Discussing the future of engineering

Engineering is vital for everyday life as it shapes the world we are living in and the future we are relying on.  Graduate engineers play key roles in meeting the needs of society today and the future in areas such as climate change, medicine, information technology, electronics, economic development and etc.  These contributions of engineers are a prerequisite to success.

Thus, to bring more insight to the engineering students and graduates, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) together with Singapore University of Technology and Design Library (SUTD Library) and Hong Kong Baptist University Library (HKBU Library) organised an online panel discussion with experienced industry practitioners on the important topics of engineering study and research for students, researchers and industry practitioners on 21 and 23 September 2020 via Webex Meeting.

Invited for the engaging discussion session were SUTD Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, National University of Singapore (NUS) Dr Huang Shaoying, Program Leader of Cyber Security, Department of Computing Macquarie University Dr Alireza Jolfaei and IEEE Client Services Manager with prior experiences in 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and Agilent Technologies Inc  Dr Wu Rong Zhang. IEEE Inc, Manager Client Services (Asia) Alex Liu Yupeng moderated the discussion.

During the discussion, the panels discussed on engineering studies for undergraduate, postgraduate studies on research, publishing, skills required for an engineer, career planning and preparation, professional development challenges or changes in the current and post-Covid 19 era and global citizen from the environment to digital safety.

Dr Huang advising engineering students and graduates

Dr Huang advised the engineering students and graduates, “You need to equip yourself with a mindset that is eager to learn and good skills. Never stop yourself from learning and try to determine the field you like the most. Besides, always get yourself to participate in events and activities. By attending the event, you will be able to figure out the area or field that you are interested in. Once you find the things you are interested in, put in some effort and transform it into a skill.”

Dr Alireza added, “Other than participating in events or activities, students or graduates also need to improve their soft skills in order to blend into an organisation and use the soft skills to contribute to the team and the organisation.”

Dr Zhang giving career tips to graduates

Dr Zhang, who is an industry expert, gave career tips to graduates, “Life is always unpredictable and it’s the same with your career life. You will definitely face difficulties in your career pathway; do follow your heart to find the things that are right for you. When you are happy with your job and it creates excitement for you, then you are on the right path.”

Dr Huang added, “Curiosity is always the best teacher, hence be eager to learn, it will lead you to success. Be passionate about the job you do, it will lead you along the way.”

Dr Alireza sharing ways to overcome obstacles in career

Dr Alireza shared some tips to overcome obstacles in career, “The best way to overcome obstacles in your job is to ‘welcome the obstacles’. Learn to accept your obstacles with an open heart and welcome the problem. If you have issues, do something about it. Burying it does nothing but eat you away. Break the challenges down and tackle them in smaller pieces, take it as it’s a part of learning.”

Dr Zhang emphasised, “Choose the right person to work with and put effort to understand the person you are going to work with, this will bring fewer obstacles in your path.”

Dr Huang concluded the discussion by stating the importance for engineers to contribute to environmental safety, “As an engineer, we need to always keep an eye on the environmental impact. We need to think wisely before we invest in research. For example, the invention of plastic brings human convenience, but this causes pollution to the earth, this is what we need to pay for the price.”

The panel discussion then saw an active interaction between the panels and the participants. It was followed by a Q&A session before it adjourned.



Wholly owned by UTAR Education Foundation Co. No. 578227-M        LEGAL STATEMENT   TERM OF USAGE   PRIVACY NOTICE