Curtin Malaysia teams win gold at MCiTeX 2023

Miri – 31 October 2023 – Two teams from the Faculty of Engineering and Science of Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) recently won gold awards in the open category at the 7th Miri Creativity, Innovation & Technology Exhibition (MCiTeX) 2023.

MCiTeX is an annual exhibition and competition organised by the Miri Industrial Training Institute (Institut Latihan Perindustrian Miri) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development (MEITD) Sarawak, Jabatan Tenaga Malaysia, Yayasan Inovasi Malaysia, Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO), and Koperasi Institut Latihan Perindustrian Miri Berhad to promote creativity and innovation among institutions in  Miri.

The first team consisted of Associate Professor Bridgid Chin Lai Fui from the Faculty’s Department of Chemical and Energy Engineering. She won on the merits of her research project titled ‘Ecosynterra: In-situ Transformation of Plastic and Agricultural Waste into Syngas’, walking away with a cash prize of RM 2,500.

This research project is being carried out in collaboration with researchers at other establishments, namely Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) Research, and Petroleum Insitute, Abu Dhabi. It involves designing a novel pilot-scale fluidised bed gasifier system for gasifying multiple feedstocks such as plastic and agricultural waste that would result in reduction of energy consumption and costs, and the enrichment of hydrogen gas in the production of synthetic gas.

The second team comprised Associate Professor Ir. Wong Wei Kitt, Associate Professor Ir. Lim Chye Ing, and undergraduate students Koo Yew Wei, Tan Zhen Chuan, and Koh Say Kit. Their research project was titled ‘Wireless Sensor Network for Monitoring Peat Soil Critical Data’.

This innovative project focuses on developing monitoring technology for peat soil management. It employs cutting-edge 2.4GHz radio connectivity to establish a network of interconnected devices, enabling real-time data collection and analyses for improved peat soil management. This team won a cash prize of RM1,500.

Dean of Curtin Malaysia’s Faculty of Engineering and Science, Professor Tuong-Thuy Vu expressed immense pride in the achievement of the teams. “My heartiest congratulations to our winning teams on their outstanding success. Their projects showcase our research focus on sustainable energy and intelligent systems, as well as the involvement of undergraduate students in research,” he said.

“Due to the applied nature of our courses and our being a highly research-active institution, our undergraduate students are given the opportunity to be part of research teams and also contribute to high-impact research as part of their learning journey.”

MCiTeX 2023 was organised by the Miri Industrial Training Institute (Institut Latihan Perindustrian Miri) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development (MEITD) Sarawak, Jabatan Tenaga Malaysia, Yayasan Inovasi Malaysia, Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO), and Koperasi Institut Latihan Perindustrian Miri Berhad.

The event’s opening and closing ceremonies were officiated by Deputy Minister for Talent Development Datuk Francis Harden Hollis representing Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development Datuk Roland Sagah Wee Inn.

Curtin Malaysia is the earliest and largest global campus of Curtin University, and its hub in the ASEAN region. The campus offers a range of innovative undergraduate and postgraduate courses across various disciplines in business, engineering and science, digital technology, humanities and health sciences, in addition to pre-university programmes and continuing education for working adults. Its Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering delivers Curtin’s Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Electronic Engineering (Hons.), Bachelor of Technology in Computer Systems and Networking, Bachelor of Computing in Cyber Security, and Bachelor of Computing in Software Engineering.

Information on Curtin Malaysia can be found on its website at curtin.edu.my, or look for Curtin Malaysia on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and TikTok.

Associate Professor Chin presenting her project to Datuk Francis Harden Hollis

Associate Professor Ir Wong and team showcasing their peat soil data monitoring prototype to Datuk Francis

Group photo of all the MCiTeX 2023 winners during the closing ceremony

The Curtin Malaysia teams with their gold awards