Curtin Malaysia students win award at Novel Research & Innovation Competition

Miri – 21 September 2017 – Three petroleum engineering students of Curtin University, Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) recently won the bronze award at the three-day Novel Research and Innovation Competition (NRIC) organised by Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in Penang.

The Curtin Malaysia team comprising Adrian Tiong Chiong Yuh, Kok Jun Hao and Genevieve Ann Tang Tuang Kah bagged the award for their project entitled ‘Stability Comparison between Particles-Stabilised Foam and Polymer-Stabilised Foam’ under the Engineering and Technology category. A total of 84 teams took part in that category.

In the competition, students were required to present their final-year projects and pitch their feasibility in a real case scenario. The entries were judged based on aesthetics, oral delivery, dissemination of information, originality and creativity.

According to the Curtin Malaysia students, the most challenging part was explaining the project in layman’s terms so that any non-petroleum engineering person would be able to understand the underlying concepts of their project.

They also took part in the Community Research and Innovation Competition (CoRIC) held concurrently with the NRIC where talented young researchers pitch their ideas on transforming the community towards a better and sustainable future.

Kok said he is amazed by the varied display of research projects at the CoRIC while Tang said the networking opportunities during the event allowed the participants to exchange knowledge and ideas related to their respective fields. They managed to learn new approaches and gain new perspectives as a result.

The students attributed much of their success to the guidance and support of petroleum engineering lecturers Dr. Tan Inn Shi and Dr. Henry Foo Chee Yew in the team’s preparation for the competition.

Curtin Malaysia, Curtin University’s largest international campus and global hub in Asia, offers Curtin’s four-year Bachelor of Engineering (Petroleum Engineering) (Hons.) developed in partnership with industry to create a curriculum that is reflective of engineering practice. The course is among the most popular and fastest-growing engineering courses at Curtin Malaysia. It also offers a Master of Petroleum Engineering that can be completed in 18 months. Curtin University is ranked No. 2 in the world for mineral and mining in the 2017 QS World University Rankings.

(L-R) Kok, Tang and Tiong displaying their award at the NRIC closing dinner.