USM STUDENT WINS TICKET TO ANTARCTICA

PENANG (Malaysia), Sept 26 (Bernama) -- A Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) student here could not believe his luck when his entry in a contest organised by the National Geographic Channel in May earned him a trip to Antarctica at the end of the year.

Muhammad Aizuddin Abdul Rahman, 20, said he came to know about the Nat
Geo's Top 30 competition after watching the channel on pay TV network,
Astro.

"It's hard to express my feelings and I'm only dreaming about the white
snow-covered continent right now," said Batu Maung-born Aizuddin at a news
conference at USM in northern Penang state Thursday.

Universiti Sains Malaysia (English: University of Science, Malaysia,
acronym: USM) is a public university with a main campus in Penang, Malaysia.
There are two other campuses, one in Penang as well, and the other on the East
Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, in Kelantan

Also present at the news conference was Nat Geo's Top 30 Malaysia
representative, Michele Malini Mahendra and USM Vice-Chancellor Office Deputy
Registrar, Mohamad Abdullah.

Aizuddin, a second year Applied Physics student, said by winning
the contest, he received two return tickets to the South Pole.

The eldest of two children, he chose to bring along his physics
lecturer, Dr Yoon Tien Leong, as his father, Abdul Rahman Mohd Sultan, 48, was
unable to accompany him due to health reasons.

They will depart to the South Pole on Dec 31 on a flight from Sydney,
Australia.

Meanwhile, Michele said besides Aizuddin, a winner from Singapore, Koh Lian
Choo would also be joining the visit.

"They are the winners out of the 12,500 contestants from all over Asia who
had entered," she said.

-- BERNAMA