AIU cultivates student creativity through AI and innovation
ALOR SETAR, 8 September 2025 – Albukhary International University (AIU) placed itself at the centre of STEM education and digital innovation when its School of Computing and Informatics (SCI) hosted the Kedah Maker Fair 2025, a flagship platform under the Young Innovators Challenge (YIC). The event, held on 28 August at the university’s Convocation Hall, drew 66 teams from 20 secondary schools across the state.
Far from a routine competition, the fair turned AIU into a living laboratory where students tested their bold ideas against real-world needs. Guided by the theme “𝘈𝘐 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥,” participants presented prototypes designed to improve healthcare access, strengthen education, promote sustainability, and support community development.
In his opening remarks, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Basheer Riskhan, Dean of SCI, emphasised the importance of cultivating innovation and critical thinking at the school level to ensure Malaysia produces future-ready graduates in STEM. He was joined by Dr. Chew Yen Seng, CEO of Chumbaka Sdn. Bhd, who emphasised the industry’s role in bridging classroom learning with real-world applications.
Closing the programme, Prof. Dr. Hj. Mohamad Abdullah Bin Hemdi, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), reiterated AIU’s institutional mission to embed innovation and social responsibility across its academic ecosystem. “𝘉𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘈𝘐, 𝘈𝘐𝘜 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮-𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴,” he said.
“𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘳 𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘈𝘐𝘜 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺’𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘴, 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘢’𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯-𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘺,” he added.
Over the course of the day, participants defended their prototypes before panels of industry leaders and academics, who assessed each project on its originality, practicality, and potential for social impact. The fair closed with the announcement of winners, honouring teams whose work combined technical fluency with a clear sense of purpose in applying AI to real-world needs.
Their projects signalled a meaningful shift, in which secondary school students are beginning to treat artificial intelligence not as an abstract subject, but as a practical instrument for solving challenges in their communities.
The Kedah Maker Fair 2025 was organised with the support of the Kedah State Education Department, represented by Encik Mohammad Azizul Hafiz Bin Nor Azman, Deputy Director of Student Talent Development.
The initiative was coordinated by Madam Nadiah Binti Arsat, Lecturer at SCI, with the dedicated support of faculty colleagues, administrative staff, and AIU student mentors.
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