Curtin Malaysia students attend IEEE-IAS Annual Meeting in US

Miri – 21 November 2019 – Two students of Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) had the honour of representing Malaysia and the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Curtin Malaysia Student Branch at the recent 54th IEEE IAS (Industry Applications Society) Annual Meeting in the United States.

They were final-year electronics and communications engineering student Tay Chuan Zhi and third-year electrical and electronics engineering student Nurul Ain Hamizan, who are the current chair and vice-secretary of the IEEE Curtin Malaysia Student Branch, respectively.

Tay and Nurul Ain were the only Malaysian recipients out of a total 122 international recipients of sponsorship under the IEEE-IAS’s Annual Meeting Travel Grant Program (AMTGP) to attend the conference held at the Hilton Convention Centre in Baltimore, Maryland. They also received funding from the IEEE Curtin Malaysia Student Branch.

The IEEE-IAS Annual Meeting has established a long tradition of providing a platform for practising engineers, researchers and technical experts to present and discuss current developments and future trends in the application of electrical technology to fields such as standards, industrial and commercial power systems, data centres, process controls, robotics and automation, electrostatics, mining, metals, smart grid and smart cities.

It also allows IEEE volunteers like Tay and Nurul Ain to network and discuss current issues in their volunteering work with those from industry and academia. The two Malaysian delegates were involved in discussions on the impact of humanitarian projects during the IAS Chapter and Membership Department (CMD) workshop which was held as part of the conference. They also joined a poster presentation and technical session on new developments in electrical technology.

Tay and Nurul Ain also attended the CMD Dinner, one of the Annual Meeting’s main social events where delegates from the various participating countries showcase their cultures, including traditional dances, songs, national costumes and food.

Tay commented that the trip to the United States was the opportunity of a lifetime and he was greatly inspired by the conference, especially his participation in the Young Professional (YP) sharing session and the opportunity to meet prominent IEE-IAS leaders and industry representatives.

“All the things we talked about were very new to me. It helped me expand my perspectives about a lot of the new technologies that are emerging,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nurul Ain, who is also chair of the WIE (Women in Engineering) Affinity Group at Curtin Malaysia, said she was grateful for the opportunity to visit the United States for the first time and attend the prestigious conference through the support of the IEEE-IAS and the IEEE Curtin Malaysia Student Branch.

“The conference was a real eye-opener because I had never attended an international conference that involved so many experienced industry professionals before. I was quite intimidated networking with them, but I gained a lot from the experience, especially at the CMD Workshop where a lot of information regarding student activities and grants were shared,” she said.

After the Annual Meeting, the two delegates had the opportunity to visit Niagara Falls and New York City, where they toured the Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, Manhattan and the World Trade Center, as well as Philadelphia and Washington DC.

Associate Professor Garenth Lim, advisor to the IEEE Curtin Malaysia Student Chapter, said the IEEE provides a worldwide platform for students to develop leadership skills, perform student collaboration and deliver project outcomes for humanity.

He added that Curtin Malaysia students stand to benefit from such platforms through the university’s commitment to providing unique learning opportunities outside the classroom, which includes opportunities to attend international conferences.

 The IEEE Curtin Malaysia Student Branch was established to inspire engineering students at Curtin Malaysia to reach their full potential in line with IEEE’s motto ‘To Foster Technological Innovation and Excellence for the Benefit of Humanity’.

Tay and Nurul Ain with CMD past chair Dr Peter Magyar.

Tay and Nurul Ain with delegates from China, Jordan, Tunisia, Hungary at the CMD Dinner.

Nurul Ain and Tay at Niagara Falls.

Tay and Nurul with advisor Associate Professor Garenth Lim before their departure to the United States.