JOHOR BAHRU – The Summer School (SS), A Global Learning Experience in Malaysia (AGLEIM) 2024, organized by the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FKM), has been successfully concluded. The program, which ran from July 29th to August 10th, saw participation from 23 students from Kookmin University (국민대학교 – KMU) in Seoul, South Korea, and 9 Buddies from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). The 32 students came from various engineering disciplines, including mechanical, materials, electrical, and civil engineering.
The annual SS AGLEIM began in 2015. However, it was suspended in 2021 and 2022 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The program resumed in January 2023, and this year’s summer school occurred during the summer.
The two-week program included a mix of activities within lecture rooms and laboratories. At FKM, the students conducted experiments related to biomass, refrigeration, materials, and CAD/CAM analysis and submitted designs and lab exercises. They also visited the Marine Technology Centre (MTC) at FKM, which is the only hydrodynamic center in Malaysia, and the aerodynamics laboratory wind tunnel at FKM. During these visits, the staff performed demonstrations for the students, providing them with valuable learning experiences. These visits were enlightening for most of the students, including the Buddies from UTM. Following the visit to the MTC, students were treated to durians, giving them their first taste of the king of fruits.
The Summer School (SS) included research talks given by academics from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FKM) and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering (FKE), including Assoc Prof. Dr. Yeong Che Fai. The talks were tailored to the background of the KMU participants. Afterwards, the students prepared PowerPoint presentations based on the talks, which were evaluated by the facilitators of the SS AGLEIM. This year, many of the KMU students are studying mechanical, electrical, and material engineering. Throughout the 2-week SS, three professors from KMU, Professor Dr. Hyunjin Lee (mechanical engineering), Professor Dr. Tae Joon Park (materials science & engineering), and Professor Dr. Chang Kook Oh (civil engineering), visited separately and stayed for a few days to be present throughout the program.
The students took part in various activities outside UTM. These included visiting a pineapple farm in Alor Bukit, Pekan Nenas, which is the Agrotechnology Park of the Malaysia Pineapple Industry Board (MPIB), Petronas Pengerang Integrated Complex (PIC), and the city of Kuala Lumpur, where we stayed overnight. During the visit to the pineapple farm, students had the opportunity to plant pineapple crowns and participate in a pineapple arrangement contest.
Meanwhile, at the PIC, a petrochemical park, the students were taken around the complex, which spans around 6,242ha or about 300+ the size of a soccer field. It was an impressive experience both for the students and the academics who followed. This marked the first visit to the PIC by international students. Throughout the day trip, the visitors from UTM were treated to breakfast, lunch, and tea.
The SS AGLEIM is expected to continue as an annual program, thanks to the commitment of the committee members, Dr. Ummikalsum Abidin (program manager), Prof. Dr. Normah Mohd Ghazali (Advisor), Dr. Mohd Faisal Hasan, Dr. Muhammad Faiz Hilmi Rani, Dr. Desmond Chin Vui Sheng, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Norhayati Ahmad, Dr. Wong Keng Yinn, and Assoc. Professor Dr. Mohd Fairus Mohd Yasin. The committee was assisted by the FKM teaching lab staff, Ms. Halimah A. Razak and Ms. Suriati Kasim.