For the month of Independence in Malaysia (August), I was invited (with two other students from other universities) to give our thought on the meaning of independence. For me, it was developing a nation with educated youth that has deeper root and understanding of the country's history, culture and needs.
For the article, my main concern was on national's education budget (which was the highest at the time, 19.1% from total) and how it should have been allocated for postgraduate students through MyBrain15 (total cost was RM 612 mil for 10,000 students, only 1% from the total budget received), and yet it was stopped (put to halt) due to ..... (if you think its interesting, give it a read!) - gotcha! clickbaited!
PINEAPPLE LEAF FIBER MACHINE
PALF M1
The paper covered our story on how we developed the Pineapple Leaf Fiber Machine (PALF M1) which was awarded with Gold at Pecipta. PALF M1 was designed to extract pineapple leaf fiber which will be used for textile, medical and other fibers-related purposes. The project has garnered close to half million (RM) in grants and sponsors. The major collaborator for the project is Malaysian Pineapple Industry Board (MPIB).
The article mainly focusses on the use of PALF M1 - which was to, help save the environment (most pineapple leaves are discarded or burned!) and on top of that, it is to help pineapple farmers to gain extra income from selling the extracted fibers ( could be hundreds of ringgit per KG!)
PALF M1 was selected as THE machine for the first ever Pineapple Hub in Malaysia (located in Kuala Langat). The plant was officiated by Dr Xavier (ex minister of Water, Land and Natural Resources of Malaysia).
Due to the great success of the project, a renowned publisher - Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) has invited our team to write a book related to our project! and here how it looks like! Don't forget to show your support and purchase the book ! (you can get it from Shopee, Lazada and of course DBP's official website and book stores!) The book was launched by the former Education Minister Dr Mazlee Malek!
This project as mentioned has received numerous recognition, both local and international (Gold awards and Special Awards from Qatar, Korea etc!). However, on top of everything, this project has also benefitted people, sectors and organizations the need it the most. SME like Mr Shamsul (click on the picture to know more!) , universities in Indonesia and India, MPIB and many other pineapple farmers that were involved in the making of the project.