Utm Fkm Inspires Youth To Pursue Stem Careers

JOHOR BAHRU, June 5  (Bernama) -- The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FKM) at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) is dedicated to inspiring more young individuals to pursue careers in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields, with the aim of increasing the number of graduates in these disciplines.

According to its dean, Assoc Prof Dr Zaini Ahmad, said in pursuit of this objective, the faculty is organising various initiatives, one of which involves setting a new record in the Malaysia Book of Records (MBOR) during the Mechanical Open Day and Exhibition (MODE) 2024. This two-day event commenced yesterday.

“During this event, FKM accomplished a significant milestone by hosting the 'Longest Continuous Live Mechanical Engineering Lecture,' where 60 lecturers delivered alternating lectures for 24 hours straight, starting at 9 am yesterday and concluding at 9 am today.

"So far, the live broadcast lectures have garnered an audience of over 1,000 viewers from diverse countries beyond Malaysia, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand and Indonesia.”

He said this at a press conference after receiving the MBOR certificate from MBOR's senior consultant Siti Hajar Johor in ceremony held at  UTM, here today.  

Zaini highlighted that these initiatives are part of UTM's strategy to entice more youth towards pursuing engineering careers.

"Recognising the shortage of local engineers in our country, we aim to attract SPM school leavers  to this profession through achievements like the MBOR record," he said.

In addition, during MODE 2024, the faculty inked five collaboration agreements with institutions like the Bandung Institute of Technology, General Achmad Yani University and Jeonbuk National University along with two local entities, Haos Ek? and 3D Gens Sdn Bhd.

Zaini added that these collaborations across industries, agencies and communities have the potential to bolster the UTM FKM brand both locally and internationally.

Meanwhile, Dr Wong Keng Yinn, programme director of the 'Longest Continuous Live Mechanical Engineering Lecture',  highlighted their focus on the quality of ideas and audience's comprehension rather than setting specific viewer targets.

“Despite the lecture running continuously for 24 hours, sessions held during early hours were still attended, owing to time zone differences.

On May 2, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim expressed concerns about Malaysia's shortage of approximately 30,000 engineers to address emerging technological challenges, including artificial intelligence.

-- BERNAMA