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15 Sep 2025
5 Min Read
Taylor's Impact Lab
On 11 September 2025, Taylor’s Impact Labs marked a significant milestone with a visit from YB Dato’ Seri Diraja Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, Minister of Higher Education, Malaysia. During his visit to Taylor’s University for the 16th Teaching and Learning Conference (TTLC 2025), the Minister explored an exhibition showcasing a diverse range of student-led Impact Projects, each aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Taylor’s 16th Teaching and Learning Conference (TTLC 2025)
YB Dato’ Seri Diraja Dr Zambry Abd Kadir (centre) visiting the Impact Labs Exhibition, accompanied by Dato’ Loy Teik Ngan, Taylor’s Education Group Executive Chairman (right)
A student explaining the Waste-to-Gold project to YB Dato’ Seri Diraja Dr Zambry Abd Kadir
Six flagship initiatives were featured under the conference theme, 'Education for Sustainable Development' (ESD): Waste-to-Gold, Nourish-U, Projek BacaBaca, TALK BIM, B.O.L.E.H Project, and Adaptive Fashion.
Addressing the dual challenges of food waste and food security, Waste-to-Gold transforms okara (a by-product of tofu production) into high-protein ingredients using Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL). The project has earned global recognition for its innovation, particularly with its award-winning BSFL salami chips.
BSFL before (left) and after (right) being grinded to powder
BSFL Food Product Showcase
(Left: Award-winning BSFL salami chips)
At Taylor’s, an on-campus BSFL bio-conversion system supports hands-on Research and Development. Bachelor of Science (Hons) Culinology students work to optimise yields and explore commercial applications, reinforcing the project’s vision for future-ready, sustainable food systems.
'Bugkwa' BSFL jerky (a play on the word 'Bakkwa', a meat jerky)
BSFL Food Product Showcase
Launched in 2023, Nourish-U enhances food access for children in low-income (B40) communities by repurposing surplus ingredients into nutritious meals. Students from the Bachelor of Food Science (Hons) and Bachelor of Science (Hons) Culinology collaborate on various initiatives – from developing vegetable-enriched nuggets to creating retort meals using okara and corn cob.
Beyond food production, Nourish-U also conducts nutrition workshops to raise awareness and promote healthier eating habits among children and their families.
Nourish-U over the years
Nourish-U Booth Display
Nutrition awareness workshop activity:
Beneficiaries were asked to draw what they ate for dinner the night before
Nutrition awareness workshop activity:
Beneficiaries were asked to draw how their meal should look after learning about a balanced diet
YB Dato’ Seri Diraja Dr Zambry Abd Kadir listening to a student’s experience with Nourish-U
An award-winning literacy initiative, Projek BacaBaca pairs children from underserved communities (mainly B40 and Orang Asli) with Reading Coaches for weekly one-on-one or small group sessions – delivered online or over the phone.
Reading Coaches, Researchers, and Project Assistants come from a diverse range of Taylor’s programmes – including the Bachelor of Education, Bachelor of Psychology, Bachelor of Business, and others.
Its expanded programme, Projek BacaBaca+, now runs in six schools, providing structured reading sessions for students in Standard 1 to 6.
By nurturing literacy skills early, the project aims to lay a strong foundation for lifelong learning and educational success.
Projek BacaBaca Project Assistant (left) and Reading Coach (right)
Developed by final-year School of Computer Science students, TALK BIM is a real-time sign language translation app that converts Bahasa Isyarat Malaysia (BIM) into Bahasa Malaysia. By translating hand movements into written words, the app breaks down communication barriers for the Deaf community.
Created in partnership with MyBIM (The Malaysian Sign Language and Deaf Studies National Organisation), the app continues to improve through feedback and testing with users from the Deaf community.
TALK BIM Booth Display
A visitor tries out the TALK BIM app
Close up of the TALK BIM prototype interface
With dengue cases in Malaysia rising by 300% in recent years, the B.O.L.E.H Project (B40 Communities Organising Local Solutions for Environmental Health) empowers low-income communities to take charge of their health through innovative and sustainable dengue prevention strategies.
Starting in the densely-populated Lembah Pantai PPR flats with over 16,000 residents, efforts include distributing dengue kits, installing air curtains at lift lobbies, and placing ovitraps to reduce mosquito breeding.
Dr Girbashini (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery graduate) from the B.O.L.E.H Project team
What sets B.O.L.E.H apart is its focus on grassroots leadership. Residents lead clean-up drives and awareness campaigns, cultivating long-term behavioural change. The project also plans to integrate drone technology for targeted larvicide spraying – enhancing surveillance in hard-to-reach areas and transforming the national approach to dengue control.
B.O.L.E.H Project Booth Display
Video demonstrating how the drone is able to detect dengue hotspots
Recognising the gap in accessible clothing, Adaptive Fashion presents prototype garments tailored for children with cerebral palsy and elderly individuals with mobility limitations. Through this project, Bachelor of Fashion Design Technology (Hons) students demonstrate that fashion goes beyond aesthetics; it can provide solutions to practical dressing challenges.
“Over 11% of adults in Malaysia live with some form of disability, but most of them are limited to clothing options in the mainstream market, which are not adapted to their needs,” says Senior Lecturer Dr Alshaimaa Alanadoly. “Designers who look into adaptive fashion concepts have the potential to break into the market because this is the future for fashion brands; they have to include everyone.”
Professor Dr Barry Winn, Vice Chancellor and President, Taylor's University
visiting the Adaptive Fashion Booth
Dr Alshaimaa Alanadoly and her Fashion Design Technology (Hons) students
Clothing prototype designed for elderly needs
Clothing prototype designed for children with cerebral palsy
Following the exhibition tour, the Minister of Higher Education officially launched the Taylor’s 16th Teaching and Learning Conference (TTLC 2025).
YB Dato’ Seri Diraja Dr Zambry Abd Kadir speaks at the Opening Ceremony
of TTLC 2025
In his keynote speech, he praised the university’s commitment towards advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
“Taylor’s Impact Labs, as I saw just now during the exhibition, shows what this looks like in practice. By addressing urban poverty, food insecurity and environmental risks, the university demonstrates that knowledge must speak to real needs. Sustainability is not a ‘thing’; it is a way of being. It builds empathy, cultivates responsibility, and reminds us that education is always a service to others.”
The Impact Labs Exhibition served as a powerful reminder that universities are not just centres of knowledge, but catalysts for societal change. By empowering students to design innovative solutions to pressing global challenges, Taylor’s University continues to lead in embedding sustainability into education.
