MMU students get opportunity to try zero-gravity experiments

Four students from Faculty of Engineering, Multimedia University (MMU) will soon have a chance to have their magnetic nanoparticle experiments conducted in zero-gravity environments, in a Japanese aircraft flying a parabolic flight.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and National Space Agency (ANGKASA) established an educational program using parabolic flights. The Student Zero-Gravity Flight Experiment Contest is an effort to promote a better understanding by the students about space environment utilization, as well as, to stimulate interest in natural science in general. ANGKASA’s aim is also to find one research project at Malaysian university level to join in JAXA's zero-gravity experiment project.

Multimedia University (MMU) has submitted a proposal titled "Characteristic of Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles in Microgravity" and MMU was selected from 3 entries from Malaysia by ANGKASA and JAXA selection committee in November 2007. Conducting zero-gravity experiments in parabolic flight would help the students create understanding and interest in the advantages of space environments as a foundation for advanced research.

The experiment was designed, built and tested by the four MMU student team, and they are Nur Asikin Binti Zahari, Farah Adwina Alias, Adli Bin Abu Yamin and Kho Dao Bin from the Faculty of Engineering under the supervision of Prof. Mitsunori Matsumoto and Dr. Ong Boon Hoong. All students from the winning team will join the zero-gravity experiments in Japan from 17-21 Dec 2007.