KUCHING – A total of 73 projects by 154 final-year students from the Faculty of Engineering, Computing, and Science (FECS) at Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus were spotlighted at the Semester 1 Final Year Project (FYP) Showcase, the faculty’s biannual showcase that brings together academia and industry to celebrate emerging talent and real-world innovation.
Held on 26 May 2026 and centred on the theme “People in STEM Can Work Together to Build a Better World”, the event celebrated a year’s worth of research and innovation while recognising outstanding projects through a prestigious Industry Award Ceremony.
The showcase commenced with an inspiring opening address by FECS Dean Ir Professor Su Hieng Tiong, where he emphasised, “Engineering, computing, and science are not just disciplines of knowledge; they are disciplines that transform ideas into meaningful impact. Our students are not only solving today’s challenges – they are shaping a better future through STEM.”
The final-year students from various disciplines across Engineering (Civil, Mechanical, Robotics & Mechatronics, Electrical & Electronic, Chemical, and Software), Computing (Computer Science and Information and Communication Technology), and Science (Biotechnology and Environmental Science) presented projects that demonstrated the innovation, technical expertise, and research capabilities developed throughout their studies.
Students from Computing programs also had the opportunity to showcase their work through poster presentations while engaging with industry representatives at a career booth hosted by SOCOE Sdn Bhd.
The program included a plenary session featuring guest speakers Ms Esther Wong, Recruitment Manager at SOCOE Sdn Bhd, together with her colleagues Ms Alicia Kok, Mr Derrick Jong, and Mr Nicholas Liew, who delivered a talk titled “The Environment That Shapes You”.
Ir Professor Su Hieng Tiong (left) presents a token of appreciation to Ms Natasia Jerah, Director, SOCOE Sdn Bhd, representing the Gold Sponsor.
This was followed by a presentation from Ir Professor Viknesh Andiappan, Associate Director of the School of Research at Swinburne Sarawak, who introduced postgraduate study opportunities at the university.
The session concluded with an Industry Award Ceremony recognising outstanding projects spanning multiple categories, sponsored by participating organisations. Industry partners commended the quality of the students’ work and provided constructive feedback, offering valuable insights to aspiring engineers, scientists, and technologists.
Among the standout projects was “Intuitive Human-Robot Interaction: Integrating LLMs and Scene Perception for Context-Aware Service Robots” by Rodney Leonardo Liaw Shoon Yung, who received the Industry Award by Sunvision Engineering Sdn Bhd for “Best Implemented Project for Robotics & Mechatronics Engineering”.
This research studies the integration of Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), Large Language Models (LLMs), and scene perception to enable closed-loop, context-aware communication, producing a prototype of a service robot that interprets user intent, analyses its surroundings, and provides meaningful feedback during operation.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learnt in life, it’s that hard work turns opportunities into achievements,” said Liaw.
The event received valuable support from sponsors SOCOE Sdn Bhd, Sunvision Engineering Sdn Bhd, PCSS Consultancy Sdn Bhd, James Dyson Foundation, and Da Ji Tai Holdings Sdn Bhd.
“We value continued collaboration, alignment with future industry leaders, and the opportunity to learn from young minds who continually challenge and inspire us, shaping shared progress for the future,” said Ms Esther Wong.
Swinburne Sarawak’s Semester 1 FYP Showcase serves as a vital bridge between academic achievement and professional readiness, providing students with the opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities to industry and the wider community. It continues to reinforce the university’s position as a forward-looking institution committed to producing graduates who are not only technically proficient but poised to make meaningful contributions to industry and society.
The showcase also supports Swinburne’s Ad Astra 2030 vision by enhancing graduate employability, strengthening industry engagement, and fostering opportunities for future research collaborations.
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