and lots more! - curtin university sarawak – Faculty of Engineering
Transcription
and lots more! - curtin university sarawak – Faculty of Engineering
VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 1 MAY 2011 ECE STUDENTS’ newsletter • Will Embedded Systems take over the world? • ICT Career Camp a Great Success • Android Workshop • Smart Car Competition • Programming Puzzles • IEEE Student Branch Initiation 2011 and lots more! Published by: IEEE and AECES, School of Engineering, Curtin University, Sarawak, Malaysia. Inside this Issue MEDIA RELEASES 3 “ICT Career Camp a great success, I can now make Android apps!” say students 4 Embedded Systems: Consistently Evolving and Transforming the way we live 5 Android Workshop 6 Smart Car Competition 7 Curtin Alumni Experience 9 IEEE Curtin Sarawak Student Branch Initiation 2011 STUDENTS INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS `10 ECE Department Gathering 2010 10 Wastewater System Monitoring based on Wireless Sensor Network 11 AECES in 2011 11 Programming Puzzles 12 Electrical and Computer Engineering students visit Miri Airport 13 A Visit to Shell Sarawak 14 Industrial Talk by Ms Cynthina Chew (Electrical Engineer, Sarawak Shell Bhd.) 15 Embedded Systems Engineering Will Take Over the World - But Just Not Yet 16 Reflections: Achievements of Curtin Electrical Power Engineering in Three Years 18 Research Collaboration 19 Curtin University Staff Awards 2010 STAFF 2 ECE STUDENTS’ NEWSLETTER - VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 1 “ICT Career Camp a great success, I can now make Android apps!” say students (Source: Campus Media Release) The 2-day MSC Malaysia-Curtin ICT Career Camp held at the campus of Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) from 12 to 13 March 2011 was hailed a great success by both the organisers and the 59 secondary school students who took part. The students were from SMK Chung Hua Miri, SMK Lutong, SMK St. Joseph Miri, SMK Pujut Miri, SMK Lopeng Tengah, SMK Merbau, Kolej Tun Dato Haji Bujang, SMK Baru and SM Sains. Themed ‘Ignite the Spark’, the camp was organised by Curtin Sarawak’s Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department, University Life Department and the Curtin Young Associates (CYA), the university’s club for secondary school students. It was supported and sponsored by the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), the agency responsible for the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC Malaysia), the national ICT initiative which will be creating 85,000 new jobs by 2015. During the camp’s workshops, the participants learned how to use Google’s App Inventor, a mobile application development software downloadable from appinventor.googlelabs.com for creating simple applications for the Android platform. Apart from designing and developing their own Android applications, the participants were taught how to market their applications. In between the workshops, they participated in team-building activities to build their team dynamics as they were grouped into 12 different teams comprising students of different schools. “I was amazed at the ideas presented by the students during the camp. Coincidentally, one of their ideas is being developed by our own Dr Wong Kiing Ing,” remarked Terence Tan, an award-winning ECE lecturer of Curtin Sarawak and a facilitator for the camp.Suresh Reuben, a fellow lecturer and facilitator, concurred. “All the teams came up with good ideas which, when summarised, all pointed to one thing – mobile phones are becoming our ‘sixth sense’. The phone of the future will likely contain things like heat and heartbeat sensors to monitor our health, terrain sensors to aid the blind, and so on,” he said. Terence Tan briefing participants of debit or credit cards and ATM cards into mobile phones where users need only ‘swipe’ their phones over payment machines for purchases, much “All the teams came up with good ideas which, when summarised, all pointed to one thing – mobile phones are becoming our ‘sixth sense’. “ Fazira related. When asked whether they will continue to pursue their idea, the team members said that they would continue to work towards making the application a reality. They added that they enjoyed working as a team and greatly appreciated the knowledge The winning team: Team 6A Participants at the end of the camp. In the presentation session at the end of the camp, a panel of judges awarded points to each team for their presentations and ideas. The winning team received RM500, while the second and third placed teams received RM300 and RM200. The prizes were presented by Associate Professor Dr Ashutosh Kumar Singh, Head of the Department Electrical and Computer Engineering. Team 6A comprising Fazira Bt. Nan of SMK Lutong, Rhonda Ashley of SMK Pujut, Intan Farisha Bt. Khalid of SMK Merbau, and Siti Rayhan Bt. Hasmadi and Nurhazimah Bt. Saufie of Kolej Tun Dato Haji Bujang emerged the winners. Their idea of incorporating the functions ECE STUDENTS’ NEWSLETTER like ‘Touch ‘n’ Go’ cards widely used in West Malaysia, was adjudged the most innovative. According Fazira, the idea was conceptualised to solve the problem of users forgetting their PIN numbers or not being able to locate ATMs for cash withdrawals prior to making purchases. To counter phone theft or hacking, the team suggested incorporating biometric scanners like thumbprint scanners into the phones to prevent unauthorised use. “The idea came to me while I was having a meal. As I stared at my spoon, I suddenly thought of cards and then related it to banks. I took the idea to the team to see what we could do to address such problems,” - VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 1 they gained from the camp, especially the importance of teamwork, patience and critical thinking. To ensure that the camp was not simply a one-off event, the organisers have set up a Facebook Group (ICT Camp Curtin Miri) for them to maintain contact with the participants and provide whatever support the participants may need in developing their applications. The ICT Career Camp is one of the numerous collaborations between MDeC and higher education institutions to increase the awareness of ICT careers in Sarawak. Curtin Sarawak will collaborate with MDeC on a much larger-scale ICT talk for students next month. In addition to raising awareness of ICT career pathways, the talk will showcase final-year projects by ECE students of Curtin Sarawak. 3 Embedded Systems: Consistently Evolving and Transforming the way we live By: Associate Prof. Ashutosh Kumar Singh and Alexander Lau Curtin Sarawak Electrical and Computer Engineering lecturers Dr. Ashutosh Kumar Singh and final year Computer Systems Engineering student Alexander Lau relate how embedded systems like mobile phones have revolutionized the way we live and how they are continually evolving as technology progresses. An embedded system is defined as a device that is built specifically for a special purpose, either with a single function or multiple functions, carrying out tasks according to specific programmed instructions that cannot be re-programmed after the tasks have been completed. Today, one of the world’s most significant embedded systems is the mobile phone. From the bulky box-like phones of yesteryear to the highly compact handheld variety of today, mobile phones are marvels of technology that are constantly evolving as technology progresses. Indeed, embedded systems are everywhere and have evolved to such an extent that they have in many ways become absolutely essential to the everyday existence of human beings. Ironically, computers are not regarded as embedded systems, as one would assume, given that they, too, perform multiple tasks and are as much an integral part of our everyday lives as mobile phones are. As the key to a device being an embedded system is that the final product cannot contain elements of programmability, computers therefore do not qualify as embedded systems. There have been arguments as to whether handheld computers, more widely known as PDAs, are embedded systems or not. Although PDAs do 4 contain elements of embedded systems, they are not true embedded systems. This is due to the fact that PDAs allow applications to be loaded and peripherals connected to them. How did embedded systems come about? Embedded systems began to emerge once computers were created. The will also continue to evolve and become even more complex and compact. For manufacturers, it is the way forward technologically, and many will indeed attempt to create the ultimate in embedded systems. However, developing new systems may not necessarily pay dividends Dr. Ashutosh Kumar Singh Alexander Lau very first (and extremely large) computers paved the way for one of the very first embedded systems to be created, that is, the Apollo Guidance Computer. However, it was extremely risky as it was a new technology that included massive integrated circuits to reduce size and for manufacturers. It is very dependent on the time/power/ money constraints inherent in research and development and high-tech manufacturing. Logically, the faster an embedded system is developed and completed, the less power it will consume, and subsequently, “...it is the way forward technologically...” weight. Embedded systems gradually evolved from such large devices to become devices of considerably smaller size and featuring far more complexity. In time, embedded systems required more and more electrical components, and as a result, and according to the economics of scale, the prices of the components plummeted. Ironically, largely due to their popularity, the market value of embedded systems has remained high in relation to the components that go into them. As technology continues to evolve, embedded systems the higher the profit it can gain. On the contrary, if an embedded system takes a long time to be completed, it will drain the financial resources of the manufacturer, thus increasing productivity costs. System designers will inevitably continue to create more user friendly devices which can perform at a higher capacity. However, consumers should know that such devices are hard to design and costly to manufacture as they are extremely complex. Some systems apply extremely complex integrated circuits ECE STUDENTS’ NEWSLETTER - VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 1 while others require lines and lines of programming code to define their functionality. In some cases, both of the circumstances apply. There is no doubt that designers will continue to pursue scientific and technological excellence, and despite the steep prices of devices, consumers should be grateful for their efforts. At the end of the day, it cannot be denied that embedded systems have greatly enhanced the level of technology in this world, and consequently improved our lifestyles in various ways. For example, the mobile phones manufactured today more than fulfill their purpose, which is to use telecommunications to connect one person to another, and as a result, communication is a lot more convenient. In addition, household electrical appliances such as vacuum cleaners help people clean their homes a lot faster and more conveniently; electronic media equipment make life a whole lot more fascinating; X-rays, scanners and laser therapy machines have vastly improved healthcare, and in the military, the introduction of modern navigation systems has led to an improvement in their strength and effectiveness. As time goes by, technology will continue to improve, which means that embedded systems will inevitably continue to get more complex. However, complexity does not determine the profit the systems can earn for companies since embedded systems are still measured by the proverbial time, power and money constraints. This writer nevertheless believes that consumers should be grateful for the existence and continual evolution of embedded systems. Android Workshop By: Cornell Naing Android is a software stack for mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware and key applications. Android’s mobile operating system is based on a modified version of the Linux kernel. Google and other members of the Open Handset Alliance collaborated on Android’s development and release. The Android Open Source Project (AOSP) is tasked with the maintenance and further development of Android. The Android operating system is the world’s bestselling Smartphone platform. The Android open-source software stack consists of Java applications running on a Java-based, object-oriented application framework on top of Java core libraries running on a Dalvik virtual machine featuring JIT compilation. Libraries written in C include the surface manager, Open Core media framework, SQLite relational database management system, OpenGL ES 2.0 3D graphics API, WebKit layout engine, SGL graphics engine, SSL, and Bionic million lines of code including 3 million lines of XML, 2.8 million lines of C, 2.1 million lines of Java, and 1.75 million lines of C++. Practically everyone who is a cell phone enthusiast is well Mr. Terence Tan conducting the Android Workshop libc. The Android operating system, including the Linux kernel, consists of roughly 12 aware of what an Android OS is. It also goes without saying that Android is one of the most powerful and capable Operating System for mobile devices currently in production. Moreover, due to these aforementioned facts, everyone who is really interested in software development should know what Android is practically. The Android Phone Workshop, dedicated to teach the students about how to create basic Android applications, was successfully held at Curtin University of Technology Sarawak Campus on 15th of April 2011. The duration of the workshop was about 3 hours and was conducted by 3 prestigious lecturers namely Dr. Ashutosh Kumar Singh, who is an Associate Professor and also the Head of Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mr. Terence Tan Peng Lian, who is a Senior Lecturer, and finally Mr. Suresh Reuben, who is an Associate Lecturer of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The workshop was held free of any charge as its main purpose was not to gain profit but to share knowledge and experience to the students so that this may help students in their future career prospects. The workshop received many positive remarks at the end. “This workshop was a good platform for all the students wanting to become good programmers and also for those who want to make some extra money through freelancing”, said one of the senior students attending the workshop. The IEEE and AECES members rendered great support to this workshop. With the collaboration of both, and the number of participants, this workshop proved to be one of the most successful one at Curtin, Sarawak. The Students used the Google App Inventor web application to develop their Android applications. (Image Courtesy: Google) ECE STUDENTS’ NEWSLETTER - VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 1 5 Smart Car Competition By: Akilan Thangarajah Two groups, Curtin-Alpha and Curtin-Beta, consisting of six students: Akilan Thangarajah (CSE), Kevin Choo Onn Weng (CE), Jasher Tan Si-Ming (ME), Benny Ng Kai Kiat (EE), Chee Leng Tan (EP), and Yi Xiu Chan (EP) participated in IEEE and Freescale Smart Car Competition 2010 held on December 5 last year on behalf of Curtin Sarawak. This teams put up a very good fight against their competitors and overtook eighteen teams just in the initial rounds of the competition, thus successfully qualifying for the final rounds. In the final rounds Curtin-Beta secured 6th place, while CurtinAlpha were placed 8th out of 10 finalists. The achievement was outstanding indeed for Curtin, Sarawak. Commenting on the Smart Cars, Mr. Terence has encouraged all new teams to start preparing earlier. He also emphasizes on the fact that understanding present technology is important to design the technology of the future. All in all, it was a very good hands on experience for the teams who joined Smart Car competition. Curtin hopes to rise up to the top three in the Finalists: Akilan (above) and Benny (below) receving awards Curtin’s Smart Car Competition Team competition was the second in Freescale history to be organized and sponsored in Malayisa with the collaboration of IEEE. The first Freescale Smart Car competition in Malaysia was held in December 2008 and it wasn’t until 2010, when the competition once again opened a great platform for ECE students to strengthen their learning outcomes. Around 28 teams from various prestigious universities from around Malaysia participated in the competition. Among those teams were Curtin-Alpha and Beta. The theme of this year’s competition was “Speeding on Mars”. It was a tough task for Curtin-Alpha and Beta to design their Smart Cars in a very short period of time and challenge other teams in a national level competition. Fortunately, both 6 outcome of the competition, Curtin-Alpha and Beta both gave remarks saying that if they had been provided a little more time in building the structure, programming, and most next competition and in order to do so, extensive practices and designing at workshops on microcontroller programming are being conducted by senior students who later seek to “To design the technology of the future, one must understand and ideally apply the technology of the present.” Curtin Alpha and Curtin Beta importantly testing the Smart Cars, reaching the top places in the competition would have been quite simple. In order to aim high in the upcoming Smart Car competition in 2011, the Curtin Sarawak advisor for be leading the teams for the competition. Curtin-Alpha and Beta have shown great appreciation for the support provided by Curtin University Management for sponsoring their air tickets and the staff members, Mr.Terence and Mr. ECE STUDENTS’ NEWSLETTER - VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 1 Daniel Wong for their advice and technical support. Participating in such competitions is not only a door to gain hands on experience, but also a great platform for the engineering students to learn where the digital world stands at the moment and how it is evolving. The third Freescale Smart Car competition will be held Malaysia in 2011. Starting from now on, Smart Car Competition will be known as The Freescale Cup. This year’s Freescale Cup will be organized in collaboration with UiTM, MOHE and IEEE and the competition will be held as part of PECIPTA 2011. It will take place in September at KL Convention Centre. For online registration please visit the following weblink. The deadline for the registration is 2 May 2011. (https://getregisterednow.com/ FreescaleCup/Registration/ Register.aspx?li=5) Curtin Alumni Experience By: Oon Jo (Curtin 2010 Alumni) I am here to tell you a little about my life and experiences at Curtin, Miri. I joined Curtin, Miri in July 2008. Before applying to Curtin, Miri, I was studying in INTI International College Penang (IICP) for my diploma in Electrical and Electronics campus. I spent my final year in Curtin Villa, which is an off campus housing provided by Curtin, Sarawak. To tell you the truth, the first semester at Curtin was my happiest time ever. I loved the lake side apartment and adored the life it had offered. I stayed was scared and lonely as I had no friend or acquaintance in the dorm. Then it just so happened, I luckily saw a Chinese girl in the kitchen. She looked at me as I did and right at the same moment we both smiled and simultaneously asked “are u new?”. This incident or he taught. One lesson I learned about university life at Curtin, Miri was to always have a good relationship with all the lecturers. That way they would help me out well. I really appreciate all the patience it took to teach me as well as all Engineering. One of the many reasons I chose Curtin over so many university and colleges is because of its beautiful and scenic location. I always wanted to have an open and liberating feel to the university life and no doubt Curtin, Miri has a lot to offer in terms of beauty. The looks of the campus are undoubtedly very nice. To be honest I seriously miss Curtin, Miri as I reminiscence upon all the wonderful memories and experiences I had during the two and half years of my life spent there. My heart sinks and I smile every time when I get a flashback reminding me of my time in Curtin, Miri. Talking about my experiences, my first semester at Curtin was spent in campus hostel at the lake side apartments. Later I decided to move off campus and stayed in a house no more than 10 minutes walk from on the second floor from where I used to enjoy natural scenery surrounding the campus. I remember sitting near the lake alone and enjoying the sunset every day. I always use to feel at peace in my heart by looking at the sunset. I spent most of my time doing sports on campus like jogging, badminton, volley ball and ping pong. I also had a group of sweet dorm mates in the lakeside apartment where we used to cook together and hang out around together. Although the internet was really slow in lake side apartments, we girls had our own way of spending time and enjoying together. I really miss all of my friends at Curtin, especially the first friend that I met. Her name was Tako , she was Taiwanese . I still remember my first day in Miri and in Curtin. I came alone on the day before orientation. I coincidence rather, broke us into laughter. Whenever I remember her and her company, I start missing those days even more. We used to talk and enjoy every night in the apartment. After the first semester, I moved out with a group of friends. Those days always make me laugh as i remember having days when I had to walk 10 minutes to campus. I hated those days, especially the ones when it rained. My off campus days also bring me lots of sweet memories. There I met my sweet housemate, Jei ning with whom I had a great time. Below are some of the pictures of me and my friend at campus. Perhaps my happiest time with my classmate was spent in the second year. I loved the Math 277 class, taught by Dr. Nader. I always used to be excited to go for his class. We would mostly be having fun at the back while the help from my lecturers, especially from Mr. Amaluddin. Throughout my entire degree studies, he was always there to encourage me. I remember the time when I had failed one of my mid-term, I felt so sad and depressed. I had no idea what to do next, but Mr. Amaluddin encouraged me and patiently taught me the unit single step by step. He would never refuse to lend help to me even when he was busy. I remember him saying, “Never give up, learn from the heart and keep believing”. His assistance and words of wisdom helped me successfully finish my Engineering Degree. ECE STUDENTS’ NEWSLETTER - VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 1 “Never give up, learn from the heart and keep believing” 7 Curtin Alumni Experience Continued from Page 7 On the trip with a group of friends Me all busy at work One of footprints I drew at work. My teammates I would also thank him for my achievement in my Final Year Project. Due to his aid, my paper ‘Innovative Ultrasonic Sensors-based 2D Keypad Using Chain Code Algorithm’ got recognition into the IEEE conference. Throughout my life at Curtin, Miri, I had joined several program and activities one of which was the unforgettable John Curtin Weekend program. This program was organized by the university in which we went for a trip to a native long house for 5 days and 4 nights! It took a five hours of Toyota Hilux journey to reach the long house. The point of this program was for the students to live with native foster parents. Two 8 students stayed with one foster family at a time. The name of our long house was “long Belian”. During this trip we went to a total of four beautiful waterfalls and it thus proved to one of the “I like my job very much as I like to draw, since I was a kid.” most wonderful experiences of my life at Curtin, Sarawak. I feel very lucky to have studied at Curtin, Sarawak as I received my job offer even before my final year exam. I am now currently working as PCB design engineer in PLEXUS PDC (Penang Design Center). I design PCB placement and routing and I love it. Though I am new, I am enjoying my work life maybe because like my boss said, “everything is still new for me”. To me work life feels no different than studying in university. Well its like I am studying degree all over again, but its fun. I am starting from the basic step which a PCB designer has to go through. I am currently starting off with a component and part librarian and I am responsible for drawing all the footprint, symbol creation of every parts and components requested by EE (analogue/digital) designer. As a Librarian I am also ECE STUDENTS’ NEWSLETTER - VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 1 responsible for the geometry so that the PCB designer may do the placement on their PCB designs. You may call this period of my work like as training. According to my manager I have to go through a maximum of 6 months training to master all the librarian drawing skills before I can step into the real PCB designing. I like my job very much as I like to draw, since I was a kid. Though I wanted to be an interior designer, PCB designing is not a bad idea either. I love my work place and my colleagues. They are very friendly, fun and active. I am the only fresh graduate in the team, so all my teammates take good care of me. We are like one big family! IEEE Curtin Sarawak Student Branch Initiation 2011 By: Nanthakumar Rajakumarian The new Executive Committee for 2011 of IEEE Curtin Student Branch has been announced in the inauguration ceremony held on the 25th March, 2011. The IEEE Curtin Sarawak Student Chapter is supported by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) United States, the world’s largest professional association for engineering and advanced technologies. Curtin IEEE Student Branch commenced its activities from 2008 as a registered student chapter under the Region 10, Asia Pacific. A new committee was selected by the staff from the Department of Electrical The IEEE Curtn Sarawak Student Branch The President of IEEE, Oo Kean Cheng presenting during the ceremony Dr. Low Siow Yong interatcting with members of IEEE Student Branch ECE STUDENTS’ NEWSLETTER and Computer Engineering (ECE) and students. In the inauguration ceremony, the new President of IEEE, Mr. Oo Kean Cheng and the Vice President, Mr. Tanvir Ahmed, who is also the General Secretary of AECES, gave a brief presentation about IEEE and also declared the IEEE events for 2011 to the participating students and staffs. The newly selected Secretary, Ms. Thei Sha Thoo, Treasurer Mr. Michel Voon and Vice Secretary Mr. Nanthakumar Rajakumarian were also present at the ceremony. “We want to boost up the activity of IEEE in this year 2011”, said the IEEE president Mr. Oo Kean Cheng in the inauguration ceremony. The Vice president Mr. Tanvir Ahmed said that he will work for IEEE and will combine the IEEE and AECES efforts together for mutual collaboration. AECES is a sister concern of Curtin IEEE Student Branch. Another meeting was arranged by IEEE especially for the engineering students on the April 1, 2011 at the LTCL6 around 4pm. Around 35 students and lecturers participated on this event including Dr. Low Siow Yong, - VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 1 the honorable adviser of Curtin IEEE Student Branch and Dr. Kiing Ing Wong, senior lecturer, ECE Dept. The main purpose of this meeting was to share the information about IEEE with the entire engineering student body as well as with the students from other discipline. A brief presentation was done by the IEEE President, Mr. Kean Cheng in which the IEEE membership’s “We want to boost up the activity of IEEE in this year 2011” benefit, upcoming IEEE events and also the process of joining IEEE online was demonstrated. Curtin IEEE Student Branch is actively involved in conducting exclusive events like SmartCar Competition, Robocon Competition, Wireless Hacking Workshop, Open Source Software Expo, and ECE Department Robotics Show since its commencement in 2008. Curtin IEEE Student Branch also runs the Curtin Robotics Club in the Curtin University. 9 ECE Department Gathering 2010 By: Lue Ik Hong Curtin’s first ever ECE Department BBQ gathering was held on November 2010. The event was organized by final year students as their farewell before they graduate from Curtin, Sarawak. All ECE lecturers and lab assistants were invited to attend the gathering. The event was held beside the Recreation Hall at around 6.00 pm in the evening. Approximately 30 people joined the gathering, majority of which were final year students and staffs. Second and third year students also joined the gathering. The gathering was a rare opportunity for all students to get to know lecturers and to share experiences. Everyone enjoyed the food, the environment, and the conversation between student and staff. As the highlight for the evening, Mr. Kenneth, lecturer of ECE Department, even performed a solo singing and guitar playing for the crowd. The BBQ gathering proved successful and concluded at around 8.00 pm. Students and Staff pose for a picture at the BBQ gathering. Wastewater System Monitoring based on Wireless Sensor Network By: Lue Ik Hong A Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) consists of spatially distributed autonomous sensors to monitor physical or environmental conditions such as temperature, sound, vibration, pressure, motion or pollutants, and to cooperatively pass their data through the network to a main location. In computer science and telecommunications, wireless sensor networks are an active research area with numerous workshops and conferences arranged each year. The advancement in the fields of microelectronic and computing technologies has made the real-time wastewater environment sensing and monitoring possible. Real-time is defined here as the important information captured in the field and interpreted in the control room periodically, either in minutes span, hourly or daily. The information provides a decision-support system (DSS) for delivering insight into possible actions to be taken, for example taking efficient operation and proactive management of wastewater networks. It can also help reduce leakage and breakage of water distribution pipes, and may also mitigate damage due to sewer backup, collapse, blockages, excessive infiltration/inflow, and flooding. Engineers, scientists and biologists can use the data to relate it to the impact of pollutants to the environment and look into methods and “In computer science and telecommunications, wireless sensor networks are an active research area with numerous workshops and conferences arranged each year.” Wastewater Monitoring System 10 protocols to generate a sustainable environment. TinyOS (Tiny Operating System) will be used for the software design of wireless sensors. The traditional embedded software design based on the assembly, C, C++ or Java language is avoided. TinyOS is able to generated very efficient code for resource-constrained devices, such as our sensor with on a few hundred kilo Byte of RAM microcontroller, and provides very extensive wireless networking capabilities. ECE STUDENTS’ NEWSLETTER - VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 1 AECES IN 2011 By: Tanvir Ahmed The Association of Electrical and Computer Engineering Students (AECES) is a fairly new student organization that is currently operating in collaboration with the IEEE Student Chapter at Curtin, Sarawak. Its primary objective is not only to boost up the performance of IEEE at Curtin, Sarawak, but also to render all necessary assistance to its registered members. This semester, AECES opened its dedicated information booth for the first time at Curtin, Sarawak, near the LT Foyer. The booth has helped AECES tremendously in recruiting process of its new members and it has also served as a good source of public relationship. The booth has also proven to be quite useful in providing constant updates and news about the AECES and its activities to the students. Almost 35 new students from all the engineering departments joined as registered members this semester, which is a great achievement for AECES. The booth is set to remain open on every Monday and Thursday for the course of this entire semester. AECES members are enjoying all kinds of opportunities offered by it. This semester AECES is also recruiting engineering students as members of Australia’s largest professional institution for engineers, the “...members are enjoying all kinds of opportunities...” Engineers Australia. AECES has worked closely with the IEEE new committee members this semester for organizing events such as the IEEE Programming Competition and Android Phone Workshop. Currently it is in the process of arranging a Frisbee game between the staff and the engineering students within the upcoming week. Next semester, the AECES hopes to arrange some interesting events for engineering students such as site visits to the local industries. The AECES is also planning to start ‘AECES Award for Excellent Result’ and the ‘AECES Leadership Award’ to honor the students who have provided significant support to AECES and have shown great enthusiasm. Programming Puzzles By: Saud Iqbal Whether you want to become like Mark Zuckerberg and create the next Facebook or like John Carmack and revolutionize the gaming industry, it’s quite apparent that today’s young generation of budding programmers will become the rockstars of tomorrow. April 4th. The president of Curtin Sarawak IEEE Student Branch, Oo Kean Cherng and another of its members, Chua helped organize the competition. A total of twelve students took part in the contest. The challenge of the contest was to solve a programming puzzle. Participants of IEEE Curtin Sarawak “Programming Puzzles” Compeition This is why many programmers are highly sought after since these skillsets are in big demand nowadays. To expose the hidden talents of Curtin Sarawak’s students, the IEEE Student Branch recently held a programming contest on Friday, The students were each given an encrypted message with a key. Students were then asked to write a program for the key that would help decrypt the coded message into plain text format. The students solved the puzzle using C and C++. The ECE STUDENTS’ NEWSLETTER students worked rigorously on solving the puzzle in the lab for about two hours. Fortunately, all of the participants managed “...it’s quite apparent that today’s young generation of budding programmers will become the rockstars of tomorrow.” to solve the puzzle within the given period of time. The quickest contestant was Jasher Tan who won first prize. The first runner up was Teo Kiah Kiat and the second runner up was Wang Zhi Xian. At the awarding ceremony, Associate Professor Ashutosh Kumar Singh and Mr. Lenin Gopal arrived to hand out the prizes to the top three contestants. Not to be forgotten, to recognize the proficient participation of - VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 1 the other contestants, the Head of the Department, Dr. Ashutosh Kumar Singh also awarded them certificates signed by him. At the end of the day, the programming competition had proven to be a huge success and a great example of many more similar events to come. It’s wonderful to know Curtin Sarawak has many more young promising programmers who will also hopefully get a chance to display their flair in future competitions. The first prize winner: Jasher Tan 11 Electrical and Computer Engineering students visit Miri Airport (Source: Campus Media Release) Thirteen Curtin University Sarawak students visited Miri Airport control tower recently. The students from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department were accompanied by seven lecturers. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering lecturer and industrial and external relations coordinator Tiong and teaching university, we combine theory with practical study and challenge traditional boundaries of learning, such as learning out of the classroom with field trips such as this. “They give our students a far more fulfilling learning experience, and also the opportunity to observe and interact with industry controller Azmee Adbillah briefed the group on air traffic management in Borneo and the various flight routes operated by Malaysia Airlines, MASWings, AirAsia, Hornbill Skyways Panoramic view from the control tower The Miri Airport control tower Teck Chai said such field trips are part of the programme’s curriculum. “As a forward-looking, international, research-focused professionals,” he said in a statement yesterday. Department of Civil Aviation Miri manager Maslan Malik Lamat and senior air traffic Observing controllers in the Miri Airport Approach Radar Control Room The students and lecturers at the Miri Airport Terminal 12 operations of the control tower. They learned how the Department of Civil Aviation provides air traffic service for safe and efficient flights within the country’s airspace. The statement said of particular interest to the students was how the air traffic controllers at Miri Airport — from the vantage point of their control tower and use of approach radar — monitor aircraft movements on ECE STUDENTS’ NEWSLETTER - VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 1 and others, as well as provide information to pilots by radio communication. The group also learned how various navigational aids like the VHF omni-directional radio range system, distance measuring equipment, beacons and instrument landing system help control aircraft landing and take-off, as well as how emergency situations and rescue operations are handled. A Visit to Shell Sarawak (Source: Campus Media Release) Electrical and Computer Engineering students of Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) accompanied by three lecturers visited Shell’s Sarawak Real Time Operations Center (RTOC) in Lutong recently. The accreditation and industrial relations coordinator of Curtin Sarawak’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Tiong Teck Chai, said such visits are an essential part of the university’s Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical and Computer Engineering) programme’s curriculum. “Such field trips to industries in the area not only complement curriculum studies in the classroom, they allow the students to interact with and acquire first-hand knowledge from industry professionals, thus enjoying a most effective and fulfilling learning experience” he said. According to Tiong, Curtin is a forward-looking, international, research-focused and teaching university committed to excellence and innovation. As Curtin’s largest international campus, Curtin Sarawak reflects those characteristics in every way. “Besides conducting leadingedge research that ultilise some of the most advanced technologies in the world, we combine theory with practical study and challenge traditional boundaries of learning to create graduates who are professionally competent and job-ready,” Tiong added. Marconi Sim, RTOC coordinator and Halliburton Eurasia Pacific Real Time Operation regional manager, was on hand to receive the students. He briefed them on how the RTOC is jointly operated by Shell and Halliburton in Miri, the Shell Exploration and Production Asia regional operations being headquartered here. “The RTOC was set up here to support oil and gas well drilling in Malaysia, the analysis and 24/7 monitoring. Well planning uses 2D and 3D software to provide visualisation on subsurface, drilling data and well trajectories. The students were most intrigued with how the RTOC Students in the RTOC’s Advanced Collaboration Room. Philippines, China, Australia and New Zealand with real time technology. The centre can significantly improve oil and gas well delivery process in reducing non-productive time and eliminating invisible lost time,” said Sim, who happens to facilitates collaboration in well planning and decision-making among engineers, geologists and geophysicists. Drilling engineers and an Advance Drilling Technical (ADT) team then create predictive engineering models prior to RTOC operators remote monitoring well drilling in a soundproofed room be an alumni of Curtin Sarawak and Curtin University in Perth. Sim went on to explain that the RTOC provides services like collaborative well planning, predictive modeling, drill string ECE STUDENTS’ NEWSLETTER drilling events, including torque and drag, hookloads, bottom hole assembly (BHA) and hydraulics management and other means to improve drilling performance. - VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 1 They also learned that, through remote monitoring drilling operations in real time complemented with 3D capabilities, surface parameter and Measurement While Drilling or Logging While Drilling (MWD/LWD) information, operators at the RTOC are able to react quickly to downhole conditions. The operators can immediately follow the defined communication protocol such as advising rig crews of changes in drilling parameters to minimise vibration and optimise drilling efficiency. “The visit was a great experience. Besides learning about the all the latest technology used, we learned about the critical role the RTOC plays in enabling wells to be delivered safely under time and under budget, and hence profitably, to Shell. I also got to know more about job prospects in oil and gas industry,” said student Raguwaran Maniam. The head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Associate Professor Dr. Ashutosh Kumar Singh, meanwhile remarked that, among other things, such field trips help to form strategic links between academia and industry and his department will continue to find opportunities for similar visits both within and outside Miri. “It is one thing to learn about the most advanced technologies in the classroom, but it is a whole new experience seeing such technology being used in the real world. We want to give our students that benefit so that when they graduate and start working, they will be well versed with what’s happening in their chosen industries,” he said. 13 Industrial Talk by Ms Cynthina Chew (Electrical Engineer, Sarawak Shell Bhd.) By: Surendiren As part of our ECE department’s agenda to maintain industrial relationship and to maintain graduate attributes, Ms. Cynthina Chew S.F. was invited as a guest speaker to deliver a talk. Ms. Cynthina Chew was a Curtin Sarawak student, who graduated in 2008. She started her career three months right after her graduation as an intern in a local based private company and currently she is working as an Electrical Engineering in Sarawak Shell Berhad. The session with Ms Cynthina Chew was very fruitful and encouraging for all those students who are worried over their careers after graduating. Through this session, she provided valuable information mainly on strategies to prepare for interviews and most importantly how to react when an interview is not successful. She also mentioned that the fresh graduates must be very flexible and versatile in whatever field required along their career as this will add experience plus reputation in their stride. In this way, since most employers are interested in multi-talented engineers, the chance of getting a job with high salaries and good ranking can be very possible. Dr. Ashutosh Kumar Singh presents Ms. Cynthina Chew with a small gift of appreciation “...fresh graduates must be very flexible and versatile in whatever field required along their career as this will add experience plus reputation in their stride. “ Ms. Cynthina Chew presenting her industrial talk 14 ECE STUDENTS’ NEWSLETTER - VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 1 Embedded Systems Engineering Will Take Over the World - But Just Not Yet By: Dr D. G. Myers, Program Leader - (Computer Systems Engineering) Curtin University, Bentley. It is always dangerous to speculate on developments in an area as rapidly changing as computing. Nevertheless, there are some long-term trends that are clear, even if some of the finer detail may not as yet be obvious. One of those is that the design of computers such as we have largely known them – enterprise servers, PCs, lap tops, etc – is increasingly a task that occupies only the few. The majority of computer engineers are now focussed on embedded systems design. Interesting questions to ask then are what are they designing and how will that change? Once an embedded system was a very basic microprocessorbased unit that controlled say a microwave oven or a toy. No longer. Now highly complex networks of embedded systems control all aspects of an automobile’s operations, mobile phones have more computing power in them than supercomputers of just twenty years ago and even humble devices like printers involve a complex embedded system. The complexity of embedded designs began to rise steeply from about 2000 onward resulting in systems that require millions of lines of code executing on sophisticated concurrent computing structures. Trends suggest that this will continue with some speculated designs reaching beyond one billion lines of code and over 200 microprocessors. Consider the design of a 4G mobile phone. Some of the functionality required in this includes: Telephony with features such as a frequent number storage and access capability, SMS, Mobile Digital television reception, Email and web browsing capability, Camera and video capabilities including MPEG compression and decompression, Sensor data acquisition and processing from GPS, IR, audio, compass, accelerometer and other sensors. Clearly, the computer engineer cannot be expected to know Dr. D. G. Myers all of these fields and then also take into account ergonomic and manufacturing constraints. Rather, it must be specialists who develop a solution for each of them. Then the computer engineer’s design task begins. Not quite as some caveats need to be set here. Each of the design teams undertaking these different tasks will have “It is always dangerous to speculate on developments in an area as rapidly changing as computing.” their own terminology, design processes and tools. That is to what they are accustomed and that is how they work most efficiently. Hence what they pass over to the computer engineer is a diverse range of designs and that is what ECE STUDENTS’ NEWSLETTER the computer engineer has to deal with. For this reason, a phrase now resonating though embedded systems design is heterogeneous design, meaning many different teams, many different outputs from those teams but one ultimate design brought to fruition by the computer engineering team. The first step must be to integrate these diverse offerings into one coherent systems model. Once that is done, then the computer engineer can begin refining the solution so leading to its partitioning into software and hardware modules and finally its implementation. This will involve many software processes running concurrently on a complex structure of processors and memory and has many interesting challenges. Curtin Sarawak students working with the HCS12 microcontroller in the Embedded Systems Engineering laboratory class. However, the first problem to resolve is this integration and that is a very significant problem indeed. Consider what these outputs can be. An obvious possibility is a description of some form in a programming language. Those teams tasked with the communications aspects of a mobile phone design may, - VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 1 “[Embedded Systems] will involve many software processes running concurrently on a complex structure of processors and memory and has many interesting challenges.” for example, use Matlab for their design and any such design is easily converted to C within Matlab itself. Others may use C++, Java and even languages like Python. This is all very well, but these are programming languages and have one very major failing as far as an embedded design is concerned; they say nothing of the timing required. Timing is critical in embedded systems design as there are invariably many actions in any embedded system that must meet various timing demands including realtime requirements. What is needed is a means of translating these different outputs into some systems model that is well-tailored to the later tasks an embedded engineer must perform and some means of associating timing. The problem though, is what systems model? Industry has struggled to find something suitable and those in the research community have nothing to offer at this stage that looks entirely satisfactory. Hence those of us in the computing sphere are facing a very interesting and difficult challenge that is limiting what we can do. When it is solved though, expect some spectacular advances. 15 Reflections: Achievements of Curtin Electrical Power Engineering in Three Years By: Associate Prof. Nader Barsoum The acheievement of Curtin Sarawak’s Electrical Power Engineering program has been excellent in the research area over the past three years. Over RM 900,000.00 research funds from external and internal granted projects was obtained, and more than RM 50,000.00 was awarded to the staff of the program. Many projects have been developed at Curtin Campus, expressed in prototypes, small devices, pilot projects and installation of real systems. These are shown in the attached figures. Many students, listed in the attached table were involved in these projects and they successfully published many scientific research papers in international journal and conferences. The students Student name were working very closely with the staff in the program and found that many parts of these projects were developed by their final year projects before publications. The power program provides bachelor degree on the source of electricity (high voltage and low frequency), and emphasizes on energy resources (solar, wind, biomass, hydraulic, steam, diesel, gas), electrical power distribution (transmission line, transformer, cable, protection, insulation), design of electrical generators and motors (dc, induction, synchronous), power electronics and drive systems (rectifier, inverter, converter), and design of hardware controllers (logic program, embedded programming micro-chip). The projects, therefore, introduce the new technology based on their respective courses and the Curtin needs by the industry, markets and environment. The importance of the new technology is to develop friendly and reliable systems which work at optimum operating conditions that have high efficiency, high quality and low cost. In order to collect most of the information of the new technologies and to use it in modern developments, the power engineering program at Curtin Sarawak has successfully made global collaborations with many scientific societies and publishers. Curtin Sarawak’s Electrical Power program has also taken part in organizing an annual conference in different places in the world. The conference focused on power, Proceeding/Journal Topic Daniel Adrian Global Journal of Technology and Optimization GJTO 2011 Solar Tracking Pilot Project Din Abrar, and Mohd Arif Global Journal of Technology and Optimization GJTO 2010 Solar Tracking Prototype Yii, Ming Journal of Electromagnetic Analysis and Application (JEMAA) 2010 Power Converter device Raymond Choo Wee International conference on Computer Design (CDES) 2010 Sensitive Motor Speed King Seh Horng American Institute of Physics AIP Temperature Control of motor 2010 Cheong Zhi Xiong American Institute of Physics AIP Energy Saving Controller 2010 Cheong Zhi Xiong and Hwo Kink Global conference of power con- variable speed drive trol and optimization PCO 2009 Sim, Ee Global Journal of Engineering & Technology JET 2008 Solar/wind Energy cost Janet Wong and Tan Ling Proceeding of Asia Modelling Symposium AMS 2008 Biomass Energy cost Hee Yong and Annie Chang Proceeding of power system analysis, control and optimization PSACO conference 2008 Micro-hydro Energy cost Cho Zin Myint International journal of Biomechatronics and Biomedical robotics; Inderscience 2011 Body sensor; Pulse Oximeter 16 control and optimization. It was held for the first time in Chianmai, Thailand in 2008, then in Bali, Indonesia in 2009, and later two times in 2010 at the Gold Coast, Australia and Kuching, Malaysia. This year it will be held in Dubai, UAE and is planning to be held in Las Vegas, USA by 2012. The program also plans to establish a global journal for online publication. These journals and conferences publish articles and news on the new technologies in order to design cheap, long life, high quality and more efficient systems. They work in collaboration with IEEE, Springer, Elsevier, Inderscience, IAEng, Hindawi, EUROPT, IOS, ILOG, Bentham, WSEAS, Wiley, Taylor and Francis, and other publishers. ECE STUDENTS’ NEWSLETTER - VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 1 Associate Prof. Nader Barsoum “Over RM 900,000.00 research funds from external and internal granted projects was obtained, and more than RM 50,000.00 was awarded to the staff of the program.” Reflections: Achievements of Curtin Electrical Power Engineering in Three Years Continued from Page 16 Speed Drive with Logic Program RTOC operators remote monitoring well drilling in soundproofed room Solar Tracker Pilot Project Solar Tracker Prototype Tracking Controller Pulse Oximeter ECE STUDENTS’ NEWSLETTER - VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 1 17 Research Collaboration By: Dr. Low Siow Yong C u rt in Sa r awa k R ese a rc h F u n d (CSR F ) C u rt i n Sa r awa k Coll abor at i v e R ese a rc h Sc h em e (RM 10,000) (RM 25,000) MMSE Based Transceiver Design for NonRegenerative MIMO Relay Systems. Speech Intelligibility Enhancement Using Psychoacoustics Approaches Lenin Gopal, Associate Prof. Zhuquan Zang Dr Low Siow Yong, Associate Prof. Zhuquan Zang, Prof. Sven Nordholm, Lenin Gopal Project Summary: In this research, the problem of transceiver design in a nonregenerative multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) relay system is addressed, where linear signal processing is applied at the source, the relay and destination to minimize the mean-squared error (MSE) of the signal waveform estimation at the destination. Two scenarios will be considered in this research for optimizing the transceiver design to minimize the MSE of received symbols. Where precoding is only performed at the relay for scenario one and an alternative algorithm will be developed to perform precoding at the source, the relay and destination for scenario two. Lenin Gopal 18 Dr. Low Siow Yong Project Summary: Noise is ubiquitous and it is well known that speech intelligibility decreases in the presence of noise. This problem is exacerbated by hearing loss, which makes it more difficult to achieve the same speech intelligibility level compared to people with normal hearing capability in the same noisy and reverberant environments. This research is expected to break this barrier through psychoacoustics signal processing methods to improve speech intelligibility. Specifically, the aim of this project is to study the relationships between human auditory model and sonic cues. The key here is to compensate the human auditory system as a means to improve speech intelligibility by exploiting the synergy between the human auditory model and signal processing techniques. It is expected that this research will significantly improve speech communication in various noisy environments or even social settings. From a psychoacoustics point of view, the proposed research will also develop a better understanding of the human auditory modalities and its relationship with modern signal processing methodologies. Associate Prof. Zhuguan Zang ECE STUDENTS’ NEWSLETTER - VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 1 Prof. Sven Nordholm Curtin University Staff Awards 2010 Dr. Wong Kiing Ing has won the Teaching and Learning Excellence Award 2010. The award was given on the basis on his achievements in areas such as Undergraduate unit coordination; Reflective practice that results in improvement of the unit & its design, good quality assessment practices, presentations at conferences, and seminars on T&L practice . Dr. Wong Kiing Ing Associate Professor Nader Nassif Barsoum has won the Research and Development Excellence Award 2010. The award was given on the basis on his achievements in areas such as research publications, research supervision, research projects and grants, research leadership, and member of editorial board of Elsevier journal of computers & mathematics, Idea Group Incorporated (book chapters), American Institute of Physics, and Editor in chief of global journal of technology and optimization. Associate Professor Nader Nassif Barsoum Mr. Lenin Gopal has won the Service to the University Excellence Award 2010. The award was given on his achievements in areas such as significant service to the school & department, Service to the community: significant contribution in a major on going duties on committees. Mr. Lenin Gopal ECE STUDENTS’ NEWSLETTER - VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 1 19 AECES & IEEE - Curtin Sarawak Student Branch, ECE Department, School of Engineering, Curtin University, Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia. E-mail: [email protected] Newsletter TEAM EDITORS:: Cornel Naing (EP) Nanthakumar Rajakumarian (EP) Akilan Thangarajah (CSE) Atif Qazi (EP) Tanvir Ahmed (EP) Alexander Lau (CSE) Lue Ik Hong (E&C) Surendiren (EP) Thei Sha Htoo (EP) DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT:: Saud Iqbal (CSE) Photo Credits to Furuqan Hussain (CSE) FEEDBACK AND COMMENTS: EMAIL US AT [email protected]