Civil Engineering students clinched two awards at UMCvEC 2025

Congratulations to our Civil Engineering Year 2 students clinching two awards at the Universiti Malaya Civil Engineering Competition (UMCvEC) 2025 held in Kuala Lumpur!

UMCvEC 2025: EnviroBowl Concrete challenged 18 teams, made up of students from Malaysia, Singapore and Philippines to design innovative "green" concrete bowling ball using sustainable materials and low-carbon processess. The technical performance of the students' concete mix design were tested on, so were their ability to communicate and defend their work through report, presentations and booth showcase to the judging panel .

The team of Charlotte Chan Shu En, Chng Ian, Don Teo Kai Jun, Mok Zheng Liang and Rachael Michael won First Runner-up and Best Concrete Performance Award.

With the guidance of Associate Professor Yang En-Hua as advisor, the team took up the challenge to innovate upon traditional concrete mix design (Portland Cement Concrete). After four months of spending countless hours in the lab preparing materials, experimenting with different mix designs, troubleshooting unexpected setbacks, they successfully developed a cement-less, alkali-activated geopolymer using powdered waste glass as the precursor. The geopolymer achieved a compressive strength of 117.7 MPa - the highest amongst all teams in UMCvEC 2025.

The competition was an unforgettable learning experience for the team as they gained fresh insights, meaningful friendships and a deeper appreciation for sustainable engineering. They are also grateful for the unwavering support from the school's professors, staff and peers on preparation, logistics and administration. This achievement would not have been possible without them.

Mok Zheng Liang exclaimed: "It was also incredibly inspiring to meet and learn from other like-minded students from across Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines who are equally committed to advancing sustainable engineering."

Charlotte Chan added: "We were constantly challenged to think critically, solve problems on the spot, and adapt under pressure—making the entire experience both intense and inspiring."

Let's await these students tackle the next challenge and shine in the world of civil and sustainable engineering!