proud winners and innovators (from left) Choo, Tan, Yam and Tham
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