Monash Business Talent Excels at ASEAN

6 November 2024

The School of Business is proud to celebrate the remarkable achievement of Ong Yun Yi, a final-year Bachelor of Business and Commerce student majoring in Business Analytics, and her teammate have won 1st runner-up at the prestigious ASEAN Data Science Explorers (ASEAN DSE) 2024 Regional Finals.

Competing against ten top teams from ASEAN countries, Team HYVE A1910’s innovative project, “HarvestOptima Suite,” stood out, addressing critical information gaps in sustainable agriculture and earning them a remarkable second-place finish on the regional stage. Sponsored by the ASEAN Foundation and SAP, this prestigious competition challenged participants to use data science to address pressing issues across ASEAN. Over six months of competition, which began in April, Yun Yi and her teammate, a Computing Science graduate from Heriot-Watt University Malaysia, dedicated their efforts to tackling agricultural sustainability challenges in the region.

In their award-winning project, Team HYVE A1910 identified a critical gap in access to reliable information on sustainable agriculture across ASEAN. Their analysis highlighted that many smallholders and farmers lack access to quality information and training needed to adopt sustainable practices effectively. Recognising these challenges, the team developed “HarvestOptima Suite,” an innovative platform designed to bridge this knowledge gap and support sustainable farming.

HarvestOptima Suite includes these core components:

  • Sustainable Farming Academy – An educational resource linking experienced, sustainably trained local farmers with local practitioners  through expert insights.
  • Sustainable Farming Tools – A suite of tools designed to simplify learning and implementing sustainable practices, including an AI-powered advisor bot (like a ChatGPT for farmers), a community forum, and an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) guide with satellite imagery support.

Following their win at the national level, Yun Yi and her teammate went further by conducting field research with local farmers in Selangor and Kelantan to deepen their understanding of real-world challenges. They connected with local farmers’ Facebook groups to gain insights and received invaluable mentorship from Dr. Lee How Chinh and Leong Zhuan Kee (Vis) from the Economics and Business Statistics Department. The team also benefited from pitching guidance by Dr. Daniel Loy from the Management Department, and Joshua, the Founder of Beebag, who served as a judge in the national round.

The Regional Finals, held in Lao PDR, garnered strong encouragement from representatives of the Malaysian Embassy in Laos, who attended the event to cheer on Team HYVE. Competing against top teams, including representatives from NUS, VinUniversity Team HYVE’s achievements earned them a $1,500 USD award and regional recognition.

Reflecting on their experience, Yun Yi expressed the value of learning from diverse perspectives on ASEAN challenges, and how competitions like ASEAN DSE foster connections among the youth to collaboratively solve key regional issues. Looking ahead, Yun Yi is excited to begin her professional journey with an upcoming internship, ready to apply her data-driven problem-solving skills to real-world contexts.

The School of Business extends its congratulations to Team HYVE and their mentors, whose support was instrumental to this success. We look forward to more impactful contributions from our students as they carry forward the values of innovation and excellence.

To view the ASEAN Foundation LinkedIn Post on the Regional Competition, click here.

For more information about the competition, please visit ASEAN Data Science Explorers.