PECHA KUCHA CHALLENGE 2021

The MSM Undergraduate PechaKucha Challenge 2021 showcased the most compelling aspects of the final year research project of undergraduate students from Malaysian Universities. The video presentation was for six minutes and 40 seconds. Pecha Kucha, a presentation where 20 slides of images instead of words are shown for 20 seconds each, allows the audience to enjoy a succession of research presentations in a short time while focusing on what is said rather than what is printed on a PowerPoint slide. Hosted in a virtual format due to the coronavirus pandemic, this first-ever event organized by MSM was participated by 24 students with a wide range of topics including microbial communities of sea cucumber, boletoid mushrooms of Malaysian Borneo, bioinformatic screening of NSP3 gene and oral diseases-induced microorganisms. The winners were announced during the International Congress of Malaysian Society for Microbiology 2021 (ICMSM2021) closing ceremony on 30th September 2021. The 1st prize was won by Miss Fathima Zahra Ozeer from Quest University with a PechaKucha video entitled ‘Molecular Identification of Anti-quorum Sensing Bacteria Isolated from Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve’. Miss Alice Lee Ern Ern from University Malaya won the 2nd prize, while Miss Nur Fatini from International Islamic University of Malaysia won the 3rd Prize with their videos entitled ‘Recurring dengue outbreak in Malaysia’ and 'Beware of that Dirty Buttons’ respectively. PechaKucha videos of the 11 finalists were also shared on MSM Facebook Page. Mr Ch’ng Han Seng won the most liked PechaKucha award with more than 500 likes. All participants agreed that they had a great experience especially when research at the university was difficult due to the pandemic. MSM will continue to recognize the microbiology-related research amongst undergraduates of Malaysian universities and welcomes everyone to join MSM activities.