AIMST Newsletter

THIS NEWSLETTER IS MEANT FOR AIMST COMMUNITY AND ITS STAKEHOLDERS Educating Volume 1, Issue 1 May 2018 Tomorrow's Leaders

Special points of interest inside this issue:

● Community Service: Oral Health Awareness Cam- paign 2018 3 ● Public Health Campaign 2018 6 ● National Clinical Pharmacy Challenge 2018 6 ● White Coat Ceremony 8 ● Earth Hour – Let Nature Shine 9 Vice-Chancellor's Foreword ● AIMST Welcomes Stu- I am delighted to as part of our Corporate Social Responsi- dents from Kanagawa write this forward bility (CSR) and are worthy of mention. University, Japan 9 for the AIMST Uni- With renewed energy to get things done, ● versity‘s inaugural AIMST Students Shine in i- let AIMST be a ―happening‖ and vibrant issue of the AIMST IDeA 2018 Competition place to study and play. 10 Newsletter. We are very excited to launch this news- ● Is Treating A Child Dental It will be a bi- letter which we hope, will inform and in- Patient A Nightmare? 11 monthly publica- spire you on a bi-monthly basis. For bet- tion. As we are all ● AIMST Dental Care for ter access, we have made this newsletter aware that many Autism Children 13 available online. ● activities both ac- Blood Donation Drive 17 ademic and non- I wish to record my special thanks to ● Nursing Profession is in academic are hap- Senior Assoc. Prof. Dr Subhash J Bhore Demand 20 pening on a daily for taking the initiative to start the AIMST ● basis which goes unnoticed and unre- Newsletter. I also thank the editorial People 22 ported. There is a need, therefore, to cap- team for their contribution. Starting a ture and report these events. It is a way newsletter and publishing it on time is a ● AIMST Students Shine at of sharing our activities and knowledge challenging task; but, I know, this edito- MIIC-2018 Competition 28 with all of you. Many of our staff and rial team will make it happen. ● students have won prestigious contests Gold in National Dental and prizes, and these achievements Wishing you all the best and thank you. Intervarsity Sports Carnival should be highlighted. 2018 31 Prof. Emeritus Dr Harcharan Singh Furthermore, AIMST regularly has visits Chief Executive & Vice-Chancellor ● Asia-Oceania World Floor and events both inside and outside the AIMST University Ball Championship 32 university engaging with the community ● World Kidney Day Event 42 AIMST University, Bedong - Semeling Road, 08100, Bedong, Kedah Darul Aman, Malaysia; Tel: +604-4298 000; DL: +604-429 8108; Fax: +604-429 8009; Email: [email protected]; www.aimst.edu.my Page 2 AIMST Newsletter Contents Editorial Team ● Vice-Chancellor's Foreword 1 Editor-in-Chief Subhash J Bhore ● Message from Editor-in-Chief 3 Sectional Editors ● Synergy Between MoHE and AIMST University 4 ● AIMST Collaborates with Angkatan Tentera Malaysia 5 Pharmacy Mohd. Baidi Bahari ● MPOB Technical Seminar (MTecS) 5 ● Technical/Industrial Talk 7 Medicine Arun Sen ● Collaboration with PSG Institute of Management, India 10 Dentistry Durga Prasad Mudrakola ● Is Treating A Child Dental Patient A Nightmare? 11 ● AIMST Aiming Towards the World Ranking 12 Business & Management Sham Abdulrazak ● Kurukshetram 12 ● Sangamam 2k18 - Masscult of Indian Aura 13 Media Communication Kalaiselvee Rethinam ● The First AIMST Dental Students Colloquium 2018 14 ● Hands-On Workshop On CAD-CAM in Dentistry 14 Engineering & Computer Ravandran Muttiah ● Laboratory Biorisk Management Training 15 Physiotherapy Rishi Kesavan ● Seminar on Nano Particle Technology 15 ● Indian Pharm D Interns’ Clinical Pharmacy Attachment 16 Nursing Karthikeyan Jayabalan ● AIMST FoD Collaboration Updates 17 ● Talks to Promote Engineering 18 Nursing Ooi Saw Geok ● Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Workshop 19 Foundation Ponnarasy Ganesan ● AIMST Nursing Students Shine at RNSC-2018 19 ● Power Station / Sub-station Visit 20 The AIMST Newsletter is distributed to all AIMST staff, students, and ● Team Building for Friendly Work Environment 21 stakeholders and is also available online. It is published six times ● Co-Curricular Activity Report 21 annually in odd-numbered months. Its purpose is to keep all stakehold- ● IBC Members Training Workshop: An Update 26 ers informed of the AIMST University activities and to highlight the ● Buchi Bioinstrumentation Workshop 27 important issues vital for the AIMST community. The AIMST Newsletter is edited and produced by AIMST university staff from material provid- ● Biotechnology Students Training 28 ed by staff, students, stakeholders and other interested parties. Copy ● AIMST Participates in S&M's Week of SMJK Jit Sin 29 deadline is the 22nd day of the preceding even-numbered month (for example, April 22 for May-June publication). ● Meet our Notable Alumnus 29 ● National Pharmacy Sports Carnival (NPSC) 30 Publisher by: AIMST University ● Workshop: LED Lighting and Internet of Things in IR 4.0 30 Printed by: AIMST University ● Career Talk 31 © 2018 AIMST University, All Right Reserved ● Alumni Relations and Development 32 Disclaimer of Liability: Every effort is made to provide accurate and ● STEM Carnival 32 complete information in AIMST Newsletters. However, Editor-in-Chief ● Kabaddi Tournament 2018 33 or publisher cannot guarantee that there will be no errors. Publisher ● ABSALYMPICS 2018 34 makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, com- ● A Mission at Bengka Belitung Province of Indonesia 34 pleteness, or adequacy of the contents of the newsletters and express- ly disclaims liability for errors and omissions in the contents of this ● AIMST at CUMEC 2018 35 newsletter. Neither AIMST, nor its employees make any warranty, ● AIMST University CSC Activities 35 expressed or implied or statutory, including but not limited to the war- ● APSALYMPIC’18 Sport Event 36 ranties of noninfringement of third party rights, title, and the warranties ● Engagement Session with GMC Sponsored Students 36 of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose with respect to content available from the newsletters. Neither does AIMST assume ● Welcome to AIMST University! 37 any legal liability for any direct, indirect or any other loss or damage of ● Academic Posting of MBBS Students at Old Folks Home 37 any kind for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, product, or process disclosed herein, and do not represent that ● 29th Intervarsity Biochemistry Seminar 37 use of such information, product, or process would not infringe on ● Japanese Students at AIMST University 38 privately owned rights. ● Dermatological Summit 39 ISSN: Application is in process; eISSN: Application is in process ● Malaysian Medics International Oncology Colloquium 39 Contact: Subhash J Bhore, Editor-in-Chief , AIMST Newsletter, De- ● RED’S CNY Carnival (2018) 40 partment of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, AIMST Uni- versity, Bedong-Semeling Road, 08100 Bedong, Semeling, Kedah ● The RIS Students Visit AIMST University 41 Darul Aman, Malaysia; e-mail: [email protected] / activi- ● International Articulation 42 [email protected]; Ph.: 04-429-8176. ● AIMST Biotechnology Students Colloquium 2018 42 Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 3

Message from the AIMST Newsletter’s Editor-in-Chief

Dear Readers, I wish to thank Prof. Emeritus Dr Harcharan Welcome to the Singh Sidhu, Chief Executive and Vice- AIMST University‘s Chancellor of AIMST University for his full sup- inaugural edition of port in starting this Newsletter. the AIMST Newslet- I hope you find this newsletter informative and ter. useful. The feedback from readers will be much Many exciting events appreciated. At the same time, I would also like and activities are fre- to ask all stakeholders input to improve the quently organised by newsletters further. If you have any suggestions various faculties and or comments, you can reach out to me at sub- d e p a r t m e n t s o f [email protected] / [email protected] AIMST University. Since this is our the first publication the quality Snaps of the events and activities are uploaded to of the pictures may not be of our expected stand- social media by the participant of the respective ard; however, we hope to improve as we go along. events. However, to have a formal platform to up- Dr Subhash J Bhore date all stakeholders of the university, this newslet- Editor-in-Chief ter was stared. The main aim of starting this AIMST Newsletter is to provide the bimonthly selection of AIMST Newsletter news, events, stories, and relevant resources to help everyone — students, staff, management, parents of Subhash J Bhore gained his PhD in Genetics the students and all other stakeholders of the uni- (Molecular) from the National University of Ma- versity to stay in touch with what‘s going on in uni- laysia. In 2008, he was invited by the AIMST versity. University as a ‗Visiting Faculty‘ for their De- In this first edition, you will find relevant updates partment of Biotechnology and currently serving from various faculties, departments, and centres of as a Senior Associate Professor. In 2017, he the university. Yes, the majority of the contents of has earned his Professional Certification in this newsletter are from the faculties and depart- ‗Biorisk Management‘ from the International ments of the university. However, students, staff, Federation of Biosafety Associations (IFBA), and other stakeholders can send their contributions Canada. for inclusion in the newsletter.

Community Service: Oral Health Awareness Campaign 2018

AIMST Dental Students Association (ADSA) had Following the oral screening, students explained the organised a three days oral health awareness cam- provisional treatment plans to each patient and paign from 9th to 11th of March 2018 at Central gave them oral hygiene instructions. Patients who Square Mall, Sungai Petani. This campaign was an wished for further treatment were given referral effort to raise awareness about the oral health by cards to AIMST Dental Centre. Lecturers also clari- providing free dental screening and information fied questions regarding their oral health at the about dental treatments and importance of main- booth. Around 2000 people participated in the taining oral health for the general public. The event, and 712 patients have registered after dental theme of this campaign was ―Beautiful Smile Begins screening for further treatment. Here‖. Concurrently, other events such as plaque disclos- AIMST Dental Centre‘s lecturers, assisted by the ing booth, best–smile contest, drawing and colour- dental students, conducted the dental screening ing contest, oral health exhibition and interactive that was opened to the public from 11 am – 10 pm. games were conducted. Page 4 AIMST Newsletter

Continued from page 3

Dental students learned about organisation and leadership skills. The event em- phasised the importance of dis- semination of oral health awareness and at the same time provided the opportunity for the students to learn to be active team players. Moreo- ver, AIMST Uni- versity‘s excellent services to the community were made known to the public through this campaign. Some pictures from the ‗Oral Health Awareness Campaign 2018‘ held during 9th to 11th of March 2018 at Central Square mall, Sungai Petani, Kedah. Synergy Between Ministry of Higher Education and AIMST University

On 11 April 2018, DG of Higher education Y.Bhg. Datin Paduka Ir., Dr Siti Hamisah Binti Tapsir and Honourable AIMST Vice Chancel- lor, Prof. Emeritus Dr Harcharan Singh Sidhu had a meeting to dis- cuss various general issues related to the university. They had dis- cussed Higher Education Minis- try's partnership with Falling Walls AIMST and some of the pending issues such as pending approval of new courses and revision of entry requirements for Bachelor in Den- tal Technology course. VC also met Y.Bhg. Dr Mohd Nor Azman Bin Hassan, Deputy Director of Higher Education who is In-charge of Pri- vate Higher Education Institu- tions. The meeting set the stage as an icebreaker and fostered the excellent reputation of AIMST Uni- versity with the Higher Education From left: Dr. Siti Hamisah Binti Tapsir, DG of Higher education Y.Bhg. Datin Paduka Ir., AIMST Vice Ministry. Chancellor Prof. Emeritus Dr. Harcharan Singh Sidhu and Former VC Snr. Prof. M. Ravichandran. Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 5 AIMST Dental Faculty Collaborates with Angkatan Tentera Malaysia

Major General Dato‘ Dr Mohd Ilham Bin Hj Haran Chancellor, Prof. Emeritus Dr Harcharan Singh and with his team of 13 dental specialists from Armed he also delivered a welcome speech. Mr Megat Forces Dental Services visited the AIMST University Nazahar, Director of Business Development Unit and Faculty of Dentistry on 4th April 2018 to dis- and International Affairs, highlighted the pro- cuss the possible collaboration with AIMST Univer- grammes offered by the AIMST University. Dr sity for Bachelor of Dental Technology Programme. Ramesh Kumaresan, Dean, Faculty of Dentistry, briefed about the AIMST dental faculty and dental All the delegates were received by AIMST Vice centre. Dr Ajay highlighted the features of dental technology programme. A dialogue session was arranged with all the concerned parties on the scope of collaboration between the AIMST Uni- versity and Angkatan Tentera Malaysia. Dele- gates during their tour around the dental faculty expressed their appreciation for the world-class facilities available at the AIMST Dental Centre.

Major General Dato‘ Dr. Mohd Ilham Bin Hj Haran and his team of 13 dental specialists from Armed Forces Dental Services visited the AIMST University.

Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) Technical Seminar (MTecS)

Pharmacy Students Association (PharmSA), AIMST University, and Continuing Professional Develop- ment (CPD) committee, Faculty of Pharmacy, AIMST University had organised an ‗MPOB Technical Semi- nar‘ on 23rd March 2018. It was held at Lecture Theatre one of Dental Building from 8.00am to 12.30pm. Participants of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) Technical Seminar at AIMST University Page 6 AIMST Newsletter

Continued from page 5 technical understanding among university students as well as the academic staff about the functional The primary objective of the seminar was to pro- attributes of palm oil. Madam Rosidah Radzian, mote the benefits of palm oil and to share the latest Director of Product Development and Advisory Ser- and updated information on R&D activities and oth- vices of Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) delivered er relevant issues related to the palm oil industry. the opening remarks and officiated the event. A to- Besides that, it was also aimed to increase aware- tal of 230 participants comprised of lecturers and ness about palm oil, its products and to enhance students took part in the seminar.

Public Health Campaign 2018

The Public Health Campaign 2018 (PHC) was con- Donation were also conducted during the event. ducted on 24th March 2018 in Amanjaya Mall, PharmSA played a significant role to make the Sungai Petani, Kedah. It was organised by Pharma- event a success. ceutical Society of AIMST (PharmSA). The theme selected for this year was ‗Diabetes-Life is Sweeter with Less Sugar‘. The main objective of the event was to raise awareness of the public regarding the signifi- cance of diabetes and ways to prevent this disease and its associated health problems among the general population in Sungai Petani. The event was mainly for charity purpose. Ac- tivities such as Health Screening, Exhibition and Blood

Public Health Campaign 2018 by Faculty of Pharmacy, AIMST University. National Clinical Pharmacy Challenge 2018 The 4th MyPSA National Clinical Pharmacy Challenge 2018 (NCPC) was organised at SEGI University, Kota Damansara, Kuala Lumpur from 6-8 April 2018 in collaboration with MyPSA. This challenge was to polish up the talents of Pharmacy Students from the Malaysian Peninsula in the clinical field especially. This event is a prestigious annual competition that challenges clinical knowledge, skills and teamwork of pharmacy students. This year, AIMST University‘s Faculty of Pharmacy sent two teams of the final year students. Two teams had competed with other 24 teams of pharmacy student from various 13 Universities/Institutions those participated in the event. After a challenging competition, AIMST teams managed to achieve 4th place in the event. Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 7

Technical Talk maintenance of irrigation and drainage infrastruc- tures, dam safety monitoring of 3 MADA dams, and Lake Basin management and development of ter- Y.Bhg Dato‘ Ir. Hor Tek Lip from the Institution of tiary irrigation infrastructure for paddy cultivation. Engineers Malaysia (IEM) who served the Muda Ag- The talk was conducted in the Faculty of Engineer- ricultural Development Authority (MADA) for more ing and Computer Technology, mainly for the un- than 35 years had delivered a ‗Technical Talk‘ on dergraduate students of Bachelor of Engineering the 10th January 2018 at AIMST University. (Hons) in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. During the talk, he shared his knowledge in the This talk was organised by Mr Ravandran Muttiah significant areas of work such as operation and in collaboration with the IEM.

Industrial Talk

Mr Sivaraman Rukumangatha Rajah delivered a talk on Simulation Driven Hardware and Deployment and Semi- conductor Test Technology and Solu- tions for HVM from Intel Corporation (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd. In total, 15 En- gineering students had participated in the event.

The talk was organized by Mr. Sara- vana Selvan. Page 8 AIMST Newsletter

MBBS students (Batch 23) with Prof. Emeritus Dr. Har- charan Singh Sidhu, Chief Executive & Vice Chancellor of AIMST University, Dean, Deputy Deans and faculty members during White Coat Ceremony.

White Coat Ceremony

The white coat ceremony was organised for Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Sur- gery (MBBS) year one students (Batch 23), held on 30th of April, 2018.

This event was organised and held before the medical students start their the first clinical attachment. Professor Emeritus Dr Har- charan Singh Sidhu, Chief Executive and Vice-Chancellor of AIMST University was the Guest of Honour.

In fact, it was a proud moment for the medi- cos to don their white coats and to pledge by the Hippocratic oath, which was led by the Acting Dean of Faculty of Medicine (FoM), Dr Anthony Leela. Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 9 Earth Hour – Let Nature Shine for the children and a ‗night walk‘ event for university students. A paper cup design competition was On the 14th of March 2018, AIMST University Soci- also held which was open for all interested partici- ety for Environmental Awareness and Development pants. The programme started with the colouring (SEAD) had organised the annual event, ―Earth contest followed by the ‗Earth Hour‘ opening cere- Hour – Let Nature Shine‖. The SEAD is a student mony and the ‗light-off‘ ceremony. organisation for creating environmental awareness The ceremony was inaugurated by Snr. Prof. M. among the younger generation about the necessity Ravichandran. The event was attended by about and responsibility to respect, protect and preserve 250 participants including members from the rotary nature. This event was to let the younger generation club of Bandar Sungai Petani. A symbolic 60+ for- know about the challenges faced by the world and mation in the AIMST University campus during the be aware that even their smallest affirmative act for lights-off was photographed with the ‗Earth Hour‘ the environment can bring out the most significant participants holding candles. The event was coordi- change. nated by Mr Tey Wey Ying, SEAD club president This year, SEAD had organised a colouring contest and Dr Rohini Karunakaran, SEAD Club Advisor.

AIMST Welcomes Students from Kanagawa University, Japan

On 7th April 2018. AIMST University received 24 students to participate in various activities to learn the students (6th Batch) from Kanagawa University, Ja- diverse cultural and multi-racial society at AIMST and pan. Students were accompanied by Mr Toshi and Malaysia throughout their stay for one year while study- Assoc. Prof. Dr Arman Hadi Abdul Manaf from Kana- ing hard to achieve their academic goals. gawa University. These students will be here at AIMST University for one year under the students' mobility programme. Students mobility programme is an opportunity for Japanese students to complete their ‗Foundation in Business‘ at AIMST University.

Prof. Emeritus Harcharan Singh, the Vice- Chancellor, officiated the admission ceremony of 24 students on 9th of April. The Vice-Chancellor advised Kanagawa University Students reception at Penang International Airport Sixth batch of students from Kanaga- wa Uni- versity at AIMST Universi- ty (April 9, 2018) Page 10 AIMST Newsletter Collaboration Between AIMST and PSG Institute of Management, India

Students from PSG Institute of Management, Coim- agement, AIMST University from 2nd November batore, India were at Faculty of Business and Man- 2017 – 25th March 2018 as part of their curriculum activity.

Students attended lectures on Malaysian Econo- my, History, Cul- ture, Trade and Commerce under this collaborative curriculum activity at AIMST Uni- versity. The purpose of this col- Participants from Batch 5 received their certificates of completion for the Global Immersion Programme laboration is to at AIMST University. provide the cultural and international experience to the students.

'Business Across Borders' programme of PSG Institute of Man- agement, Coim- batore intends to provide an Inter- national exposure to their students as an effort to make them understand the nu- ances of business in a global con- text. Participants from PSG Institute of Management, Coimbatore, India with Faculty of Business and Management, AIMST University.

AIMST Students Shine in i-IDeA 2018 Competition

Commercialization Innovation and Idea Competition International Innovation, Design and Articulation 2018 (ComiiC 2018) provided an ideal platform for 2018 (i-IDeA 2018) Competition. participants to deliver their ideas that meet the in- Universiti Teknologi MARA (Arau, Perlis) organised novative concepts. The competition was aimed to this event; which was held on 25 April 2018. find research and innovation idea that may have the potential to be commercialised. The theme of Mr Choong Hui Ping and Mr Chong Jun Yi from the ComiiC 2018 was - ―Creative Ideas for a Sus- Faculty of Business and Management took part in tainable Future‖. This event was part of the 4th the ComiiC 2018. They presented their idea of Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 11

Continued from page 10 got the silver medal in the innovation competition. Ms Kalaiselvee Rethinam supervised the students. ―Disaster Relief Drone System‖. The innovative idea

Choong Hui Ping and Chong Jun Yi after winning silver medal in the 4th International Innovation, Design and Articulation 2018 (i-IDeA 2018) Competition.

Is Treating A Child Dental Patient A Nightmare? Not If You Are Trained

The Faculty of Dentistry, AIMST University has con- The Scientific Seminar Presentation was part of a conducted a one-day scientific seminar on ―Dental tinuous dental education programme to encourage the management of traumatic injuries and medically delegates to explore the various horizons of practice compromised pediatric patients‖ - Hospital-based management in pediatric patients. It offered the stu- practice in pediatric dentistry on 27th April 2018, dents, academicians and the guest speakers to share featuring renowned speakers from Malaysia. their experiences with various case reports, treatment

The seminar was aimed to promote awareness amongst clinicians, academician, dental nurses and therapeutics, and dental students from all over the state of Kedah and beyond. More than 160 participants attended the seminar. The delegates had a fruitful discussion on management of pediatric dental patients in a hospital- based setup. Partici- pants also learned a multidisciplinary approach toward clinical problem-solving in dentistry. Page 12 AIMST Newsletter

Continued from page 11 pediatric dentistry which involves a multidisciplinary approach to treat a child patient. The event outcomes, success tips and most importantly their was graced by the presence of our esteemed Vice- insights on the prognosis of various treatment ap- Chancellor who felicitated the speakers and ex- proaches. This platform aids as an opportunity for pressed satisfaction and encouraged conducting the students, academic staff and private practition- more such type of seminars in the future. ers to understand the sparingly touched areas of AIMST Aiming Towards the World Ranking In QS IU, he is in charge to engage with universities across South East Asia. This meeting was initiated by Prof M. Ravichandran and was organised by Research Management office, Dr Sivachandran and Mr Siv- enthiran. We hope this is a first and most important step in joining the bandwagon of world ranking.

QS World University Rankings is an annual publication on university rankings by Quacquarelli Sy- monds (QS).

Mr Chong E Way is from QS Intelligence Unit South East Asia regional Manager. He visited AIMST Uni- versity on 16 May 2018. After entering AIMST campus, he was impressed by the architecture and the campus facilities. He met senior management members and deans of AIMST universities. He briefed the criteria on QS Star rating and ranking. He agreed to share the data collection format template with us. He indicated AIMST has the excellent feasi- bility to participate in the QS star ranking and rat- Mr Chong E Way (center) from QS Intelligence Unit South East ing. Asia regional Manager with Prof M. Ravichandran and team.

Kurukshetram In public speaking category, UPM was the winner, and IPG Kampus Tunku Bainun was the runner- For the first time, the ‗National Inter-Varsity Tamil up. In debate category, IPG Sultan Abdul Halim tea- Public Speaking and Debate Competi- tion‘, held on 10th March 2018 at AIMST was organised by AIMST students. The purpose of this event was to provide a platform for the students to demonstrate their excellence of speech and to cultivate the love and respect for the Tamil Language among the Tamil speaking students in Malaysia.

Public speaking (Brahmasthiram) and debate (Chakravyugam) were main two categories in this event. Students from 8 universities and institutions (UPSI, UMT, UPM, Institut Pend Guru Ipoh, IPG Tu- anku Bainun, IPG Sultan Abd Halim, Politeknik Ungku Omar, and AIMST Uni- versity) from all over Malaysia had participated in this event. Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 13

Continued from page 12 worth cash prizes along with the trophy, hamper and certificates. This Event was supported by the -m was the winner whereas AIMST University team Ministry of Education, Malaysia and sponsored by became the first runner-up. The best speaker prize AIMST University and Kauvery Hospitals, Tamil winner was Dhilip Kumar from IPG Sultan Abd Nadu, India. Halim. Winners and runners-up received RM 5000 Sangamam 2k18 - Masscult of Indian Aura

AIMST students had organised Sangamam 2k18 which was held on the 8th February 2018 at the Great Hall of the university. It was a programme of Indian culture to celebrate the festival of Indian music, dance and drama. The primary objective of this event was to promote Indi- an music, dance and drama awareness among students and to unite all students and staff under the roof of Indian culture.

The event was full of perfor- mances such as classical dance, stage drama, semi-classical singing, classical instrumentals, folk dance, bhangra dance. More than 600 people attended this event. This event was sponsored by the AIMST University and SAHA Technologies Sdn. Bhd.

AIMST Dental Care for Autism Children tude by providing a certificate of appreciation to AIMST Dental Faculty was proud to become part of AIMST University and the team from dentistry. the Autism Awareness Day event organised at MYDIN shopping mall, Sungai Petani (Kedah) on 2nd April 2018. Dr Nandini Kumari Katta and Ms Sarojini from AIMST Dental Faculty delivered a talk on oral health maintenance in autistic children and also conducted free dental check-up of 25 children challenged with autism. The event was a huge success and the ‗Autism Parents Sup- port Society‘ showed their grati- Page 14 AIMST Newsletter The First AIMST Dental Students Colloquium 2018 (ADSC-2018)

presentations and other interactive activities leading the way in dental students‘ research development.

This event brought together 250 AIMST University researchers, academic staff, dental students and key plenary speaker. The event was officiated by Snr. Prof. Dr Ravichandaran, Snr. Assoc. Prof. Dr Kathiresan (Registrar), Dr Ramesh (Dean) and Dr Manikandan (Organizing Chairperson). One of our Opening Ceremony distinguished AIMST Dental Alumni Dr Bala Sara- vanan delivered a plenary talk on ―Business beyond The Faculty of Dentistry organised the 1st AIMST the classroom‖. In association with the colloquium, Dental Students Colloquium (ADSC-2018) on se- various other events such as dental quiz, soap carv- cond and 3rd of March 2018. This 2-day event cap- ing, wire bending, calligraphy, oral health education tured around 23 scientific presentations of AIMST projects, dental photography and mannequin chal- Dental Students in the form of oral and poster lenge were organised to showcase the co- curricular talent of the dental students. The best oral and poster presentations were awarded a cash prize of RM 500 each.

Dr. Bala Saravanan Art of soap carving The art of single wire bending

Hands-On Workshop On CAD-CAM in Dentistry

Faculty of Dentistry (FoD) in collaboration with Or- thotech, Digital Dental Solutions, and Bio-3D organised a hands-on workshop on CAD-CAM Dentistry which was held on seventh and 8th of April, 2018. There were two lectures and three hands-on sessions on the different aspect of CAD-CAM in dentistry by world-renowned speakers. Workshop organising chairman of the workshop, Dr Ajay Jain, delivered the opening remarks followed by Dr Ramesh Ku- maresan (Dean, FoD), who delivered the welcome speech and inaugurated the opening ceremony. Around 117 participants from various universities of Malaysia including Universiti Sains Malaysia, Inter- national Medical University, Penang International Dental College, and Universiti Sains Islamic Malaysia participated and benefited from this workshop. Demonstration of intra-oral scanning was performed on patient and participants remarkably had excellent exposure to scanners as well as designing of restora- tion. Patients, who volunteered for the treatment, were given free zirconia crowns. This was the first workshop of its kind conducted in Malaysia. Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 15 Laboratory Biorisk Management Training

Safety in general and biosafety, in particular, is Under this module, students learn disposal of bio- paramount while working in the biomedical labora- logical and medical waste, incident response, and tories. For the AIMST postgraduate students from proper selection and use of personal protective biomedical sciences and biotechnology, it is com- equipment (PPE). The BRM training session was pulsory to complete the ‗Biorisk Management conducted by Dr Subhash J Bhore from Depart- (BRM)‘ module. Recently, a batch (March 2018 ment of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Batch) of postgraduates completed BRM module. AIMST University.

Postgraduate Students from Faculty of Applied Sciences and Faculty of Medicine with Dr Subhash J Bhore at the end of the laboratory biorisk management session conducted on March 8, 2018 at AIMST University. Seminar on the Updates and Application of Nano-Particle Technology in Pharmaceutical Industry

The Continuous Professional Development (CPD) in Pharmaceutical Industry. It was held on 28th of and Seminars committee of Faculty of Pharmacy March, 2018. The invited resource person for the (FoP) had organised a half-day seminar on the up- seminar was Dr Sunitha Reddy, Chairman of Board dates and application of Nano-Particle Technology of Studies, Centre for Pharmaceutical Scienc-

Dr Sunitha Reddy and participants of the seminar. Page 16 AIMST Newsletter

Continued from page 15 their Applications‘, and ‗Elf-emulsifying Drug Deliv- ery System‘. Besides that, Dr Sunitha also prepared es, IST, JNTUH. Academic staffs from FoP and 15 few case studies for a small group discussion ses- students from Al-Shifa College of Pharmacy (India) sion with the PharmD students from Al-Shifa Col- attended the seminar. Dr Sunitha gave talks on lege of Pharmacy. ‗Novel Drug Delivery System‘, ‗Nano Particles and Indian Pharm D Interns’ Clinical Pharmacy Attachment

Faculty of Pharmacy (FoP), AIMST University has Research Center, Malaysia on ―Clinical research received a team of 16 members including 15 pre- involving pharmacists in Malaysia‖ by Tew Mei Mei final and final year Pharm D students and, a faculty was conducted. OSCE on community Pharmacy, from AlShifa College of Pharmacy, one of the high- PBL in Applied Therapeutics and clinical case- ranked pharmacy institute in India and number based learning sessions were also conducted by the one in the state of Kerala, for a week-long short faculty members of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharma- clinical pharmacy attachment from March 26 – cy Practice unit. Prof. Dr P.K. Rajesh, Faculty of April 2, 2018. The attachment program was started Medicine, had delivered a talk on ―Importance of with an opening ceremony presided by Prof. Baidi body language in patient counselling‖. The students Bahari, Dean, in the presence of Deputy Deans Dr benefited with a half day visit to a hospital, Sultan Christapher P. V, Dr K. M. Sundram, Dr S. Saras- Abdul Halim Hospital, Sungai Petani and that wati and, other members of FoP. The attachment helped them to understand the significant roles of consisted of various clinical pharmacy related aca- the pharmacist in the hospital and clinical pharma- demic activities including hands-on workshop on cy. ―Total Parenteral Nutrition‖ by Prof. Baidi Bin Ba- A week-long session ended by a closing ceremony hari, Seminar on ―Keeping up the evolution of anti- presided by the Honorable Vice-Chancellor of hypertensive pharmacotherapy‖ by Mr. Ng Yen Ping, AIMST University, Prof. Emeritus Dr Harcharan a workshop on ―Methadone Replacement Pro- Singh Sidhu in the presence of Dean, Prof. Dr gramme in Malaysia‖ by Mr. Amir Sofi, Malaysian Baidi, Deputy Deans, and other members of the Health Clinic, and a sharing session from Clinical Faculty. Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 17 Blood Donation Drive supported in making the Blood Donation Drive a AIMST University recently held its ‗Blood Donation success. Drive 2018‘ which was organised by Pharmaceutical Society of AIMST (PharmSA) in collaboration with the Hospital Sultan Abdul Halim (HSAH) and LEO Club, AIMST University. This event is held annually as a part of PharmSA activities. This year the theme of this event was, ―Blood is meant to circulate, pass it around‘‘, correlates with its primary aim to encourage blood donation culture among our university students as well as staff. The event was held on 14th and 15th March 2018 at the Students‘ orien- tation hall. The event was officiated by Faculty of Pharmacy Dean, Prof. Dr Mohd. Baidi Bahari along with Dr Sariyati Ahmad, Head of the Blood Bank Department of HSAH. One hundred and forty-six (146) blood donors participated in the event and AIMST Dental Faculty Extends Its Global Tie-Up with Noble Dental Surgery Singapore

On 5th April 2018, a team of dental doctors including Dr Martin Wong and Dr Wong Chin from Noble Dental Surgery, Singapore visited AIMST University, Faculty of Dentistry (FoD). The teams of dental doctors are successfully running the leading chain of dental clinics in Singapore and are currently establishing an advanced digital dental laboratory in Sin- gapore. The primary objective of the visit was to visit our world-class facilities and to absorb our dental technology graduates in their dental technology laboratory. The event was officiated with a welcome note by Dr Ramesh Kumaresan, Dean of FoD followed by BDT program briefing by Dr Ajay. Dr Mar- tin from Noble Dental Surgery had a dialogue session with our Dental Technology students regarding their career scope in Singapore. Through this collaboration, our Dental Technology students will get an opportunity to work overseas and showcase their skills.

AIMST Strides to Spread Wings In "City Of Pearls" (India)

Dr Kranti Kiran Director of International Affairs, Staff and Students. MNR Educational Trust, visited AIMST University on 16th and 17th April to initiate collaborative talks MNR Institution is a prestigious trust positioned in with Faculty of Dentistry, AIMST University. He ap- Hyderabad and has revolutionised education with a preciated the infrastructure, facilities and was genu- single school in 1974 which now, after 45 years of inely impressed by the beautiful green campus and sheer dedication has become synonymous for excel- was keen to have a partnership with AIMST Univer- lence with 73 institutions imparting education from sity to build a fruitful collaboration by encouraging "K.G to P.G". It is one of the rapidly developing edu- and enabling the sharing of resources by Faculty, cational groups in South India offering diversified Page 18 AIMST Newsletter

Continued from page 17 courses. More than 45,000 students are pursuing their educational ca- reers at MNR, making it a premier educational group in the country.

AIMST had previously established and succeeded in several collabora- tions and partnerships nationally and internationally. We at AIMST University believe that such relation- ships can provide international experiences for students and faculty, enhance the curriculum, and raise Dr Kranti Kiran (3rd from left) Director of International Affairs, MNR Educational the visibility of institutions at home Trust with Dr S. Kathiresan, Registrar (4th from left) and Team of AIMST University and around the world. during his visit. Engineering: Industry Revolution

On the 19th March 2018, Ir Pratap Nair delivered a talk on Industry Revolution 4.0 at Polytechnic Sul- tan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah (PSAHMS), Jitra, Kedah. In total, 95 students of PSAHMS participated in the event. The purpose of this talk was to encourage the students to take up engineering degree programme to make their carrier in the engineering field.

Talk at College Ungku Omar

Ir. Pratap Nair delivered a talk at College Ungku Omar, Ipoh on the 15th March 2018. More than 150 students of the college participated in the event. The purpose of this talk was to encourage the students to take up engineering degree programme to make a carrier in the engineering field. Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 19 Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Workshop

A total of one hundred (100) final year pharmacy served as students participated in cardiopulmonary resusci- instructors tation workshop, which was organised by Faculty of for the Allied Health Professions (FAHP), held on April 12 workshop. and 13, 2018. All participants re- The Dean of FAHP, Dr Yu Chye Wah introduced the ceived a theoretical aspects of CPR at the beginning of the certificate workshop. The hands-on sessions on one-man CPR, of attend- two-man CPR, adult and infant choking, infant ance. CPR, airway adjunct and automatic external defib- rillator (AED) were conducted for the participating students.

Dr Yu, Ms Veni, Ms Siti Rihaida, Ms Khor Poh Suan, Ms Sushmitha and Mr Mahesh V Hegde

AIMST Nursing Students Shine at RNSC-2018

Final year nursing student Ms Kishera Siva- kumar and her research team from School of Nursing, AIMST University won the best research paper at the 9th Regional Nursing Students‘ Con- ference (RNSC2018). This conference was held on 17–19th March 2018, organised by UNIMAS in Kota Samarahan, Sarawak. Ms Kishera Siva- kumar also emerged as the best oral presenter. She and her team members, Ghajeshre Gun- achnadran and Teh Hwee San had presented breakthrough research findings on the prevalence of urinary incontinence, level of awareness and management with Kegel‘s exercise in parity women.

Another final year nursing student from School of Nursing, Ms Lim Jia Zhuan won the consolation prize on her project on ―Multifunctional polyfacet wheelchair‖ in the innovation category. The theme of RNSC2018 for this year was ―Meeting the challenges and opportunities of innovation in

nursing‖, and about 500 participations from Ma- Ms. Kishera Sivakumar (left) won the Best Oral Presenter Award. Lim laysia, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia took Jia Zuan (right) won consolation prize for Innovation category. part in this two-day event.

The conference ceremony was officiated by Pro- fessor Mohd Fadzil Abdul Rahman, Deputy Vice- Chancellor (Student Affairs and Alumni), UNI- MAS.

Research team led by Kishera SIvakumar (centre) and team members Ghajeshre Gunachnadran (right) and Teh Hwee San (left) Page 20 AIMST Newsletter

Nursing Profession is in Demand

A total of 40 potential students attended the interview for full scholarship interviews conducted by management staff from Gleneagles Medical Centre (GMC) Penang on March 22, 2018, at AIMST University. Twenty four (24) students were victorious in the interview and selected for GMC sponsorship.

A Total of 15 students attended Skype interview for full scholarship inter-

Nursing students selected for GMC sponsorship with FAHP staff (front row)

views conducted by management staff from Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) on March 22 and April 12, organised at AIMST University. Eleven (11) students were suc- cessful in the interview and selected for UTAR sponsorship.

Nursing students selected for UTAR sponsorship with FAHP staff (front row).

Power Station Visit Sub-station Visit The final year students of Faculty of Engineering and Twenty (20) students from the Faculty of Engi- Computer Technology visited the AIMST University‘s neering and Computer Technology, AIMST Uni- Power Sub-station on the 23rd January 2018. It was versity visited the Tenaga National Berhad (TNB) part of students co-curriculum activity. This visit was Manjung, Perak, Power Plant on 16th January organised by Ir. Pratap Nair. 2018.

This visit was part of the co-curriculum activity of BEng (Hons) in Electrical and Electronic Engi- neering. Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 21 Team Building for A Friendly Work Environment

Communication and team spirit is always a top pri- most powerful ways of strengthening our workplace ority in the workplace. Everybody wants a friendly bonding is through a series of planned team bond- work environment, where people are comfortable ing events that are fun and motivational. The Oral and happy to talk and work with anyone. One of the Pathology Unit of Dental Faculty organised a dental team bonding activity on 19th February 2018. All the dental academic staff members participated in this event which consisted of the crossword puzzle and treasure hunt. The celebration, cheering, and fun that had come with this ‗Team-Bonding‘ event has motivated our staff members to elevate their working environment to the next level. The faculty extends appreciation to Dr Jeevan, Dr Khushboo and Dr Vaishnavi for organising such an exciting team bonding event.

‗Persatuan Kanak Kanak Khas‘ located at Taman Co-Curricular Activity Report Nuri, Sungai Petani. Various games such as musi- cal chairs, eagle and bird, aerobics, football, games MBBS (Batch 21), year 3 Group G students com- with straws and rubber-bands and jumping across pleted their community development activity as part hula-hoops were conducted for children. Dr Joe, of their co-curricular activity (CCA) on January 26 Madam Umi and Dr Leela (Acting Dean, FoM) start- and 28, 2018. The purpose of the activity was to ed the introductory session before group activities. develop and enhance the functional skills of stu- Dr Sam Annie Jeyachristy supervised the co- dents. curricular activity. Activities were conducted for the special children of

Aerobics with the children.

Games with hula-hoops.

A snap with the students and teachers. Page 22 People AIMST Newsletter Dr G. Prabhakaran and Team Filed the Patent for Thermostable Cholera Vaccine

Cholera, the acute diarrheal disease caused by Vib- tion (Patent filed) is stable and retains its potency at rio cholerae is endemic in resources poor countries. room temperature (25 ±2 °C at 60% ± 5% humidity) The WHO licensed killed oral cholera vaccines for 180 days to serve the bottom billion. The devel- namely, Dukoral®, Shanchol® and Euvichol® are opmental research was executed at Faculty of Ap- cold-chain supply (2-8°C) dependent. In addition, a plied Sciences, AIMST University and funded under booster dose is recommended; hence, it is costly. the PRGS Grant, the Ministry of Higher Education, Whereas, the prototype cold chain free live vaccine Malaysia (PRGS/2/2015/SKK10/AIMST/02/1). mimics natural infection, strongly immunogenic, eliminates repetitive dosing. The vaccine formula-

Patent Application No: PI 2018700106, Malaysia (MyIPO) Name of Principal Inventor: Dr. G. Prabhakaran Co-Inventors: Mr. Kurunathan, Prof. M. Ravichandran & Dr. Chan Yean Yean

Gold Medal Award Nominee

Mr Alcent Teoh Hoe Chuan who ob- His dream is to become an expert in tained the 1st Class in Bachelor of En- the world of ‗Smart Chips‘ to develop gineering (Honours) degree in Electrical new designs and technology for the and Electronic Engineering is nominat- people. A smart chip is a tiny piece of ed by the Faculty of Engineering and hardware that includes a micropro- Computer Technology of AIMST Univer- cessor for computing or other re- sity for the Institution of Engineers Ma- sources for high-level data handling. laysia (IEM) Gold Medal Award for the We congratulate Mr Alcent Teoh Hoe Year 2017. Chuan for his achievement.

Mr. Alcent Teoh Hoe Chuan Volume 1, Issue 1 People Page 23 AIMST University Forging Towards Establishing an Additional Digital Security Feature To the Degree Certificates

Prof. M. Ravichandran presented Poster presentation entitled ―Towards Digital Veri- fication Of Degree Certificate and Academic Credentials In Higher Education‖ on 3 May 2018 at ‗Going Global 2018‘ organised by British Council at KLCC, Malaysia. This conference was attended by over 1000 delegates from Malaysia and abroad.

It‘s a QR code (Quick Response Code) based digital verification system wherein, the QR code will be incorporated in the degree certificate, and the certificate can be verified by the private key provided to the student. If implemented, AIMST will be the first university to deploy this security system in Malaysia. This system was developed by Mr Dhanu of AIMST‘s IT-AVA Department with input from Prof. Ravi and Dr Ramesh.

Y.Bhg. Prof. Dato' Dr Mohd Ismail Bin Abd Aziz, Ketua Pengarah, JPP (Jabatan Pen- didikan Politeknik), Ministry of Higher Edu- cation visited and listened to Poster presentation and appreciated the demonstration.

Dr. Subhash J Bhore Received A Fellowship from Sandia National Laboratories in Cooperation with the US Department of State pur, Malaysia. AIMST staff Senior Assoc. Prof. Dr Sub- The workshop was aimed at training academicians so hash J Bhore from that they can develop and integrate ‗Biorisk Manage- Department of Bio- ment‘ into their university‘s existing curricula. Only technology, Faculty of twelve (12) participants [International Federation of Applied Sciences was Biosafety Associations (IFBA) Certified Professionals] selected by the Sandia those have prior knowledge of ‗Biorisk Management‘ National Laboratories concepts and involved in teaching at postgraduate (operated by Sandia and or undergraduate level of biological, biomedical Corporation), USA and and or biotechnological sciences were chosen to par- became a recipient of ticipate in this workshop. The objective of the work- their full Fellowship shop was to empower selected academicians with the under ‗Biosecurity Engagement Program (BEP)‘. Fel- skills, tools, and confidence to establish a sustainable lowship gave him an opportunity to participate in ‗Biorisk Management‘ education at their university or their one week ‗Biorisk Management Curriculum institute. The mission of the ‗Biosecurity Engagement Development Workshop‘. This workshop was held Program‘ is to reduce the risks posed by biological during February 26 - March 2 , 2018, at Kuala Lum- threats. Page 24 People AIMST Newsletter Collaboration Between University of Leicester and AIMST University

Researchers from Faculty of Applied tions in Malaysia with the view to Sciences are currently working with developing novel phage products‖. Prof. Martha Clokie from the Uni- Prof. Martha's research focuses on versity of Leicester, the United identifying, characterising and Kingdom on bacteriophages. The developing bacteriophages research team that is headed by (viruses) that target and kill bacte- Prof. Martha has managed to se- rial pathogens of medical rele- cure £ 2000 worth of grant from vance with the view to identifying International Research. novel antimicrobials. She has Development Fund given by the published over 50 papers in both University of Leicester is for the on the fundamental and applied project, ―Exploring new collabora- aspects of bacteriophages.

Prof. Martha Clokie Faculty of Applied Sciences Appoints Adjunct Professors and Lecturers related to criminology and more Recently, Faculty of Applied Sciences (FAS) has ap- than 35 journal articles in na- pointed four adjunct professors and lecturers to en- tional and international peer- hance the collaborative activities in the area of reviewed and indexed journals. teaching and research. Appointees include Dr Ma- He has presented more than 40 haletchumy, Dr Mohammad Rahim Kamaluddin, Dr papers at national and interna- Lawrence James Croft and Dr Bent Peterson. tional conferences and has also Dr Mahaletchumy is cur- delivered plenary and keynote rently the Executive Direc- speeches at local and interna- tor of Malaysian Biotechnol- tional conferences. The media ogy Information Centre frequently interview him for crime-related news. Dr Mo- (MABIC) and Editor-in-Chief hammad Rahim Kamaluddin is also a motivational for The Petri Dish, the first speaker and a member of Malaysia Crime Prevention science newspaper in Ma- Foundation (MCPF). laysia. Her passion is in Dr Bent is a bioinformatician at the Technical University science communication, of Denmark, Denmark and co- biotechnology policies and founder /CEO of the Bioinformat- biosafety regulations. She was recognised as the ics Big Data company Bison Se- ‗100 Most Influential People in Biotechnology in the qTech APS. He has vast research World‘ by Scientific American Worldview in 2015. experience and has published ex- She served as a trainer for Industry Cluster of Excel- tensively in the area of meta- lence (ICoE) for biotechnology under the MOE, con- genomics, computational biology sultant for Bioentrepreneurship Training Programme and machine learning. His current (BeST) and Studio 1310 BiotechCorp and industry projects include several global advisory panel for various local universities. genomics and metagenomics pro- Dr Mohammad Rahim Kamaluddin is a Senior Lec- jects from various branches of the tree of life where su- turer and Forensic Criminologist at Psychology and percomputers are used to analyse the data, such as the Human Well Being Research Centre, Faculty of So- ARGO (Amazon Rainforest Genome Ontology), Big Data cial Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Kebang- project b10k (Sequencing ~10k Bird Genomes) and ‗Ant saan Malaysia. To date, he has published five books Genome Consortium.‘ Volume 1, Issue 1 People Page 25

Continued from page 24

Dr Lawrence James Croft is an Associate Professor, School of Life and Environ- mental Sciences and Manager, Deakin Genomics Research and Discovery Facili- ty, Deakin University, Australia. He has vast expertise in bioinformatics and high-performance computing. He was a Visiting Scientist at the Australian Na- tional Herbarium, Consultant & Chief Scientific Officer at Malaysian Genomics Resource Centre (MGRC) and Laboratory head of Novartis Pharma, Basel, Swit- zerland. He has numerous research papers that are highly cited and has consult- ed in many sequencing and bioinformatics-based projects.

Invited Talks

Dr Anthony Leela (FoM) delivered a guest lecture to give a talk at the 11th Advanced Wound Manage- the fourth year medical students on the topic ment Symposium, held on 14 March 2018 at Hospi- ―Health and Safety in Hospitals‖ at Saveetha Medi- tal Sultan Abdul Halim, Malaysia. cal College, Chennai, India, 14 February 2018. Dr Subhash J Bhore (FAS) delivered an invited talk Prof. PK Rajesh (FoM) was the Camp Commandant on ―The Status of Biorisk Management in Malaysian of Youth Leadership Awards programme which was Universities‖ in the ‗Biorisk Management Curricu- held on March 15-18, 2018 at Kampung Baru, Ma- lum Development Workshop‘. This workshop was laysia. He delivered a talk on ―Essential body lan- organised and sponsored by Sandia National Labor- guage skills‖. atories, USA. The workshop was held during Febru- ary 26 - 2 March 2018 at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Dr Gokul Shankar (FoM) was as an invited speaker to deliver a talk at the International Conference on Prof. Rabinderjeet Singh (FoM) delivered a talk on Bioengineering on Health and Environment (ICBHE ―Can High-Intensity Interval Training be an Effec- -2018) organised by Sathyabama Institute of Sci- tive Intervention for Non-Communicable Diseases?‖ ence and Technology at Chennai. The conference in the 2nd ASEAN Sports Medicine Conference was held on 8-10 January 2018. 2018, held on 24-25 March at Kuala Lumpur. He also served as chief judge for Oral Young researcher Dr Sara Thomas (FoM) was invited as a speaker to Award Presentations.

Dr. Anthony Leela Prof. PK Rajesh Dr. Gokul Shankar Dr. Sara Thomas Dr. Subhash J Bhore Prof. Rabinderjeet Singh

Dr Rohini Got YSP Fellowship to Attend IUBMB Seoul 2018 Dr Rohini Karunakaran (FoM) has received a fellow- searchers to share and exchange scientific ship under YSP (Young Scientist Program) to Partic- experiences, present their research findings, ipate in IUBMB Seoul 2018. and promote their scientific future and career. IUBMB 2018 Congress is scheduled for June YSP is aimed to bring together approximately 100 4 to 8, 2018. In April 2018, She also complet- talented postdocs, PhD students, and early carrier ed her PGD in Medical Education offered by academicians across the world who are involved in University of Dundee, UK. Dr Rohini biochemistry and molecular biology research. YSP 2018 offers the opportunity for early carrier re- Congratulations! Dr Rohini. Page 26 AIMST Newsletter

IBC Members Training Workshop: An Update from IBC Office

The Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) members (and three invited staff) pose for a photo with Prof. Emeri- tus Dr. Harcharan Singh Sidhu, Chief Executive & Vice-Chancellor of AIMST University during ‗IBC Members Training Workshop‘ held on February 12, 2018, at AIMST University.

In Malaysia, all organizations such as universities, charan Singh Sidhu, Chief Executive and Vice- colleges, research centers/ institutions, and bio- Chancellor of AIMST University highlighted that top technology companies which are involved in re- management of the AIMST University is fully com- search and development (R&D) that deals with mitted for providing a safe workplace for all stu- modern biotechnology shall establish an dents, staff, and visitors to the university campus. ‗Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC)‘ as part of He also highlighted that AIMST recognises the need their regulatory compliance in line with the Biosafe- to protect students, staff, stakeholders and the en- ty Act 2007 (Act 678) and Biosafety Regulations vironment as a whole from the potential hazards 2010. associated with biological organisms or bio- materials. The ‗Guidelines for IBCs‘ published by the Depart- ment of Biosafety, Ministry of Natural Resources The workshop was tailor-made to make sure that and Environment Malaysia clearly states that all all members of the IBC will understand the essence members of the IBC should receive initial mandato- of Malaysian Biosafety Act 2007, exempted research ry and refresher training. It is the responsibility of activities, biorisk management system and ap- the IBC Chair to provide this training. proach, risk groups, biosafety levels, elements of biorisk management (BRM), importance of system- AIMST University had organised one-day ―IBC atic cleaning of BSL-1 and BSL-2 material Members Training Workshop‖ to ensure that all (including blood samples) spillage, and roles and members of the university‘s IBC are on the same responsibilities of IBC. page and do understand their responsibilities and the functioning of IBC. The workshop was held on Our trainer was Senior Associate Professor Dr February 12, 2018, at the university campus. Subhash J Bhore who is an IFBA (International Federation of Biosafety Associations) certified pro- In his opening remarks, Prof. Emeritus Dr Har- fessional for ‗Biorisk Management‘. Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 27

Buchi Bioinstrumentation Workshop

Kan Yean Quin and Mr Stef Stefanakos from Buchi A Workshop on ‗Optimal Solutions for Convenient handled the sessions, and Dr G. Prabhakaran coordi- Natural / Biological Product Processing‘ was jointly nated the workshop. The herbal extract samples of organised by Buchi Malaysia Sdn Bhd and Faculty research students were also analysed in NIR spectros- of Applied Sciences, AIMST University. It was held copy during the hands-on session of the workshop. on22nd March 2018. The hands-on workshop for 56 participants was focused on optimal solutions for compound extraction, extract concentration, compound separation, spray drying, freeze drying, encapsulation, fraction concentration and further processing until analysis with Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR). NIR spectroscopy has become widespread in process analysis of raw material testing, genomics analysis, proteomic analysis, food analysis and forensic lab applications. It offers rapid, affordable and precise results in real-time decision making for enhanced quality and higher productivity in pharmaceutical and biotech- Participants of the ‗Buchi Bioinstrumentation Work- nology industries. Two technical experts Ms Quinny shop‘ along with trainers, Ms. Quinny Kan Yean Quin and Mr. Stef Stefanakos from Buchi. Page 28 AIMST Newsletter

AIMST Students Shine at MIIC-2018 Competition

The UKM hosted a National Competition of Inter-varsity Innovation and Invention in Medicine Idea Challenge (MIIC) 2018 at Kuala Lumpur on 21st April 2018.

Four teams from the Faculty of Medicine were selected for the Idea Pitching Challenge. One of the teams was honoured with the Best Speaker award at the conclave. Mr Brandon Heu from Batch 21 presented a project on a Calorie Bowl, which was designed to track the eating habits of the Malaysians. It was well received by the au- dience and applauded for its novelty.

From the Faculty of allied health professions, three teams had participated in the MIIC 2018.

All three team won awards in various categories. The three awards include Jury Award, first runner-up Award, and 2nd Runner-up Award. A so- lution for Post-Surgery Lung Complications got Jury Award. The details of the patent are not available as the patent filing is in process.

MIIC 2018 is an intervarsity program, aimed to create a platform and opportunity for creative students to exhibit their core talents in formulat- ing ideas and innovations in medical and health domain for future betterment.

Biotechnology Students Get an Opportunity to Work at NIE, NTU, Singapore

Three students from Faculty of Applied Sciences have been accepted for their Industrial Training at the Department of Natural Sciences and Science Educa- tion (NSSE), National Institute of Educa- tion (NIE), and Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore

The selected 3 students will start their three months industrial training from 30th July 2018. Mr. Chiam Boon Lee Ms. Tan Ee Lynn Ms. Chew Xuan Jia Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 29

AIMST University Participates in Science and Math's Week of SMJK Jit Sin

The SMJK Jit Sin, Bukit Mertajam had organised ‗Interactive Science and Math's Week‘, and various universities were invited to interact with their students. The event was held during 2-4 April 2018.

To inspire young minds, Faculty of Applied Sciences (FAS) of AIMST University demonstrated the tech- nique for DNA extraction, gel electrophoresis, enzyme immobilisation and in silico protein structure study to the students. Scholl students were very interested and eager to know more about biotechnology.

During the event, some FAS staff and students visited the school to demonstrate the techniques.

Meet our Notable Alumnus

Faculty of Applied Sciences was proud to receive a visit from B.Sc. (Hons) Biotechnolo- gy alumnus, Dr Tan Ju Lin (Batch 11) on 20 March 2018. Dr Tan completed her Masters and PhD degrees at La Trobe University, Australia. She received a scholarship from the university for the doctoral degree, and in 2017, she became a recipient of the Nancy Millis Award for her thesis of excep- tional merit for her doctoral thesis. Page 30 AIMST Newsletter National Pharmacy Sports Carnival (NPSC)

National Pharmacy Sports Carnival (NPSC) is an Kuantan campus and organised by the MyPSA with annual event of Malaysian Pharmacy Students As- the theme ‗Fresh from the lab, off to the battle‘. sociation (MyPSA) which involves students from The event managed to gather pharmacy students various pharmacy schools in Malaysia. The aim of from 19 universities and or colleges. This year, 60 the NPSC is to create a platform for pharmacy stu- students were sent from Faculty of Pharmacy, dents to cultivate a balanced and healthy lifestyle. AIMST University to enter the battlefield. AIMST This year, 11th MyPSA NPSC-2018 was held from Students managed to obtain the 5th overall placing 2nd to 4th February. The event was hosted by In- after a tough fight with three gold, three silver and ternational Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) at its two bronze medals.

Students from Faculty of Pharmacy, AIMST University at National Pharmacy Sports Carnival. Workshop: LED Lighting and Internet of Things in Industry Revolution 4.0

Dr M. Gowrisankar conducted a workshop on ―LED was attended by ten students from School of Gen- Lighting and Internet of Things in Industry Revolu- eral and Foundation Studies, AIMST University. tion 4.0‖ which was held on 25th February 2018. It Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 31

AIMST Dental Students Bags Gold in National Dental Intervarsity Sports Carnival 2018

Fifty-Six Dental Students from AIMST University sports events including futsal, badminton, volleyball, participated in the National Dental Intervarsity netball, tennis, 5Km run, ultimate frisbee, chess, Sports Carnival 2018. This annual sports event was carom, ping pong and basketball. organised in line with the Malaysian Dental Stu- AIMST dental students bagged 3 Gold, 4 Silver and 1 dents Association‘s goal of establishing social inter- Bronze medal in various sports events during the action and promoting friendship between dental carnival and secured the overall third place among students of all universities in Malaysia throughNational Pharmacy Sports Carnival (NPSC) is an annual the 13 competing dental Universities of Malaysia. healthy activities. This year sports event was organ-event of Malaysian Pharmacy Students Association Benefits of such competitive sports also include the ised by University Technology MARA, Selangor on(MyPSA) which involves students from various pharmacy development of self-esteem and self-confidence in seventh and 8th April 2018 and involved variousschools in Malaysia. The aim of the NPSC is to create a our students through positive sporting experiences. platform for pharmacy students to cultivate a balanced and healthy lifestyle. This year, 11th MyPSA NPSC-2018 was held from 2nd to 4th February. The event was hosted by International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) at its Kuantan campus and organized by the MyPSA with the theme ‗Fresh from the lab, off to the battle‘.

The event managed to gather pharmacy students from 19 universities and or colleges. This year, 60 students were sent from Faculty of Pharmacy, AIMST University to enter the battlefield. The participants managed to obtain a 5th overall placing after a tough fight with 3 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze medals.

AIMSTER soaring sky high Beautiful minds at work

Most enduring dental student in Malaysia: 5Km run first place Bees who took gold- Frisbee first place Career Talk

To encourage the primary school students to focus on science-based programmes for their future career, a ‗Career Talk‘ was delivered at SRJK(T) Arumugam Pillai, Sungai Petani by Mr Raman Raguraman on 19th April 2018. Page 32 AIMST Newsletter Asia - Oceania World Floor Ball Championship 2018

AIMST student, Zephaniah Chong En Wei who is Floor Ball Championship‘ in South Korea, held dur- studying in 2nd year Bachelor of Physiotherapy ing 20-30th January 2018. He won a ‗Bronze Medal‘ represented Malaysia in 2018 ‗Asia - Oceania World in the team event.

Zephaniah Chong En Wei

Alumni Relations and Development A meeting was held with the Faculty of Medicine (FoM) Alumni Liaison Unit on 10th February 2018.

This meeting was attended by the representatives of Alumni, including Dr S. Mogan Naidu, Found- er of MediAsia Advance Wound Care and Tissue Repair Center, Penang.

Various Alumni expressed their gratitude Some representatives of alumni with faculty mem- and appreciated what bers at Faculty of Medicine. Prof. Emeritus Dr. Harcharan Singh they have learned at the Chief Executive & Vice-Chancellor of AIMST AIMST University during University and Dr. Kathiresan, Registrar of their study programme. the university also took time to meet alumni. Dr. S. Mogan Naidu STEM Carnival

To encourage the primary school students to focus dah Jenis Kebangsaan (Tamil) Arumugam Pillai, on science-based programmes for their future ca- Sungai Petani by Mr Raman Raguraman on 19th reer, a ‗Career Talk‘ was delivered at Sekolah Ren- April 2018. Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 33

Kabaddi Tournament 2018

The AIMST Indian Cul- tural Society (ICS) had organised ‗Kabaddi Tour- n a m e n t - 2 0 1 8 ‘ o n 20th January 2018. The aim of the event was to promote Kabaddi and the National Pharmacy Sports Carnival (NPSC) is an annual sportsmanship among event of Malaysian Pharmacy Students Association AIMST students. Seven (MyPSA) which involves students from various pharmacy teams (4 Male Teams and schools in Malaysia. The aim of the NPSC is to create a 3 Female Teams) partici- platform for pharmacy students to cultivate a balanced pated in this event. In the and healthy lifestyle. This year, 11th MyPSA NPSC-2018 male and female catego- was held from 2nd to 4th February. The event was host- ry, champion team, 1st ed by International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) at and 2nd Runner-up its Kuantan campus and organized by the MyPSA with teams received cash priz- the theme ‗Fresh from the lab, off to the battle‘. es, Medals and Certifi- The event managed to gather pharmacy students from cates. The AIMST Univer- 19 universities and or colleges. This year, 60 students sity fully sponsored the were sent from Faculty of Pharmacy, AIMST University to event. enter the battlefield. The participants managed to obtain a 5th overall placing after a tough fight with 3 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze medals. Page 34 AIMST Newsletter

ABSALYMPICS 2018

For the biotech students and staff, ABSALYMPICS 2018 was organised by the AIMST Biotechnology Students‘ Association (ABSA). Different sports activities such as dodgeball, basketball, bowling, badminton along with other track and field events, and indoor games were organised. All these sports events were held during 9-20 April 2018.

The purpose of organising this event was to inculcate a healthy lifestyle and provide an opportunity for students to interact with each other and with their lecturers. The response of all students and academic staff was laudable.

AIMST MBBS Student Participates in a Mission at Bengka Belitung Province of Indonesia

We are proud of Ms Lavannia A/P Kasinathan, a student from Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme (20th Batch) who was hand-picked by the Malay- sian Student Volunteers Foun- dation to participate in a mission at Bengka Belitung province of Indonesia. She has successfully completed the assignment.

We Congratulate Ms Lavannia A/P Kasinathan for making us proud. Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 35 Community Service AIMST at CUMEC 2018

Dr Swe Swe, Dr Rohini, Dr Mariette, and Dr Suprava presented research papers at the 2nd International Conference on Medical Education by Chinese University of Medicine, held on 16th & 17th Medical Camp in conjunction with IWD-2018. March, 2018 at Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong.

AIMST University Clinical Skills Centre (CSC) Activities Page 36 AIMST Newsletter

APSALYMPIC‘18 Sport Event

The APSALYMPIC‘18 event was organised by the AIMST Physiotherapy Student‘s Association for the staff and students of the Faculty of Allied Health Professions. It has been a great tradition among the physiotherapy students to conduct such an event every year. It brings all students together de- spite their heavy schedules. The event was aimed to foster better communication and interaction at all level as well as to promote team spirit and provide a platform to explore the potentials among students.

The sports meet for this year started off in style with the lovely rendition by the President of the association to pay salutations to all other committee members who have helped throughout the prepara- tion and planning of various sports events. This was then followed by opening ceremony perfor- mances by the students and an aerobic/Zumba session as warming up session.

Game events for dodgeball, basketball, badminton, tug of war, track and field, swimming, futsal were conducted in two weeks followed by a closing ceremony on the final day of the event. A mini-match was also organised for both lecturers and students.

Engagement Session with GMC Sponsored Students

The management team from Gleneagles Medi- cal Centre (GMC) Pe- nang led by Ms Grace Tan had an engagement session with thirty-one (31) senior nursing students sponsored by them. A dialogue session was conducted to Engagement session with sponsored student by GMC management team. obtain feedback from sponsored students. This feedback dialogue session was held on 22 March 2018 at the The GMC AIMST University. It sponsored was organised by Nursing stu- School of Nursing, Fac- dents with GMC team and ulty of Allied Health AIMST aca- Professions. demic staff . Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 37 Welcome to AIMST University !

A total of fifty-three (53) students registered on 2 April 2018 for Diploma in Nursing programme.

Out of 53 students, thirty-five (35) students received the full scholarship to complete their diploma programme; the rest of the students are getting financial help through PTPTN loan.

A total of six (6) students received the conditional offer of employ- ment at WIHC Singapore.

Academic Posting of MBBS Students at Old Folks Home The academic posting of the 5th year MBBS students includes a one week posting in Geriatric Medicine. Recent- ly, our MBBS students were posted at Alor Setar for one week. During this week, one of the seven groups of medical students comprised of about 25 students had been posted in the rotation to the Old Folks Home at Pokok Sena, Kedah.

During their posting, they are expected to interact, interview and do a medical examination of the inmates. They are briefed on the management and the facilities made available to the inmates, by the caretakers and the supervisor, Dato Dr Ch‘ng Kok Heong, who is also the Chairman of the Management Commit- tee. Students will also spend one day to perform a gotong-royong to clean and tidy the surroundings (as in the picture) and finally part with a farewell party with the inmates and the staff of the home. Students also need to prepare and submit their report. At the Old Folks Home, Pokok Sena 29th Intervarsity Biochemistry Seminar As part of the final year research Mr Kirubakkaran Ramachandran from Depart- project, Mr Kirubakkaran ment of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sci- worked on ―In Silico Analysis of ences, participated in the 29th Intervarsity Bio- Anthocyanin 3′-O- Beta- chemistry Seminar which was organised by the Glucosyltransferase cDNA Isolat- School of Biosciences, Taylors‘ University, Ma- ed from Bean Pod Tissue cDNA laysia. This 1-day programme was held on May Library‖, and presented his re- 12, 2018, at Taylors‘ University Lakeside Cam- search findings during the semi- pus in Subang Jaya, Selangor. nar. He was supervised by Dr. Subhash J Bhore. Page 38 AIMST Newsletter Medical Camp

A Medical Camp at Dewan Sekolah Kebangsaan Haji Omar, Kampung Pengkalan Bujang by Year 3 students of MBBS. This camp programme was held on 20th January, 2018. Japanese Students Cherish their Educational Experience at AIMST University

Twenty-one students from Kanagawa University, During one year programme, Japanese students Japan (5th Batch) has successfully completed their actively participated in various activities including one-year ‗Foundation in Business‘ programme at sports, cultural events, dance, National Day Parade, AIMST University. The certificates awarding cere- and outings and tour around Malaysia. mony was held on 13th March 2018. While talking The main objective of the programme is to provide with Japanese students, they enthusiastically high- an international educational exposure and to boost lighted that they really enjoyed their one year stay the confidence of students. and they will never forget the pleasant memories of campus life at AIMST and Malaysia.

Students from Kanagawa University, Japan (5th Batch) after successfully completing their one year ‗Foundation in Business‘ programme at AIMST University, 13th March, 2018. Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 39 Dermatological Summit

Year 3 and 4 students of Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from AIMST Univer- sity attended the Northern Dermato- logical Summit, which was held at Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah, Alor Setar, Kedah, Malaysia.

Malaysian Medics International (MMI) Oncology Colloquium

AIMST student, Durga Devi A/P Soundara Rajan who is currently in Year 4 of MBBS degree programme had submitted a case report for the Malaysian Medics International (MMI) Oncology Colloquium 2018. Amongst many entries from all over Malaysia, her case report was selected among the top ten in Malaysia, and she was invited for the ‗Final Presentation Round‘ which was held in University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 3rd and 4th February 2018. She was under the supervision of Dr Kartix Saxena.

Gotong-Royong

Some staff and students from Faculty of Medicine, AIMST University helped the community by doing ‗gotong-royong‘ at Masjid Kampung Sungai Pial, Merbok on 3 March, 2018. Page 40 AIMST Newsletter RED’S CNY Carnival (2018) The event was inaugurated by the Prof. Emeritus Dr R.E.D Association had organised a concert as part of Harcharan Singh Sidhu, Chief Executive and Vice- the Chinese New Year (CNY) Carnival at AIMST Uni- Chancellor of AIMST University by striking the gong. versity, which was held on the 12th March 2018. The participants lauded the flow of the event. About Red resembles with fire and symbolises good fortune 500 people participated in the event. R.E.D managed and joy. Red is found everywhere during Chinese to gain a good profit from the carnival, which will be New Year and other various festivals. The 'E' in given back through charity work. Togetherness and 'R.E.D' stands for the embrace. We would like to em- teamwork was the witness throughout the entire pro- brace all cultures of different races and spread this cess which made RED‘S CNY Carnival a success. positive spirit of unity to students.

VC striking the gong to officially commence the program.

Advertorial Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 41 The Regent International School Students Visit AIMST University

As a part of their curriculum, students from the dents also enjoyed the visit to the medical and bio- Regent International School (RIS), Sungai Petani, technology laboratories. The robotic activities at FECT Kedah visited AIMST University to know more attracted students attention. To educate students about the university. about robotics, Mr Girish Kumar gave the introductory Students were delighted to see wonderful facilities talk on robotic for all the batches of students. of various faculties and the beautiful campus of the The RIS students visited the campus in batches from university. Briefings at Dental Faculty helped stu- 19th - 21st March 2018. Cumulatively, about 200 RIS dents to learn the importance of oral hygiene. Stu- students visited AIMST University.

Students from the Regent International School (RIS), Sungai Petani, Kedah at AIMST University.

For additional information on various Scholar- ships, please call: 04-429-8108 OR 011-10532357 Page 42 AIMST Newsletter World Kidney Day Event in collaboration with SP Hospital AIMST University had organised the ‗World Kidney World Kidney Day is a global health awareness cam- Day‘ event in collaboration with the SP Hospital paign focusing on the importance of the kidneys and (Kedah). To commemorate the World Kidney Day, a reducing the frequency and impact of kidney disease medical camp and fun cycling event was organised. and its associated health problems worldwide.

International Articulation Twenty-seven (27) students from MBBS degree programme (Batch 19, 5th Year) went on to complete their clinical electives in overseas hospitals. Nine- teen students went to In- dia, and eight students went to Taiwan. 

AIMST University Biotechnology Students Colloquium 2018 Date: 8 June 2018 (Friday) Time: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Venue: AIMST University

Upcoming Events

For more info, please contact Faculty of FREE ADMISSIONApplied Sciences, 04 429 8410 Volume 1, Issue 1 Advertorial Page 43

200 students and staffs of AIMST Universi- ty celebrated Earth Hour earlier in the campus to inspire the community to improve environmental sustainability and celebrate the global effort of combating global change. (Kwong Wah Yit Poh;Sin Chew Daily)

AIMST University Astronomy Club organized stargazing with Dr. Chong, Head of Penang Astronomy Club. About 100 AIMST students and staffs joined the event. (Sin Chew Daily; Guang Ming Daily & Kwong Wah Yit Poh)

AIMST University organized Inter-varsity Tamil Debate and Public Speak- ing competition. 12 universities nationwide participated in the debate competition while 10 universities participated in AIMST Univer- the public speaking com- sity won the petition. AIMST University best stage play won 2nd place for the de- award in the bate competition. (Makkal National Inter- Osai, Nanban and Tamil varsity Tamil Nesan) Literature Sketch Compe- tition held at Universiti Pen- didikan Sultan Idris. (Tamil Nesan; The Star Online) Health screening camp at SMK Medical Health screening programme was held in Amanjaya. About 1000 students, conjunction with International Women‘s Day cel- teachers and public benefited from ebration at AIMST University. 247 participants the medical camp. (Sinar Harian) attended the programme. (Sinar Harian Campus Online) AIMST University - Educating Tomorrow's Leaders

AIMST University, Bedong─Semeling Road, 08100, Bedong, Kedah Darul Aman, Malaysia; Tel: +604-4298 000; DL: +604-429 8108; Fax: +604- 429 8009; Email: [email protected]