The Curtin Croc Challenge is back
CURTIN University, Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) is organising its second “Curtin Croc Challenge” on Oct 14.
The inaugural competition last year, held in conjunction with the campus open day, saw teams from 14 secondary schools in the Miri division vying for cash prizes worth RM3,500. This year, the competition will again be held on its open day and cash prizes amounting to over RM5,500 will be offered in two categories – a Schools Category for students in Forms 3 to 6 and an Open Category for the public.
The Curtin Croc Challenge is aimed at promoting critical thinking through exposure to and the practical application of electronics and basic programming to solve a real-life problem – crocodile sightings and attacks along Sarawak’s rivers in an educational and fun way.
The competition is organised by the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of Curtin Malaysia’s Faculty of Engineering and Science with support from the university’s Office of Research and Development and the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM).
Participants will be required to design simple electronic signalling systems to alert riverine communities whenever crocodiles are detected in nearby rivers. They will demonstrate their concepts and designs using Arduino electronic kits and basic programming, as well as posters and other visual aids.
Curtin Malaysia will provide the electronic kits and technical advice and support, including assigning a technology mentor from the university to each team and organising a basic programming workshop at its campus. Those unable to attend will be tutored via instructional videos, phone consultation, e-mail or other means.
According to organising chairman Dr Wong Wei Kitt, many innovative concepts for crocodile detection systems were designed and demonstrated in last year’s competition and it was concluded that an electronic imaging system could be a feasible method of detecting crocodiles.
“In this second edition of the competition, we are taking the challenge one step further, focusing on the design of alarm systems to alert villagers as soon as an imaging system detects the presence of crocodiles,” said Dr Wong.
He added that the competition would be an excellent opportunity for students and “tech whizzes” in the public to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in electronics and basic programming.
The Schools Category is open to teamsoffivestudentsandasupervising teacher from secondary schools in Sarawak, Sabah and Brunei. They can field any number of teams but the category is limited to 30 teams on a first-come-firstserved basis. The Open Category meanwhile, is limited to 10 teams of five persons each. Participation is free of charge.
Those interested can contact Stevenson Tan at 019-885 6076 or e-mail stevenson.tan@curtin.edu. my for information and registration forms. Information is also available at www.openday.curtin. edu.my/croc-challenge/.
Students from invited schools can enquire with their school counsellors. The deadline for registration is July 31. A short promotional video of the competition can be viewed at http://youtu.be/huaGPmFaL98.
As the competition will be held in conjunction with Curtin Malaysia Open Day 2017, participants and their supporters will also have the opportunity to take part in the activities and get a taste of the university’s dynamic campus life. The open day, now into its 11th year, is geared to offer visitors a fun, hands-on learning experience in a festival-like atmosphere.
■ For more information, on Curtin Malaysia, visit its website (www.curtin.edu.my), Facebook page (CurtinMalaysia), Twitter profile (curtinmalaysia), Google+ page (Curtin Malaysia), Instagram (curtinmalaysia) or YouTube channel( Curtin Malaysia).