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MERDEKA AWARD LECTURE BY PROFESSOR DR HALIMATON HAMDAN
23 JANUARY 2010
In the spirit of sharing the experience and success stories of the recipients, the Merdeka Award Lecture Series was initiated in September 2008 and UTP has been tasked to organise this series of lectures at various selected local universities. Last year, 8 lectures were organised at various locations including Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Monash University, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP), Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM).
This year, the lecture kicked off at Universiti Industri Selangor (UNISEL) on 23 January 2010 with Professor Dr Halimaton Hamdan. Dr Halimaton, winner of the Health, Science and Technology category, spoke on her topic, “The Road Map of Nanotechnology Initiatives in Malaysia". She is the Executive Director of the Enabling Science and Nanotechnology Research Alliance unit of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Her contribution to the field of science is in discovering a cost-effective way to turn discarded rice husks into Maerogel (Malaysia aerogel), which can be used for various purposes. The silica in rice husks is extracted to produce Maerogel and her discovery cuts the cost of producing aerogel by 80 per cent making it affordable for commercial use.
From the laboratory to pre-commercialisation, she has been working on Maerogel for nine years and in her speech she shared her experience to convince funding institutions and the public on the potential of Maerogel. “ Nanotechnology was fairly new to the country, There was not much awareness on nanomaterials and people tended to be more appreciative of the end product”.
She is also optimistic about the future of science in the country as the government supports and recognizes the value of science as important to the development of the nation.
A total of almost 200 participants benefited from this lecture. The audience included, YBhg Datuk Dr Rosti Saruwono, Vice Chancellor and President of UNISEL, YBhg Dato' M Khalid B Mohd, Executive Director of Merdeka Award, guests from the industry, senior management, researchers, staff and students of UNISEL and the general public. The lecture was well received and ended with an engaging question and answer session.
The Merdeka Award was established in 2007 to recognise and reward outstanding individuals and organisations whose works and achievements not only contribute to the nation's growth but also inspire Malaysians. It is also given for contributions in education and community, environment, outstanding scholastic achievement and outstanding contribution.
The next Merdeka Award Lecture will be at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia International Campus, Kuala Lumpur on February 9. The lecture will be delivered by YBhg Dato’ Prof. Ir Dr Zaini B Ujang recipient of the Merdeka Award for Outstanding Scholastic Achievement.