Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) Dr Rafiza Abdul Razak did the university and Malaysia proud when she won the first runner-up position at the Women Inventors & Innovators Network (GWIIN) Showcase, Conference and Award 2019 in London recently.
Rafiza, a senior lecturer and researcher at the university’s Faculty of Engineering Technology (FTK) and Center of Excellence for Geopolymer and Green Technology (CEGeoGTech) shared the first runner-up position with a participant from Kuwait.
During the competition, which took place on June 27-28, two other UniMAP researchers Dr. Zarina Yahya and Dr. Alida Abdullah received Special Recognition Awards.
Rafiza’s entry on the production of artificial aggregate as construction material using volcanic mud from Sidoarjo volcano in Indonesia grabbed the jury’s attention. “The issue of volcanic mud has been around for some time and the initiative undertaken in collaboration with researchers from Petra Christian University, Surabaya does not merely solve volcanic mud problems but has also succeeded in producing new findings for the construction industry.”
“I will strive to carry out more studies that can solve the problems of the community while creating products that would benefit our society in return,” she said, adding that her success was not just a personal success but also an achievement for the whole community that would directly reap the benefits of the research.
GWIIN is an annual event that affords women researchers around the world a chance to showcase their research. Judges are internationally renowned researchers, scientists and corporate members.
This year, a total of 500 female researchers took part and only 22 entries got through to the final stage. In addition to the recognition given to the three female researchers, Senior Lecturer from UniMAP School of Materials Engineering, Dr. Mohd. Ariff Anuar Mohd. Salleh was awarded “Outstanding Male Researcher and GWIIN Ambassador” for his research involvement with several universities in London.
UniMAP Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ir. Ts. R Badlishah Ahmad said that UniMAP has always provided space and opportunity for all researchers, regardless of gender, to create innovative products that can benefit the community. UniMAP places translational research and commercialisation efforts high on the university’s strategic agenda, in line with the aspirations of the Malaysian Ministry of Education.
R Badlishah further states that UniMAP researchers are working on cutting-edge research, as seen at GWIIN. “In fact, recently, two UniMAP researchers successfully obtained the Prototype Research Grant Scheme (PRGS) from the Ministry of Education Malaysia worth RM205,000 to develop research prototypes”, he added.