IEEE Industry Application Society representatives visit Curtin Sarawak

Miri – 25 February 2016 – A delegation from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE) Industry Application Society (IAS) recently made a two-day working visit to Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak).

They comprised IEEE IAS President David B. Droucher, Head of Chapter and Membership Development Dr Peter Magyar, and IEEE Young Professional Malaysia Representative (and a Curtin Sarawak alumni) Esther Ling Pi Ya.

As part of their visit, Droucher and Dr. Magyar delivered technical presentations to staff and students of the university. Their visit was initiated by the advisor to the IEEE Curtin Student Branch, Dr. Garenth Lim King Hann.

On hand to welcome the delegation was dean of the Curtin Sarawak Graduate School, Professor Marcus Lee.

“Curtin Sarawak is honoured to host prominent technical experts who can share their knowledge with our staff and students. Knowledge sharing opens up our eyes to the technology out there” said Professor Lee in his welcoming remarks.

He added that Curtin Sarawak is the largest offshore campus of world-ranked Curtin University and is renowned for its strong industry connections. Guest speakers from the fields of engineering, business and humanities are regularly invited to its campus to hold lectures that benefit both staff and students alike.

Dr. Magyar’s and Droucher’s presentations were entitled ‘The Electric Car and the Renewable Energy Sources: Hype or Solution?’ and ‘Implementation of Arc Flash Mitigating Solutions at Industrial Manufacturing Facilities’ respectively.

Dr. Magyar focused on the birth of the electric car and its reputation as a solution to problems caused by gasoline-fuelled automobiles while Droucher spoke about the hazards of arc flash in industry, using case studies to illustrate his points.

Dr. Magyar was formerly with the Department of Automation at the Budapest University of Technology in Hungary and also headed its Laboratory of Microprocessor Controlled Drives. In 1981, he was a recipient of the Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship and spent a year conducting research at Braunschweig University of Technology, Germany. From 1991 to 2003, he was Head of Development, Power Electronics and Drives, with Hanning-Works and D-Tech Ltd. In 2009, he retired from Hella KGaA Hueck & Co. where he attached to its Advanced Development Department.

His expertise lies in the control of electronic drives, car steering control, and automatic car parking manoeuvre systems. He is currently working as a consultant in the field of electronic cars and electrical drives, while also holding a position in the European Commission as expert evaluator.

In addition to being a senior member of IEEE and serving as a member of the IEEE IAS Mining Industry Committee, Cement Industry Committee, Pulp & Paper Industry Committee and President of the IEEE Industry Applications Society, Droucher is currently Global Mining, Metals & Minerals Industry Manager with Eaton Corporation.

He has over 35 years of experience with Westinghouse and Eaton, serving in a variety of product engineering, sales and global marketing roles, authoring numerous technical papers that have been presented at conferences around the world and published in IEEE Industry Applications, Plant Engineering and EC&M Magazine.

While at Curtin Sarawak, Droucher also delivered a talk on changes in the global power electronics industry and the importance of joining IEEE IAS as a member. This was followed by a talks by Dr. Magyar on the formation of IEEE IAS student chapters and the benefits they bring, and Ling on her experience at the IEEE IAS Conference in Texas.

Their visit also included tours of Curtin Sarawak’s electrical, mechanical, chemical and petroleum engineering laboratories and other facilities at its Faculty of Engineering and Science.

Dr Lim, Dr Magyar, Professor Lee, Droucher and Ling (7th – 11th from left, front row) posing with Electrical and Computer Engineering Department staff and students of Curtin Sarawak.

Magyar, Ling and Droucher (5-7th from left) with the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department during a tour of the office.