Yew is among the sterling alumni that UTP is proud of, who are making waves worldwide.
OVER the past 25 years, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) has produced alumni who have become leaders in their chosen fields, some of whom have made a name for themselves beyond Malaysia.
One such graduate is Henry Yew. He completed his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 2010 and is currently flying the UTP flag high in the United States.
“The work I do is very niche in my industry and there are many kinds of challenges that require innovative and progressive solutions. I perform engineering analyses of exterior wall systems that include glazed curtain walls and window walls, as well as metal panel systems and stone cladding. My design work must be compliant with applicable design standards and building codes.
“It gives me a lot of satisfaction being able to see the final product when the curtain walls and other exterior cladding are installed. By seeing the completion of a building, I get to see my work materialise right before me,” says the 34-year-old façade structural engineer, who works with Curtain Wall Design & Consulting, Inc in Texas.
A member of the ASTM International subcommittee on glass use in buildings, Yew contributes actively to the development of standards related to structural design of glass as a building or cladding material.
Yew, who has a Masters and PhD in Civil Engineering from Texas Tech University, attributes his professional success to the education received at UTP.
"The foundations – specifically, the fundamentals I learned during the first two years of my undergraduate studies – are vital to the work that I do. Without a proper emphasis on early fundamentals, I won’t be able to execute my work properly," he explains.
Well-rounded global graduates
UTP encourages its graduates to look into opportunities outside of Malaysia, says Prof Nor Hisham.
According to deputy vice chancellor for student affairs Prof Dr Nor Hisham Hamid, the global employability of UTP graduates is not uncommon.
"We never intended to restrict our alumni to employment within Malaysia when we founded the university 25 years ago. We now encourage graduates to look into opportunities outside of Malaysia and have restructured the curriculum to include the inculcation of a global mindset among students.
"Student mobility was not a key component of student development previously, but this has now become of importance in the global mindset.
He points out the need for graduates to be agile, especially in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world.
"We have determined that 100% of our students must have international exposure abroad, whether it's through student exchange, research attachment, summer programme, or internship."
In Yew’s case, the opportunity came when he was completing his postgraduate degrees in the US.
“You may enjoy living and working abroad and eventually return home. But the experience will only enrich you more as an individual and whatever your final decision is, you shouldn't regret it," he says.
UTP's multicultural campus community is another feature that plays a role in shaping the global mindset of its students.
The time spent at UTP was a plus in his global career journey, says Bharat
39-year-old Bharat Singh from India spent his four years at UTP and completed his Master of Science in Information Technology. He graduated in 2015 and settled in Germany where his family is.
He set up an IT start-up BGOS Group, where he also holds the position of chief technology officer and has generated revenue over RM1mil. The group provides consulting, financial trading and IT services, among other things and has plans to establish a BGOS (Bharat Graphics Operating System) research lab in the future.
Looking back, he says the time spent at UTP was a plus in his global career journey.
“The university has a large number of international students with different skills, an environment where they conduct open research and learn good IT skills from various sources, especially libraries and labs.
“I learned a lot during my time at UTP and some skills are still being used today,” he says.
For more information on UTP, please visit UTP’s website at www.utp.edu.my.
