The January trimester Final Year Project (FYP) Poster Competition transformed into a platform showcasing students’ innovative research. The biannual event was organised by the Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology (FEGT) on 30 April 2024 at UTAR Kampar Campus, and was sponsored by the Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM), Perak Branch.

The best poster from each programme was chosen based on the research’s innovativeness and sophistication. The judges were IEM Perak Honourable Treasurer Ir Darren Chin Woon Kheong, IEM Perak Committee Member Ir Hang Kah Joon, and IEM Perak Young Engineer Society (YES) Chairman Mr Syahrul Ramadhan bin Ahmad.

Champion and Bachelor of Science (Honours) Environment, Occupational Safety and Health student Cheong Win Sern wowed the judges with his presentation titled “Evaluation of excessive noise exposure among construction workers in South Quay Square (SQS), Sunway City, Kuala Lumpur”. Aside from feeling overjoyed with the award, Cheong was also grateful to have the opportunity to share his research findings, which concluded that age, level of education, smoking habits, HPDs, duration of employment, working days, and working hours are the predicting factors to the prevalence of hearing loss symptoms. He received RM150 cash prize and a certificate.

He enthused, “The research aimed to access trends of sociodemographic, lifestyle, and occupational factors among construction workers in the construction site, and determine the prevalence of hearing loss symptoms among construction workers in the construction site. The research also looked into evaluating the noise exposure level experienced by the construction workers, and identifying the predicting factors (sociodemographic, lifestyle, occupational factors) affecting the hearing loss symptoms among construction workers. It is important that we identify the crucial factors contributing to the early onset of hearing loss symptoms prior to the development of occupational noise-related hearing disorder.”

Second place was awarded to Bachelor of Electronics Engineering with Honours student Ngu Jia Qin, whose research, titled “Brain tumour segmentation using deep learning” emphasised the importance of timely assessment and accurate diagnosis in brain tumour detection. He won a certificate and a cash prize of RM100.

Ngu explained, “This study addresses the critical challenges of timely assessment and accurate diagnosis in brain tumour detection. With the objective of delivering a time-efficient, automated, and advanced deep learning solution, the Mamba Swin Transformer Brain Tumour Segmentation (MSTransBTS) model was developed. Through extensive testing, the model achieved notable enhancements, resulting in an overall average of 84.79%. This success, coupled with the integration of Test-Time Augmentation(TTA), signifies a significant advancement in brain tumour segmentation accuracy. Notably, these discoveries not only satisfy the crucial need for timely assessment and diagnosis, but also underscore the potential of improving patient care through the automated and efficient localisation of brain tumours. Ultimately, automation facilitated by models like MSTransBTS has the potential to revolutionise patient outcomes and clinical decision-making.”

Meanwhile, third-place winner and Bachelor of Civil Engineering (Environmental) with Honours student Kelvin Lee Kai Wen’s presentation titled “Feasibility study on synthesis of geopolymers from industrial wastes for sustainable construction”, emphasised the need to embrace waste-synthesized geopolymer in construction that supports a sustainable future. He received a cash prize of RM50 and a certificate.

He elucidated, “Geopolymer offers a greener alternative by utilising industry waste like silica, aligning with circular economy principles and SDGs. Additionally, Geopolymer synthesis from waste eliminates carbon emissions, highlighting its eco-friendliness compared to Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC). We also found that the utilisation of industry waste-synthesized geopolymer as a replacement for OPC proves successful in fostering eco-friendly construction practices that align with circular economy principles and SDGs, paving the way for a greener future.”

Other winners included:

4th place and certificate: Goy Chien Kai, Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Petrochemical Engineering
Title of research: Bovine bone-based hydroxyapatite decorated with SnFe2O4/Bi2WO6 composite for photocatalytic malachite green-containing greywater effluent treatment and antibacterial applications

5th place and certificate: Chuah Chong Han, Bachelor of Technology (Honours) in Industrial Management
Title of research: Study the innovation and adaptability, customer satisfaction, and managerial competence factors that influence the performance of Malaysia’s industry sector

6th place and certificate: Ng Kuan Boon, Bachelor of Science (Honours) Construction Management
Title of research: Optimising green building management systems with artificial intelligence technology of the office tower