KUALA LUMPUR, 5 July 2023 - A group of academicians from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) who constructed a bee house using Internet of Things (IoT) technology to encourage greater production of honey emerged as champion in the ASM ArtScience Prize 2022 competition organised by the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM) yesterday.

The project, dubbed "The Crown", was developed over a period of 10 years, and led by a senior lecturer from the USM Department of Neuroscience, School of Medical Sciences, Dr. Mohd Zulkifli Mustafa.

Along with his colleagues, USM Immunology Department senior lecturer, Dr. Rohimah Mohamud, and USM Immunology Department Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Lidawani Lambuk, received a cash prize of RM20,000 along with a certificate and plaque from the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), YB Tuan Chang Lih Kang.

Dean of the USM School of the Arts, Dr. Sarena Abdullah was there to witness the ceremony on behalf of the university.

USM Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dato’ Ir. Dr. Abdul Rahman Mohamed welcomed the success and said that it’s an achievement to be proud of, with regard to the use of technology to enhance productivity.

Also present at the ceremony were the Chairman of Maybank Foundation, Tan Sri Zamzamzairani Mohd Isa; President of ASM, Datuk Dr. Tengku Mohd Azzman Shariffadeen, along with other officials.

The ASM ArtScience Prize is an initiative by the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM), aimed at raising the interest in ArtScience among the public, and at the same time to strongly encourage art-science creations in society.

In collaboration with Maybank Foundation as the strategic partner, ASM has organised the sub-programme to raise greater interest and to recognise the convergence of the arts and sciences.