ERAS & YMGS share geotechnical expertise via Career Day Programme

By: SAFUAN SHARIFF & MOHD HASHIM MOHD SAAD, EARTH RESOURCES & 
       SUSTAINABILITY CENTRE 

To highlight the important roles that future engineers have to shoulder, the Earth Resources & Sustainability Centre (ERAS) of Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP), in collaboration with the Youth Wing of Malaysian Geotechnical Society (YMGS), recently organized a Career Day Programme at the Astaka Hall of the former’s campus in Gambang.

Themed “Own Your Future”, the programme aimed to lend exposure and enlighten engineering students at the Faculty of Civil Engineering & Earth Resources (FKASA) of the said roles – especially for the final year undergraduates, as they prepare themselves to cross over to the working world.

According to ERAS Director, Associate Professor Dr. Muzamir Hasan, YMGS is the professional body for the country’s working geotechnical engineers, which coordinates various activities domestically and abroad.

“This career day programme is an opportunity for FKASA students to expand their theoretical knowledge and gain access to the latest real-world information and best practices from an active professional body of local geotechnical engineers,” highlighted Dr. Muzamir, who is also YMGS Deputy Chairman.

“Associating this programme with such professional body will also help highlight to the final year undergraduates what their future career would be like – while simultaneously, boosting the quality and strategic marketability of UMP graduates to the related industry,” he emphasized.

At one of the programme sessions, Dr. Muzamir also shared his real life experience and research into the geotechnical field, entitled “Geotechnical Properties of Kuantan Bauxite” – after the bauxite mining in Bukit Goh, Kuantan, fell under the spotlight of the country’s environmental affairs.

“To ensure the progress of our geotechnical expertise, ERAS has also collaborated with other international institutions of higher learning, like Japan’s Yamaguchi University (YU),” said the YMGS Deputy Chairman, adding that YU has donated some RM65,000 research grant to the Centre to finance its geotechnical-related studies.  
 
Aside from YU, ERAS is in the second phase of geotechnical engineering cooperation with Asahi-Techno Co Ltd of Japan – in the fields of innovative technology and Super Well Point technical application – for infrastructure projects in both Malaysia and Japan.

YMGS Chairman and Director of Dr Toh & Associates Sdn. Bhd., Ir. Ong Yin Heo, was also present at the career day programme to share his experience and information on companies involved in the geotechnical industry.