Curtin Sarawak IEEE student branch wins recognition at international confab

Miri – 6 August 2015 – Two representatives from the Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Student Branch of Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) proudly represented their university and the country at the recent IEEE Region 10 Student/Young Professionals/Women in Engineering (Student.YP.WIE) Congress 2015 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
2013 – 2014 President of the Curtin Sarawak IEEE Student Branch, Esther Ling Pi Ya, received the 2014 IEEE Region 10 Larry K. Wilson Award for her accomplishments in the student branch. She is the first Malaysian to win the prestigious award.

Her accomplishments included being was elected to the R10 (Asia Pacific) Student Activities Committee for 2014; initiating the first Malaysia Section Student Congress in 2013; and representing Malaysia at the R10 Student Congress 2013 in Hyderabad, India.

Apart from that, she initiated a major membership drive for the student branch; organised the first national exhibition for IEEE Curtin Sarawak; and championed the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) ‘Science on Wheels’ programme in collaboration with the university’s Department of University Life.

Also present at the congress was current Vice-President of the Curtin Sarawak IEEE Student Branch, Esther Kueh Yue Ning.

In addition to the award presented to Ling, the student branch was awarded the Region 10 Exemplary Student Branch Award for academic year 2014 – 2015.

The student branch is the first in the country to receive the accolade. According to Ling and Kueh, the Curtin Sarawak IEEE Student Branch owes its success to the outstanding contributions of its past and current leaders and advisors.

Both Sarawakians, Ling and Kueh proudly promoted Sarawak to an international audience at the congress by performing a song and dance where Ling mimicked the sound of the sape on the guitar and played her rendition of ‘Leleng’, while Kueh performed an Orang Ulu dance.

The congress featured talks by distinguished speakers such as Professor Michael Lightner, Past President of IEEE; Professor Takako Hasimoto, 2015 IEEE WIE Global Chair; and Burton Dicht, Director of IEEE University Programmes.

Kueh said the congress enabled them to gain insights into IEEE’s operations and congratulated the Sri Lankan Section for their efforts in organising such a major event.

“It’s heartening to know that our student branch’s efforts are recognised internationally. It encourages us to continue impacting the lives of individual IEEE members, each of them emerging leaders in their own right, and ultimately contribute to the IEEE vision of advancing technology for humanity,” said Kueh.

Meanwhile, Ling commented that as the former president of the student branch, she still follows closely its activities and its current leaders are doing a fantastic job in sustaining its growth. She encourages the current members to seize chances, make things happen and find out more about what IEEE has to offer.

The IEEE Region 10 Student.YP.WIE Congress 2015 themed ‘Today’s Youth for A Better Tomorrow’ was aimed at creating a networking platform for participating delegates and enlighten their minds through the sharing of ideas and knowledge.

The IEEE Student Branch at Curtin Sarawak was established in 2008 and currently has about 50 members. For more information on the student branch, e-mail ieee.curtinsarawak@gmail.com or visit ewh.ieee.org/sb/malaysia/curtinsarawak. One can also visit its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CurtinSarawak.IEEE.

Ling receiving Larry K. Wilson Award from IEEE Past Presient Professor Michael Lightner.

Ling (with guitar) and Kueh performing the ‘Leleng’.

The Malaysian delegates posing with distinguished members including Dr. Takako Hasimoto (far right).