Securing a historic win!
From left to right: Team supervisor, Chiew Yeong Shiong, with team members, Tang Yi Zong, Tan Jet Yang, Kogiilan Muniandy, and Abdul Majeed Mohamed Riyas.
In a historical achievement, Monash University Malaysia has claimed the top prize in the 2024 WARMAN Design and Build Competition, marking the first time a university outside of Oceania has secured the title. This momentous win by a student team from the School of Engineering is not only a proud moment for the university but also for the entire region as well.
The WARMAN Design and Build Competition, established in 1988 by Engineers Australia, brings together the brightest second-year engineering students across Asia-Pacific, such as Australia, New Zealand, and Malaysia. It was initially launched to enhance the engineering design skills of Australian students and has grown into an international event that recognises creative thinking and skill development in engineering. Participants are challenged to design and build a device that meets complex engineering criteria, testing their creativity, technical prowess, and problem-solving skills. The competition was held from 26 to 27 October 2024, attracting nearly 90 students from 16 universities and making Monash University Malaysia’s victory even more remarkable.
Each year, the project context will generally be about the mythical planet of Gondwana. This background theme was first created back in 1995 by the students at the College of Fine Art at the University of New South Wales. This year’s mission, Project FAMINE, tasked students with developing a solution to protect Gondwana’s agriculture from an invasive species. An asteroid had introduced six fur-covered seed pods, which, if ruptured, would devastate the local food supply. To prevent this, teams would have to design a prototype transport system to safely deliver the pods to an incinerator within a strict 120-second timeframe. The system had to fit within a 400mm cube, operate autonomously, collect and incinerate pods scattered on the ground and in trees (simulated by tennis balls) before they could release their seeds.
The device in the process of being assembled by the team.
Under the mentorship of Ir Dr Chiew Yeong Shiong, the Monash University Malaysia team, comprising Kogiilan Muniandy, Tan Jet Yang, Abdul Majeed Mohamed Riyas, and Tang Yi Zong, dedicated four days each week for four months to designing, building, and testing their device. Despite challenges such as broken parts and initial design setbacks, the team’s dedication and resilience led them to develop a fast, reliable, and consistent device, tested rigorously every Friday to ensure flawless performance.
Competing against accomplished teams from universities like the University of Adelaide, UNSW Canberra, and the University of Technology Sydney, the team’s hard work paid off, securing first place and simultaneously making history. This victory is the first for Monash University Malaysia since our first participation in WARMAN back in 1999. It was made possible by the student team’s dedication and the invaluable support of their mentors, including Khilal and Hanif, who provided technical assistance and helped build the competition track.
This win is hoped to inspire other students to embrace challenges and pursue their ambitions. The team’s victory stands as a beacon of what can be achieved through dedication, creativity, and the support of a positive academic community. As the university continues to develop future engineers, this win proves there are no boundaries to what can be accomplished.
The competition was organised by Engineers Australia’s National Committee on Engineering Design (NCED) and sponsored by Weir Minerals and Altair. Acting Engineers Australia Chief Engineer Bernadette Foley also noted the growing significance of the competition as it exhibits how engineers are leading the way in addressing critical issues and redefining the roles of engineers in a rapidly changing world.