Curtin Malaysia students showcase STEM-related projects during Student Project Exhibition at Pustaka Miri

Miri – 21 July 2023 – Students of Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) proudly showcased their innovative and diverse Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)-related projects to the public during their Student Project Exhibition held at Pustaka Miri recently. The day-long exhibition provided an excellent platform for the students to share their class projects and ideas with the local community.

The Student Project Exhibition, themed ‘Hardware to Heartware’, was organised by Curtin Malaysia’s School of Pre-U and Continuing Education (SPACE) in collaboration with Pustaka Miri. The event was aimed at demonstrating the knowledge, skills, and creativity of the students in various STEM disciplines.

It brought together over 100 students and faculty members from Curtin Malaysia and other educational institutions, industry professionals, and members of the public, offering opportunities for collaboration, networking, and inspiring discussions.

The exhibition featured an impressive range of projects showcasing the practical applications of STEM knowledge and technology in fields such as engineering and science, digital technology, and media and communications. In each of the projects, the students demonstrated the theories and concepts they had learned in their course units.

Facilitating the event were SPACE’s Head of Department of Science and Technology Hii Kiew Ling, and lecturers Kamaroizan Mohamad, Jameson Malang and Peter Jamba.

According to Hii, the exhibition was a collaboration between three different units at SPACE, namely, Physics, Programming, and Media. Students from the Physics unit constructed models or toys using physics concepts, students from the Programming Unit wrote a programme using C++ language to collect feedback from the visitors, while students from the Media unit produced a documentary video. The students formed different teams for their projects and a total of 15 projects were showcased.

Curtin Malaysia is committed to nurturing a culture of innovation and academic excellence among its students, and the Student Project Exhibition was a key initiative in fulfilling this vision. It served as a platform for students to apply theoretical knowledge gained in the classroom to real-world scenarios, fostering critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork abilities.

Visitors to the exhibition had the opportunity to interact with the students, hear in-depth explanations of their projects, and witness live demonstrations. The event was an excellent opportunity for the local community, industry professionals, and prospective students to engage with Curtin Malaysia, gaining insight into the university’s commitment to producing talented graduates in the STEM field.

Hii said that this approach of involving students showcasing their work to the public intrinsically motivated them to excel. She said most of the students were appreciative of being able to showcase their STEM knowledge and skills to the wider community, as well as participate in an event that fostered teamwork, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills among students.

Kamaroizan remarked that the event was an excellent opportunity for students studying the Diploma of Information Technology to apply programming concepts learnt in their Introduction to Programming unit, and for students in the Foundation of Engineering and Science programme to apply their C++ programming skills, to real-world applications.

“It was also an opportunity for them to participate in a multi-disciplinary exhibition, working with students of other units and disciplines. I think all of them came away with a sense of satisfaction that the exhibition was a success and the visitors were impressed with their projects,” he said.

Meanwhile, Peter said that students studying the Introduction to Screen Production unit collaborated with the physics and programming students and lecturers to produce their Foundation Arts documentary project, proving that STEM was also applicable to the field of media.

An awards ceremony for the participating students was held a week later to recognise their contributions to the exhibition. The Best Presentation Award was presented to ‘Team Neo’ for fabricating a magnetic car and maze escape toy for the exhibition. The Most Creative Award went to team ‘AC Ranger’ who created a periscope with the help of alternating current, while the Most Popular Award was won by ‘Team Baba Yaga’ for their pressure gun using the Pascal principle.

Director of SPACE Associate Professor Fidella Tiew commended the students and lecturers for their efforts, saying, “It was very heart-warming to see everyone putting in their best efforts to make the exhibition a success. The event was very well received by the public and many expressed hopes of seeing more showcases by our students in the future. It is really good to see such support from the community for our talented students as they take their first steps towards becoming the next generation of innovators and leaders in STEM.”

SPACE was established in 2021 with the aim of creating educational and training opportunities for youth so that they can unlock their potential, including foundation and diploma pathways to undergraduate study at Curtin Malaysia and the other Curtin campuses in Australia, Singapore, Dubai, Mauritius and Sri Lanka. SPACE also provides professional education for working adults, including corporate training, short courses, and micro-credentials, to enable them to upskill and take their careers to the next level. To find out more talks by SPACE or the School itself, visit the SPACE website at cmspace.curtin.edu.my, or send an email to cm.space@curtin.edu.my.

For more information on Curtin Malaysia, visit www.curtin.edu.my or look for Curtin Malaysia on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn or TikTok.

Students demonstrating their project to visitors

Visitors trying out programme written by students

Media students taking film footage for documentary

Group photo of the participating students and lecturers at Pustaka Miri