Miri community invited to Curtin Malaysia Carnival this Saturday

Miri – 21 August 2018 – Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) is inviting the Miri community to visit its campus for the Curtin Malaysia Carnival 2018, its largest and most anticipated annual event, this Saturday.

Themed ‘Discover, Experience, Interact’, the event is geared to giving the public, particularly future students, insights into Curtin Malaysia, the world’s largest Australian international campus as well as Curtin University’s largest international campus and global hub in Asia.

Many attractions have been lined up for visitors from 10 am to 5 pm and there will be lots of opportunities to explore its facilities and interact with staff and current students.

Key attractions include the ‘Future Students Hub’ where future students can get advice on courses, career pathways, scholarships and study loans. In addition, there will be the ‘Faculty Showcases’ promoting Curtin Malaysia’s three faculties and graduate school, and a special exhibition promoting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). All these will be located at the university’s Recreation and Event Centre.

There will also be faculty-run competitions for secondary school students, the main one being the ‘Curtin Croc Challenge 3.0’, Curtin Malaysia’s iconic annual crocodile-themed electronic system design competition. It will see 10 teams competing to design the best crocodile traps controlled by embedded systems and basic programming and will take place between 10 am and 3 pm at the Library & Auditorium Complex.

Other competitions are the ‘Spelling Bee Challenge’ at the Faculty of Business building and The Auditorium from 9 am to 2 pm, and the ‘Eco-Business Design Challenge’ at the Faculty of Business building and Recreation & Event Centre from 10 am to 12 noon. Supporters of the school teams taking part are welcome to attend and cheer their teams on.

New attractions this year include a ‘Mini Kite Festival’, musical performances by Borneo’s only Celidh band, an opportunity to ‘hang out’ with popular Hitz.fm deejay Natasha, as well as the chance to climb into an inflatable ‘Zorb Ball’ for thrilling rides next to the campus lake.

The ‘Mini Kite Festival’ is being organised in collaboration with Bintulu Development Authority, organisers of the 14th Borneo International Kite Festival to be held in Bintulu next month, to give visitors a taste of what is billed as the largest annual kite festival of its kind in the world. Large inflatable kites of all shapes, sizes and colours will be taking to the skies from 10.45 am onwards.

Adding to the carnival atmosphere will be the Casual Ceilidh Band comprising expatriates from Brunei playing traditional and contemporary Celtic and Country music and songs. Visitors can catch their performances in the campus garden at 11 am and 2.00 pm.

Meanwhile, Hitz.fm deejay Natasha Juan will be giving listeners on-air updates on the Carnival and engaging visitors with mini games and question-and-answer sessions at Astro Radio’s booth from 11 am to 3 pm.

Perennial attractions will be the wide variety of food, retail and activity stalls run by over 30 student clubs and some 15 local businesses, and the Student Council of Curtin Malaysia will be holding its annual ‘Curtin’s Got Talent’ contest to showcase the talents of students from 11 am to 2 pm.

In support of various charitable and community causes in Miri, there will be a ‘Community Corner’ showcasing 13 government agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including the Sarawak Children’s Cancer Society (SCCS) which will be holding a ‘GoBald Satellite Shave’ in collaboration with the university. Visitors are encouraged to join students and staff of the university in the shave and supporting children with cancer.

First started in 2006 as the Curtin Malaysia Open Day, the event was rebranded into the Curtin Malaysia Carnival this year in the lead-up to Curtin Malaysia’s 20th Anniversary celebration next year.

As an annual fixture and key event in the university’s calendar of student recruitment and brand-building events, it attracts visitors by the thousands each year, including close to 400 secondary school students this year. It is, in addition, a major community event for Miri and is being supported by the Miri City Council for the ninth year.

The event also has the support of corporate sponsors including 1 Borneo Enterprise, Aino Design, Broadway Wedding House, B-Smart Furniture & Services, Café Inc., Gordon Architect, Khan’s Taj Restaurant, Kiara Bumimas, Leesan Enterprise, Limbang Travel Services, Mindsmack, Mulu Press, See Hua Marketing, Starmedia Group, Syarikat Takaful Malaysia, Typhoon Digital Imaging, Unity Media Malaysia and Village Mobile Sound System Services.

For more information on the Curtin Malaysia Carnival 2018, visit its Facebook event page at bit.ly/2M5i8Vt or contact Curtin Malaysia’s Corporate Communications Department at 085-443806 or by email to corpcomm@curtin.edu.my.

Main attractions will include ‘Faculty Showcases’.

The ’Mini Kite Festival’ is expected to be a huge crowd-puller.

Students and teachers are invited to support their school teams in the competitions.

Visitors will get the chance to meet and ‘hang out’ with popular deejay Natasha Juan.

Public invited to join students and staff in SCCS’ GoBald Satellite Shave.

’Curtin’s Got Talent’ will be a showcase of student talent.