The Institution of Mechanical Engineers – University of Southampton Malaysia Campus (IMechE-USMC) held its Speak Out for Engineering (SOfE) internal heat event on 16 April 2018.
Students were invited to give a presentation on a mechanical engineering-related subject.
Nixshal Natakumar, winner of the 2018 SOfE competition
Nixshal Natakumar, a Year 1 Mechanical Engineering student and a Yayasan Khazanah funded scholar, won the 2018 SOfE competition with a presentation titled Electronic Fluency Devices: Snuffing the Stutter.
As well as being a personal subject, Nixshal felt that it would raise awareness about stuttering, which over 70 million people suffer from, whilst highlighting the positive impact that a technical solution can bring.
Nixshal spoke about his experience presenting:
“I have not entered a public speaking competition before and this was a great opportunity for me to learn more about myself and the art of presenting.
“I would recommend students to join contests like these as it takes you out of your comfort zone and ultimately improves your communication skills”
The next steps for Nixshal will involve competing in the SOfE National Level Heat event happening in June or July this year.
Neil Stephen, Professor of Structural Mechanics, who judged the event said:
”This competition is an excellent opportunity for students to develop their presentation skills, which are essential when they enter the workplace.
“We had six students participating this year and as expected the calibre of students was very high; Dr Beh Shiao Lin and I had a difficult decision to make but we felt that Nixshal’s presentation stood out because of his obvious passionate interest in the subject.”
