Students bag top prize at competition
UCSI University has an impressive list of local and international awards that its engineering and architecture students have won over the years.
In the past year, UCSI students have bagged the grand prize in the 2013 Schlumberger Ocean Plug-in Competition, 13 major prizes at the 17th MIID Interior Design Competition, seven major awards at the PAM Students’ Architectural Workshop, three gold medals and one silver at the Fifth International Engineering Invention and Innovation Exhibition 2014 and second place at the 2014 Schlumberger Enhanced Oil Recovery Contest.
The university’s Faculty of Engineering, Technology and Built Environment dean Dr Jimmy Mok says that the culture of excellence is a result of the faculty’s emphasis on industrial relevance.
“By developing plug-ins to test oil wells and seeking to improve the way crude oil is extracted, UCSI students are essentially working on global solutions. We encourage this as it accelerates one’s learning process and creates an avenue for students to apply their knowledge. As a result, our students grow in confidence and most are work-ready before they even graduate,” he says. Dr Mok adds that this arrangement is possible thanks to UCSI’s close partnership with leading engineering and architecture firms. These tie-ups establish healthy two-way channels of communication, putting the university at the forefront of industrial development.
This is exemplified through UCSI students Prabu Gunasagaran and Satyaraj Muniandy, winners of the RM15,000 grand prize in the 2013 Schlumberger Ocean Plug-in Competition. Developing a plugin named TESWell to evaluate oil well conditions, predict fluid behaviour and estimate reservoir parameters, Prabu and Satyaraj beat 30 teams from Australia, Singapore and Malaysia to win the competition. Crediting UCSI for their success, Prabu says that the exposure to the different types of software helped them adjust quickly to the Petrel software that Schlumberger had provided to develop the plug-in.
“We are constantly introduced to different types of software in classes and lab sessions and this enabled us to handle the software better. Apart from the smooth adapting process, effective communication played a major part in our win. It was vital for me to understand Satyaraj’s work and present the technical terms in a way that is easy to understand. In order for me to do so, he had to give me comprehensive explanations. Effective communication was a big factor in our success,” explains Prabu.
Satyaraj says that he gained better time management skills at UCSI and this helped when he began work on the plug-in. Prabu and Satyaraj add that the engaging learning environment at UCSI helped them dig deeper when it mattered most.
For more information, call 03-9101 8882 or visit www.ucsiuniversity.edu.my/ onlineenquiry