The next
National Chemical Engineers Symposium (NACES) 2008, will be held in Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) from 1st to 3rd of August 2008.
What is NACES?
National Chemical Engineers Symposium (NACES) is an annual gathering for all chemical engineering undergraduates from both public and private universities from all over Malaysia. This program can enhance the integration among chemical engineering undergraduates from different races. Apart from that, this program can provide exposure on the issues and challenges faced by chemical engineers in the era of globalization in their effort to develop the country.
In year 2005, NACES was held by Universiti Malaya (UM) in collaboration with Institute of Chemical Engineers Malaysia (IJKM). In year 2006, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) became the host for this program. Last year, NACES 2007 was held successfully in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM).
Objectives
There are all together 4 very good objectives for NACES 2008. The objectives are as follows:
1. To enhance co-operation, networking and good relationship between the stakes holders, industry, academic and governmental organization in developing world class education program.
2. To draw interest and concern of the undergraduates over the importance of chemical and petroleum-based industries, and highlight chemical and petroleum engineers as potential driving force to the country’s development.
3. To create a venue for all universities in Malaysia to gather their thoughts and ideas for enhancement of our future as chemical engineers.
4. To provide an opportunity for participants and committee members from various social backgrounds to interact with each other and build new friendships.
ThemeThe key to restoring climate stability is shifting from a fossil-fuel- based energy economy to one based on renewable sources of energy and hydrogen. The good news is that this shift is well underway. The bad news is that it may not be happening fast enough to avoid a climate- disrupting buildup of pollution.
The burning of coal, the dirtiest and most carbon-intensive fossil fuel, peaked in 1996 and has dropped by 6% since then. This historical peak marked the first decline in the use of a fossil fuel. It may be followed by a similar peak in oil use within the next five to 15 years. In contrast, renewables, starting from a small base, are growing at an extraordinary pace. Worldwide, wind electric generation grew by 32% a year from 1995 to 2001. In 2001, it grew by a robust 36%. And in the United States, wind electric generating capacity jumped by a phenomenal 66% in 2001.
Continue reading about the theme here.
I seriusly urge junior chemical engineer to attend this symposium for to gain more exposure on the industry. Personally, I've attended the previous NACES 2007 hosted by the Faculty of Chemical and Natural Resources Engineering (FKKSA), UTM as a judge for the forum/debate and a workshop moderator. I can observed students actively participating and discussing throughout the session. It was a great event. I'm sure that students attending any NACES program will gain valuable precious input from the event. However, I think it is good if they can include some sort of process or production plant tour in their agenda. It will be really good if the students can see the actual distillation column, heat exchanger, cooling tower, boiler, piping, pump, understand why NPSH is very important, and learn a lot more. Well, that purely depends on the organizing committee. I'm sure they've work so hard to plan and make the whole program perfectly realized. If only there are companies in our industry who can allow students to conduct a brief site visit, that would be very lovely.
Registration deadline is at 11th April while payment are expected to be completed before 18th April. Fees are RM70 and each university are only allowed to send maximum 30 representatives.
For further informations, please drop by their official website:
http://eng.upm.edu.my/naces2008/Download NACES 2008 brochures
here.