Curtin Malaysia foundation students showcase physics projects

Miri – 29 November 2019 – Over 100 second-semester foundation students from the Faculty of Engineering and Science of Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) showcased their physics projects as part of their Physics 062 unit at a projects showcase held at the university campus recently.

Themed Now Everyone Can ‘Physics, the showcase featured 12 projects in which teams of students had to use creative scale models to demonstrate various physics concepts to an audience of different backgrounds.

The students had to explain their chosen physics concepts in the simplest terms with the help of their models with the aim of generating interest in learning physics. They also had to ensure the models were impactful and interactive.

“We were very impressed with the students’ work. The quality of their work showed their commitment to delivering quality projects and ensuring the effective demonstration of their selected concepts,” remarked associate lecturer Hii Kiew Ling, the Physics 062 unit coordinator.

The visitors to the showcase at the Faculty of Engineering and Science building were also very impressed with the students’ exhibits and the realisation that learning physics can be a lot of fun.

Prizes were awarded to the best teams. Team ‘Fantastic 9”, which demonstrated Archimedes’ Principle, won the ‘Best Presentation’ Award, while team ‘Satay’, which demonstrated Pascal’s Principle, won the ‘Best Model’ Award.

Hii said the projects gave the students a great sense of achievement as they were able to use their creativity and innovativeness to translate the physics concepts into interesting models that captured the interest of visitors.

According to Hii, the students’ works will be documented in an educational video, which will be used as a teaching resource in the future. She said the students were also pleased to be able to contribute to the faculty’s teaching resources.

Curtin Malaysia offers one-year foundation courses in Engineering, Science, Commerce and Arts (Media) that feed directly into its undergraduate programmes in engineering and science, business and humanities. The courses are designed for school leavers to gain the essential skills and knowledge for a smooth transition to tertiary study, providing the best possible fundamentals to undertake a Bachelor’s degree.

Scene during the project showcase.

Interactive exhibits help visitors learn physics concepts.

Students explaining concept to visitors.

Team ‘Satay’, winner of Best Model Award.

Team ‘Fantastic 9’, winner of Best Presentation Award.