The 2nd Regional Congress on Membrane Technology 2022 (RCOM2022), in conjunction with the 16th AUN/SEED-Net Regional Conference on Environmental Engineering 2022 (RCEnvE2022), was held at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, from 21st to 22nd Sept 2022.
It was co-organized by the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and the ASEAN University Network/Southeast Asia Engineering Education Development Network (AUN/SEED-Net), with the support from the Ministry of Higher Education of Malaysia, Malaysia Membrane Society (MyMembrane), and Frontier Materials Research Alliance (FMRA) of UTM.
The thematic approach of the RCOM2022 & RCEnvE2022 was ‘Supporting the SDGs towards Clean Water and Sustainable Energy Production through Emerging Solutions’. This gathering of professionals and researchers supported the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to produce clean water and sustainable energy using the 21st century’s emerging and cost-effective solutions, with emphasis on SDG6 (Clean water and sanitation), SDG7 (Affordable and clean energy), and SDG13 (climate action).
On the first day of the conference, the Chief Representative of JICA Malaysia, Mr. Takizawa Masahiko, Chief Advisor & Acting Executive Director of AUN/SEED-Net, Prof. Emeritus Dr. Ueda Tamon, and Director of Advanced Membrane Technology Research Centre (AMTEC), Assoc. Prof. Ts. Dr. Juhana Jaafar gave their opening remarks before the event was officiated by the Vice Chancellor of UTM, Prof. Datuk Ts Dr. Ahmad Fauzi Ismail.
The event was officiated by the Vice Chancellor of UTM, Prof. Datuk Ts. Dr. Ahmad Fauzi Ismail
Apart from distinguished plenary, invited speakers and participants, the Project Manager of AUN/SEED-Net Regional Conference, Dr. Sirin Chakamanont, Chair of School of Chemical Energy and Engineering of UTM, Prof. Dr. Mohd Ghazali bin Nawawi, and Chair of Frontier Materials Research Alliance (FMRA) of UTM, Prof. Dr. Mohd Hafiz Dzarfan bin Othman were also present during the opening ceremony.
The RCOM2022 & RCEnvE2022 was conducted in hybrid mode, i.e., online and on-site, which gathered more than 200 professionals and researchers from ASEAN and Japan member institutions, universities, as well as public and private sectors. The conference, which was in hybrid mode, allowed flexibility for overseas participants from 16 countries such as Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia, Brunei, Indonesia, India, Turkey, Italy, Qatar, Nigeria, and Canada, alongside other local participants, to take part, given travel restrictions imposed by certain nations in this post-COVID era.
On the afternoon of the first-day event, the organizer created a special session to pay tribute to the Inventor of the Modern Membrane, Dr. Srinivasa Sourirajan, who passed away on 20th February 2022. In the evening, the conference participants were honored with a grand dinner in the Grand Ballroom of the hotel, and the chair of the RCOM2022 & RCEnvE2022, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lau Woei Jye welcomed the dinner guests with a speech.
Over a sumptuous meal, the guests were entertained by a group of young Malaysian cultural dancers and a special serenade by the Head of Catalysis for Renewable Energy & Environmental Sustainability (CaREES), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, ChM. Dr. Mohamad Azuwa bin Mohamed.
All award winners, including the recipients of the MyMembrane award, Best Poster Presenters, and Best Oral Presenters, were announced during the closing ceremony. Three recipients of the MyMembrane award were selected by a panel of judges, comprising researchers from the private sector and public universities. Congratulations to Mr. Alvin Rahmad Widyanto (Indonesia), Ms. Pham-Ngoc-My Le (Vietnam), and Ms. Nurina Adriana Abdul Razak (Malaysia) for being the recipients of the prestigious MyMembrane Award.
The Best Oral Presenters award went to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rozita Omar, Rona Mikaela Media De La Torre, and Ms. Loh Chian Yong, while Dr. Van Hoang Land, Ms. Pham-Ngoc-My Le, and Dr. Abdullah Al Mamun received the Best Poster award.
Finally, the co-chair of the RCOM2022 & RCEnvE2022, Assoc. Prof. Ts. Dr. Norhaniza Yusof delivered the closing speech and congratulated all the winners before all participants, and the conference committee came together for a group photo.
Group photo during the closing ceremony of the RCOM2022 & RCEnvE 2022
The conference organizer would like to convey the deepest gratitude to the sponsors, AUN/SEED-net JICA, Frontier Material Research Alliance, Membrane Technology Sdn. Bhd., Kras Instrument and Services, RGS Sdn. Bhd., Tay Scientific Instruments Sdn. Bhd., and VNK Supply and Services, for their generous contributions. Their generosity has been germane to the success of this event. That said, the RCOM 2022 & RCEnvE 2022 have been wonderful experiences for many participants, and we look forward to meeting you at our upcoming conferences.
Written by: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Roswanira Abdul Wahab, Assoc. Prof. dr. Lau Woei Jye, & Assoc. Prof. Dr. Juhana Jaafar