Public invited to IEEE Digital Maker Expo at Curtin Malaysia

Miri – 4 May 2017 – A IEEE Digital Maker Expo will be held at the campus of Curtin University, Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) on 12 and 13 May 2017 and members of the public are invited to visit and get a glimpse of current and future trends in engineering, science and technology.

Initiated by the Institute of Electric and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Curtin Malaysia Student Branch and with the support from IEEE Industrial Application Society (IAS); IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) and IEEE Malaysia Section, IEEE Digital Maker Expo is a national event aimed at promoting engineering, science and technology among students and other members of communities in East Malaysia.

The 2-day event themed ‘Inspiring Innovators for Digital Nation’ will held be at the campus’ Recreation & Event Centre, from 9 am to 4.30 pm daily.

It offers students of all ages, as well as members of the public, the opportunity to learn more about new technologies such as 3D printing, robotics, embedded systems and programming and other cutting-edge technologies that are revolutionising the world.

The Curtin IEEE Digital Maker Expo will highlight how young people can embrace digital programming and become future technological thinkers and makers. To this aim, the official launch of a #mydigitalmaker hub at Curtin – a joint public-private-academia initiative by Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) where maker spaces are set-up at universities to encourage and transform youths into digital producers – will be held.

The new #mydigitalmaker space at Curtin Malaysia, complete with kits, gadget, tools, electronics components, recyclable materials and trained university student mentors, is expected to be a public space where youth and children can sign up for programmes and be involved in tech-driven projects.

The space will also support the annual Young Innovators Challenge programme that involves trained university students mentoring secondary school teams in crafting solutions to real-life challenges using Arduino.

The programme has been running in Sarawak and nationally since 2013. Over 50 secondary school teams from Miri will be showcasing their Arduino projects for the opportunity to qualify and compete at national level. The programme includes an open category for Curtin Malaysia students.

Supporters of the Young Innovators Challenge Miri 2017 are, Sime Darby Foundatio, 1Malaysia For Youth (IM4U), Tabung Ekonomi Gagasan Anak Bumiputera Sarawak (TEGAS), MDeC, Chumbaka and All Aboard Young Leaders Centre.

In addition to the Young Innovators Challenge Miri 2017, the expo is also supported by a number of industry partners, including Keysight Technologies, TekMark, Shell Malaysia, SIRIM Measurements, Avetics Drones, Tektronix, EPC Synergy and KVC.

Dean of Curtin Malaysia’s Faculty of Engineering and Science, Professor Ir. Lau Hieng Ho, said, “I am very happy to know that our students at the faculty are doing more than just studying. Major events such as this Digital Maker Expo is a great platform for them to develop leadership skills and to grow their spirit of volunteerism.”

Annual programmes such as the Young Innovators Challenge Miri, Tech Maker–Tech T<h>inker and Light Up Miri give Curtin Malaysia students the opportunity to mentor secondary school youths in gaining life skills and to help them to understand the importance of contributing to society and helping communities solve problems.

Similar to Young Innovators Challenge, Tech Maker–Tech T<h>inker is a tech awareness platform to introduce youths to IT and programming skills. This programme is supported by All Aboard Young Leaders Centre through the Shell Sustainable Development Grant. It involves seven modules – Mbot, 3D printing, Mobile App, Tech Art, Scratch and Solar Power.

Light Up Miri, meanwhile, is a programme that aims to raise awareness within impoverished or disadvantaged rural communities on the benefits of using renewable energy and the importance of educating their children through meaningful projects by students with villagers.

With all these exciting activities and showcases, the IEEE Digital Maker Expo promises to be quite an attraction for the public.

“The IEEE Digital Maker Expo is a platform to encourage local students to embrace the new era of digital technology and learn programming and other technical skills to be able to innovate and become future creators and makers,” summed up IEEE Curtin Malaysia Student Branch president Kong Sheng How.

Curtin Malaysia has a very close affiliation with IEEE through its commitment to course accreditation and industry engagement and, in addition to IEEE membership of its academic staff, saw the establishment of the IEEE Curtin Malaysia Student Branch in 2008. The student branch has presently a membership of over 100 students. To find out more about the Curtin Malaysia IEEE Student Branch, visit its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CurtinSarawak.IEEE.

IEEE Digital Maker Expo to be held at Curtin Malaysia on 12 and 13 May.