IMechE Malaysia Branch
Youth Member Section (YMS)
__________________________________________
Report on National Speak Out for Engineering (SOfE) Competition 2011
Subject : National SOfE Competition 2011
Venue : Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN)
Date : 3rd December 2011
Time : 8.15am – 2.15pm
On December 3, 2011, the UNITEN IMechE Student Chapter hosted the National Speak Out for Engineering (SOfE) Competition 2011 in UNITEN. It was fully supported by the YMS of Malaysia in hope of organizing the annual competition in a competitive yet friendly atmosphere for the benefit of the participants from the engineering community in Malaysia. The event was graced by the presence of the Prof. Teoh Kok Soo, the Chairman of IMechE Malaysia; Dr. Satesh, the Honorary Secretary of IMechE Malaysia.; Mr. Mathew Thomas, committee member of IMechE Malaysia and Dr. Tan Chou Yong, the Chairman of YMS.
In brief, the SOfE Competition is organized annually by the YMS of Malaysia. It is a great platform for individual participants to explore and present their findings of interest in the engineering world to a panel of judges. The deserving winners will be rewarded with cash prizes, whereby the overall winner will receive the opportunity to represent Malaysia at the international level in the IMechE Regional Asia Oceania SOfE Competition. Cash prizes for the first and second-placed winners are wholesome 300 British pounds and 200 British pounds respectively. The previous winner, Mr. Suraj Shergill Singh from UNITEN, had the chance to showcase his knowledge and presentation skills all the way in India at the regional competition.
This year, the panel of judges was formed by three distinguished individuals in their respective fields, namely Prof. Dr. Andanastuti Muchtar from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Dr. Lai Mei I from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and Mr. Robest Yong, an innovator from the Agency of Innovation, Malaysia. Facing the established panel of judges were 7 enthusiastic and anxious participants from various higher education institutes in Malaysia, namely:
1) Mohamed Ackiel Mohamed (UiTM)
2) Mohd Harith Mohd Rothi (Taylor’s University)
3) Wan Muhammad Djawad (UNITEN)
4) Nazarul Hisham (Monash University)
5) Yafus Shakeel Siddiqui (Nottingham University)
6) Fathasya Nurul Aishah bt. Izany (UiTM)
7) Edwin Sim (Monash University)
The day began with the participants and judges arriving for registration and light breakfast prepared by the organizing committee of UNITEN to ensure that everyone was ready and hyped for the upcoming competition. Each participant was supported by their respective lecturers and colleagues. This was especially emphasized by a highly supportive delegation of UiTM students in the audience. At 9am, the competition officially began with Mohamed Ackiel Mohamed presenting his topic “A Novel Inverse Finite Element Program for Mechanical Properties of Human Skin”. He incited the interest of everyone in the room with his explanation on extracting the mechanical properties of human skin via reverse engineering. It was especially inspiring due to the lack of relevant information on human skin in the current academia. He ended his presentation on a high note and invitation to all for a visit to UiTM for voluntary skin-testing.
Wan Muhammad Djawad maintained the hype in the room by following with an eye-opening presentation entitled “Kite Wind Energy”. Through a series of illustrations and video, he propagated the fundamental concept of his topic with confidence and further raised the audience awareness in environmental conservation and search of renewable energy sources. According to him, the potential energy to be generated by the kite technology is much efficient and economical if compared to wind turbine technology, an issue with high potential that should be addressed and pondered by the engineering world.
From the interest on skin and kite, the judges and audience were led to the field of magnetic levitation by Nazarul Hisham with his topic “The Applications of Magnetic-levitation”. He introduced the concept of magnetic levitation with real-life examples such as the awe-inspiring Maglev train in Japan and further development of small Maglev vehicle. The judges were much intrigued by his presentation and even enquired on the potential of magnetic levitation vehicles in Malaysia. Nazarul managed to present his ideas with much poise and confidence.
The audience in the room was then introduced to the topic “Gyroscopes: A New Dimension” by Yafus Shakeel Siddiqui. According to Yafus, his motivation on the topic came from a seemingly silly yet interesting activity done by his friend - observing a spinning top on the floor with great interest. Upon questioning, he realized that it was to understand the mechanism of the gyroscopes and its important applications in the current world, from the small yet powerful iPhone 4 to the essential global positioning system (GPS) device used by many, and the discovery of the existence of the fourth dimension in our world, time. Many were awed to know the usage of a simple yet important device upon Yafus’s presentation.
The next participant, Fathasya Nurul Aishah, came confident and casual in her presentation on “Design of Impact Attenuator for EMoC (UiTM Perodua Eco Challenge Car)”. She emphasized on the importance of safety in driving vehicles, especially due to the increasing number of vehicle accidents in Malaysia. She then brought the judges’ attention to the importance and features of the impact attenuator in a vehicle to reduce injuries and damages to both passengers and vehicle. She concluded by stating that the potential commercial implementation of the component would be dependent on the vehicle size and future development on sizing the component.
With Fathasya’s focus on vehicle safety, Edwin Sim followed up with a topic in the same field with his presentation entitled “Electronic Stability Control: The Myth and Effort towards Accident Prevention”. To capture the audience’s attention on the importance of driving safety, Edwin posed various rhetorical questions related to vehicle’s safety features and drivers’ driving competency. He highlighted the importance of combining and balancing both aspects to achieve best effect in driving safety. It was pointed that neither advanced safety technology or car design would be 100% effective in preventing accident if the driver was over-reliant on the technology or lack of the necessary competency.
Mohd Harith Mohd Rothi, as the final participant, delivered a concept-based presentation on “The Concept of CDIO and the Implementation”. With Taylor’s University being the sole institute to be recognized with CDIO in Malaysia currently, Mohd Harith presented his views on the advantages and results that had been produced since the implementation of CDIO in Taylor’s education syllabi. It allowed students to systematically plan, organize and execute their projects or idea, thereby increasing their interest and level of technical competency. He urged for the implementation of such system in the education system for the benefits of all.
The high quality of presentation and knowledge displayed by the participants left the judges with a difficult task. So competitive were the results that the judges had to reconvene and determine the overall, deserving winner to represent Malaysia at the international level. In the end, after much apprehension, Dr. Tan Chou Yong announced that Mohamed Ackiel Mohamed was the first runner-up while Wan Muhammad Djawad was crowned as the overall winner. The announcement was met with enthusiastic applause from the audience and participants. Before returning, all attendees were treated to a sumptuous lunch prepared by the committee.
To conclude, with the high quality of presentation and intense competition, the SOfE Competition 2011 was a roaring success for all. Prof. Teoh urged that all students of engineering to be motivated by the opportunity presented by the competition to explore their potential and express themselves on the prestigious platform. It was hoped that the engineering students’ pursuit for technical knowledge and competency would be aligned with an equal development in soft skills to be all-rounded individuals, contributing towards the development of the society.
Prepared by:
Wong You Wei
Chairman of National SOfE Competition 2011
UNITEN Student Chapter
Verified by:
Dr. Tan Chou Yong
Chairman
Youth Member Section (YMS)
Institution of Mechanical Engineers Malaysia Branch
Group photograph taken at the National SOfE Competition 2011
Prof. Dr. Teoh Kok Soo, the Chairman of IMechE Malaysia presents the SOfE trophy and cheque amounting £300 to the winner, Wan Muhammad Djawad from UNITEN.
Prof. Dr. Teoh Kok Soo, the Chairman of IMechE Malaysia presents a cheque amounting £200 to the 1st runner up, Mohamed Ackiel Mohamed from UiTM.
Dr. Tan Chou Yong, the Chairman of YMS-IMechE Malaysia presenting his speech
during the National SOfE Competition 2011.
Participants anxiously wait for the announcement of winners.
Judges having hard times in evaluating the performance of the participants.
Guests, particpants and judges having refreshments before the National SOfE Competition 2011 begins.
Dr. Lai Mei I from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) receiving souvenirs from Prof. Dr. Teoh Kok Soo, the Chairman of IMechE Malaysia
Yafus Shakeel Siddiqui from Nottingham University Malaysia Campus
in action during the competition
Mohd Harith Mohd Rothi from Taylor’s University in action during the competition
