Curtin students awarded at postgraduate research colloquium

Miri – 24 April 2015 – Two postgraduate students of Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) were awarded at the recent 3rd Faculty of Engineering Postgraduate Research Colloquium 2015 jointly organised by University Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) and Curtin Sarawak.

PhD candidates Arshad Raza and Caleb Acquah received the Best Poster Presentation Award and Best Paper Presentation Award respectively.

Arshad, who is from the Department of Petroleum Engineering in Curtin Sarawak’s Faculty of Engineering and Science, was awarded for his presentation entitled ‘A Simulation Study for Optimum Production Strategy in Tight Gas Reservoirs’.

His work was co-authored with Reza Razaee and Muhammad Arif of Curtin University and Omer Anwar of the University of Engineering and Technology of Lahore, Pakistan.

Arshad’s research study considered the effect of well completion and well type in the production performance of tight gas reservoirs with the use of the Petrel Schlumberger tool. According to him, horizontal wells with multiple fractures proved to be an effective method to improve well deliverability of tight gas reservoirs.

Meanwhile, Caleb’s award was presented for his work on ‘Immobilised Aptamers for Real-Time Biosensing and Bioscreening’. Caleb, from the Department of Chemical Engineering, seeks to address the challenges faced with current pathogen detection methods by the use of monolithic polymers immobilised with synthetic oligonucleotides called aptamers.

The ongoing project is being supervised by Associate Professor Michael K. Danquah, Associate Dean of Research and Development of the Faculty of Engineering and Science.

This year’s colloquium took place at UNIMAS and carried the theme ‘Research for Sustainable Future’. Over 40 presenters from both universities showcased oral and poster presentations covering diverse disciplines, including engineering, science, business and economics.

Both Arshad and Caleb commented that the colloquium was a good learning experience as it gave the participants the opportunity to exchange ideas, present findings and be informed of research work progress in various fields.

In March this year, Curtin Sarawak launched the Curtin Sarawak Graduate School to advance and promote postgraduate education through both taught and research programmes, and to enhance the graduate student experience.

According to the dean of the school, Professor Marcus Man Kon Lee, Curtin Sarawak currently has over 180 graduate students, including around 80 higher degree research (HDR) students, from a number of countries.

Information on postgraduate studies at Curtin Sarawak, including admission requirements, enrolment and duration of study, study support, facilities and services, can be found at   www.curtin.edu.my/courses/Postgraduate.htm. For information on Curtin Sarawak Postgraduate Research Scholarships (CSPRS), visit www.curtin.edu.my/R&D/HDR/tc.htm.

Arshad (middle) and Caleb (right) posing with fellow postgraduate students at UNIMAS.