📝 Summary
Pang Wei Xu, a second-year undergraduate student from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, won the UTM Materials Lecture Competition 2026 with his presentation on high-performance rolling elements manufacturing in silicon nitride. He will represent UTM at the national-level Materials Lecture Competition and potentially at the Young Person World Lecture Competition in November. The competition aims to raise awareness of materials engineering and develop communication skills among students.
JOHOR BAHRU, Sep 7 – Pang Wei Xu, a second-year undergraduate student from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FKM), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), emerged as the winner of the UTM Materials Lecture Competition 2026 (UTM-MLC2026), securing the opportunity to represent UTM at the national-level Materials Lecture Competition scheduled to be held in September.
Held online via Google Meet on 7 September 2026, the competition was jointly organised by FKM UTM and the Institute of Materials Malaysia (IMM) Southern Chapter, with the organising committee comprising members of the Postgraduate Students Society FKM (PGSS-FKM) and the Mechanical Engineering Students Association (MESA), led by Dr. Mohd Haziq Dzulkifli as the UTM-MLC2026 Chairperson. The competition was sponsored by the School of Graduate Studies (SPS), UTM.
The opening ceremony was officiated by Assoc. Prof. Ir. Ts. Dr. Muhamad Azizi Mat Yajid, Acting Dean of FKM, while the closing ceremony was officiated by Prof. Ts. Dr. Mohd Hafiz Dzarfan Othman, Dean of SPS UTM. The contestants were evaluated by three judges, namely Ts. Dr. Jaysuman Pusppanathan from the FKE, Dr. Nor Ain Hussein from the Faculty of Science and Dr. Fatin Hazwani Muhamad Azahar from FKM.
Pang Wei Xu claimed the top spot with his presentation, “Engineering High-Performance Rolling Elements Manufacturing in Silicon Nitride (Si₃N₄)”, in which he demonstrated his ability to communicate a technically demanding materials engineering topic in an engaging and comprehensible manner.
“I’m very happy, and it’s my pleasure to have a chance to represent UTM in a national-level competition,” he said.
Behind his success was extensive preparation, including thorough study of his chosen topic and several rounds of presentation practice. For Pang, however, the greatest challenge was finding the right balance between technical depth and audience engagement.
“The hardest part is to make sure my presentation is both interesting and technical,” he explained.
Pang also brought prior competitive experience to the competition, having participated in the Camfil Case Study Competition organised by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) at Universiti Malaya (UM) in 2025. His interest in such competitions stems from his enjoyment of sharing ideas and exchanging perspectives with others.
Interestingly, Pang admitted that he initially thought his chosen topic was rather boring when he first entered the competition. Nevertheless, through preparation and perseverance, he managed to transform the topic into a successful presentation that ultimately earned him the championship.
Since its inception in 2012, UTM-MLC has served as a platform for aspiring speakers to develop and refine their communication skills while simultaneously raising awareness of materials engineering. Beyond the university level, the competition provides a pathway towards national and international stages. The national winner will go on to represent Malaysia at the Young Person World Lecture Competition, scheduled to be held in November. In this 15th edition of the competition, UTM-MLC2026 witnessed 12 undergraduate and postgraduate students from various faculties competing for the cash prize of RM 1000 for the champion.
Pang’s victory therefore marks not only a personal achievement, but also an opportunity to showcase UTM’s talent and expertise in materials engineering on a wider stage.
