editorial board - mysetmyset.org.my/.../pdf/myset-nov-dec-issue-32-2015-web.pdfnovember-december...

ET

Editorial BoardAdvisorProf. Dato’ Abang Abdullah Abang Ali

Chief EditorAssoc. Prof. Dr. Suraya Abdul Rashid

Council MembersPresidentProf. Dato' Abang Abdullah Bin Abang Ali

Deputy PresidentProf. Ir. Megat Johari Bin Megat Mohd Noor

Vice PresidentsIr. Asst. Prof. Ahmad Bin Tamby KadirProf. Dr. Wan Mohammad Bin Wan Abdullah Hj. Zaharuddin Bin Saidon Prof. Dr. Wan Mansor Bin Wan MuhamadAssoc. Prof. Ir. Dr. Abd. Rahim Bin Abu Talib

Secretary GeneralAssoc. Prof. Dr. Tinia Idaty Binti Mohd Ghazi

TreasurerMr. Rahman Bin Wagiran

Ordinary Council MembersAssoc. Prof. Dr. Suraya Binti Abdul RashidIr. Rocky Wong Hon Thang Ir. Abdul Aziz Bin Omar Prof. Dr. Ishkandar Baharin Ir. Azlan Abdul Aziz Ir. Hj. Wan Ahmad Nizar Bin Zakaria Prof. Dato' Dr. Abdul Hakim JuriDato' Dr. Ir. Hj. Abdul Rashid MaidinHj. Mohd Ghaus Ab Kadir Mr. Samuel Devadasan

Contact UsMySET SecretariatMalaysian Society for Engineering & Technology.Level 2 Block A Faculty of Engineering.Universiti Putra Malaysia43400 UPM Serdang Selangor,T: +603 8946 6451; F: +603 8946 6481E: [email protected]: www.myset.org.myFB: www.facebook.com/groups/myset/

Publishing & Advertising ConsultantDeCalais Sdn BhdG-1-1 Plaza Damas60, Jalan Sri Hartamas 1Sri Hartamas, 50480 Kuala LumpurT: +603 6201 0725; F: +603 6201 0756E: [email protected]: www.decalais.com

DisclaimerViews expressed are not necessarily those of MySET. MySETtakes no responsibility for the consequences of any actiontaken based on any information published in ET and neithershall it be held liable for any product or service advertised inthe same. No part of this publication may be reproducedwithout the permission of the publisher.

SurayaAssoc. Prof. Dr. SurayaAbdul RashidChief Editor

Editor’s Note

Dear MySET members,

Welcome to the Nov-Dec 2015 issue of the Engineering andTechnology (ET) Magazine, which is the final issue for 2015.

In this issue, we feature an opinion column by Ir. RockyH.T Wong, who is one of MySET’s council members. Anengineer who continues to be an influential figure inMalaysia’s engineering and technology fraternity even afterretirement. It is a privilege to receive this opinion columnentitled “Cross Border Trade in Engineering and ConstructionServices – A Practitioner’s Perspective”.

MySET was involved in various activities in October andNovember. In early October, MySET President, Prof. Dato’Abang Abdullah Abang Ali was invited as Keynote Speaker atthe Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics(STEM) Education Forum organised by University MalaysiaSarawak (UNIMAS). At the end of October 2015, we co-organised the Science and Engineering Technology Nationalconference with University Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia FranceInstitute (UniKL-MFI) being the lead organisers. In November,the Workshop on Accreditation Assessment and theWorkshop on Complex Problem Solving were held on twoconsecutive weekends. Finally, a meeting between theInstitute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology(IMarEST) and MySET was held at the end of November, todiscuss about joint collaborations.

It is safe to conclude that 2015 has been an eventful andfruitful year for MySET. Don’t forget to look out for reports onDecember events in the next issue of ET Magazine. Till wemeet again in the new year…

Warm regards,

Suraya

November-December 2015

November-December 2015 ET

Highlights 3

Malaysia Board ofTechnologists (MBOT)

On the 4th of June 2015, theTechnologists and TechniciansAct 2015 (Act 768) was

gazetted. This Act provides for theestablishment of the Malaysia Board ofTechnologists (MBOT), and for theregistration and recognition ofProfessional Technologists andCertified Technicians in providingtechnology services and technicalservices, as well as for other relatedmatters.

The minister for the Ministry of Science,Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), YBDatuk Seri Panglima Madius Tangauhad signed the Act on 1st August 2015and MBOT was officially established.

Recently, on 18th November 2015, theMinister had appointed Tan Sri Prof.Datuk Ir. Dr. Ahmad Zaidee Laidin,(Chairman for the Board of Directors,Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka(UTeM)), as the MBOT President. Prof.Dr. Wan Mohammad Wan Abdullah(MySET council member and Director,Quality Assurance Centre, UniversitiKuala Lumpur) and En. KamelMohamad (Senior Undersecretary ofPlanning, MOSTI) were appointed asBoard members.

It is expected that the rest of the Boardmembers will be appointed by January2016. The maximum number of Boardmembers allowed by the Act is 19including the President. A full-timeRegistrar, who shall be under thedirection of the Board, will be appointedby early January 2016 and MBOT isexpected to be in operation by then.

Cross Border Trade in Engineering &Construction Services vis-à-visInternational Engineering Agreements– A Practitioner’s Perspective.

USA launched the initiative in 1986 to introduce Tradein Services (TiS) as a new agenda for the GATT’sUruguay Round (following the Tokyo Round of the

‘70’s and the Kennedy Round of the ‘60’s). Previous roundssince GATT’s 1947 formation dealt with only trade in goodsand merchandise. After all, GATT (the forerunner to WTO –formed on 1st January 1995) stands for, General Agreementin Trade and Tariff.

TiS, as lobbied by American Bankers and Financial Institutions(read accountants) were then considered by many nations as‘invisible trade’, gauged by annual Balance of Payments (BOP);either the nation has had a positive or negative BOP. TiS tothe accountants are in banking, insurance, project (loan)financing, credit card transactions, etc. These were very oftenreferred to as financial products or financial instruments orasset-management by innovative accountants who alsointroduced ‘financial engineering’.

Ir. Rocky H.T. Wong.

MySET Council Member

November-December 2015ET

4 Opinion

Hang on. Is that fish or fowl?

The engineers soon realised that accountants (bankers andfinancial institutions) can have their financial-products onlywhen there are real projects to leverage on; to create thenumerous instruments that facilitate trade in financial services.It all begins with engineering and construction services onwhich ride the financial services priming cross border trade.Trade not only in engineering and construction services, butindeed trade in so many other engineering and technologyservices as in energy distribution, communication & ICT,environmental services, etc.

It is no surprise that the first attempt, three years after the 1986launch of GATT’s Uruguay Round, was to establish a QualityFramework for bench-marking the (lead) Engineering ServicesProvider, The ‘Engineer’ crossing the border into differentjurisdictions, was the Washington Accord; for the structuredassessment of the entry qualification into the EngineeringProfession. For professional engineers (following theirformation & development) to be gauged for their competence,skills and ethical/professional standing for cross bordermobility, the Quality Framework was supplemented with someform of MRA, which make their appearances as the APECEngineer Agreement and the International Engineer Mobility.Moreover, the APEC Engineer’s skills/experience templateforms the basis for mutual recognisition criteria of the ASEANChartered Professional Engineer (ACPE) under the ASEANMRA on Engineering Services that came into effect 2005 (10years ago!).

A team usually delivers Engineering & Construction Services.An Engineering Team consists of various grades of ESP whoare Professional Engineers, Engineering Technologists,Technicians, and related engineering trade professionals.These people are organised into appropriate coherent teamsto provide either Engineering Services under WTO CPC 8672,or Integrated Engineering Services under CPC 8673. Either asPMC on the Demand Side or as EPCC on the Supply Side ofthe Project Delivery Equation, and Construction & EngineeringServices under the CPC cluster of 511 to 518.

The International Engineering Agreement (IEA) represents aholistic quality framework for QA/QC based delivery ofEngineering & Construction Services provided by teams of ESPwho have their respective qualification/competence/skillsbenchmarks established by international best practices;subjected to CQI/OFI being carried out on a regular andincremental basis. The IEA is therefore meant for cross bordertrade in engineering & construction services, and practitionersare encouraged to pay heed to their further development.

It all begins withengineering and

construction serviceson which ride thefinancial services

priming cross bordertrade. Trade not only in

engineering andconstruction services,but indeed trade in so

many otherengineering and

technology services asin energy distribution,communication & ICT,

environmentalservices, etc.


5Opinion

Event6


STEM to STEAM: TheImportance of Arts inSTEM EducationOctober 7-8, 2015 / Four Points by SheratonBy: Al-Khalid Othman* & Noraziah Abdul Wahab**

Why Science, Technology, Engineering andMathematics (STEM) Education is important andhow it contributes for Malaysia, and Sarawak in

particular, to be a developed nation by 2020? What doesSarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) actuallyrequire from the future manpower? At the STEM EducationForum held during UNIMAS STEM Engineering Conference2015 on 7th – 8th October 2015, organised by UniversitiMalaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) in collaboration with TabungEkonomi Gagasan Anak Bumiputera Sarawak (TEGAS), theforum panel discussed questions, suggestions andanswers related to the forum topic entitled STEM

Education: The Way Forward for Technical & VocationalEducation & Training (TVET) Development & Sustainable SkilledWorkforce for Sarawak.

The forum is a significant milestone event in the STEM educationdevelopment in Sarawak as it is honoured by three distinguishedspeakers namely YBhg. Prof. Dato’ Ir. Abang Abdullah Abang Ali,President, Malaysian Society for Engineering and Technology(MySET); Dr Abdul Rahman Deen, Director, WorkforceDevelopment Unit Sarawak; and Associate Prof. DrMudiyanselage Saman Dassanayake, University of Colombo, SriLanka, with Dr Mohd. Raduan Kabit as the forum moderator.

From right: Dr Mohd. Raduan, Prof. Dato’ Ir. Abang Abdullah, Dr Abdul Rahman Deen and Associate Prof. Dr Saman.


Event 7

In response to one of the questions during theforum, Prof. Dato’ Ir. Abang Abdullah highlighted theimportance of ARTS (A) to be embedded in theSTEM education. He earlier mentioned that morethan 80% of future works will be in the area ofcomputing and engineering. The world is changingand moving towards enhancing students’imagination, creativity and innovation in learningScience, Technology, Engineering andMathematics. These are the arts elements essentialfor making learning STEM subjects as aninterdisciplinary fields, combining the engineeringminds and that of the designers’ minds. Prof. Dato’Ir. Abang emphasised that it is ill effort shouldMalaysia, and Sarawak in particular, miss this moveif we do not take any leap to enhance the STEMtowards STEAM.

Prof. Dato’ Ir. Abang Abdullah is at UNIMAS STEM EnCon2015 with other participants.

Event8


STEAM will be an interdisciplinary subjects andnot compartmental. It should be more practicaland industrial-engaged as well as it should havea sufficient framework. We should make STEAMattractive to students by making the subjectcontent interesting and emphasise to studentsthat STEAM is good for the future. Allstakeholders; government, industries, higherlearning institutions and community shouldcreate an attractive STEAM image and goodcareer opportunity that it is properly rewardedand highly recognised.

In order to make STEAM subjects interestingand contemporary, input from industries arecrucial for the academic content. STEAMcurriculum should be in the “buffet” style,whereby it allows flexibility in the curriculumdesign. The government should motivatestudents by providing scholarships for studentsto pursue STEAM-related academicprogrammes. The government should alsoaccentuate the importance of continuousprofessional development after graduation tomake graduates stay relevant in their respectiveSTEAM professional career.


Event 9

The forum also discussed on the 21st century skills andattributes require of the graduates to fulfil the manpowerneeds especially in SCORE areas in Sarawak. Thus, thishas made another education sector that is TVET(Technical and Vocational Education and Training) to bean important sector to make Sarawak realises its visionto be a developed nation by 2030.

Earlier, UNIMAS STEM EnCon2015 was officiated by YBDatu Haji Len Talif Salleh, Assistant Minister at ChiefMinisters Office (Promotion of Technical Education),Assistant Minister of Environment (Ministry of ResourcePlanning & Environment) and Chairman of TEGAS. Duringthe launching ceremony, Datu Len had also announcedthe establishment of STEM Education Lab at the Facultyof Engineering, UNIMAS. The aim of STEM EducationLab is as a platform to initiate activities that can promoteinterest in STEM education among Sarawakians and alsoto develop human capital for STEM related careers. Theconference also marked a significant milestone forUNIMAS, whereby the university exchangedMemorandum of Agreement (MOA) with six variousindustries namely Shorefield, One Medicare, X-FabSarawak, SACOFA, Infra Tech Geo Solutions and ElcorpTechnology.

Event10


Science and EngineeringTechnology NationalConference 2015October 26-27, 2015 / Hotel Bangi, PutrajayaBy Mohamad Asmidzam Ahamat and Azura Omar

Participants of SETNC 2015

The Universiti Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia France Institute(UniKL MFI) and the Malaysian Society for Engineering &Technology (MySET) as a co-organiser, had successfully

organised the Science and Engineering Technology NationalConference 2015 (SETNC 2015) on the 26th and 27th October2015. The theme ‘Towards Innovative and SustainableDevelopment’, aimed to highlight the contributions of engineeringtechnology towards the nation’s advancement, particularly in the

innovative and sustainable development. According to AssociateProfessor Dr Jamel Othman, General Chair of SETNC 2015 andHead of Campus, UniKL MFI, the objectives of SETNC 2015were to bring together engineering technology enthusiasts toshare and discuss the latest scientific findings and innovations,to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and intensifyresearch culture amongst participants.


Event 11

It was a great honour for SETNC 2015 to have Mr Abdul HalimAbas, Deputy Director General (Education), Majlis AmanahRakyat to officiate the conference. In his speech, Mr Abdul Halimemphasised on the necessity of interdisciplinary researchactivities within engineering technology enthusiasts in producinga more holistic innovation to solve a technical or non-technicalissue. This opening ceremony was witnessed by delegates fromthe UNESCO IHE Netherlands and several government andprivate agencies such as Institut Penyelidikan Sains & TeknologiPertahanan (STRIDE) and Malaysian Investment DevelopmentAuthority (MIDA).

The keynote speakers provided a broad palette of views. Thekeynote speeches were delivered by Professor Dato’ AbangAbdullah Abang Ali, the President of the Malaysian Society forEngineering & Technology (MySET) and Mr Muhammad Sabri Ab.Ghani, Chief Executive Officer of Tanjung Offshore Services. Thefirst keynote speaker, Professor Dato’ Abang Abdullah,emphasised on the importance of sustainability in the nation’sdevelopment. He pointed out that innovations are only means togive benefits to society, yet wisdom is the most essential elementthat should be possessed by engineering technology graduates.The second keynote speaker, Mr Muhammad Sabri shared thecurrent crisis in the depletion of easy oil resources, innovativemethods to increase oil production, latest technology andchallenges in oil and gas industry, and steps required to sustainleadership in the industry.

Opening Ceremony of SETNC 2015

Mr. Muhammad Sabri Ab. Ghani, Chief Executive Officer of Tanjung Offshore Services

Event12


Professor Dato’ Abang Abdullah Abang Ali, the President of Malaysian Society for Engineering & Technology (MySET)

In this two-day conference, 127 research papers had beenpresented in nine tracks in sciences and technopreneurship.SETNC 2015 recorded an increase of 43 % in number ofpapers presented, compared to the first edition of the SETNCseries, SETNC 2013. Presenters were academicians fromPusan National University in South Korea, Brunel University,Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute(MARDI), INTI International University, Universiti TeknologiMalaysia, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Universiti TeknologiMARA and campuses within Universiti Kuala Lumpur.

The Gala Dinner was held in the evening of 26th October. Inher welcoming speech, the Event Manager, Dr Tuan SalwaniAwang, expressed the appreciation of the SETNC 2015committee on the support given by the participants in makingthe conference a successful event. In this dinner, the Journalof Science and Engineering Technology, a scholarly openaccess and peer-reviewed journal owned by Universiti KualaLumpur, Malaysia France Institute was also officiallylaunched by Professor Dato’ Dr Mazliham Mohd Su’ud,

President and Chief Executive Officer of Universiti KualaLumpur. Throughout the dinner, participants were presentedwith live band and Gamelan performance by the IramaWarisan group from Universiti Kuala Lumpur, MalaysianInstitute of Chemical and Bioengineering Technology (UniKLMICET).

In the Closing Ceremony, 18 papers were selected for theBest Paper Award. In his closing speech, AssociateProfessor Dr Jamel Othman, General Chair of SETNC 2015hoped that participants had a fruitful discussion and foundopportunities for research collaborations with variousengineering disciplines in the near future. He alsoacknowledged the contributions from the Malaysian Societyfor Engineering & Technology (MySET), as the co-organiserof SETNC 2015.

The next edition of SETNC series will be held in 2017, and itwill make its debut as an international conference.


Event 13

Two-Day Workshop onAccreditation AssessmentNovember 14-15, 2015 / Marriott Hotel, Putrajaya

The Malaysian Society for Engineering &Technology (MySET) had organised the thirdAccreditation Assessment Workshop on 14th

and 15th November 2015 at Marriott Hotel, Putrajaya.

The workshop revolves around developing theassessment report for the accreditation of engineeringprogrammes. The report serves to provide theaccreditation evaluators, such as the ExaminationAccreditation Council (EAC) an account and self-evaluation of a programme, covering curriculum, staff,students, facilities and the management system. Apoor self-assessment report creates unnecessarystress and confusion on the day of accreditationwhereas a well-written report acts as a referencedocument of a programme status, and also eases theprocess of accreditation. The workshop discussed thestrength and weakness of a self-assessment report.

Event14


Engineering programmes are expected to bedeveloped from clear programme objectivesthat cascade to programme outcomes andcourse learning outcomes. Many institutions ofhigher learning have approached theassessment of these objectives and outcomesthrough perception surveys but are reserved inusing direct measurement techniques. Thedirect assessments are in fact giving correctfactual information, except that it has to beplanned and implemented accordingly. Theworkshop discussed issues related to the directassessment of course and programmesoutcomes, ensuring seamless linking betweenthe two, as well as obtaining the set ofprogramme objectives. Attainments ofindividual and cohort programme outcomeswere discussed. Hopefully with this knowledge,the institutions of higher learning can enhancetheir existing outcome-based approach inproviding appropriate engineering education.


Event 15

Event16


The speaker of the workshop was Prof. Ir. MegatJohari Mehat Mohd Noor, who covered threemain sessions; (i) Programme Objectives andOutcomes and Complex Problem, (ii) DevelopingCourse Outcomes at appropriate TaxonomyLevel, and (iii) Ensuring Attainment of OutcomesThrough Assessments.

The workshop was attended by 10 participantsfrom local universities such as Universiti TunHussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), UniversitiTeknologi MARA (UiTM), Universiti MalaysiaSarawak (UNIMAS), Universiti Putra Malaysia(UPM), Jabatan Pengajian Politeknik (JPP),Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), and UniversitiTeknikal Melaka Malaysia (UTEM).


Event 17

Two-Day Workshop onComplex Problem SolvingNovember 21-22, 2015 / Marriott Hotel, Putrajaya

The two-day workshop on Complex ProblemSolving was organised by the MalaysianSociety for Engineering & Technology

(MySET) on 21st and 22nd November 2015 atMarriott Hotel, Putrajaya.

The Washington Accord at its meeting in June 2012had evaluated all its signatories’ graduate attributes(programme outcomes), knowledge profile andcomplex problem solving according to its ownstatements, as part of the continual improvementprocess to standardisation. As a result, allsignatories including the Board of EngineersMalaysia/ Engineering Accreditation Council (EAC)are expected to address those characteristicsexplicitly. The EAC, as such had introduced therevised 2012 manual to address the issue. Althoughthe issue of complex problem solving has beendiscussed at various workshop and seminars, it wasnot done explicitly. This workshop had addressedcomplex problem solving with the expectation forinstitutions to apply the process and thereby, alsobe prepared for accreditation by EAC.

The speaker of the workshop was Prof. Ir. MegatJohari Megat Mohd Noor. Throughout the two-dayworkshop, six main sessions were covered;

i. Introduction to Washington Accord Requirements

ii. EAC's 2012 revision on Programme Outcomes

iii. Complex Problem Solving I

iv. Complex Problem Solving II

v. Complex Problem Solving III

vi. Knowledge Profile and Assessment

Event18


The workshop was attended by 18 participantsfrom local universities and industry such asUniversiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Universiti TunHussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), UniversitiTeknologi Malaysia (UTM), Universiti MalaysiaPerlis (UniMAP), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak(UNIMAS), Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka(UTEM), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT),Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti TunkuAbdul Rahman (UTAR), Infrastructure UniversityKuala Lumpur (IUKL), TATI University College(TATIUC) and SAPURA.


Event 19

IMarEST and MySET JointCollaboration InitiativeNovember 26, 2015 / MySET

An engaging meeting was held between the Malaysian Societyfor Engineering & Technology (MySET) and the Institute ofMarine Engineering, Science and Technology, United

Kingdom (IMarEST) on 26th November 2015 at MySET’s office. MrRahman Wagiran and Assoc. Prof. Dr Tinia Idaty Mohd Ghazirepresented MySET, while, Mr David Kelly and Ms Jenny Seow, theDirector and General Manager for Asia Pacific, both from IMarESTand Ir. Yeo Cheong Kwan from the Malaysia Oil and Gas ServicesCouncil (MOGSC), who has been actively involved in initiating thiscall.

The meeting was set up to discuss the possibilities of having aninternational collaboration between MySET and IMarEST, UK on theprofessional memberships, for those who are pursuing theireducation and career in the marine engineering, science andtechnology. Particularly, the targeted groups are the undergraduatestudents and those who are dynamically involved in the marine, oiland gas industries that have different level of education and jobposition. This would create a reliable platform for assistance seekingof exploring the potentials to continue developing their career andbecome a professional in their field of expertise.

Among the agenda discussed were the initiation of promotingmembership that both organisations could best benefit together. Thiswould include a joint collaboration in developing continuousprofessional development with recognition and certification, onlinetechnical environment for exchange of knowledge and expertisesharing, technical conferences, workshops, training and activities,and also community related events. In addition, the potential ofinitiating a Marine Engineering and Technologies Interest Group inthe MySET, as a platform to gather experts in these fields, exchangeand share knowledge and experiences, joint collaboration ontechnical events and activities, publications, promoting potentialpath for career development, and others.

Following this, it is hoped that MySET and IMarEST, UK would cometo consensus, with an endorsed memorandum of understanding asa kick-off to realise this initiative, and further to provide a goodreputable service and impact to the society.

editorial board - mysetmyset.org.my/.../pdf/myset-nov-dec-issue-32-2015-web.pdfnovember-december...

Documents