Four get awards for Chemistry excellence

0

CONGRATULATIONS: Dr Chai (far right) and Unimas Faculty of Resource Science & Technology dean Assoc Prof Dr Hasnain Hussein (far left) with recipients of the IKM Chemistry Award.

KUCHING: Four recipients were awarded for excellence in Chemistry by the Malaysian Institute of Chemistry (IKM) at its Chemistry Night on Monday.

Leading the award recipients was Dr Tay Soon Hiang from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) who won RM500 for her PhD thesis on ‘Development of Nanostructured Starch-based Materials from Native Sago Starch’; while Siti Nur Akmar Mohd Yazid (Unimas) was awarded RM400 for her thesis ‘Synthesis and Characterisation of Starch Nanoparticles and Carbon Nanodots’.

“The Chemistry Award is one of IKM Sarawak’s annual activities where children of IKM members are awarded for their academic achievement, specifically, those who had excelled in Chemistry,” said IKM Sarawak chairman Dr Alvin Chai Lian Kuet.

Dr Chai presented the awards to the recipients who included Suzie Kuan Hui Chin (Unimas) who achieved a CGPA of 3.86 and scored an A for her final year project in inorganic chemistry for her Bachelor of Science degree as well as Laura Chai Min Xuan from SMK Sungai Maong who scored 6A+, 2A, 1A- and 1B+ in the SPM results.

Kuan and Chai won RM300 and RM200 respectively.

Dr Chai said IKM was a professional statutory organisation incorporated under the Chemists Act 1975 under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

“Under the Act, IKM is entrusted with three main provisions, namely to regulate the practice of chemistry in Malaysia; represent the profession of chemistry in Malayia; and promote public awarenss and appreciation, and the advancement of chemistry in Malaysia,” he explained, adding that there are six IKM branches in the country.

IKM Sarawak, established in 1986, currently has about 200 members.