📝 Ringkasan / Summary
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering hosted “Pilot Plant Day 2025” to give final-year Bioprocess Engineering students hands-on experience in a realistic industrial setting. The program immersed students in operating pilot-scale bioprocessing equipment and understanding supporting infrastructure, emphasizing critical thinking, decision-making, and safety practices. This initiative aligns with UTM’s Outcome-Based Education approach, preparing students for successful careers in bioprocessing and biotechnology.
JOHOR BAHRU, 30 Dec — At Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, engineering education is designed to go beyond lecture halls and lab manuals. Students are trained to think critically, make decisions with confidence, and operate like professional engineers well before graduation.
This philosophy came to life during Pilot Plant Day 2025, organised by the Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering at the Institute of Bioproduct Development. The programme placed final-year Chemical Engineering (Bioprocess) students in a pilot-scale bioprocessing environment that closely reflects the realities of modern industrial operations.
Rather than learning systems in isolation, students worked directly with pilot-scale bioreactors, downstream separation units, and process control systems, while monitoring critical operational parameters that influence product quality and process stability. Visits to key utility units such as boilers and compressors provided insight into the supporting infrastructure required for safe and continuous plant operations.
What distinguished the experience was its realism. Students were exposed to actual operational scenarios that required interpretation of process data, evaluation of system performance, identification of constraints, and application of basic troubleshooting techniques. Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) practices were integrated throughout the programme, reinforcing professional discipline, risk awareness, and compliance with standard operating procedures expected in biotechnology and bio-based manufacturing industries.
The programme also supports UTM’s Outcome-Based Education (OBE) approach by strengthening the achievement of Course Learning Outcomes and Programme Learning Outcomes. Early exposure to an authentic industrial setting helps students approach their Final Year Projects with greater clarity and enhances readiness for careers in bioprocessing, biotechnology, and related sectors.
A total of 40 final-year students participated in the programme, supported by academic staff from the Department of Bioprocess and Polymer Engineering and technical specialists from IBD. The programme was coordinated by Ir. Dr. Muhd Nazrul Hisham Zainal Alam, Dr. Ong Pei Ying, and Ts. Dr. Nur Izyan Wan Azelee, whose combined academic and industry experience ensured that students encountered engineering as it is practised in real working environments.
For students who seek more than theoretical knowledge, who want to graduate with confidence, practical competence, and a clear understanding of their future profession, this is what studying engineering at UTM offers.
