Chemical Engineering teams second runners-up at NACES

Both winning teams with their supervising lecturer Lau Shiew Wei.

Miri – 21 December 2012 – It was a proud moment for Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) when its teams came in third in two categories at the National Chemical Engineering Symposium (NACES) from 14 to 16 December 2012.

The three-day annual symposium held at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia at Bangi provided a platform for chemical engineering students from both public and private institutions of higher learning to showcase their creative and innovative ideas in addressing environmental issues. Participants included students from all over Malaysia and neighbouring countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore. 

This year’s symposium themed ‘Climate Revolution: The Rise of the Earth’ was attended by over 300 participants from 17 institutions of higher learning. Participants competed in six categories, namely Technical Power Point Presentation, Technical Video Presentation, Technical Essay Writing, Technical Case Study Competition, Technical Plant Design Competition and Pidato (Speech) Competition.

Curtin Sarawak was represented by third-year chemical engineering students Hwang Zi Zin, Sarven Shan Muniandi, Yong Choon Ping, Chin Wan Ching, Ling Jing Hong and Goh Wui Seng.

The first team comprising Hwang, Sarven, Yong and Chin emerged the second runner-up winners in the Technical Power Point Presentation category when their presentation entitled ‘Human Footprint: Past, Present, Future’ was placed in the top three among 20 presentations.

Meanwhile, a second team comprising Ling and Goh came in third in the Technical Video Presentation category, beating 14 teams with their video presentation entitled ‘Make a Change’.

The prizes were presented during the closing ceremony by YBhg. Professor Ir. Dr. Othman A. Karim, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Students & Alumni Affairs) of UKM.

In both categories, students were required to create Power Point slides and video that incorporates the crucial elements of climate change prevention, taking into consideration the aspects of environment, energy, economy, natural resources, safety, health, infrastructure and public concerns.

The Curtin Sarawak teams were supervised by chemical engineering lecturers Lau Shiew Wei and Dr. Emily Liew Wan Teng of the university’s School of Engineering and Science.

According to Lau, the students started to prepare for the competition in August and have devoted much of their time and effort to it. She added that the School of Engineering and Science gave its full support to the teams, including providing technical advice and funding.

The head of the ‘s Department of Chemical Engineering, Associate Professor Dr. Chua Han Bing, said that the teams’ success marks another milestone for Curtin Sarawak’s  chemical engineering students.

“Last October, five of our fourth-year chemical engineering students won the runner-up prize in the Honeywell UniSim Design Challenge 2012. These achievements are great testimony to our students’ knowledge and ability. Not only have they learned to address current global engineering issues, they have also displayed innovativeness, creativity and excellent communication skills. These qualities are among the Curtin graduate attributes that are embedded in our engineering curriculum,” remarked Dr. Chua.

The symposium also included an exhibition where industrial representatives took part in promoting their businesses and newest technology in the field of chemical engineering. NACES 2013 will be hosted by Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Penang.

For more information on Curtin Sarawak, visit its website at www.curtin.edu.my, or call +60 85 443 939, or e-mail enquiries@curtin.edu.my. It can also be found on Facebook (Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia) and on Twitter at twitter.com/curtinsarawak.

Repost: Media Release 2012