(from left) Jeng Wei, Venice, Ts Ng, Emanila, Li Yong, and Adrian Tew made TAR UC proud after winning the Best Cantilever Team award during the UTAR SES Inter-University Competition 2022.

A team of five TAR UC students stood their ground against stiff competition to claim the Best Cantilever Team award at the UTAR Structural Earthquake Stability (‘SES’) Inter-University Competition 2022 on 9 July 2022.

TAR UC’s team “The Sealant Gun” were tasked to construct a cantilever structure that will compete with other teams’ designs on how much the structures can withstand simulated earthquake tremors.

Adrian Tew Zeng Guang, Leong Li Yong, Siow Jeng Wei, Venice Tan Zi Ying and Emanila Thor Wen Yi, who are all taking the Bachelor of Construction Management and Economics (Hons), may not have any experience in structural engineering, but it did not shake their resolve to give this challenge a go.

Despite some setbacks, the team’s design did not only pass the judges’ tests, it also won them the Best Cantilever Team award.

“Initially we joined to garner some competitive experience and see what we can learn, so winning this award was a huge surprise!” Adrian exclaimed.

Emanila added: “Yes, in fact we struggled a little as we lack experience as structural engineers, and all the other competitors have an advantage in that aspect.

For Li Yong, it was an exciting experience to participate in a physical competition, saying: “It has been quite some time since we were able to participate in a physical event, so this competition was quite refreshing and fun for us.

Ts Ng Teck Wei, Programme Leader, Faculty of Built Environment (‘FOBE’), was proud of his students’ performance, saying that the exposure will do wonders to their academic development.

“I always encourage students to participate in external competitions like this because it gives them an opportunity to expose themselves to different experiences which allows them to apply their knowledge and gain more insight into the programme they are studying, which is in line with TAR UC’s Beyond Education philosophy.”