Students learn about bridge construction during Curtin’s Civil & Environmental Engineering Research Conference

Miri – 2 July 2021 – The Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, Curtin Highway Infrastructure Research and Innovation Hub (CHIRI), Curtin Civil Society and Environmental Club of Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) recently organised the 1st Civil & Environmental Engineering Research Conference for final-year civil and construction engineering and environmental engineering students of the campus.

The virtual conference on Webex saw guest lecturer James Chuo of Jurutera Minsar Consult Sdn. Bhd. sharing about in-situ balanced cantilever bridge construction methodology, covering both the civil and environmental aspects of bridge construction.

The guest lecture was moderated by representatives of the Curtin Civil Society, Curtin Malaysia’s student-led club for civil and construction engineering students.

According to Dr. Wong Kwong Soon, Head of the Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, Chuo’s lecture was very relevant to the students as Sarawak has a number of major bridge projects being constructed as part of the Sarawak Coastal Road and Pan-Borneo Highway.

Extensive discussions during the question-and-answer session following the guest lecture covered aspects of civil engineering such as creep and shrinkage of bridge superstructures and foundations, as well as environmental impact assessments for bridge construction.

This was followed by six parallel sessions for the 29 students to present their final-year projects. Of the number, 25 were from the Bachelor of Engineering in Civil and Construction Engineering and four from the Bachelor of Engineering in Environmental Engineering programmes, respectively.

The parallel sessions were chaired by students from the Curtin Civil Society and the Environmental Club who are pursuing courses in civil and construction engineering, environmental engineering and construction management.

Dean of Curtin Malaysia’s Faculty of Engineering and Science, Professor Tuong-Thuy Vu, remarked that the parallel sessions gave the students the experience of a conference environment, especially now that face-to-face conferences are still prohibited during the Movement Control Order (MCO). The involvement of examiners from industry and the Faculty’s industry advisory panel in the evaluation of the students’ projects was also much appreciated by the students and their lecturers.

Curtin Malaysia offers Curtin University’s Bachelor of Engineering in Civil and Construction Engineering, which equips students with the knowledge and skills to apply scientific and technological principles to the design and construction of facilities such as roads, bridges, water supply and wastewater treatment systems, tunnels, power projects, offshore structures, and commercial and industrial buildings. Students also acquire an understanding of the properties of construction materials and construction methods to produce designs for projects.

The Bachelor of Engineering in Environmental Engineering, meanwhile, covers a broad scope of environmental engineering, including water treatment, solid waste management, and domestic and industrial waste water treatment. Graduates of the course are highly sought after in areas such as environmental impact assessments, air pollution prevention and control, environmental monitoring and management systems, environmental consultation, soil erosion prevention measures, noise monitoring and control, development of recycling systems, and oil spill recovery.

Both are four-year honours courses accredited by Engineers Australia (EA) and the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM), and recognised by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA).

Curtin Malaysia also offers the Bachelor of Applied Science in Construction Management, a management-oriented course that prepares students for a range of professional roles in the building and infrastructure construction industry. Graduates of the course work across a broad range of interrelated disciplines on residential, commercial and infrastructure projects.

Curtin Malaysia’s mid-year (July) intakes for foundation and undergraduate programmes are now open for applications. Interested SPM and STPM leavers can enquire by email to enquiries@curtin.edu.my or visit courses.curtin.edu.my for more information.

Students and academics attending the guest lecture by James Chuo.