UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM RESEARCH WINS INTERNATIONAL ENGINEERING AWARD

A final year engineering research project from The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus (UNMC)  titled, “Osmotic Dehydration of Tropical Fruits” was awarded the Food and Drink Undergraduate Prize for 2014 by the Institute of Chemical Engineers (UK) Food and Drink Special Interest Group. The research project conducted by Khoo Phey Yeong, Koh Ming Wee and Lim Gaik Lin as their final year project under the supervision of Dr Hii Ching Lik, Associate Professor of Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at UNMC. The research is a study of a dehydration process that uses salt and sugar solutions to remove the water content from the fruits to produce dried fruit snacks. The prize was awarded based on undergraduate research project carried out on topics related to food and drink processing at The University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus, an IChemE-accredited institution. This award recognises research projects of undergraduate students from an IChemE accredited institution on topics related to food and drink processing “This is a prestigious award which gives students from the chemical engineering field an opportunity to explore an interest towards a career in the food industry upon their graduation. Our students worked exceptionally hard and it does not surprise me that we have won this award. Currently, chemical engineers are highly sought after by employers to work in the food industry,” said Dr Hii. About research in engineering Research excellence lies at the core of the mission of The University of Nottingham, and the Malaysia Campus is strongly maintaining this mission by conducting world-changing research that are of national importance and international academic interest. The University of Nottingham is one of the top five research-led universities in engineering in the United Kingdom (UK) and the Malaysia Campus takes an integral part in the research activities of the University. The Malaysia Campus has a significant number of research awards, intellectual property rights, technology transfers projects, and consultancy projects with the community. Many of our researchers are internationally-renowned leaders in their respective areas. Thumbnail image: Students from the research group Khoo Phey Yeong, Lim Gaik Lin, Koh Ming Wee and Dr Hii Ching Lik.