Curtin Sarawak represented at IEM-YES National Summit

Miri – 8 September 2015 – Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) was represented by five members of its Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) Student Branch and Young Engineers Section (YES) Miri Branch at the IEM-YES National Summit 2015 in Ipoh, Perak recently.

Students Yii Ni Shun and Tang Khai Weng and lecturers Dr Garenth Lim, Dr John Lau and Dr Stephanie Chan from Curtin Sarawak’s Faculty of Engineering and Science were among the 67 participants from 8 branches at the summit this year.

According to Dr Lau, the national summit is an excellent platform for IEM and YES members to network and exchange ideas for future activities.

“Positive relationships built are a valuable asset that we should embrace and nurture in our professional lives,” he remarked.

The IEM-YES National Summit is held annually for young engineers around the country to connect and build networks with each other. Knowledge exchange and experience sharing were prominent features at this year’s event, which included separate meetings among YES and IEM members.

The sharing sessions during the meetings saw the participating branches presenting their past events and discussing problems encountered at the events. Dr Lim presented on behalf of YES Miri Branch and its chairlady, Elaine Wee. YES Miri Branch looks forward to more collaborative events among the YES branches in Malaysia.

Commenting on the summit, Dr Lim said it is important for engineers of different backgrounds to come together to help develop the country. He expressed hopes that all IEM student branches will be able to be leaders and influencers in the country’s future development.

Dr Chan, meanwhile, said it was a pleasure to attend the event’s National Summit IEM G&S session as the participants got to discuss various engineering-related issues with students pursuing engineering degrees.

The summit also featured site visits to the Malaysia Railway Academy and its rolling stock workshop, a team-building activity held at the Lost World of Tambun in Ipoh, as well as a closing dinner for all participants.

Yii Ni Shun, current president of the IEM Curtin Sarawak Student Branch, also expressed pleasure at being able to attend the summit.

“It was an excellent platform to connect with other IEM student sections in the country. Looking at the past successes of activities held by other IEM student branches, I’m really looking forward to carry out similar activities in our section,” added Yii.

Vice-president Tang Khai Weng found the site visits especially rewarding as they provided interesting insights into the Malaysian railway industry. Tang, who admitted to buying into the myth that trains were not environmentally friendly, said modern Electrical Train Services (ETS) are actually quite energy efficient with far less carbon emissions.

Sarawak is slated to play host to the next two national summits – in Kuching in 2016 summit and in Miri in 2017.

IEM was established in 1959 and its primary function is to promote and advance the science and profession of engineering in all engineering disciplines and to facilitate the exchange of information and ideas related to engineering. It is a governmental executive body under the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM).

YES is a subsidiary group under IEM which gathers and cultivates young engineers to be future leaders in their respective engineering fields.

Curtin Sarawak representatives at the Malaysia Railway Academy.