The Faculty of Engineering UNIMAS held its Annual General Meeting for the UNIMAS IEM (Institution Engineering Malaysia) student section on December 14, 2022, which coincided with the handover ceremony that marked the passing of the baton of responsibilities from the IEM members of the 10th generation to the 11th generation.
Professor Ir Dr Siti Noor Linda Taib, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and senior lecturer at Swinburne University, as well as Dr Victor Bong Nee Shin, Chairman of IEM Sarawak Branch Graduate and Student Section, attended the ceremony.
Dr Siti Noor Linda expressed her excitement for the upcoming events from the 11th generation IEM members, as previous activities had been interrupted owing to the pandemic. She also advised new students who are interested in becoming IEM members to follow what their prior members were doing and to always remember the objective of the associate, which is to enrich students with necessary skills and experience while they are still studying.
When asked about her expectations for the new generation of IEM students, she said that she wants them to think outside the box and be resourceful. In the interview, Dr Siti Noor Linda expressed her hope that when people think of engineering, they will consider not only the development of infrastructure but also the support of the community, especially in the wake of the pandemic. Although it appears to be over, the issues remain and are unpredictable.
Meanwhile, Dr Victor said, “The meeting is impressive; it is the first face-to-face meeting since the pandemic, and it is also my first visit to UNIMAS since COVID-19 occurred.”
He also said that the shift from online meeting to having it physically is delightful.
“I saw students’ names throughout the event but never met them in person. It’s also nice to reconnect with the previous IEM student section members.”
Dr Victor added that IEM will help the student find a speaker based on who they are looking for and which company they prefer.
“Technical talks will undoubtedly take place, as career talks will necessitate collaboration with students, whether from UNIMAS or Swinburne. They will hold joint events to make it happen,” he said.
Dorothy Bun Jalong, 21, was appointed as the first chairlady of the UNIMAS IEM student section. She said that being the 11th generation chairlady is a positive pressure for her, and that being promoted from secretary to chairlady was unexpected. She aims to prove to other organisations that a woman can organise and lead a team on a global scale.
Dorothy pledges to take the members abroad so they can communicate with all levels of society and community. She also assured them that she would successfully execute any event they had in mind.
Mohd Naim Iman, 22, the 10th generation chairman, and Abang Ahmad Latif, 22, the 9th generation chairman, were also present at the handover ceremony and to catch up with the UNIMAS IEM student section members.
Under Mohd Naim’s leadership, events were held both virtually and physically. He said that they needed to switch their entire year’s agenda from being entirely online to being physical. He also said that their team’s greatest achievement is the participation of Malam Galau Unimas, which attracted 500 people.
• This article was written by a student from the Strategic Communication Programme at the Faculty of Language and Communication, UNIMAS.
