Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUM) once again took the spotlight as the proud host of the Materials Lecture Competition (MLC) 2022, held in collaboration with the Institute of Materials, Malaysia (IMM) and the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, UK (IOM3-UK).

The semi-final and final rounds, conducted virtually on 16 June and 7 July 2022, brought together bright young minds from twelve Malaysian universities. The events were held via Microsoft Teams and livestreamed on the School of Chemical Engineering, XMUM Facebook page, continuing the fully online format adopted since 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The competition provided an inspiring platform for students to demonstrate their mastery of materials science while honing their presentation and communication skills. The semi-final was officiated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zhang Ying, Assistant President of XMUM, and the final round by Prof. Dr. Chen Binghui, Dean of the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, XMUM. Both rounds were evaluated by a panel of esteemed judges from academia and industry.

After an impressive showcase of talent, Rathosivan Gopal from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) emerged as the MLC 2022 Champion, followed by Ammar Zoheir from Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) and Natasha Voznyuk Jeevan from Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) as the first and second runners-up, respectively. Two other finalists also received consolation prizes.

All winners were rewarded with cash prizes sponsored by IMM—RM3,000 for the champion, RM2,000 for the first runner-up, RM1,000 for the second runner-up, and RM500 each for the remaining finalists. The event concluded with closing remarks by Ts. Dr. Chew Khoon Hee, Deputy President of IMM, who commended the participants for their creativity and passion.

As the national winner, Rathosivan Gopal will represent Malaysia at the Young Persons’ World Lecture Competition (YPWLC) 2022 this November, marking another proud milestone for the Malaysian materials science community.