Institution news
The IMechE Malaysian Chapter/Branch has grown significantly over 20 years since its inception in 1997. As of December 2018, there are approximately 4,500 branch members in total.
The Branch is current led by the Malaysian Chair, Prof Dr Ir Vinesh Thiruchelvam and has a team of committee members consisting of dedicated volunteers working towards the mission of the Institution through the provision of networking, events, news, links with like-minded organisations, activities and opportunities for the local engineering community.
In 2018, numerous activities were organised by the Branch, emphasising the significance of the IMechE themes, i.e. Energy, Environment, Transport, Manufacturing and Education.
In February 2018, a one-day seminar entitled “” was held to address:
- What drives urban evolution? Are there common underlying mechanisms and universal laws that govern urban development, growth, and change?
- What are the emerging patterns of urbanisation throughout the globe, and what are the plausible urban scenarios for the future? How will emerging patterns of urbanisation influence key determinants of ecological and human well-being?
- What opportunities and challenges do new technologies, real-time sensors, and big data provide for tackling urban issues?
- What are the most promising innovative technological and institutional solutions for transitioning to sustainable patterns of urban development?
- What kinds of cities do we want to live in?
In September 2018, the Branch organised a youth seminar, “Get to know the applications of 3D printing in Malaysia” . The objective was to create awareness about the up and coming additive manufacturing - 3D printing - technology in the Malaysian landscape. The invited speakers from different backgrounds of the additive manufacturing field in Malaysia were able to discuss a wide array of additive manufacturing applications ranging from medical prosthesis for humans and animals to aircraft industries and other businesses.
The IMechE Malaysia Branch in collaboration with other institutions, e.g. the Institution of Engineers, Malaysia (IEM), Engineers Australia Malaysia Chapter (EAMC) and local universities, had also organised or supported numerous technical talks, forums and workshops in 2018. Among those events were:
- Talk- “Preparation for the next generation of engineering professionals”
- Technical Talk - “The future shift of green engineering and technology using big data”
- Talk - “Ideas to innovation”
- Railway Technology Forum - “Talent development for railway industry”
- Workshop - “MyTRIZ Level 1 Practitioner”
- Workshop - “Building nation towards clean energy: guidelines & promotion of solar PV technologies”
Speak Out for Engineering (SOfE) was a major event organised by the IMechE Malaysia Branch Young Member Section (YMS). Besides organising the national level SOfE as an annual event, the local YMS had also hosted the South East Asia Region (SEAR) SOfE, The Branch YMS is well experience in organising this event: the Young Members section having hosted the first International SOfE.
The Branch also regularly holds membership drives and networking sessions, aiming to promote membership and to get engaged with existing members.