Curtin Sarawak students win prestigious competition

Friday 22 August 2008 –

A crane built out of satay sticks, sticky tape and string has lifted a team of Curtin Sarawak students to first place at the recent Build and Break Competition.

Curtin civil engineering students won first and second place at the prestigious new competition, which attracted 29 teams from across 14 Malaysian universities.

In two and a half hours the groups of four constructed the crane with no prior knowledge of the task of the materials they would be given.

Senior structural engineers from the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) judged the cranes based on their structural concept and appearance.

Their load to weight ratio was tested by loading them until the cranes collapsed.

Senior Lecturer in Civil and Construction Engineering at Sarawak Dr Djwantoro Hardjito said the groups displayed excellent teamwork.

‘Both of their structural models were very stable and strong to carry and distribute load properly without local failure, and at the same time they were also efficient in the use of raw materials,’ he said.

‘This means that students had learnt something useful in their course of student and they were able to think critically and to apply their knowledge into practice.

‘To build models on such short notice is a sign that our students are achieving our desirable Curtin graduate attributes.’

Dr Hardjito said the event was an exciting and unforgettable learning experience, which would boost the students’ confidence and help their career prospects.

Proud students and lecturers .

The winning models.