It’s all systems go for Curtin Sarawak Open Day 2013!

Miri – 23 August 2013 – It is ‘all systems go’ for this year’s Open Day at Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) on 14 September 2013. At a press conference here on Monday, members of the event organising committee led by Nicholas Leong, the university’s corporate communications manager, announced that preparations for a variety of showcases and activities to be featured during the event are progressing well.

They include the Innovation Expo, an annual feature showcasing Curtin Sarawak’s three schools (School of Engineering and Science, School of Business and School of Continuing Studies), and the Future Students Booth where potential students and their parents can gain first-hand knowledge about Curtin’s academic programmes, course accreditations and scholarships and loans, student support and enrolment in order to make informed decisions about studying at Curtin Sarawak.

Other perennial highlights are the Student Support Showcases,Charity & Community Corner,Environmental Corner, Kiddies’ Corner, stage performances, free health checks, food and product sales, photography exhibition, and the ever-popular Miri Got Talent Contest, which is being featured for the third year running, and the Mr & Miss Curtin Contest.

There will also be public talks by academics of the university and invited speakers from industry on a variety of interesting topics. Scheduled throughout the day between 10 am and 4.30 pm, the talks are free of charge.

According to Leong, new highlights this year will include a fishing competition, Frisbee competition, ‘Newspaper Bag Design & Break Competition’ and Melanau Tibou showcase, all of which are open to the public.

He said the event from 10 am to 5 pm will be an opportune occasion for members of the local community to visit Curtin Sarawak and discover all that it has to offer. He added that the event attracts visitors in the thousands each year, and last year, a record 6,130 visitors attended.

“However, we are not stressing on the crowd numbers but more on active participation and interaction during the event,” he added.

The event will also feature lucky draws offering attractive prizes that will include return airfares on AirAsia to Singapore, iPad Minis, Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 smartphones, Sony Bravia 32”  flat-screen TVs, electrical goods and hotel room and meal vouchers.

The theme for this year’s event is ‘Make a change today and make tomorrow better’ in line with Curtin University’s vision to be a recognised international leader in research and education – bringing positive change, embracing the challenges and opportunities of our times to advance understanding and change lives for the better.

Furthermore, it will incorporate environmentally-friendly initiatives and practices in support of Curtin Sarawak’s environmental sustainability programme and Miri’s goal of becoming a ‘green city’, as well as support of local charities and community causes.

The event is being supported by the Miri City Council and over 30 corporate sponsors and 17 NGOs. It is being organised by a 25-strong team and over 100 volunteers comprising staff and students.

Leong (4th left) and members of the Curtin Sarawak Open Day committee in photo call following the press conference.