Take “A Peek Into” Dr Yew’s Life, lecturer for the School of Engineering & Technology (SET) and find out what happens behind the scenes.

What interests you in the field of engineering? 

I am interested in the systemic approach in engineering in search of the answers to everything.

What inspired you to start your teaching journey?

My teaching journey started when I was co-supervising final year project students during my postgraduate years. That was the time when I realised that I could learn faster when I am helping students with a new topic at the same time.

Any interesting stories on campus? 

One of my most recent experiences was an incident where a student walked up to the front after a class and told me that he wants to be a teacher like me one day. Beside me, another student replied, “Maybe he thought that teaching could help him earn fast money”. I was speechless at that time.

In your opinion, what is the most important invention of the 21st century and how will this change in the future?

In my opinion, quantum computing will be leading the next frontier of research in science and technology. It will be able to help us to solve the most complex problem that is unthinkable now.

What is one of the common stereotypes you’ve heard of engineers and is that true?

Engineering is a man’s job. According to the survey done by the Department of Labor in the United States, women made up 47 percent of the country’s workforce as of 2010.

What is your current watchlist on Netflix/Disney+?

The Queen’s Gambit

Is Iron Man a future possibility?

Yes, I think it is possible that mankind can create human machines or cyborgs in the future.

What do you do to destress?

Usually, I destress by taking a break with a cup of tea/coffee myself.

What’s your best way to start the day? 

In order to start my day with full energy, a healthy breakfast is something I look forward to. I also find tons of joy in reading football news!  

In your opinion, what has been the greatest feat of engineering. 

In my opinion, it would be the building of the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS is the true manifestation of human collaboration in the new world era. This multinational project was a global effort, involving 15 nations, 100,000 people and up to a record of $100 billion funds. In layman’s terms, the ISS is an engineering feat the likes of which we have never seen before which allows humans to explore beyond the Earth. The project is also a real testament to the ingenuity of man in solving the engineering problem that had no precedence. 

What’s your favourite show to watch on TV? 

I like to watch sports matches, especially football, with family members and friends. I’ve never missed the FIFA World Cup so far. 

What is your favorite thing about being a lecturer? 

One of the most rewarding parts about being a lecturer is that I have opportunities to meet diverse groups of people of different cultures, age groups and backgrounds. I am grateful that some of the encounters have flourished into a long-term friendship.  

What interests you in the field of technology?

According to me, Digital Technology should be a fundamental right of any citizen.

From young, I’ve always felt comfortable with Technology. I am from the era where technology just started in our regular life. Not everyone was comfortable with using technology. 

I remember my first “Nokia” mobile phone even though there was no Whatsapp, Facebook and internet on my mobile. But I was happy to have my personal phone with me, my mother was able to be in touch with me via mobile phone. Slowly when Technology improved, we had smartphones so it seemed like everything was in our pocket. I remember the first social networking website I used during my early 20s was “Orkut”. 

On the other hand, there was news related to cyber threats such as phishing attacks, Dos attacks and more. From there I came to know about cyber-attacks, I read some articles related to cyber threats and saw how people were feeling scared with these threats. From there my interest in Ethical Hacking slowly improved. Many people think hackers are bad people. But it’s not true, there are different kinds of hackers. I am talking about ethical hackers/ white hat hackers, the good people. Ethical hacking teaches hacking together with ethics. 

At what point in your life did you realise that teaching was your calling?

I love to teach others. In my childhood, I always taught my classmates and did the same in my university years. At home, I taught my elder brother and nowadays I teach my son. My mother was a teacher. She used to share her teaching stories and she wanted me to see a teacher. So I choose teaching as my career. 

Any interesting stories on campus?

I joined 51±¬ÁĎ during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic teaches us many things including how to support each other especially with Burmist students as they needed mental support together with learning. Some of them share their scary stories which broke my heart. Also, I remember when I took a hybrid lesson, sometimes it was funny when I got up from my chair to answer a physical student’s query and the online students searched for me.

How important is cyber security with the increased presence of cloud storage nowadays?

Well, it is very important for cloud companies to work harder in cyber security as many of the companies are using cloud storage for their business. Any cyber-attack in the cloud is going to impact millions. Cloud service providers must make sure they have robust infrastructure, experienced and knowledgeable pen-testers as well as security analysts to deal with future cyber-attacks.

What do you do to destress? 

I do yoga, listen to music, and sometimes also dance to my favourite songs.

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A Peek Into Dr Tham’s Life

Introducing a new series “A Peek Into” where we interview Head of Schools and Lecturers and understand what life is like for them on campus and beyond. Today, we’ll take A Peek Into Dr Tham’s Life as the Dean of 51±¬ÁĎ and also the Head of School for the School of Engineering & Technology.  

What do you do as the Dean of 51±¬ÁĎ & the Head of School (HOS) for the School of Engineering & Technology (SET)? 

As a Dean, I oversee all operational issues for all schools at 51±¬ÁĎ for both students and staff i.e. enrolment, discipline or misconduct, welfare, working and learning environment and others. As the HOS, I have been involved in student’s learning from the day a student enrolled into the programme till graduation and beyond. Students sometimes face difficulties and I try to solve them. For example, some students might have difficulty attending classes due to work commitments or personal issues. I have to ensure that lecturers are aware and we provide support to those students.

What first interests you in the field of Engineering?

It all started when I saw my neighbour playing with a yoyo. I’m not sure how old was I then. I was wondering how he made the yoyo swing back and forth while spinning. It was fascinating! I tried to figure out how it works and tried to modify my own yoyo by changing the string, even tried to put some light on it by dismantling it, but unfortunately failed and got scolded for breaking the yoyo. 

What would the students be surprised to find out about you?

I am very playful with my friends. We did a lot of things during our university time that our lecturers have warned us to stop or risk not being able to attend lectures.

What are some of the challenges SET students face today?

With the advancement of technology, students face very stiff competition among their peers around the world. The information or knowledge that they learnt might be outdated when they graduate. Hence, students need to update themselves regularly so that they can stay in the know and be competitive. 

Everything in excess is dangerous. Is artificial intelligence a threat or a blessing for today’s job?

It all depends on the purpose of the use of artificial intelligence. From my personal view, it is a blessing because it can help us to work more efficiently especially when working on routine work or tasks that do not involve decision making. Once decision making is done by artificial intelligence, we will be in deep trouble as it will only follow logic. However, we humans are born illogical.  

QuickFire Questions

What do you do to destress?

A night of good sleep will help me to destress and refresh my mind.

What’s your Netflix/Disney + recommendations? 

I am a big fan of animations or cartoons, especially lighthearted titles such as Ice Age, The Croods, Tom and Jerry, Kung Fu Panda and others. I watch them together with my children.