Report on SOfE 2009

Report on IMechE Asia-Oceania Regional Speak Out for Engineering (SOfE) Competition 2009

Venue: Plenary Theatre, Monash University Sunway Campus

Date: 4^th April 2009

Time: 2.00 pm to 6.00pm

By: Madhav Shyami

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) Malaysia branch and its Young Members Panel hosted the said event which took place at the Plenary Theatre, Monash University Sunway Campus. It was held on the 4^th of April 2009, which was a Saturday.

With respect to the involvement of the IMechE-UNITEN Student Chapter in this event, we have sent a total of six (6) members (three (3) of whom are committee members) as volunteers for the event. In addition to that, several other members attended as supporters for the Malaysian representative, our Immediate Past President of the chapter, Mr. Dominic Hua Shi Hao.

The volunteers gathered at the Plenary Theatre at about 12 pm to meet with Dr. Raj Durairaj, the IMechE Malaysia Young Members Section President; who was in charge of the volunteers. Together with him were two volunteers from the host university, to help us with our way around the campus to facilitate our duties.

Starting from approximately 1 pm we were posted at our delegated locations. From the six, each entrance to the campus was occupied by two volunteers each; one was stationed midway from the main entrance to the theatre, and another from the back entrance to the venue. During the one-hour period, we were tasked to direct each attendee to the venue, and escort the VIPs. The VIPs for that day was Prof. William Banks, President of IMechE and Mr. Matthew Thomas, Immediate Past President of IMechE Malaysia.

At 2 pm, we completed our tasks as volunteers and entered the theatre as observers/supporters. The competition started on time as Dr Satesh Namasivayam, the Immediate Past Chairman of the IMechE Malaysia YMS, took charge as the emcee and got the event underway after a brief overview of the rules and regulations of the competition and a short speech from Mr. Matthew Thomas. Soon the first contestant, representing China, Ms. Hao Rui came on stage with renewable materials as her topic for the day. After her, Mr. Dominic Hua, representing Malaysia (and UNITEN) came on stage with bio-materials as his topic of interest.

Once Dominic was done, we broke for tea at 3.40 pm. After the light refreshments, at 3.40 pm the event continued with Ms. Eunice Chan from Hong Kong presenting her topic on piezoelectric. The last participant was Mr. David Ackland from Australia, presenting his topic of interest which was biomechanics of the human shoulder. After the last participant, the judges convened at a separate area while the others were entertained with a multimedia presentation of IMechE Malaysia’s events and achievements over the past year. After 20 minutes, the judges were back to the theatre. After the speech from Prof. William Banks, the chief judge gave a brief comment on the competition as whole. He has mentioned that each of the four participants had done very well in their presentations thus making the task of selecting the winner of the competition a difficult one.

After the speeches, the results were released; the runner-up was Mr. David Ackland and the winner was Ms. Eunice Chan from Hong Kong. The prize-giving ceremony began which included presenting the winner with a plaque and photo-sessions marked the end of the event. Dr. Raj thanked us personally for our part in the event. The event ended at around 5.45 pm.

The event went on like clock-work, as Prof. William Banks mentioned, partly due to the contributions of IMechE-UNITEN Student Chapter not only because in terms of volunteering in the event, but also as supporters, as UNITEN made up a big part of the audience on that day. This reflects our student chapter as one of the most active (if not the most) in Malaysia. This event also marks the progression of the chapter, as we are now, from having in-campus activities and trips organized by our chapter, to involving ourselves directly with the events held by IMechE Malaysia Branch, on the Asia-Ocenia Regional level, with the attendance of representatives of IMechE UK. It is hoped that this would be a stepping stone for this chapter to reach greater heights.

IMechE UNITEN Student Chapter Survey 2009

Hi guys,

We are now conducting an online survey regarding our future activities such as the industrial visits, lecture talk series, workshops and competitions to be organised. Kindly click the link below to participate in this survey. Thanks for participating in this survey. Have a great day! =)

Click Here to take survey

P/S: The link can also be found on the right panel.

IMechE-UNITEN Student Chapter-The Journey So Far

My Fellow Mechanical Comrades,

The first time my team and I proposed the idea of this chapter, many people thought it will be a flop but time and time again, this chapter had proven to be one of the most active ones in the World. I always believe that the word "Impossible" only exists in the dictionary for fools and Impossible is nothing. IMechE-UNITEN Student Chapter has provided a platform to all mechanical engineering students of UNITEN to be exposed to professional engineering activities. In addition to that, the chapter had strengthen the bond between the students and the lecturers of Department of Mechanical Engineering. From the moment, the 122nd President of IMechE, Mr. John Baxter officiated the launch of the student chapter, we never look back or even take a breather. Instead, we kept on moving forward and had achieved a lot in the past year.

The committee which consists of dedicated and 'never say die' attitude members were the backbone behind all this success. I hereby congratulate and extend my heartfelt gratitude to all committee members 2008/2009 for their undivided support. Special thanks also to the advisors of the club which are Ass. Prof. Ir. Dr. Ramesh Singh, Dr. Norshah, Ass. Prof. Dr. Azree, Dr. Hanim and Dr. Tan Chou Yong for their time, support, dedication and sacrifices. I congratulate Nicholas Ong and his team, the new elect committtee. I strongly believe that Nicholas Ong and his team will bring the chapter to even much greater heights. Looking back at all the activities from the video, made me smile and realise that how time flies in just a blink of an eye. I hope that, each and everyone of you will keep the flag flying high and continue carrying the torch as this chapter has now capture the attention of every mechanical engineer around the globe. Before I take my bow, I hereby leave you guys with a pharse to ponder, "When you stare long enough into the dragon's eyes, there is nothing else you can do, but to slay the dragon. It is now the time for you to slay your own dragon!"

Dominic Hua
Immediate Past Chairman IMechE-UNITEN Student Chapter,
Committee Member Young Members Panel IMechE, Malaysia Branch

IMechE Malaysia Annual Dinner 2009 Report

On 7th April 2009, IMechE Malaysia had its annual dinner at the Royal Lake Club, Kuala Lumpur. The total number of attendees were around 80 people. IMechE UNITEN student chapter sent 14 students and Dr Ramesh Singh was present with his wife as well making us one of the biggest contingents. IMechE Monash University was represented by their president and IMechE Nottingham University sent around 8 students. The dinner started at 7.30pm right after Prof. William Banks arrived. Prof Banks went to every table, greeted everyone of us and was surprised to see so many representatives from our student chapter. He had previously met a few of us during his visit to UNITEN on 6th April 2009. Towards the end of the dinner, Prof Banks, IMechE Malaysia's President, Ir. Chong, IMechE Malaysia's former President, Mr Matthew Thomas gave a speech each. Prof Banks mentioned that he was impressed with our student chapter's activities and encouraged us to keep up with the good job.