The 2023 Merdeka Award Grant for International Attachment was presented to five Malaysians on Friday (Aug 25).
The recipients this year are Masni Mat Dong, Syaza Soraya Sauli, Amaziasizamoria Jumail, Dr Kong Xin Ying and Dr Ng Chuck Chuan.
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The recipients this year are Masni Mat Dong, Syaza Soraya Sauli, Amaziasizamoria Jumail, Dr Kong Xin Ying and Dr Ng Chuck Chuan.
Read more at https://tinyurl.com/3reerfv4
WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news
SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar
LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline
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NewsTranscript
00:00 [Music]
00:09 Okay, okay, do take a seat. Now this will be a little bit of an interactive session.
00:13 How's everyone feeling? Okay, Seng Ying, tell us a little bit more about the work that you do.
00:17 You found an amazing catalyst and it actually helps upcycle plastic in five days.
00:24 Wow, please tell us more.
00:26 Okay, actually many of the existing photo catalysts are actually made out of platinum.
00:32 And it is infeasible for us to use platinum to upcycle plastics because we have so much plastic waste.
00:39 And platinum is a rare earth metal which is very expensive.
00:43 So there are cheaper alternatives such as nickel and cadmium catalysts which perform well.
00:49 But these are actually highly toxic and they will pose severe environmental effects.
00:55 When I designed my catalyst, I actually set five criteria.
00:59 First one, it must be non-toxic, metal-free, cost-effective, fast synthesis and easy to scale up.
01:08 So fortunately, after many attempts, I managed to produce a novel catalyst with high efficiency for plastic upcycling.
01:19 Congratulations and well done.
01:21 Now Chuck, your area of research is on soil health.
01:26 I did a little bit of gardening. I'm a hobby gardener at home.
01:30 And I was quite surprised to find out that it's more than just choosing what to plant, giving it water and sunlight.
01:38 I discovered that soil health plays a huge role.
01:41 So maybe you can tell us, in Malaysia or globally, what is the percentage of soil that's actually polluted?
01:49 That's a very good question to know.
01:51 In the world, more than 75% of the land is degraded.
01:56 These are the statistics provided by the UNEP, United Nations Environmental Programme,
02:00 as well as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
02:04 Surprisingly, in Malaysia, we don't have the specific data for this.
02:07 But basically, over 3.2 billion world populations, that's equivalent to two times the current population in China,
02:14 are still suffering by the negative impacts of soil contamination.
02:19 That's in Malaysia as well.
02:20 So that's very staggering and that's something that we need to take serious action about.
02:25 Now, you use a lot of plants to actually help with phytoremediation.
02:30 What is your favourite native plant species for this?
02:35 Well, I think I would not choose a native one because, most importantly, in the field of phytoremediation,
02:40 a plant that must be resilient and something that could be able to withstand and survive an extreme condition.
02:45 So that is the part of my research.
02:47 A lot of plants have been tested, including the correct answer just now, safflower.
02:50 Yes, it is an ornamental plant.
02:52 In fact, certain research scientists use vegetables as well.
02:55 Of course, there are certain forms of controversial issues to discuss because these plants are edible,
03:00 especially vegetables and herbs.
03:02 But they are also good in terms of being used as a phytoremediator.
03:05 However, in my case, I use vertebral grass.
03:08 If you do visit my book later, I can introduce how the plants look like.
03:11 This is a very resilient plant that has a very fast growth and also a very deep root,
03:16 extensive rooting system that helps to penetrate the rooting system and eventually helps to clean up the soil naturally, environmentally.
03:24 So with that, I think I would urge everyone to be a part of the solution and not the polluter.
03:29 Thank you so much, Chuck.
03:31 The vertebra plants, does that grow well in Malaysia?
03:34 Yes, it is.
03:35 It grows well. Okay, where can I get the seeds? Do you have them at your booth too?
03:39 No, not at the moment.
03:40 Not yet.
03:41 Not since I'm over. Thank you so much.
03:44 Shahzad, maybe you could tell us about this.
03:46 So I'm actually quite passionate about the environment, especially when it comes to education, having two young children myself.
03:52 Now, would you like to share with us what is your favorite nature-based learning activity for children,
03:59 especially for those of us who have young children at home?
04:02 What would be good to do with them?
04:04 Alright, before I answer the questions, anyone here have a very good moment in a forest,
04:10 jumping in muddy puddles when you were young?
04:14 That's awesome, right?
04:15 Because memory is associated with the sensories.
04:19 So with that kind of answer, I just say I love to choose unstructured freely.
04:24 Just like our child, our children go out, forest, in the back of the backyard,
04:30 maybe in a mini garden or everywhere attached to nature,
04:34 just let them observe, direct experience and learn from the mother nature.
04:40 Unstructured free play is my choice.
04:42 Wow, unstructured free play.
04:44 Now, we live in a world where we're so used to putting routines and schedules.
04:48 We must do this, then you will play with your bricks and your blocks, and then we'll do Lego, and then we'll do this.
04:54 But unstructured really allows the mind to just expand and grow, especially creativity.
04:58 Now, Shaza, could you also tell us, the project that you're embarking on is actually a novel way
05:03 that combines child psychology together with nature-based development.
05:09 Maybe you can share with us an example of how this will look like.
05:12 Okay, that's awesome.
05:14 Basically, parents and also teachers are the gatekeepers of young children to develop.
05:19 We know this, we're like, "Oh, we can't let the children out, it's hot there."
05:23 You know, it's not safe, it's dirty there.
05:25 So, based on my research, I actually want to introduce or to help the parents out there with the knowledge,
05:31 with the workshop that we can help some sort of information to let the children out with a risk
05:37 and minimal hazard to let them explore the world.
05:41 Tak kenal maka tak cinta, right?
05:43 So, we want to produce many biologists, scientists, but we didn't let our children to go out.
05:48 Is it possible?
05:49 So, I actually have something for you today.
05:51 I already bring some pamphlets for you and also young children, how adults can help, you know, outdoor play, your role.
05:59 So, maybe you can go to my booth to get one for your children, okay?
06:03 Yes, we'll definitely make a beeline there.
06:06 Thank you so much, Shazza.
06:07 Thank you.
06:08 [ Silence ]