KUCHING – Swinburne’s chemical engineering department once again exhibits its brilliance by securing two different spots consecutively in the prestigious Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) Malaysia Awards 2020.

The IChemE Malaysia Awards is an annual award that commemorates and recognizes excellence and innovation in the vast fields of chemical engineering and is an excellent avenue for teams, companies, or individuals to have their projects recognized on a national platform.

Thirty-one finalist entries are a step closer to winning a prize for excellence and innovation in chemical, biochemical and process engineering.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the winners will be announced in IChemE’s first-ever virtual ceremony that will take place on 19 October 2020 marking eight years of the awards.

In the Young Researcher Award category, Swinburne’s academic Dr How Bing Shen is among five finalists nominated given to his high research competency in the field of process system engineering. As of now, Dr How has published more than 10 journal articles in 2020 solely; and has accounted for a H-index of 11 (Google Scholar).

Dr How, who is a lecturer from the Faculty of Engineering, Computing and Science, will be competing against four other researchers from University of Malaya, Monash University Malaysia, and Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS. His area of specialisation ranges from process modelling, sustainability evaluation, process optimization and supply chain synthesis.

 “I enjoy doing research with my co-workers as I believe tag-teaming with experts from diverse fields aids the yield of impactful and valuable researches. I would like to share my joy and glory with all my fellow co-workers,” said Dr How.

Swinburne Sarawak’s IChemE Student Chapter was also qualified as a finalist for the Student Chapter award category competing with University of Malaya, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, and Xiamen University Malaysia. It is Swinburne’s second consecutive time to be shortlisted in the finals for this distinguished award that acknowledges the accomplishments and activities of all the IChemE Student Chapters across Malaysia.


IChemE Student’s Chapter finalist_Swinburne group

Dr Elaine Yeu Yee Lee, who is a lecturer from the Faculty of Engineering, Computing and Science and the Student Chapter’s advisor, recognizes the numerous benefits of participating in IChemE Student Chapter.

‘’University life should be much more than just academics. Learning is certainly a huge part of the university experience but it’s also a social and growing experience that encourages a move toward independence. Apart from academics, Swinburne lecturers deeply care about their students’ development to ensure they mature into well-rounded individuals. Through joining IChemE Student Chapter, students enhance their time-management skills, boost their self-confidence, and develop valuable soft skills like organization and leadership,’’ said Dr Yeu.

The continuous growth of the Student Chapter was under former president Andrea Lee. During her leadership, Andrea successfully organized different activities and events like workshops and site visits that spread awareness and education to the Swinburne community.

Andrea, who was succeeded by Natalie Ho as the current president, appreciates the effort and hard work put in by the team members and advisors notably during the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘’It is an extremely remarkable accomplishment for Swinburne Sarawak IChemE Student Chapter to be nominated as one of the finalists in the IChemE Malaysia Awards 2020 for the second year in a row. Even in the middle of a pandemic, our Student Chapter continued with meaningful virtual events and webinars in an effort to uphold our mission and provide strong engagement among Engineering students in Swinburne Sarawak,’’ said Andrea.

“It is truly an honour to be nominated as a finalist for IChemE Malaysia Awards 2020. It means so much to us as it shows that our hard work and effort in promoting Swinburne Sarawak IChemE Student Chapter to various communities has been acknowledged. We hope to continue our journey in promoting our student chapter to an even wider community,” added Natalie.

Established in 2015, Swinburne Sarawak IChemE Student Chapter continues to provide a platform for students to learn more chemical engineering and opportunity to network with their peers. This networking opportunity is expanded with the collaboration of regional IChemE Student Chapters. To find out more about the Student Chapter, visit their Facebook page at http://bit.ly/SUTSicheme.

For more information about Swinburne, visit its website www.swinburne.edu.my, Facebook (@swinburnesarawak), Instagram (@swinburnesarawak), Twitter (@Swinburne_Swk) or YouTube channel (Swinburne Sarawak).