Five Curtin Malaysia chemical engineering students receive IChemE-POPSIG awards

Miri – 22 August 2022 – Five chemical engineering students of Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) have done their university proud by winning Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) Palm Oil Processing Special Interest Group (POPSIG) awards.

Students Yat Yu Dong, Alicia Tan Xin, and Thian Sei Gee won IChemE POPSIG Article Honorarium for their palm-oil themed articles while Kelvin Ong Jee Hui and Lee Sing Ying won IChemE POPSIG Best Post-event Report Awards.

Yat, Tan, and Thian submitted an article entitled ‘A Sustainable Renewable Energy Source: Biodiesel’, in which they discussed the potential of biodiesel as a promising renewable energy substitute for fossil fuels. They highlighted that biofuel is a prime candidate as it can be easily integrated into the current fossil fuel distribution infrastructure with minimal cost repercussions.

Ong and Lee won their award for their comprehensive report on the IChemE POPSIG East Malaysia University Roadshow which was held on 29 June 2022. The report summed up all the speakers’ presentations and panellist forum discussions.

This University Roadshow with the theme ‘Responsible Consumption and Production in Palm Oil Industry’ was jointly hosted by the IChemE Student Chapters of Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak, Curtin University Malaysia, Taylor’s University Lakeside Campus, University Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP).

Supervising the students in their article and event report submissions were Associate Professor Bridgid Chin Lai Fui, Dr. Tan Yie Hua, and Dr. Angnes Tiong Ngieng Tze from Curtin Malaysia’s Department of Chemical and Energy Engineering, the Curtin Malaysia IChemE Student Chapter’s advisors.

The three academics expressed pride in the students’ achievements and encouraged them to continue being proactive in participating in co-curricular activities such as awards competitions to hone their problem-solving, critical and creative thinking, communication, and collaborative abilities. Such achievements would also inevitably look good on their resumés when seeking jobs in the future.

Associate Professor Ir. Stephanie Chan Yen San, Head of Department of Chemical and Energy Engineering, also said she was delighted to see the students winning such prestigious awards. She hopes their wins will inspire more students in her department to take part in national and regional competitions and events.

Meanwhile, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Science, Professor Tuong-Thuy Vu, said it was heartening to see Curtin Malaysia’s engineering and science students continue to excel in national and international competitions, including in virtual competitions throughout the MCO.

“Now that physical events have resumed, I hope our students will take the opportunity to show their mettle in many of the upcoming competitions,” he said.

The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) is a global professional engineering institution with over 35,000 members in over 100 countries worldwide. It was founded in the United Kingdom in 1922 and has offices in Rugby, London, Melbourne, Wellington, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore. Its mission is to build and support a community and network of professionals involved in all facets of the chemical engineering discipline.

Curtin Malaysia offers Curtin’s four-year Bachelor of Engineering (Hons.) in Chemical Engineering, which covers the development, design and operation of chemical processes and plants for the extraction, conversion and recovery of materials based on both chemical and biological systems.

The course prepares students for jobs in a wide range of industries, including petroleum refining, gas processing, petrochemical and polymer production, bio-processing and bio-production, bio pharmaceutics and food processing, minerals and metals extraction, and the production of industrial and fine chemicals.

Curtin is ranked in the world’s top 150 universities for chemical engineering in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021.

Information on Curtin Malaysia can be found on its website at www.curtin.edu.my, or look for Curtin Malaysia on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn or Tik-Tok.

The five iChemE-POPSIG award winners.