Underwriters Laboratories-ASEAN‑U.S. Science Prize for Women 2022 Winners Announced

JAKARTA, Indonesia (Oct. 24, 2022) – The ASEAN Committee on Science, Technology, and Innovation (COSTI) in partnership with the U.S. Government through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and UL Research Institutes announced Dr. Sok Ching Cheong from Malaysia and Dr. Supiya Charoensiriwath from Thailand as winners of the 2022 Underwriters Laboratories-ASEAN-U.S. Science Prize for Women. 

Competing among 64 candidates under the theme Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Health and Safety, senior scientist winner, Dr. Sok Ching Cheong, Head of the Digital Health Research Unit of Cancer Research Malaysia, is awarded $12,500 in recognition of her research that addresses the prevalence of oral cancer using AI technology, such as early detection mobile applications, to improve health outcomes. Dr. Supiya Charoensiriwath, a principal researcher at the National Electronics and Computer Technology Center in Thailand, is the mid-career scientist winner and also awarded $12,500 in recognition of her extensive work in developing mobile applications on national digital platforms that promote well-being and improve nutritional health in children.  Earning honorable mentions, Dr. Siriwan Suebnukarn and Dr. Maxine Tan, from Thailand and Malaysia, each received $5,000 for their respective work using AI technology for early detection of oral cancer and other jaw tumors, as well as developing AI-based methods to assist doctors in detecting diseases in medical images with a specific focus on breast, lung, ovarian and brain cancer.

ASEAN COSTI Chair, H.E. Bui The Duy, congratulated all the winners for their work in improving people’s access to healthcare and safety using artificial intelligence. “Maximizing the use of artificial intelligence in providing access and care, the way these women have, not only empower people but save lives in the ASEAN community. Congratulations and may their important work in artificial intelligence continue to inspire the next generation of women scientists to benefit the region and beyond.” 

“Congratulations to the winners of this year’s science prize,” said Dr. Jill Crisman, executive director of the Digital Safety Research Institute at UL Research Institutes. “Artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies hold great promise for improving health care and safety in the ASEAN region as well as the larger global community for years to come.  I am thrilled to see these women scientists adopting AI technologies to advance their progress in medical research. We are proud to support their innovative work.”

“In partnership with ASEAN-COSTI and UL Research Institutes, the United States is proud to support efforts that help realize the potential of outstanding women scientists. We extend a hearty congratulations to this year’s winners who are using artificial intelligence to address the pressing needs of health and safety in their communities,” said Ambassador Yohannes A. Abraham of the U.S. Mission to ASEAN. “The United States values empowering women scientists who work to better society in safe and sustainable ways and act as role models for others.”

Since 2014, the Science Prize for Women is organized annually through a collaborative effort among ASEAN COSTI, USAID, and UL Research Institutes – a U.S.-based international public safety nonprofit organization – to recognize women scientists’ professional achievements to leverage success and expand research endeavors, as well as inspire future women scientists across the ASEAN region.

Additional Information on Underwriters Laboratories-ASEAN-U.S. Science Prize for Women 2022

For additional information, contact USAID/ASEAN Communications Specialist, Samara Sanders at: jakartausaidasean@usaid.gov.  Detailed information on the competition can be found at: http://scienceprize4women.asean.org.

About ASEAN

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) brings together Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam in a community united by a common desire and collective will to live in a region of lasting peace, security, and stability, sustained economic growth, shared prosperity, and social progress, and to promote ASEAN vital interests, ideals, and aspirations.

About USAID

As part of the U.S. strategic approach to the Indo-Pacific, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) works to promote and demonstrate democratic values and advance a free, open, resilient, connected, prosperous, and secure world through international development programs and humanitarian assistance. Through a five-year, $50 million Regional Development Cooperation Agreement, USAID partners with ASEAN to mitigate regional challenges, improve economic growth and integration, and strengthen rule of law to shape policies that influence national sectoral approaches.

About UL Research Institutes

UL Research Institutes is a leading nonprofit, independent safety science organization with global reach. Dedicated to exploring vital questions related to public safety, we sense and act on risks to humanity and our planet.

Since 1894, our trusted research has engaged the ingenuity of top minds across scientific disciplines to engineer a safer and more sustainable world. Science builds the knowledge required to mitigate increasingly urgent safety problems like environmental and chemical pollution or artificial intelligence inequities — and our rigorous, objective investigations uncover that knowledge.

In collaboration with a global network of scientists and safety professionals, we define the safe and sustainable use of things ranging from legacy materials to new and emerging technologies. Our discoveries support the development of practical standards and policies by UL Standards & Engagement. Together, we are advancing safety science for the greater good.

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