PETALING JAYA, 30^th MAY 2019 – It was the moment of truth for students of First City University College’s Faculty of Engineering and Computing (FEC). The Innovation Day 2019 showcase event saw a total of 52 projects presented by Foundation, Diploma and Bachelor Degree students.

In line with the theme “Your Vision, Our Future,” these students were tasked with conceptualising and implementing projects that would make an impact in the fields of Engineering and Computing. Besides serving as a form of final assessment for students, this showcase event presented them with an opportunity to pitch their skills to potential employers.

As a practice, students included a QR code with their own showcase project, which allows industry representatives to download and view their resumés. Should a student’s project prove to be exceptional, he or she may be approached by an industry partner with plans to further develop and commercialise it. Furthermore, it is customary for the Faculty to award the best 3 projects from each of the Engineering and Computing categories with prize money as well as a letter of commendation.

This year, Tee Khing Hua’s “Fatigue Detection System” emerged first place in the Engineering category while Liem Shiaw Hong’s “Commercial AI” project was chosen as the winner for the Computing category.

Tee, a Final Year Electronic Engineering student explained that his project was inspired by past cases of road accidents caused by driving fatigue. The “Fatigue Detection System” consists of a pulse sensor and an accelerometer. Both of these equipment pick up on the driver’s heart rate and head tilt before transmitting the data to a smartphone application, which in turn alerts the driver if he or she is experiencing fatigue.

“In order to create the application, I used a computer programme called the MIT App Inventor 2. Creating the application was a smooth process as I just had to follow the steps on the website,” he explained.

On the other hand, Final Year student Liem Shiaw Hong utilised his Software Engineering expertise and knowledge to work on an Artificial Intelligence project meant to assist Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). This project was designed to offer affordable AI solutions to businesses by automating common business tasks and providing business insights and sales forecasting based on previous sales datasets.

“Most of the SMEs in Malaysia are not able to enjoy the benefits of AI technologies due to the lack of resources and relevant knowledge to implement an AI system. Hopefully, my project can help overcome some of these obstacles,” Liem shared.

Also present at the showcase event was NEM.io Executive Assistant & Business Development representative, Ms. Jesyka Hiu shared her insights on the potential of Blockchain technology. Using the example of Malta, she explained how a small country was able to take advantage of this technology for economic purposes.

Associate Professor Dr. Christine Lee, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Computing expressed her appreciation towards the event sponsors and industry partners such as E-Genting Sdn Bhd, Emerald Systems, JF Technology Berhad, NEM.io, OCK Group Berhad, Realme, Xstrategize Technologies Sdn Bhd, Cytron Technologies, Applicate Sdn Bhd and Favoriot Sdn Bhd.

“On another note, the Faculty has observed that more students are willing to attempt projects related to the Internet of Things. This concept, which refers to devices that rely on internet data to adjust their performance, is becoming more prevalent in our daily lives,” she shared. Dr. Christine also expressed her joy at seeing some of the alumni returning to First City UC as industry representatives.

One such person was Caleb Lim, whose attendance at Innovation Day 2019 felt like a walk  down memory lane for him. As a successful alumnus of the Bachelor of Electronic Engineering programme in 2018, he had managed to secure a job with JF Technology Berhad even before graduating from his alma mater.

“I was able to learn much from my own showcase event last year where I was allowed to conceptualise and then implement my own project. The hands-on experience I obtained served as a foundation for me to apply my skills in the working world,” he shared.

Overall, Innovation Day 2019 succeeded in its objectives as it motivated Engineering and Computing students to create projects that would best reflect the knowledge and skills acquired from their academic programmes. Moreover, the students’ projects proved that their quality of work easily met industrial standards.

Those interested in enrolling in an Engineering or Computing study programme are encouraged to drop by the campus during Open Day sessions. Registration for First City’s July Intake is currently in progress.

First City UC boasts a stellar track record of producing highly employable graduates throughout its close to 30 years of history. This success can be attributed to its Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA) accredited and industry-relevant curricula.

Besides being located in the modern township of Bandar Utama in Petaling Jaya, First City UC also enjoys the advantage of being an eco-friendly urban campus equipped with state-of-the art facilities. These include a wide array of recreational and teaching facilities such as the Library, Cafeteria, Student Lounge, IT Centre, Centre for Postgraduate Studies, Engineering Labs, Studios and Workshops, Lecture and Seminar Rooms, Football Field, Indoor Sports Facilities, as well as an On-campus Accommodation with En-Suite Bathrooms.