KUALA LUMPUR: Shell’s road safety initiative for tertiary education students, the #ShellSelamatSampai Varsity Challenge, concluded with Team Curtin_IoT from Curtin University Malaysia emerging as the grand winner for 2024.
Dr Nor Fuad Abdul Hamid, Deputy Secretary-General (Management) of Malaysia’s Ministry of Transport, officiated at the #ShellSelamatSampai Varsity Challenge 2024. Themed “Innovative! Captivate! Save Lives!”, the challenge encourages Malaysian university and college students to use science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to develop innovative road safety solutions.
Siti Sulaiman, Country Chair of Shell Malaysia and Senior Vice President of Integrated Gas and Upstream Malaysia, emphasised Shell’s commitment to fostering road safety values among youth while empowering them to innovate and lead initiatives that promote safer community driving habits.
“Each year, many lives are tragically lost due to reckless driving, negligence, and a lack of awareness.
“As responsible citizens, we must unite and take a stand to make a difference. At Shell, we are committed to instilling the values of road safety in our youth, empowering them to innovate and lead initiatives that enhance road safety culture within their communities,” she said.
The winning team, comprising Wong Zhe Ming, Gigi Hii Shu Qi, and Kho Jia Ann, developed the Vision Integrated E-Nose (VIEN), an advanced vehicular alcohol detection and classification system with an IoT-enabled surveillance platform.
VIEN employs a precise mechanism to distinguish alcoholic beverages from non-intoxicating alcohol-based products, such as hand sanitisers, to prevent intoxicated driving and promote safer, more responsible road behaviour.
Team Curtin_IoT was one of six finalist teams, competing against students from Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (APU), Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Shah Alam, Multimedia University (MMU), and UCSI College Kuala Lumpur.
“The Shell #ShellSelamatSampai programme has been instrumental in introducing us to innovative thinking tools and problem-solving methodologies, which were crucial in the implementation of our project.
“This has helped us develop a solution that can reduce road-related mishaps. We are truly grateful to Shell for this enriching experience, and we hope to continue spreading awareness about our project and empowering society to adopt it as a measure to mitigate road-related accidents,” Team Curtin_IoT shared.
The 2024 grand finale was evaluated by a distinguished panel of judges, including Ir Mohd Yusop Mohamad, Director of Automotive Engineering at the Road Transport Department Malaysia (JPJ); Dr Ahmad Azad Ab Rashid, Senior Researcher at the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS); and Harnamdav Singh, High Risk Transport Road Safety Advisor at Shell Malaysia.
Shell’s commitment to road safety in Malaysia began in 1957 and has since evolved into a comprehensive programme that collaborates closely with government stakeholders to foster a culture of road safety within communities.
Introduced in 2017 as part of the #ShellSelamatSampai initiative, the Varsity Challenge empowers tertiary education students to develop innovative solutions to address road safety issues.
Over the years, the challenge has nurtured bright young minds across Malaysia, inspiring them to propose creative ideas for improving road safety conditions.
