Curtin Malaysia’s Civil and Construction Engineering Department holds Civil-Environmental Engineering Research Conference

Miri – 19 November 2021 – The Civil and Construction Engineering Department of Curtin University Malaysia’s Faculty of Engineering and Science recently held its 2nd Civil-Environmental Engineering Research Conference.  

The conference, which was conducted online and attended by about 70 students and staff, was moderated by members of the Curtin Civil Society (CCS), the campus’ student-run academic club for civil and construction engineering and environmental engineering students. 

Two guest speakers – Ambun Dindang from the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MET Malaysia), Ministry of Environment and Water (KASA) and Dr. Choo Chung Shiung from Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus – were invited to share their technical knowledge and work experience with the students.   

Ambun gave a talk on ‘Atmospheric Composition Monitoring Activities and Cloud Seeding Operations in Malaysia’ while Dr. Choo shared his experiences as a geotechnical engineer.   

The talks were followed by presentations by 35 students on the outcomes of their final-year projects. They presented their technical research findings as well as potential opportunities to advance engineering knowledge through their projects.  

The projects involved aspects such as sustainable construction materials and technology, innovative structural systems, soil treatment and improvement, energy efficiency, construction management, wastewater treatment, and environmental pollution control. 

Head of the Civil and Construction Engineering Department, Dr. Wong Kwong Soon, said it was good for the students and staff to learn from and engage with the two speakers who have considerable industry experience between them. 

“They shared a lot of industry knowledge and insights into their organisations, which was very beneficial to both the students and lecturers,” said Dr. Wong. 

Meanwhile, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Science, Professor Tuong-Thuy Vu, commended the Department of Civil and Construction Engineering and the CCS for the successful conference. He said it was good to see students and academic staff embracing the new normal by continuing to conduct conferences online. 

“Whether online or physical events, we always ensure that they are effective and meaningful, and we are able to stay engaged with our students and industry partners,” said Professor Vu. 

Meanwhile, final-year student Yu Jet Ben said the students benefitted greatly from the conference and were grateful to the Department of Civil and Construction Engineering for organising it. They were also appreciative of the information shared by the speakers, which will be useful in their future careers. 

Curtin Malaysia offers Curtin University’s Bachelor of Engineering in Civil and Construction Engineering, which equips students with the knowledge and skills to apply scientific and technological principles to the design and construction of infrastructure such as roads, bridges, water supply and wastewater treatment systems, tunnels, power projects, offshore structures, and commercial and industrial buildings. They also acquire an understanding of the properties of construction materials and construction methods. 

The Bachelor of Engineering in Environmental Engineering, meanwhile, provides a broad scope of environmental engineering, including water treatment, solid waste management, and domestic and industrial waste water treatment. Graduates can find employment in areas such as environmental impact assessment, air pollution prevention and control, environmental monitoring and management systems, environmental consultation, soil erosion prevention, noise monitoring and control, recycling systems and oil spill recovery. 

Both are four-year honours courses accredited by Engineers Australia (EA) and the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM), and recognised by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA).

Student and staff participants and speakers at the 2nd Civil-Environmental Engineering Research Conference.