SES competition aimed to provide a platform for all Civil Engineering undergraduates to showcase their knowledge and theories learnt in the classroom through small scale structure modelling. The main objective was to promote the study on structural and earthquake engineering and in the meantime to raise the awareness on the importance of seismic design among undergraduates.

Present at the opening ceremony were LKC FES Deputy Dean Assoc Prof Ts Dr Lee Kim Yee, NS BlueScope Lysaght Malaysia Sdn Bhd Technical Design Manager Cik Suraya Johari, Department of Civil Engineering Head Dr Ling Lloyd, Department of Civil Engineering Lecturer Ir Woon Yoke Bee, Department of Civil Engineering Lecturer Dr Lee Foo Wei, Organising Chairperson of SES VI Kong Ka Ming and students.

In his opening remarks, Dr Lee thanked NS BlueScope Lysaght Malaysia Sdn Bhd for their trust and support in making the event a success. He added, “I am so proud to see the growing numbers of UTAR students joining this event. A total of 32 groups have participated in this competition. The sharing of the knowledge and skills for today’s session will definitely bring you a good experience. I believe this competition will open your eyes and provide you with a platform to learn professional knowledge and soft skills. This competition will not only enhance your learning experience but also develop your innovation.  SES provides a great opportunity for undergraduates to practice the theory learnt in the classroom and apply it in both safe and cost-effective design.  We cannot assume that Malaysia would always be safe from the earthquake, therefore we need to build in safety elements to prevent an earthquake. I believe that structures are built to provide convenience and comfort for people, therefore, design plays an important role. Lastly, I would like to congratulate the organising committee for their effort in organising this event.”

Organising Chairperson Kong extended his warmest welcome to everyone and said, “The theme for this competition is ‘Seismic Resistance during Construction Phase’ which I believe is an exciting and demanding topic that will focus on the construction stage as an earthquake can strike any time without any visible warning. One of the challenges is to design a structural model which is required to withstand and overcome the seismic effect during the construction period. Hence, it is vital to be alert to the destructive effect and seismic hazard. I would like to thank our sponsor NS BlueScope Lysaght Malaysia Sdn Bhd, UTAR Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science (LKC FES), Department of Civil Engineering and Centre for Disaster Risk Reduction for their support.”

The competition required the participants to build their own model within a given timeframe (three and half hours) by utilising the materials provided, in compliance with the assigned theme and feature. The constructed structures were then loaded and tested on an earthquake stimulation shaking table and evaluated by the judges based on its earthquake sustainability and material efficiency. The judges for the competition were, LKC FES lecturers Ir Dr Lim Jee Hock,Ir Woon and Dr Lee Yee Ling and representative from Institute of Engineers Malaysia Ir Tu Yong Eng.

The list of winners is as follows:

1. Champion (Team B1): Chong Zee Cheung, Chew Wai Meng, Jason Chua Jun Cheng and Tang Hou Jing
2. First runner-up (Team A13): Tum Kok Wei, Mandy So Shyun, Hock Yi Ting, Teh Yu Xiang and Lee Khai Pheng
3. Second runner-up (Team A6): Leen Wern Chane, Chow Melvyn, Pjan Jan Hui, Cheong Li Yan and Tye Yao Wei
4. Consolation 1 (Team B15): Hong Kim Ong, Lee Chin Wei, Chong Weng Khuen, Koh Li Shen and Tang Yu Xua
5. Consolation 2 (Team A12): Leong Wai Lun, Chook Shun Ben, Koh Huan Yang, Poon Wing Yan, Pang Zi Ying