BRIGHT DUO (From left): UCSI students Satyaraj Muniandy and Prabu Gunasagaran during the Schlumberger Ocean Plug-in Competition 2013.

BRIGHT DUO (From left): UCSI students Prabu Gunasagaran and Satyaraj Muniandy before the Schlumberger Ocean Plug-in Competition 2013.

WINNING SMILES: UCSI Architecture student Wan Mei Zhen (third from right) – with team members Tan Boon Kuan (far left), Lee Bin Li (second from left), Alian Chan Yin Vui (third from left) and Niragira Lisette (far right) – posing for the camera with Scho

American industrialist Henry Ford once said, “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” 

This quote holds true for students of UCSI University’s Faculty of Engineering, Technology and Built Environment; a place where teamwork – and competition – co-exist. 

Two is better than one 

Take for example the recent win in the Schlumberger Ocean Plug-in Competition last year, where a two-man team from the Faculty bagged the grand prize of RM15,000. 

Beating 30 teams from Malaysia and Singapore, Satyaraj Muniandy and Prabu Gunasagaran – who are studying Chemical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, respectively – from team Nonit successfully designed a well testing plug-in using Schlumberger’s Petrel software and Ocean framework. 

The plug-in – namely, TESWell 2013: Well Testing & Production Analysis – does not only evaluate well conditions but also predicts fluid behaviour in a reservoir and estimates its parameters. 

While software codes, design and algorithm as well as other technical features were done by Satyaraj, the 70-page user manual and other essential documentation were managed by Prabu. 

Juggling their co-op placements, assignments and the project all at the same time, the duo was determined to make time for their project – despite being based in different states. 

“We discussed the project over several weekends, only communicating through the phone or emails on most days. With so little time on our hands, efficient and effective communication was important,” says Prabu. 

He goes on to explain his role in the project; mainly developing the help manual – a self-directing software that is seamlessly integrated into TesWell. 

“To create the manual, it was vital for me to really understand Satya’s work and translate it (technical terms) into terms that are easier to understand,” he explains. “And in order for me to do so, he needed to give me comprehensive explanations. It’s a two-way thing.” 

With only 45 days to learn all they could about programming, research was crucial and they set to studying journals and relevant sources on the Internet with a vengeance. 

According to Prabu, having constant exposure to different software during classes and in the labs helped him adjust fairly quickly to the Petrel software 

For Satyaraj, he has gained better time management skills since enrolling at UCSI and this has helped him a lot with designing the plug-in. 

“And although we couldn’t directly apply what we studied to this project, the University has definitely equipped me with the ability to learn quickly and turn ideas into reality!” 

It is worthy to note that the duo’s big win is but one of the Faculty’s many success stories. 

Teaming up for success 

Like the prodigious duo, Architecture student Wan Mei Zhen – who led her team of five to bag second place and RM5,000 in the recent Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia (PAM) - Lafarge Architecture Student Competition – has much to boast about. 

The national competition necessitated participants to create affordable housing designs and the team impressed the judges with their ‘cube-like homes’, inspired by neuhaus – a German term for ‘new house’. 

“For example, if you can’t afford a house, you can buy a ‘cube’ and add-on accordingly when you get a bigger income. It’s easily expandable,” she says, pointing out that the concept was a combination of all their ideas. 

Apart from its one-of-a-kind design, the design also saw a collection of interchangeable walls – prefabricated concrete panels – where defective panels could be easily replaced with new ones using a unique sliding system. 

Edging out more than 150 entries from top universities in Malaysia like Universiti Malaya, Universiti Sains Malaysia and Taylor’s University, the team was ecstatic about their win as they had opportunities to meet experienced architects and big names in the industry. 

“It was an awesome (experience)!” enthuses Wan, who also enjoyed working on the project with her coursemates. 

“Although we had many discussions and debates among ourselves because of differing ideas, we ‘settled’ those as a team.” 

Good teamwork is measured by respect, shared trust and the free exchange of knowledge and ideas. 

And by instilling leadership, responsibility and teamwork in students, the Faculty is taking steps to groom them – personally and professionally – for their careers. 

To find out more about UCSI’s Faculty of Engineering, Technology and Built Environment, contact us at 03-91018882 or email www.ucsiuniversity.edu.my/onlineenquiry. You can also drop by our Open Day on 29 and 30 March 2014 (9am – 5pm).