Curtin Sarawak students and academics live up to university’s commitment to innovation and excellence

Miri – 10 November 2009 – True to their university’s commitment to innovation and excellence in teaching and research, students and academics of Curtin University of Technology, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) have throughout 2009 made their mark on the national and international scene.

They have continued to win prestigious scholarships and awards, and achieved impressive results in national and international competitions, much to the pride of the university and the community of Miri, Sarawak.

In the beginning of the year, five final-year students – Yong Pei Chee, Sim Chia Yee, Teo Shu Qing, Esther Liaw Mei Yen and Wee Lee Ling – headed to Perth to complete their final graduate year at Curtin’s main Bentley Campus as recipients of the Western Australian Premier’s Scholarship. Granted by the Government of Western Australia to deserving students of Curtin Sarawak each year, the scholarship provides the university’s best and brightest the opportunity to gain different perspectives on their fields of study in Australia.

The year also saw two documentaries made by final-year mass communication students being shortlisted in the Top Ten Films for RTM’s Program Karyawan Muda film competition. Irama Tradisionaldirected by Stephanie Keh Chee Lu explored the aspirations of a Sarawakian musician with a passion for collecting and learning traditional Southeast Asian musical instruments. The second documentary Asi directed by Edwin Liew documented the traditional process of rice production in the rural context of the Iban longhouse in Sarawak.

 “It was the second time documentaries by our students were featured on national television, the first being Nenek Inyak which won the AFP Special Jury Award for Best Cinematography in RTM’s 2007 Short Film Competition,” said film and television lecturer Rama Venkatasawmy, who was the project supervisor for the two films. He added that it was the first time two films from Curtin Sarawak were shortlisted simultaneously out of hundreds of entries and that these achievements re-affirmed the very high standard of filmmaking expertise at Curtin Sarawak.

Making a concrete frisbee fly does seem implausible but Curtin Sarawak students did just that – as demonstrated by final-year civil and construction engineering students Jasony James Padasian Ajuni, Ng Boon Yuh and Gan Tze Neng. The trio achieved impressive results in the Intervarsity Concrete Frisbee Competition 2009 (ICFC 09) organised by the Civil Engineering Students’ Society of Universiti Teknologi Petronas, making a concrete frisbee fly for more than 35 metres! The team achieved the furthest distance amongst the 19 teams from 11 universities across Malaysia, came in second in the weight test, and also made a good showing in the durability test to boot.

Four third-year electronics and communication engineering students going by the team name CUTIES also put up a strong showing in this year’s Malaysia Robot Contest, a hotly-contested national event pitting teams of undergraduate engineering students from over 60 Malaysian institutions of higher learning and their robots against each other, and the winners being given the privilege of representing Malaysia in the international-level ABU Asia-Pacific Robot Contest (RoboCon).

According to electrical/communication engineering and computing lecturer Terence Tan who supervised the group, joining the contest was the students’ own initiative. “It was the first time for Curtin Sarawak, and we are very proud of our team’s efforts. We indeed encourage our students to participate in such activities as they provide excellent exposure for them, such that their learning is not limited to just books and classrooms,” Tan said.

In August, a Curtin Sarawak team comprising third and fourth-year civil and construction engineering students Ahmed Faheem, Chin Chu Vun, Sarah Jane Okala, Rachel Wong and Tong Chung Wei also proved their worth in an international competition, coming in second in the ASEAN Universities Build-and-Break Competition 2009, a structural design competition amongst 34 teams of civil engineering students from 19 universities and colleges in the region. The win marked yet another outstanding success for Curtin Sarawak in the competition as two teams from the university swept the top two prizes in the inaugural Build-and-Break Competition last year.

“It was a memorable moment seeing a team from Curtin Sarawak winning again. I look forward to seeing teams from Curtin Sarawak putting up a similarly strong showing in future competitions,” said the team’s supervisor, civil and construction engineering senior lecturer Dr. Djwantoro Hardjito, who also supervised the two winning teams that participated in last year’s competition.

In September, third-year chemical engineering student Lim Yii Mei won the Technical Essay Writing category in a competition held in conjunction with the National Chemical Engineers Symposium (NACES 2009) with her essay, ‘New Perspective Towards Future Global Threat: Water’. A Curtin Sarawak team comprising Yong Hui Li, Veronica Yeo Shu Phing, Melissa Kho Xiao Ching and Liew Sing Yee, meanwhile, was declared second runner-up in the Power Point Technical Presentation category for its presentation on ‘Clean Water Converting Scarcity into Abundance’.

“We are delighted with our students’ performance in the competition. They participated with tremendous optimism and their hard work paid off. By finishing ahead of so many other universities and competitors, they have also helped put Curtin Sarawak on the national map,” said Dr. Hannah Ngu, a lecturer in Curtin Sarawak’s Chemical Engineering Department who accompanied the students to the symposium. Over 400 delegates from 14 public and private universities around Malaysia participated in NACES 2009.

Continuing the university’s winning streak later in the year was a 3-member team comprising third-year accounting, banking and finance students Millie Chang Hui Jin, Chin Bei Hao and Soon Yee Ling, who placed fourth in the finals of the PNB Investment Quiz Competition (Pertandingan Kuiz Pelaburan PNB 2009), a national-level competition organised by Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB). It was the Curtin Sarawak School of Business’ first time participating in a national competition, which saw 22 universities and colleges fielding a total of 55 teams.

“It was great to see our team qualify for the finals and eventually placing fourth. I look forward to seeing teams from Curtin Sarawak performing better in future competitions and hopefully emerging champions,” said Sia Chow Siing, head of the Curtin Sarawak’s Economics & Finance Department, who accompanied the team to the competition.

The year also saw Curtin Sarawak academic staff being recognised with awards for excellence in teaching and research.

Chemical engineering lecturer Lau Shiew Wei was awarded the 2009 Curtin Excellence and Innovation in Teaching Award (Early Career), a prestigious award granted by Curtin University of Technology, Western Australia to its academics at both its mother campus and branch campuses for outstanding performance in teaching and enhancing students’ learning.

According to Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Joan Gribble, Shiew Wei was selected based on her constructivist approach to teaching and learning. In congratulating her, Dr. Gribble said, “Shiew Wei has proven herself to be one of our best practitioners at Curtin Sarawak with this recognition. Her submission to the awards committee was an inspirational account of her love for teaching and her commitment to the teaching of chemistry and chemical engineering. Shiew Wei also showed how she is able to bring her research interests into the classroom to strengthen her teaching and student learning.”

Most recently, two Curtin Sarawak academics were presented awards for outstanding achievement in Curtin University’s Research Performance Index (RPI) Round 2009. The RPI is an initiative run annually by Curtin University of Technology, Western Australia, to reward researchers at all its regional and international campuses for research excellence and scholarship.

Dr. Jayakumar Muthuramalingam, a senior lecturer in civil and construction engineering, received the Award for Highest RPI Points for Early Career Researcher for Publications. Lecturer in marketing and management Lew Tek Yew, meanwhile, won the Award for Highest RPI Points by Faculty for Publications.

In congratulating Dr. Jayakumar and Lew for their efforts in achieving this fine result, Dean of Research and Development Dr. Kaniraj Shenbaga said, “Scoring highly in the RPI is not an easy task. There are stringent requirements to adhere to. I look forward to receiving the continued support of our academics involved in research towards our annual RPI standing, and towards the overall success of Curtin Sarawak’s research and development.”

Overall, it has been a highly successful 2009 for the students and staff of Curtin Sarawak. Thanking them for their outstanding efforts and achievements, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Dr. John Evans said, “Curtin has always held true to its commitment to innovation and excellence in teaching and research for the benefit of our students and the wider community, and your achievements are testimony to this commitment.”

He added that, with their continued efforts, Curtin is well on its way to achieving its vision of being an international leader shaping the future through our graduates and research, and being positioned among the top 20 universities in Asia by 2020.”

The 5 Curtin Sarawak scholars with Curtin Vice Chancellor Professor Jeanette Hackett (far left) and WA Education Minister Dr. Elizabeth Constable (5th left) in Perth.

Curtin Sarawak team’s concrete frisbee achieves farthest distance. (L-R) Jasony James Padasian Ajuni, Ng Boon Yuh, Ir. Ahmad Tamby Kadir, and Gan Tze Neng

The Curtin Sarawak CUTIES priming their robot for the competition.

The Curtin Sarawak team: (back row) Chin Chu Vun, Tong Chung Wei, Sarah Jane Okala, and (front row) Ahmed Faheem, lecturer Dr. Djwantoro Hardjito, and Rachel Wong Mee Ling.

Students who participated in competition with accompanying lecturer Dr Hannah Ngu (5th left).

The Curtin Sarawak team (centre) in the heat of the competition.

2009 Curtin Excellence and Innovation in Teaching Award recipient Lau Shiew Wei

Lew Tek Yew and Dr. Jayakumar Muthuramalingam, winners of Curtin’s Award for Highest RPI Points for Publications.