Ainaa Amirah Marzuki @ Mahadi, a PhD student from the Faculty of Science at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), has secured the title of 1st Runner-Up in the National Level Materials Lecture Competition (MLC) 2024, held online on September 24, 2024. Her compelling presentation, titled “Magnetorheological Foam: A Revolution in Tunable Material“,  captivated both judges and audience alike.

The MLC is a National event mainly organized by the Institute of Materials, Malaysia (IMM) and the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, United Kingdom (IOM3 UK). This nationwide competition is an initiative intended to enhance awareness among young Materials Scientists and Engineers in Malaysia on the importance of Materials Engineering and sustainability in the advancement of technology and humankind.

For MLC 2024, University Malaya (UM) has been given the honour by IMM to host the competition alongside IMM and IOM3. This year, the competition attracted participants from 13 public and private universities across the nation, providing a platform for students under 28 to showcase their expertise.

Ainaa; was part of a unique coaching initiative led by “The Coaches” Team at UTM, which includes experts in speech, technical content, and language. The coaching team consists of Dr. Nor Akmal Fadil, Advisor of MLC National from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FKM); Dr. Nor Ain Husein, President of UTM Toastmasters Club from the Faculty of Science; Dr. Mohd Haziq Dzulkifli, UTM-MLC Chairperson from FKM; and Dr. Nur Hafizah A. Khalid, Project Pitching Mentor from Faculty of Civil Engineering (FKA). This multidisciplinary coaching approach has proven successful, with UTM consistently achieving top placements in national and international competitions in the past few years.

In addition to Ainaa’s impressive performance, the competition featured other outstanding finalists, Aslam Hadi Hamzah from Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) claimed 3rd place, and Jerome Liew from UM as the Winner of this year’s MLC Competition and he will be representing Malaysia to Young Person’s World Lecture Competition (YPWLC) 2024.

Aina’s remarkable achievement upholds and further elevates the legacy of excellence set by UTM’s previous champions, Rathosivan a/l Gopal, MLC 2022 winner and Kugambikai a/p Vangetaraman, MLC 2023 winner. Her success solidifies UTM’s reputation for cultivating exceptional young talents who excel both academically and beyond, showcasing excellence in diverse fields.

Written By: Dr. Nor Akmal Fadil (FKM), Dr. Nor Ain Husein (Faculty of Science), Dr. Mohd Haziq Dzulkifli (FKM), Dr. Nur Hafizah A. Khalid (FKA) and Syaza Soraya Sauli (School of Education).

Source: UTM NewsHub