Women of silk and steel tell how they became iconic researchers and leaders
Reading Time: 5 minutesTHE AGE of stupid, “Doraemon”, “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” and Jurassic Park are not just entertaining movies or cartoons. To three women scientists, these movies and cartoon evoked their curiosity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and has led them to a career in research. Engineering Analyst at Petronas, Wei Vern Hor was enticed into the climate […]
Didik TV teacher not solely to be blamed for goofing
Reading Time: 2 minutesI AM observing the current public criticism thrown at the DidikTV teacher who conducted a science lesson on the reproductive system. As a science communicator and advocate, I think we have all gone off tangent on this issue. The flaw was not her proficiency in English. We do not need Queen’s English to teach Math and […]
42KL to roll out ‘new collar workers’ without classrooms
Reading Time: 4 minutesThe rise of gig economy is demanding a new pool of talent called “new-collar workers”. They do not want their workers to come from the same cookie-cutter, not to mention the traditional education system. One institute that is developing this future talent outside classroom settings is Sunway University in their 42KL coding school. We spoke […]
The darling of the medical world – mRNA is here
Reading Time: 2 minutesVaccines are the talk of the town now and a new addition to public vocabulary is mRNA. We all know DNA took all the limelight and left its cousin, RNA, completely in the dark and little known to the public. It is far less popular than DNA. The public might not know there are several types […]
Sunway FutureX: Future Proofing Malaysian Enterprises and Talent
Reading Time: 3 minutesSunway Group has become synonymous with sustainable development. Education is known to be its chairman, Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah’s strong passion and life goals. Second to education is sustainable development. How Sunway University has creatively combined its chairman’s two strong passion is what Matt van Leeuwen, Sunway Group chief innovation officer and Sunway iLabs director […]
Role of social scientists in fighting the pandemic
Reading Time: 3 minutesIN MALAYSIA social science and natural science stand poles apart. There is very little collaboration between scientists in these two fields. While scientists from both sides create body of knowledge and their work is based on empirical data, there seem to be lack of understanding and trust between them. This could have stemmed from our […]
Will oil palm plantations in Malaysia stay forever?
Reading Time: 2 minutesWILL oil palm plantations be a thing of the past? Will the global demand for palm oil be met by oil and its derivatives grown in laboratory bioreactors? This looks like what the future will take us to. There are already start-ups embracing synthetic biology where microbes will convert food waste and industrial by-products into […]
Dr Elizabeth Lee: Navigating from uncertainty to clarity during the pandemic
Reading Time: 4 minutesThe Petri Dish team spoke to Dr Elizabeth Lee, CEO of Sunway Education Group on how Sunway University is navigating the pandemic and turning the tide against the pandemic. The CEO shares her visionary thoughts with MAHALETCHUMY ARUJANAN. As the impact of the pandemic is felt extensively by higher learning institutions, one leader remains upbeat […]
Third Asian Agribiotechnology Short Course hosted on virtual mode
Reading Time: 3 minutesFOR the third time the International Service for the Acquisition of Agribiotech Applications (ISAAA) and the Malaysian Biotechnology Information Centre (MABIC) successfully convened the annual Asian Short Course on Agribiotechnology, Biosafety Regulation and Communication (ASCA). While the pandemic forced the short course to adopt an online setting, it did not dampen the spirit of the […]
The Petri Dish in dire straits, please support us to keep it going!
Reading Time: 3 minutesNEWSPAPERS around the world have been going through a common dilemma – going online or shutting down. Does shutting down the print format drive readers to digital devices? When I first founded The Petri Dish in Feb 2011, we only offered print copies. My first marketing strategy was the low hanging fruits or the easy […]