Penang Trip Enriches Curtin Malaysia Student's Learning

Miri – 13 November 2017 – 11 students of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) of Curtin University, Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia), who are members of the campus’ IEEE student chapter, had an enriching learning experience whilst on a 2-day study trip to Penang recently.

They visited SIRIM QAS International Sdn. Bhd., Motorola Solutions Sdn. Bhd. and National Instruments Sdn. Bhd., which count among the many industry partners of Curtin Malaysia’s Faculty of Engineering and Science.

The trip, organised by the university’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, was aimed at giving the students valuable exposure to three of the country’s leading technology firms. Accompanying them was ECE lecturer Dr. Law Kah Haw.

At SIRIM QAS International, Malaysia’s leading certification, inspection and testing body, the students were given a presentation on the company’s five core businesses, the importance of product certification and the various aspects of the Internet of Things. The students were also taken on a tour of the company’s laboratories.

Meanwhile, at Motorola Solutions, they were briefed on the company’s business model and product lines, and toured its prototyping and acoustic laboratories where they gained insights into a wide range of industrial gadgets and technologies.

At National Instruments, they met with the company’s senior engineering manager and were given a presentation on the company’s product development in Penang by their advanced staff project engineer, followed by a tour of the company’s manufacturing and production floor.

Master of Philosophy by Research student Tan Hong Hui said he thoroughly enjoyed the visit to Motorola Solutions as the staff there were very detailed in their explanations of how ideas are transformed into products.

“I was really fascinated how the company implements AI technology in its camcoders. As a machine learning researcher, it is inspiring to see how simple AI applications can make such a huge difference to such products,” said Tan.

Meanwhile, Electrical Power Engineering student Cindy Lai said she gained many interesting insights into electrical and electronics engineering in all the visits and was thankful for the opportunity to see first-hand the practical applications of theories learned in the classroom.

While in Penang, the students took the opportunity to visit places of interest such as Penang Hill, Air Itam Dam, Kek Lok Si Temple, Queensbay Mall, Gurney Plaza, Gurney Paragon Mall and Times Square Penang.

Dr. Law remarked that the visits greatly benefitted the students as, in addition to the products and services of the companies, they provided valuable insights into career and internship opportunities, graduate programmes and employers’ expectations of graduates, as well as tertiary and professional qualifications and other requirements needed to enter or advance in the various industries.

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