THE STAR, TUESDAY 31 MARCH 2020

COURSE FOCUS

Streamlined accreditations
UNDERTAKING tertiary education is a long-
term investment in your own future, and it is
logical to enrol in programmes that are
recognised by reputable professional bodies.
Having a professional body vouch for your
credentials goes a long way in securing your
future career, especially if you are an
ambitious individual aiming for progressive
career growth. In addition, you can obtain
the many benefits that come with being a
certified member of an exclusive professional
body.
Being a professionally driven institution,
Tunku Abdul Rahman University College
(TAR UC) always seeks strategic
collaborations with respected professional
bodies to enhance the quality of its
programmes and employability of its
graduates. One notable example is the recent
collaboration forged between TAR UC and the
Board of Quantity Surveyors Malaysia
(BQSM), reinforced with a Memorandum of
Understanding signed on June 24 last year by
TAR UC president Prof Dr Lee Sze Wei and
BQSM president Adj Prof Datuk Aziz
Abdullah.
“Apart from a shorter duration in obtaining
their BQSM registration, students will also
benefit from the waiver of renewal fees for
registration and Continuing Professional
Development points for the first year of
renewal. Moreover, students will receive TAR UC president Prof Dr Lee (second from right) exchanging MoUs with BQSM president Adj Prof Datuk Aziz (second from left) during the
direct guidance for registration processes signing ceremony. Witnessing the exchange are Minister of Works Baru Bian (centre) and TAR UC Faculty of Built Environment dean Assoc
from BQSM, which will help them complete Prof Ooi Lay Yong (far right).
all registration procedures smoothly before
completion of their studies,” explains Assoc and Royal Institution of Chartered Quantity Surveying graduates are eligible faculties, centres, departments and branch
Prof Dr Sia Mal Kong, associate dean of the Surveyors. These will further add value to for credit transfer up to the second campuses, whose contact details can be
TAR UC Faculty of Built Environment’s their credentials when they are seeking semester of the second year of TAR UC’s found at www.tarc.edu.my. Prospective
Department of Quantity Surveying. employment. Bachelor of Quantity Surveying (Hons) students are encouraged to apply online at
In addition to being eligible to apply as SPM-leavers can either enrol in the programme. www.tarc.edu.my. Today is the last day for
Provisional Quantity Surveyors with BQSM, Foundation in Arts or the Diploma in you to enjoy a processing fee waiver when
TAR UC quantity surveying graduates are also Quantity Surveying before progressing to the n Following the closure of TAR UC until you apply online. Attractive scholarships are
eligible to register as Graduate Members with four-year Bachelor of Quantity Surveying Apr 14, prospective students can contact available on the basis of academic merit and
the Royal Institution of Surveyors Malaysia (Hons) programme. TAR UC’s Diploma in the university by contacting relevant sibling discounts for eligible students.

Portable water filter

Assoc Prof
Pasbakhsh.

for disaster relief efforts

FOR all the technological progress the world
has ushered in, access to clean drinking
water remains a problem that still affects
developing nations.
Statistics bear testament to the dire need
to address this issue. A 2019 study from Our
World in Data reveals that 2.1 billion people
do not have access to safe drinking water.
This amounts to a staggering 29% of the
world population. In addition, 1.2 million
people die annually from the consumption
of unsafe drinking water, and 6% of deaths
in low-income countries have been
attributed to unreliable water sources.
The problem is further exacerbated in the
event of natural disasters, where people who
do not have access to clean water face long
waits for reinforcements to be delivered.
Floods or earthquakes cripple accessibility
because of road closures to affected areas.
The Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology
(Slintec), in collaboration with Monash
University Malaysia and Newcastle
University, has developed Poseidon, a
portable filtration device that can be fitted to
a water bottle. This allows people who are
deprived of access to clean water to filter
what they drink.
There are many different types of water
filters in the market. However, what sets
Poseidon apart from its competitors is its
compact design, produced at a fraction of the
cost of similar water filters. Its design
What sets Poseidon apart
from its competitors is its
compact design, produced
at a fraction of the cost of
similar water filters. Its
design ensures it can be
easily fitted to any water
bottle, and it can be
distributed to rural areas
in case of a disaster.
ensures it can be easily fitted to any water
bottle, and it can be distributed to rural
areas in case of a disaster.
“No one has made a water filter as cheap
as this one,” says Assoc Prof Dr Pooria
Pasbakhsh from Monash University
Malaysia’s School of Engineering, adding that
its quality is on par with others in the
market as Poseidon successfully removes
bacteria, BPA and heavy metals, in addition
to passing industry and World Health
Organization standards. There are many
filters out there, but not much attention has
been paid to heavy metal removal in
portable water bottles. Heavy metals are a
concern in countries such as Sri Lanka and
Bangladesh.
Built from nanofibre, which is sourced
from an electrospinning process, and aided
by membranes that form tissues, Poseidon
ensures that every step of the water
filtration process is strictly adhered to. The
filters are reinforced with different types of
nanomaterials as well for high thermal,
mechanical and antibacterial performance.
During Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico
in 2017, thousands of cartons of water
containing millions of water bottles were
left on the runway when a lack of
accessibility hampered relief efforts to the
affected areas. This left millions in a lurch
with no access to clean water.
As one unit of Poseidon can filter 1,000
litres of water, those involved in relief
support can instead opt to deliver the water
filter instead, relieving them of the trouble
of delivering heavy cartons of water. The waters of Sri Lanka as the country is home
disaster victims would then only have to fit to factories and industries that may disperse
the portable filtration device to their water heavy metals into the environment. Our
bottles. focus is in Malaysia and Sri Lanka, but we
Poseidon is currently being tested in Sri would like to bring this product to other
Lanka under the leadership of Slintec’s Dr countries once we find the investors. We
Rangika De Silva, who is an alumna of need investors to come to the fore and fund
Monash University Malaysia’s School of projects so we can help society.”
Engineering. The team is in the process of applying for
“We are testing this in the polluted a patent for Poseidon in Sri Lanka.
2 Engineering & Architecture
The foundations of
our modern world
By NGEH CHEE YEN
WHEN we talk about design, our
minds tend to drift towards
traditional or digital art.
However, we seem to take for
granted the bed we sleep in or
the shoes we wear.
The designers who create
everyday things work in
industrial design, where focus is
placed on designing living
essentials with problem-solving
and user experience as a
priority. By combining art,
business and engineering to
Understanding consumer behaviour and issues, coming up with ideas and concepts design products, they gift the
and bringing designs into realisation with the benefit of consumers in mind are the world with gadgets or appliances
many layers a product designer must go through before a product is fit to be that are not just stylish but
introduced to the world. functional.
Being responsible for solving
the nation’s problems is never an
easy task as there are many
thought processes that go into
industrial design, from the
conception of the initial idea
down to the actual
manufacturing of the product.
l Understanding consumer
behaviour and issues – When
designing a product, the most
important aspect is to first
understand the lifestyle of the
consumer. For example, when
designing a piece of furniture
for a particular person, the
industrial designer must
understand the general
behaviour of the person,
problems faced in his daily life,
how much wastage is generated
from using a current product,
and many other questions that
need to be asked and
understood. Only after obtaining
these data can the concept of a
new product be formed.
l Coming up with an idea or
concept – Some people might
think coming up with ideas is an
easy task. According to industrial
design lecturer Prof Dr Khairul
Aidil Azlin Abd Rahman from
Department of Industrial Design
at Universiti Putra Malaysia,
there is more to it. “Ideas belong
to everyone. Even a small child
Meeting the world’s demands
Industrial design is a
general term that
encompasses the design of all
kinds of products for the
masses. Industrial design
lecturer Prof Dr Khairul Aidil
Azlin Abd Rahman touches
on the three main design
categories in Malaysia that
are currently in high
demand:
l Automotive design –
Malaysia already has its
hands busy with the design
and manufacturing of
national vehicles such as
Proton, Perodua and
Modenas. Manufacturing of
international car brands is
still underway since the
1960s, which calls for fresh
skills and design ideas.
l Furniture design –
According to Prof Khairul, the
furniture design market is
flourishing in Malaysia,
especially with the process of
transformation from original
equipment manufacturing
(OEM) to original design
manufacturing (ODM).
He explains that previously
with OEM, Malaysia was
manufacturing furniture for
export, but with designs from
overseas companies.
Currently, there is a plan to
start producing our own
designs locally through ODM.
The Government is
promoting the hiring of
designers by the industry to
produce Malaysia’s own
product line. Prof Khairul is
confident that the local
industry already has the skill
of manufacturing high-
quality products based on
prior experience with OEM,
but it lacks confidence in
THE STAR, TUESDAY 17 MARCH 2020
will be able to come up with
ideas. However, what makes
industrial designers stand out is
how we are trained to realise
these ideas,” he says.
Coming up with a concept that
works can require advanced
thinking and sometimes go
beyond one’s scope of thinking.
For example, to solve traffic
problems, one has to work out
the type of transportation most
suitable for roads of a particular
region, and it will also have to fit
the lifestyles and needs of the
locals and visitors.
l Realising the concept –
After filtering good ideas from
the bad, it is time to finalise the
design and manufacture the
product. Depending on the
product, Prof Khairul says there
is much to discuss.
Continuing from the previous
example of designing
transportation, he says one has
to think of aspects such as public
parking, ease of use, and the
current personal mobile
transport used by the masses.
Then, the idea will take shape in
a rough design, which could look
like a two-wheeled vehicle with
medium tyres and motorised via
battery.
> TURN TO PAGE 4
establishing its own
showrooms similar to
overseas companies such as
Ikea.
He recognises that it can be
very expensive for such a
forage, but he sees potential
and opportunity in various
other ventures. “We can start
with contract projects for
hotels, government buildings
and cafes. Moreover, the
Malaysian housing
development is thriving, and
most apartments come fully
furnished. Contracts can be
made with interior designers
to design exclusive furniture
for these projects.”
l Product design/
Household essentials –
Product design or household
essential design is no doubt
one of the most expansive
and challenging markets in
the industrial design industry.
Electrical and electronic
giants such as Panasonic, LG,
Sony and Samsung dominate
the markets with essential
products, including rice
cookers, washing machines,
refrigerators and hairdryers.
With this huge production
of new items every season,
there is real need for the
skills of the industrial
designer. Therefore, jobs will
never be out of style as long
as there are still humans who
need these daily products to
live.
For some who have higher
ambitions, they can work to
build their own name by
working with designer label
products. One famous
example is Karim Rashid,
who sells his exclusive
designs to clients.
THE STAR, TUESDAY 31 MARCH 2020 Engineering & Architecture 3

Cutting-edge courses
NESTLED in Sarawak, a region
famed for its stunning natural
wonders and rich cultural heritage,
Curtin University’s Malaysia
campus holds the distinction of
being the university’s largest
international campus and global
hub in Asia. As such, it is helping
Curtin establish itself as a truly
world-class education provider and
expand its global footprint that
now spans the Indian Ocean rim,
stretching from Australia to
Malaysia and Singapore and
onwards to Mauritius and Dubai.
The more than 4,000 students at
Curtin Malaysia form part of an
international community across all
five campuses that is currently
more than 51,000 strong. Like all
the other campuses, the Curtin
Malaysia campus is alive with
inspiration, offering hi-tech
learning spaces and a learning
environment that transforms
student lives. Whether you’re an
eager trainee engineer or an
aspiring corporate professional,
Curtin Malaysia will give you the
tools you need to turn your talent
into career success.
“We offer students the unique
opportunity to pursue courses
from a celebrated Australian
university right in the heart of
tropical Sarawak,” says pro-vice-
chancellor Prof Simon Leunig.
“The courses we offer are
identical to those at other Curtin
campuses and the degrees earned
by students here are awarded
directly by the main campus in
Australia. The difference is our
unique location in Sarawak, with
187,000 hectares of pristine
coastal reef on our doorstep and
the 140-million-year-old
rainforests of Borneo in our
backyard.”
Prof Leunig adds that, in line
with its vision to enrich and
innovate, Curtin Malaysia is
offering a number of new courses
to meet current trends and
demand. Covering concepts and
subjects relevant to the new
millennium, students who
pursue these comprehensive,
contemporary courses are destined
to be leaders in their respective
fields. These courses include:
l Bachelor of Science (Health,
Safety and Environment) – A
course that specialises in teaching
students how to identify and
manage workplace risks to
ensure a safe and healthy work Curtin’s construction management course is inherently management-
environment. oriented and focuses on interrelated disciplines such as domestic,
l Bachelor of Science commercial and civil construction.
(Psychological Science) – This
course emphasises the application specification and evaluation of l Bachelor of Applied Science
of knowledge to problems arising software. (Construction Management) –
in professional practice. l Bachelor of Science Primes students for a range of
l Bachelor of Science (Computing) (Cyber Security) – professional roles within building
(Computing) (Software Focuses on the key concepts and and construction.
Engineering) – An engineering challenges in data and resource
approach to software construction, protection and computer software n For more information, visit
emphasising analysis and design, security. www.curtin.edu.my

Excelling in engineering
AIMST University is a leading
university that pioneered the
field of engineering education in
Malaysia. It commenced
operations on Mar 15, 2001, by
the generosity of philanthropists,
eminent educationalists and
academicians of the Maju
Institute of Education.
At AIMST University, the
Faculty of Engineering and
Computer Technology (FECT) is
committed to helping students
build a strong foundation in the
field of electrical and electronics
engineering. Highlights of AIMST
University’s Department of
Electrical and Electronic
Engineering include:
l Recognised internationally
by the Washington Accord and
accredited by the Engineering
Accreditation Council of
Malaysia
l Tier 4 in the Malaysian
Qualifications Agency D-Setara
rankings
l Affordable fee structure
l Full scholarship for
Foundation in Science students
who enter the faculty’s
engineering programmes
The university offers three
engineering programmes, which
are the B.Eng (Hons) Electrical &
Electronic Engineering, B.Eng
(Hons) in Electronic Engineering
and Diploma in Electrical and
Electronic Engineering. Thanks
to the recognition of its
engineering programmes by the
Washington Accord, AIMST
University’s engineering
graduates have a wide range of
opportunities worldwide.
FECT implements Outcome
Based Education, which,
compared with conventional
teaching methodologies, sorts all
learning outcomes in an
instructive framework.
Academicians in this faculty
have strong industrial
backgrounds with different
specialisations. Another unique
feature of FECT is its research
facilities, which fulfil the needs
of students and lecturers of the
electric and electronics
engineering programmes. All
laboratories are under the
purview of experienced,
industry-based lab specialists
and one principal lab facilitator.
FECT employs a sold
coordinated effort in building
relationships with several
players of the electronics
industry in the northern region
(Penang and Kulim, Kedah),
which benefits students in terms
of finding jobs upon graduation
from AIMST University. Because
of this strong industrial bond,
graduates are placed in
multinational companies, with a
100% employability rate.
Alumnus Gopinath Marefeen,
who graduated in 2014, says,
“My four years at FECT were
excellent. AIMST’s study
environment and comprehensive
lab facilities were a huge plus,
and I really liked the Outcome
Based Education method of
teaching. Our lecturers work
really hard for us to get placed
in the best multinational
companies. AIMST has made
me who I am today: working at
my dream company, Intel
Corporation in Penang, and
being promoted to senior
engineer within five years.”
n For more information, visit
the AIMST University campus
in Kedah or call 012-549 8108/
04-429 8108.
4 Engineering & Architecture THE STAR, TUESDAY 31 MARCH 2020

Adapting to the needs of the consumer

> FROM PAGE 2

However, he poses a crucial question,

“You may have the design down, but if it
looks ugly, do you think people will want to
buy it?” The finished product must of
course be stylish and fit the aesthetic sense
of the consumers to reflect their lifestyles.
l Ensuring consumer satisfaction –
After everything, the ultimate aspect is to
ensure the product benefits the user. For
some consumers such as the elderly with
age-related problems, the designed product
must be made specifically to help and
benefit the user in addition to being easy to
use.

Creativity in your flexibility

Aside from one’s SPM results, her
portfolio could make or break her
aspirations for a career in industrial
design. A portfolio comprises past work,
including drawings, sketches, inspired
designs and participation in design or
innovation competitions, the applicant will
have to compete with thousands of other
applicants from arts or science
backgrounds to snag a spot in a good
industrial design university.
What makes one stand out is his or her Industrial design lecturer Prof Dr Khairul Aidil Azlin Abd Rahman says that industrial designers are free to choose their own paths because of
ability to traverse the technology stream of the flexibility the field affords them, and states that one should work on her portfolio to further enhance her career.
studies. For industrial design, the student
must be well versed in computing, design-related exhibitions, such as the Reka The world is your oyster things you need to earn your bread and
software, product materials, science, Malaysiaku exhibition, which ran from July butter.
economics, data evaluation and design to October at the National Art Gallery last In general, the industry demand for Prof Khairul says, “Students can sell their
analysis, among others. year. industrial designers in the automotive, designs all over the world by sharing their
However, the main factor that He says, “My most important advice is furniture and product design is quite stable portfolio online for the world to see. Most
determines your future is yourself. Prof that creativity is greatly needed in the for both Malaysian and international shores. companies lack resources for research and
Khairul says that industrial designers are future. Even as we move into the Fourth However, an industrial designer does not seek ideas to develop promising products.
free to choose their own paths because of Industrial Revolution with artificial have to be limited to these three industries They are willing to pay good money for
the flexibility the field affords them. intelligence at its peak, the human brain is as there are many other niche industries freelance designers to produce concepts
He encourages students who are still more powerful than a computer. needing designers of a similar calibre. As a and ideas. Our potential in the future is
considering industrial design to learn more Therefore, it is up to us to utilise technology trained creative professional, the internet, a unlimited. It all depends on you as a
about it through research and industrial to make life easier for humankind.” computer and design software are just the person.”