Block B: New Cocu Subjects In The Works

Ms Hellina of UTP Co-curriculum Unit has helped us address rumours of new additions to the subject options, with several special interest subjects being proposed to management.

UTP Sports & Co-curriculum Appreciation Night

Society of Petroleum Engineers UTP took home the major honour of Best Club after a year of successfully executed events, both at national and international level.

Mindsets Matter; Sexism in Our System

Columnist Ashley Ng's take on sexism in engineering universities and what we've got to do to address it.

UTP Tennis Close 2013

Defending champion Amirul Arrif reclaims his gold medal, overcoming Muhd Helmi in the final.

Sitting Down With A Mercedes F1 intern!

David Bong shares his experience interning for Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 in the UK.

Internship Myth Busters!

UTP has long been renowned for its lengthy internship periods, but there are some really dangerous misconceptions floating about, often confusing even its own students! So it's time to separate the fact from fiction when it comes to internship placements!

Goodbye Academia: Convocation 2013

1147 graduates receive their scrolls, marking an end to their time at UTP.

The Bhangra Revolution - Gajjdi Jawani's Rise to Prominenc

Columnist Afthab Afrathim tells the story of our beloved Bhangra performers, who've come very far since their humble beginnings years ago.

Elections, SRC, & Rakan Masjid : Persepective at Last?

Campus Elections of 2013 will always be remembered as the one that didn't happen. Heart of Tronoh speaks to the people that matter, in an attempt to investigate the waning interest in campus politics, and shed light on the main players of the drama surrounding the infamous no-go elections of Jan '13.

Saturday 14 December 2013

SEDEX 32 - Portal To The Future

By Prasad Madhavan, Foundation/2nd, ME

Chancellor Complex, 11 December 2013 – The 32nd Science and Engineering Design Exhibition (SEDEX) was held recently at with this year’s theme of “Portal To The Future”.
The event was held in the Foyer of Chancellor Hall, from 8am to 5pm for two days. This event was split into several categories which includes Final Year Project (FYP), Engineering Team Project (ETP), Post Graduate (PG), Open Innovation Challenge (OIC) and Young Inventor’s Challenge (YIC).

There has been no change in the aim of conducting this extraordinary event for the past 16 years. It has always been in SEDEX’s interest to nurture and develop newer talents that might be able to make a difference to our country or perhaps our world in the future. SEDEX is also seen to be one step ahead in aim of improving science and technological development in Malaysia, as they give opportunity to young talents from both primary and secondary schools to participate in the Young Inventor’s Challenge category, hoping to encourage those who participated to be inventors when the time is right.


This event was a job well done as it was supported by a total of 402 participants which is tabulated as follows:
Category
Total Participants
Young Inventors Challenge
36
Open Innovation Challenge
76
Final Year Project
81
Post Graduate
31
Engineering Team Project
178

Notable winners are “Integrated Mobile Card System For Loyalty Programs” grabbing the Chairman’s Most Innovative Champion and “Forget Us Not (FUN)” for the People’s Choice Award.




The HOT team would like to congratulate the SEDEX Project Director, Mr. Kong Chin Zheng for the effort of SEDEX Committee members and himself in making SEDEX 32 a huge success. We wish you good luck for your SEDEX event in the coming years.

Photos courtesy of SEDEX 32 committee.


Tuesday 3 December 2013

AIESEC Orphanage Open Day


Multipurpose Hall, 29th November- Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS’ AIESEC chapter has taken another noble step in proving their concern over the society’s welfare and humanity- and this time the focus was the orphans. Among the main objectives that the Youth Engagement Development (YED) under AIESEC UTP chapter stressed upon throughout the event was to expose the orphans to modern educational facilities and to inspire them to pursue tertiary education. Ipoh and Batu Gajah orphanage homes were invited to be a part of the event and 61 orphans participated where the oldest was 22 years old and the youngest was two. The event started off at 10am by letting the orphans to have a look around the Information Resource Centre (IRC), UTP followed by some fun activities. At 2pm, UTP students were given chance to interact with the orphans and both students and orphans were entertained by a dance before the orphans returned to their respective homes.

Monday 2 December 2013

Kembara Sufi XI : Manifestation Of Love

Tronoh, 30th November 2013 – Following last year’s success, the Kembara Sufi XI concert was back again, this time gloriously themed “Manifestation of Love”. Students and outsiders alike were seen gathered at Chancellor Hall to attend the concert. An Islamic concert organised annually by Rakan Masjid UTP (RM UTP) and Kelab Media dan Teknologi (MEDTECH UTP), this year’s Kembara Sufi concert featured three local acts – IM Nazrul, ex-contestant from Iman Muda , a programme airing at Astro Oasis, , UNIC, a well-known nasyeed group, and Aizat Amdan, an ex-contestant from reality programme, Akademi Fantasia.

The concert was kick started by an introduction from IM Nazrul, followed by a performance from UNIC. After a montage video on the theme done by UTP students was screened, Raqib Majid, fellow label mate of UNIC made an appearance onstage, promoting their latest single, Bintang Syurga. Singer Aizat Amdan then awed the crowd with an acoustic performance with his brother in which some of the songs performed by him were actually self-composed.

Although attendance wasn’t “full-house” like last year, the concert was still considered a success as many felt it was worth the ticket price. The concert goes to show that UTP-ians do not only emphasize on academic excellence but also believes in strengthening its student’s religious belief by encouraging the conduct of religious events such as these. 

The following are highlights of the event:

Saturday 30 November 2013

ISC Grand Night

By Prasad Madhavan, Foundation/2nd, ME


UTP, 22nd November 2013 - Have you ever wondered how a Bollywood-themed event held by UTP’s very own international students would be like? There’s no longer the need to wonder ever since the International Students Council (ISC) launched their Grand Night in Bollywood at the MultiPurposeHall on the 22nd of November,2013.

The event was held to recognize and appreciate the members for their dedication and tremendous contribution to the ISC. According to Mr.Shehab Abdulwahid Alhemyari, president of ISC-UTP, the ISC team of 2013 has been successful in achieving unimaginable accomplishments this year. The Have-It-Late program conducted by the ISC had managed to further raise its status, having received full support from both its team members and fellow UTP students.

DVCSAA Tn Hj Moh Noor Rosli officiating the event.

As if the spicy Bollywood-theme wasn’t enough, many performances featuring popular groups such as UTP Colours of Rangoli Night (UCRN) and Mozambican Dance Group (MYMOZ ) further enlivened the event. The attendants were even more enlightened when they were treated to a magic show.
The officiator of the event, Tuan Haji Mohamed Noor Rosli, Deputy Vice Chancellor, was very satisfied with the ISC’s progress and development. He suggested for the ISC to conduct more programs similar to the International Independence Day.

After having enjoyed and conducted such a successful and smooth event, both the attendants and the members ended the night with a smile on their faces. However, it does not end here; we’ll be sure to see more of the ISC in the future.


Video highlights:

Wednesday 20 November 2013

Junior Robothon 2013

Sheltering a City with Data

By Jeffry Christopher, ME, Foundation/2nd

UTP, 17th November 2013 – 204 teams of students from different primary and secondary schools around the country gathered in the Chancellor Hall of Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, vying for top honours in the Eduspec Junior Robothon 2013 National Finals. Organized by EDUSPEC together with Dynabook Computer Centre and co-organized by UTP and Kesatuan Kebangsaan Guru-guru Besar Malaysia Cawangan Perak, Eduspec Junior Robothon is a national event for young school-going children to showcase their creativity through technology. This year’s national level competition was held with the theme of ‘Better City Better Life’ with participants ranging from 7 years to 18 years old being divided into 3 categories (Apprentice, Veteran and Expert), based on their age group and robot-programming skills.
A young participant adding some final touches to her design. Photo credit: www.facebook.com/UTPOfficial

Realizing the importance of transmission, integration and interpretation of data that will sustain a city in the coming years, the participants need to tap into their technological knowledge to establish laser communications, retrieve surveillance data, perform data analysis, elevate sky garages and perform a bonus mission using the LEGO Mindstorms NXT robots that they have programmed to emerge as the national champion. Besides the grand prize, the champions were gifted with the honour of representing Malaysia at the 4th DIGITAL YOUTH AWARD Robotics for Children 2013 (DYA), which was held in Manila, Philippines on the 23rd November 2013.

"The event was a huge success and it's amazing to watch these kids come up with great ideas for the future! The only thing I regret is that Tun (Mahathir) couldn't make it! (I) Was looking forward to meeting him!", said organising committee member Miza Ramlan after the event. Former Prime Minister and current UTP Chancellor Tun Dr Mahathir was initially supposed to officiate the event but had to withdraw at the last minute due to a health complication. 



Tuesday 19 November 2013

Amirul Ariff Retains Gold at UTP Tennis Close 2013

Photographs by Muhammad Hazim Bin Iskandar, BIS

UTP Sports Complex, 15th November – Sekretariat Rakan Muda UTP (SRMUTP), never lacking ideas and activities to develop the youth community, recently organized its annual three-day UTP Intra-University Tennis Tournament. As tennis is not a particularly popular sport among UTP students, the event’s main purpose was to give an opportunity to the small community of tennis enthusiasts in UTP to participate and show off their skill.

Jason Eng (ME) about to serve.
Tengku Firdaus Hafiz (PE), one of the organising committee members, mentioned that this year there were only 24 participants including 3 female participants registered for the tournament. This number is tiny compared to other sports tournaments held on campus. Nevertheless, it was still a tough challenge for Amirul Ariff Bin Sazali (CE), the defending champion, who emerged victorious once again.

Champion Amirul with first runner-up Helmi.
Tengku hopes that there will be more students interested in tennis and perhaps would join the tournament in the upcoming years.

Winners list:

   Men's Singles
o   1st place         :           Amirul Ariff Bin Sazali, CE
o   2nd place        :           Muhammad Helmi Bin Zawawi, ME
o   3rd place         :           Jason EngYong Jun, ME

·         Women's Singles
o   1st place         :           Nur ElizaBinti Khairul, PE
o   2nd place        :           Andrea Mujan Karim, PG
o   3rd place         :           Nurul Naqila Binti Shamsuddin, CV

·         Men's Doubles
o   1st place         :
§  Amirul Ariff Bin Sazali, CE
§  Jason Eng Yong Jun, ME
o   2nd place        :
§  Muhammad Nabil Bin Mohd Nordin, CV
§  Muhammad Aidil Bin Nawawi, PG
o   3rd place         :
§  Ahmad Faiz Bin Mohd Naim, CV
§  Muhammad Aiman Bin Sapree, CE


 HOT would like to congratulate all the winners of this year's event.




Editor's note: It was earlier reported that Tengku Firdaus was the Project Manager. This was an error. The PM for the event is Adrian Yong.

Tuesday 12 November 2013

Convofair 2013: Ronnie of Hyper Act and Forteen


Ronnie of Hyper Act and Forteen in UTP

By Jeffry Christopher FX, ME Found 2nd Sem

The visual grandeur of the concert hall on the 27th of October heightened the sense of excitement of the crowd gathered around Oval Park as they waited eagerly for the performance featuring two well-known artists; Ronnie of Hyper Act and Forteen.

 Once the concert took off at 8:30 pm, the audience seemed to be cheering endlessly for the next two hours as the two artists jammed, rocked, and jazzed away the night with uplifting and enlightening musical hits. It was indeed a time well-spent for the visitors at Convofair 2013 as they were entertained to a variety of hit numbers from different music genres.

Everyone who were interviewed after the concert agreed unanimously that it was an enthralling and mind-captivating performance by both Ronnie and Forteen, and an important element to spice up the Convofair.

Tuesday 5 November 2013

Sitting down with a Mercedes F1 intern!



A mug of coffee in hand, Mechanical Engineering final year student David Bong from Serian, Sarawak shared with us his overseas internship experiences all the way in the United Kingdom.

David was one of eight UTP students given the one in a million opportunity to intern at the very heart of Mercedes AMG Petronas F1, its headquarters in Brackley, UK. With a CGPA only barely surpassing the minimum requirement, and after acing an hour long nerve-wracking interview with Robert Thomas, Chief Operating Officer at Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Limited, he embarked on an 8 month journey as insider of the F1 Racing World.


Although he had to work crazy hours and start from the most basic, menial tasks (literally checking on thousands of screw threads a day!), it was obvious from the highlights he gave us of his experience that the aphorism, “work hard, play hard” definitely stood true throughout his internship. The highlights of his internship include operating laser etching machines for racing cars in production, witnessing an FIA (Federation of International Automobiles) crash test firsthand, stripping down an actual used racing car, meeting world renowned Mercedes F1 drivers Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Ross Brawn the team principal, and vacationing across the country on his days off. One interesting story he shared which reflected the casual work ethics of the British was how his boss gave all the Malaysian interns two hours off during working hours just to get out and play in the first snowfall of winter.


When asked on the biggest hurdle he had to overcome, surprisingly it was something as subtle as the weather. The cold and sunlight-deprived winter in England was altogether very depressing and he gained newfound appreciation of the sunny Malaysian weather since then (Tronoh, anyone?). Next to that, there was the general intimidation you get from being a small sized Asian surrounded by towering 6-footer colleagues. Nevertheless, he encourages all future interns to never be deterred by what may seem like a limitation at first, i.e. the weather or stature. Start with what you are capable of, earn your superiors’ trust, and progress slowly from there on. He emphasizes that being proactive has brought him some of the best lessons and opportunities, so guys about to intern next January: Aim high, THIS could be your story next.




P.S. HOT would like to thank David Bong for his time and willingness to be interviewed for the content of this article

Internship Myth Busters!


UTP has long been renowned for its lengthy internship periods, but there are some really dangerous misconceptions floating about, often confusing even its own students! So it's time to separate the fact from fiction when it comes to internship placements!

MYTH: Big companies are ALWAYS better than small companies

FACT:  True, big companies might boost your CV but to what extent will it help you? (Especially if you wind up stuck in the office finishing up your superior’s petty jobs.) A smaller company on the other hand means a smaller staff count and more individual attention. Supervisors tend to personally undertake the job of mentoring and nurturing you. A better supervisor-intern relationship is built, you get to handle more critical tasks or projects as you prove your worth over time, and who knows you might end up working WITH them instead of FOR them, and that level of involvement itself is a worthy mention in your curriculumn-vitae (CV).  

Conclusion: Size doesn't matter. 


MYTH: GPA matters MOST. 

FACT: Yes, outstanding academic qualifications would help and companies do look out for these academically stellar individuals, but aren’t there just thousands and thousands of them out there to choose from? Afterall, “'you are unique, just like everybody else”, so what gives you the edge over others? Networking. Your interpersonal skills put to application, it’s now up to you to associate with influential people that could possibly land you an internship, or even a job in the future. It is true that most job and internship opportunities do come by way of recommendations, be it by your lecturers, seniors or UTP staff.

Conclusion: Networking > Academical prowess


I mean come on, how much of what you learn are you going to use anyway?



MYTH: An overseas internship is all travel and fun. 

FACT: When you start your internship in any local or overseas company, chances are your colleagues are expecting you to work just as hard as them, if not harder. Granted there is the initial stage of showing you around and getting you comfortable but all that gracious hospitality is only going to last for about a week. Most overseas interns come back, admitting that they did do their fair bit of hard labour and came across many difficult situations which those travel photos plastered all over their Facebook timelines would never be able to reveal. For most of them, a good night’s sleep after a long day of work is a good enough vacation for them.  

Conclusions: Yes, you do get breaks and leaves from work but 70% of the time you will be working your butts off.


MYTH: Never send your CV directly to the company, only apply through UTP’s Internship Unit. 

FACT: A popular misconception within our university. It started of with Facebook posts reading “Don't send your CV directly to the CEOs ” which then evolved into “Don't send your CV directly to the companies, only go through UTP’s Internship Unit” being circulated among our students. While it’s true that we should never send our CV to top-level managers and to a particular list of companies provided by *CSIMAL (due to a Memorandum of Understanding between the companies and UTP), we can and are encouraged to send in our CV’s to the Human Resources Unit (HRU) of any other companies we’re interested in. Should you be unsure of the department or contact details, do contact the company’s general line. There are always people that would help to redirect you to the proper channels, just don't be shy on asking.

Conclusion: Shoot those CV’s away, to infinity and beyond! 


MYTH:  Emoticons, multiple exclamation marks and short forms are okay to send along with your CV. 

FACT: We’re not sure if even a basic thing like that needs to be clarified but surprisingly, this was one of the common mistakes cited by Mr Mohd Izmafaimal Bin Abdul Manaf, Executive of Centre for Student Internship, Mobility and Adjunct Lectureship (CSIMAL) often frowned upon by potential companies seeking applicants. Never underestimate the power of email salutations, notice of attachments, using formal language and having common decency in your emailing or phone conversations in influencing your chances of getting an ideal internship placement. Get someone to guide you if you’re unsure.

Conclusion : Learn proper unwritten etiquettes when it comes to communication and emailing.


MYTH: CSIMAL shortlists candidates for MoU Companies and Overseas Internship Placement.

FACT: CSIMAL follows the requirements set by the MoU companies (main criteria such as CGPA) , sponsor and etc. Should there be 100 students that satisfy the requirement(s),  100 names will be sent in. If the company requests 100 Curricular Vitaes(CVs), hence 100 CVs will be sent. No authority has been given to CSIMAL to filter the students, including applicants for the Overseas Internship Placement. If there are students recommended to go overseas and it suits their interest, CSIMAL would forward their names without any unnecessary delay. It is obviously in CSIMAL’s interest to ensure that UTP’s students secure the best internship placement possible, therefore they are doing their best to achieve that. 






To sum up, we’d like to quote John F. Kennedy, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” Likewise, as we dream of an internship that could offer us the the most in terms of experience and knowledge, we need to also assess ourselves and weigh our capacities against the company or research university we’re up against. 


P.S. HOT would like to thank Mr Mohd Izmafaimal Bin Abdul Manaf, Executive of *Centre for Student Internship, Mobility and Adjunct Lectureship (CSIMAL) for his time and willingness to be interviewed for the content of this article

Monday 4 November 2013

Academic Research Exhibition (ACADREX) 2013

By Michelle Tee Sieh Wey & Daphne Chendun

UTP, 27th October- Held in conjunction with Convocation Day from 25th to 27th October 2013, ACADREX involved the participation of various schools and society around Perak with the objective of inculcating a culture of innovation amongst young Malaysians. On the first day, there was a forum held on Innovation. The main highlight of this year’s ACADREX 2013 was also competition and games open to the public under the category of Primary School, Secondary School and Family. Credit goes to Mohd Helmi Azizan and Thavasegaran Muthu, high committees of ACADREX, for their valuable information.
Construct an “Ivory Tower”  using straws that will be tested on its strength and stability. 


Contestants conducting trial runs for an air vehicle competition.


ACADREX 2013 organising committee members pose for a picture together.


Participants trying out the “Hand Steadiness Tester”.

Friday 1 November 2013

Convofair 2013: Cake Mania Competition

By Thenmalar Rajoo, PG, Foundation/2nd

Tronoh, 27th October- Around 20 girls put their creative hats on in a female-only Cake Mania Competition during Convofair last Sunday. According to Amirah Nordzi, the person in charge of the competition, the participants are paired up in a couple and paid an entrance fee of RM 25. The event kicked off at around 11.30 a.m and the participants began decorating the plain cake given to them within 45 minutes with colourful buttercream icing provided. Around 4 p.m all the decorated cakes were proudly displayed to the eager audience and the cake with the most votes was selected as the winner. The best part was that the participants could bring home their own creatively decorated cake while the audience each got a chance to bring back a cupcake.


More photos here:






Sudanese Day 2013

By Mangar Mawut, PE

Tronoh, 29th Oct 2013- “YA BIN HANDASA, YA MAHANDISA”. Sudanese and other students gathered to celebrate Sudanese Day! Graced by the special presence of Mr. Mohamed Mirgani, counselor of the Sudanese Embassy, Malaysia, it was a jolly occasion as many Sudan international students, postgraduates as well as undergraduates were present. The ambassador couldn’t make it to the event at the last minute due to the arrival of a high profile delegation from Sudan without prior notice.


Shortly after the opening speeches, the host Mr. Medani and his beautiful co-Host took the stage. The performance started with an excerpt from the eastern part of the country followed by others such as western, northern and central Sudan. A montage was also presented which highlighted early kingdoms such as Kush, Meroe and many more where pyramids first existed before those of Egypt.
A few performances passed, before the appreciation of the newly graduating Sudanese students.
Thank you to the Sudanese community of UTP for this prestigious event.


Wednesday 30 October 2013

Goodbye Academia!

By, Ibrahim Abu Talib, ICT 

Chancellor Hall, 27th October – Smiles and laughter were all about as new graduates reached the pinnacle of their student life in UTP. The 13th Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) Convocation Ceremony was held to celebrate the 1147 (with 157 postgraduate) students who had finished their studies.

The two-session ceremony was attended by UTP’s Pro Chancellors, UTP’s Board of Directors, representatives from other universities, and graduates’ family members (up to 2 per graduate). The graduation scrolls were presented to the fresh grads by UTP’s Pro Chancellor, YBhg Tan Sri Sidek Hassan.

There were also awards given to the students who had astounding achievements throughout the course of studying in UTP, be it, in academic or in extracurricular activities. The Golden Chancellor Award was given to Lee Hsiu Eik, Bachelor of Engineering (Hons.) Civil. In his speech, he shared his experience living as a student in UTP. He mentioned that every student should have a role other than being a student, so that their life will be better. Currently, he is continuing his Masters studies in UTP.


Award Recipient List
·         Alumni Award: Best Researcher
o   Master
§  Jawad Humayun
§  From Pakistan
§  Master of Science (MSc) in Electrical and Electronic Engineering
o   PhD
§  Muhammad Farooq
§  From Pakistan
§  Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Chemical Engineering
·         Best International Student Award
o   Nguyen Thi Hoailly
o   Bachelor of Engineering (Hons.) Chemical
o   From Vietnam
·         Chancellor Award
o   Gold
§  Lee Hsiu Eik
§  From Sabah
§  Bachelor of Engineering (Hons.) Civil
o   Silver
§  Siti Noor Ashikin Mustaffa
§  From Kedah
§  Bachelor of Engineering (Hons.) Petroleum
o   Bronze
§  Yong Jenn
§  From Johor
§  Bachelor of Engineering (Hons.) Chemical


Award receipients (from left): Yong Jenn, Siti Noor Ashikin Mustaffa, Nguyen Thi Hoai Vy, and Lee Hsiu Eik.


YABhg Tan Sri Sidek Hassan giving a scroll to one of the graduates.

Some of the lecturers that came to witness their students graduating.



Tuesday 22 October 2013

First ever Counter Strike competition in UTP!


By Kavin Kumar, ME.


Tronoh, 3rd October- Gamers on campus unite as they eagerly register themselves for an unexpected pre-event organized by UTP Colors of Ranggoli Night- a Counter Strike (CScompetition. Gamers were seen geared up with their Bluetooth mouses and branded headphones such as Beats Audio, braced to show off their gaming prowess and tactical skills.

The list of winners are as below with the champion garnering RM 100 of cash prize and the two runner ups RM 75 and RM 50 respectively. 

Placing
Group name
Member 1
Member 2
Member 3
Member 4
Champion
Keep Calm
Omar
Farukh
Atajan
Bakhadir

1st Runner Up
House 3
Arrianizam
David Bong
Awang
Ngo Up Chee

2nd Runner Up
FTW
Ong Kai Sheng
Kam Chong Ping
Kueh Seow Hian
Nigel Chuah




Gamers all geared up to battle their opponents!

There were even spectators who came just to watch the matches. 



For more pictures do visit the official UCRN Page at: https://www.facebook.com/UtpColoursOfRanggoliNight2013