Exposure abroad shapes UTP’s global citizens
High flyers received excellence awards at UTP’s 19th convocation
For UTP's newly minted graduates, their path to a great career start has been mapped out for them even before they leave the university. Every year, UTP stands out as the university that trains its graduates to be progressive actors in the fields of engineering, science and technology. At our recent 19th convocation, the latest crop of our enterprising graduates is more determined than ever to bring change to the industry.
Launching one's career is critical, yet it isn't easy, particularly when industry demands are high. Ultimately, international exposure, deep industry ties and research help prepare our graduates to transform knowledge into impactful action. In the face of extra-high stakes and daunting unknowns, we make sure our graduates are well prepared to excel in implementing the hard and soft sides of change.
Gold Chancellor Award winner, Aliya Najiha Amir, 23, a Bachelor of Information Technology (Hons) graduate, says, "For me, the field of IT is moving so fast. When it comes to IT, innovation takes on a whole new meaning. Just how fast today's IT technologies can unleash new solutions is something that really intrigues me."
For her final year project, Aliya came up with an IoT device called Smart Water. "For my research project, I designed a prototype smart cup that's connected to a mobile app to assess the purity of water contents. As a result, the cup is able to measure water's oxygen composition and Ph values, among others, to help promote healthy living," she says.
Significantly, according to Aliya, the opportunity for international exposure at UTP has taken her to South Korea for an outbound exchange program. In turn, this helped her to concoct the best formula for her IoT device. She says, "The stay there has helped me to gather valuable data and knowledge about the latest technologies in IoT to complete my research project."
"The campus here is like a mini state. UTP holds a vast array of student-led events to help its students gain knowledge in various fields, especially sports and academics. My other big lesson here is, through the elaborate exchange of ideas, I have cultivated a lot of respect for others. If I can sum up my experience at UTP, it is that we need to work together to solve our problems," she asserts.
Meanwhile, Silver Chancellor Award winner, Looi Chee Kean, 23, a Bachelor of Civil Engineering graduate says, "My work as the president of UTP's Civil & Environmental Engineering Students Society (UCITY) was a defining phase in my formative years. Outside the classroom, I was provided many avenues to spearhead a drive for my ideas across university-wide events and industry engagements."
Offering a quick give on the university's profound global networks and resources, Looi says, "As a result of UTP's vast industry network, I was frequently involved in exchange programs. Previously, I had been to Thailand and Greece for a number of industry and community projects."
Looi also reveals that humility is the most important quality that his lecturers have instilled in him. "Here, we are fortunate to have been handed a multitude of opportunities before us and the strength in diversity. But personally, if you don't carry the right attitude, all these opportunities would amount to nothing. For this, I'm forever thankful to everyone here."
Last but not least, Bronze award winner, Ho Syhui, 23, a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering graduate, opines that the integrated team projects she was tasked to undertake together with students from other programmes have really helped her to understand the viability of research and project management.
Ho, who excels at the intersections of academic and sports, says, "What's really interesting is, all these projects help us to build a bridge with industry players, not just for our academic projects, but potentially job opportunities in the future. This makes us more resilient, and at the same time, it gives us work experience before we even graduate."
"Apart from this, we have a lot of clubs and societies that are tailored to students' interests," says the chemical engineering graduate. A former national table tennis player, the unwavering support given by the university, particularly Yayasan Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (YUTP) has helped her to earn precious international exposure.
"I benefitted a lot from YUTP. In 2017, given the support, I went to Greece as Malaysia's ambassador at the International Olympics Academy where participants from 88 countries took part in the body's youth development programme. There, I learned a lot about Olympics movement, the shared values the governing body upholds and sports governance."
Published on 20 November 2019
