Big boost for four PhD students - The Star

Brilliance recognised: (from left) Quah, Lim, Chang, and Lam showing one another their awards during 'Malam Persada Kencana' at USM.

FOUR doctoral (PhD) students from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) now have more zest to complete their research after becoming recipients of the university’s Vice-Chancellor Award 2011.

The prestigious award has been given to only seven other PhD students since 2007.

The recipients will each get a RM3,000 monthly allowance while their tuition and examination fees for three years will be borne by the university.

Lim Way Foong, 26, a second year PhD candidate from the School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering, said the award now allowed her to purchase vital materials and chemicals for her research.

Her research seeks to reduce energy loss during its conversion from sustainable energy sources like solar power to high powered electrical appliances.

“I chose this environmentally-friendly topic as the more efficient sustainable energy gets, the less we need to rely on fossil fuel,” she said.

Chang Kah Haw, 25, from the School of Health Sciences, will use the allowance to purchase important resource materials for his research on gunshot residue.

The other two recipients are Quah Hock Jin from the School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering working on kalium nitrate as high powered devices and Lam Man Kee from the School of Chemical Engineering.

Lam’s research is on using micro-algae to produce bioethanol, a substitute fuel for fossil fuels.

The award was given during the Malam Persada Kencana on Saturday.

Scientific breakthrough: Oh showing a product from her research on a cardiovascular drug precursor and a newspaper article on her work. She received an Outstanding Research Award.

USM Board of Directors chairman Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr M. Zawawi Ismail was also present to give the Outstanding Research Award to Oh Pei Ching from the School of Engineering.