AIMST Newsletter

THIS NEWSLETTER IS INTENDED FOR AIMST COMMUNITY AND ITS STAKEHOLDERS Volume 1,Issue 4 November 2018 Educating AIMST University in the Malaysia Book of Records Tomorrow's Sayangi Mata Vision Clinic 2018 pro- Leaders gramme hosted by AIMST University is in the limelight for Special points of interest inside making a National record by distrib- this issue: uting 3438 specta- ● AIMST International Con- cles to the needy patients, the highest ference on Lifestyle Dis- number in a single eases………………………. 3 event. The Honoura- ● Research at AIMST Uni- ble Menteri Besar of versity is Soaring Upwards. 7 Kedah visited AIMST ● AIMST RMC is Gearing up to sign the certificate to Implement ISO to endorse the rec- 9001:2015 Standard……… 9 ord. ►Read the full ● Global Recognition for story on page 5. AIMST Biotechnology……. 10 The Honourable Menteri Besar of Kedah Darul Aman, YAB Dato Seri‘ Haji Mukhriz Bin Tun Dr Mahathir with Honorable Vice Chancellor of AIMST Univer- ● AIMST Uni: Where My sity, Emeritus Prof. Dr Harcharan Singh Sidhu during event at AIMST University. Journey to Yale Began…… 11 ● Reflections from Dr Nicho- Awesome International las Cheong Wong Wai…… 12 Patriotic Day at AIMST ● AIMST Uni Has Made Me Who I Am Today………….. 12 University ● Special Olympics Malaysia We celebrated International Pat- (SOM) visit to AIMST…….. 15 riotic Day on 27th September ● Training the “Nex-Gen”….. 22 2018 on AIMST University cam- ● Top 10 Reasons to Join pus. The Chief Guest for the BSc Biotechnology & BSc event was Tuan PPJ Abdul Bioinformatics at AIMST…. 23 Wahab Bin Rahim from Angkatan Pertahanan Awam ● Neuropaediatric Physio- (APM). therapy Workshop………… 25 YAB MB signing the entry into Malaysian book of records. ● Community Service: Oral Angkatan Tentera Malaysia Health Screening & Edu…. 29 (ATM) from Kem Sg. Layar, ● The Excellent Placement Sungai Petani, Kedah was invit- Rate for the BSc (Hons)…. 31 ed to join hands in the celebra- ● Better Posture for a Better tion. A tank called ―Gempita‖ Future: …..………………… 32 was brought in for the exhibi- ● Launching of MARGO tion which also participated in Project……………………… 33 the marching parade together ● Collaboration with the Uni- with the staff and students. versity of Leicester……….. 42 ►Read more on page 6. ● Family Medicine Staff At- YAB MB at AIMST University for Malaysian book of records. tended Pre-Hospital Care Conference ……………….. 46 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 ● AIMST University in the Malaysia Book of Records ……………………….. 1 Editor-in-Chief Subhash J Bhore ● Awesome International Patriotic Day at AIMST ……………………………. 1 ● Message from Editor-in-Chief ………………………………………………… 3 Sectional Editors ● SPECIAL Camp for the Needy Children ..…………………………………… 8 Pharmacy Mohd. Baidi Bahari ● Faculty of Pharmacy Stakeholders Meeting ………………………………... 10 ● Engaging Our Communities: Medical Camps ………………………………. 14 Medicine Arun Sen ● Engineering Project Exhibition for the Indian Community …………………. 15 Dentistry Durga Prasad Mudrako- ● Students from Public Uni Completed Internship at FAS …………………... 16 la ● Engineering Project Exhibition at SMK Sungai Karangan ………………... 16 Applied Sciences Lee Su Yin ● Ilham Project …………………………………………………………………… 16 ● Participation in Microbiology Quiz ……………………………………………. 17 Business & Management Sham Abdulrazak ● A Workshop by Sabah Alzheimer Association ……………………………… 18 ● Nursing Students‟ Interview by Island Hospital ……………………………. 18 Media Communication Kalaiselvee Rethinam ● Safety Exercise: Fire Drill at AIMST Main Building ………………………… 18 ● Optometry Training: Notable Students Accomplishments ………………… 19 Engineering & Computer Ravandran Muttiah ● AIMST FAS Includes „LBRM‟ in its BSc Biotech Curriculum ……………… 20 ● 11th Biennial Con‟s of Asian Academy of Prosthodontics ………………… 20 Physiotherapy Rishi Kesavan ● Workshop on Fundamentals of Cybersecurity ……………………………… 21 ● Discussion with Saveetha Institute of MTS …………………………………. 22 Nursing Karthikeyan Jayabalan ● Updating Skills with Recent Trends in Caries Calibration …………………. 23 ● Represented AIMST at Medan ……………………………………………….. 23 Nursing Ooi Saw Geok ● A Day for Therapies with Therapist ………………………………………….. 24 ● Protocol Writing Workshop 2018 …………………………………………….. 24 Foundation Ponnarasy Ganesan ● Biotech Show at FAST-2018 Exhibition at Tech-Dome Penang …………. 26 The AIMST Newsletter is distributed to all AIMST staff, students, and ● Invited Talks and Presentations ……………………………………………… 26 stakeholders and is also available online. It is published six times ● Technical Talk on LED Driver IC for Solid State Lighting …………………. 27 annually in odd-numbered months. Its purpose is to keep all stakehold- ● World Sight Day 2018 …………………………………………………………. 28 ers informed of the AIMST University activities and to highlight the ● Silver Medal for Innovation …………………………………………………… 28 important issues vital for the AIMST community. The AIMST Newsletter ● Medical Camp at Dewan Kampung Bujang ………………………………… 29 is edited and produced by AIMST university staff from material provid- ● The Beginning of a New Journey …………………………………………….. 30 ed by staff, students, stakeholders and other interested parties. Copy ● Autism Awareness Day Event by RED Association ……………………….. 30 deadline is the 22nd day of the preceding even-numbered month (for ● AIMST Astronomy Club ……………………………………………………….. 31 example, April 22 for May-June publication). ● Innovation in Anatomy Teaching …………………………………………….. 32 Publisher by: AIMST University ● First Asian Clinical Anatomy and Clinical Physiology Quiz ……………….. 34 Printed by: AIMST University ● Virtual Reality: The Next Big Thing in Dental Training …………………….. 34 ● AIMST Participated in the Relay for Life, Penang 2018 …………………… 35 © 2018 AIMST University, All Right Reserved ● Medico-Legal Conference-2018 ……………………………………………… 35 Disclaimer of Liability: Every effort is made to provide accurate and ● AIMST Biotechnology Research on Phage Technology …………………... 36 complete information in AIMST Newsletters. However, Editor-in-Chief ● Stakeholder Meeting for Post Basic in Critical Care Nursing ….………….. 36 or publisher cannot guarantee that there will be no errors. Publisher ● AIMST University Biotech Career Talk and Exhibition …………………….. 36 makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, com- ● What is Your Awareness Level on Autism? ………………………………… 37 pleteness, or adequacy of the contents of the newsletters and express- ● AIMST Alumni Conduct the Workshop on Wound Care …………………... 37 ly disclaims liability for errors and omissions in the contents of this ● A Talk on HP Frequency Analysis in Electronic Circuits …………………... 38 newsletter. Neither AIMST, nor its employees make any warranty, expressed or implied or statutory, including but not limited to the war- ● A Talk on Phase Noise Analysis Using Spectrum Analyser ………………. 38 ranties of noninfringement of third party rights, title, and the warranties ● Poster Presentation on RF and Microwave Electronics …………………… 38 of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose with respect to ● Biotechnology Roadshow at Schools ……………………………………….. 39 content available from the newsletters. Neither does AIMST assume ● Live Vitreo Retinal Surgery Workshop ………………………………………. 40 any legal liability for any direct, indirect or any other loss or damage of ● Workshop on Food Safety Management ……………………………………. 40 any kind for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any infor- ● AIMST Awareness Programme by Marketing Division ……………………. 41 mation, product, or process disclosed herein, and do not represent that ● Blended Learning Workshop …………………………………………………. 42 use of such information, product, or process would not infringe on privately owned rights. ● AIMST University Collaborates With Dr Wong & Partners ………………... 42 ● Business Across Borders-International Student Mobility ………………….. 43 ISSN: Application is in process; eISSN: Application is in process ● International Articulation ………………………………………………………. 44 Contact: Subhash J Bhore, Editor-in-Chief , AIMST Newsletter, De- ● Water Balloon Festival ………………………………………………………… 45 partment of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, AIMST Uni- ● 61st Annual Biological Safety Conference, USA …………………………… 46 versity, Bedong-Semeling Road, 08100 Bedong, Semeling, Kedah “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to Darul Aman, Malaysia; e-mail: [email protected] / activi- succeed is always to try just one more time.” – Thomas A. Edison [email protected]; Ph.: 04-429-8176. Volume 1,Issue 4 Page 3 Message from Editor-in-Chief

Dear Readers, inaugurated the event (page 3). Welcome to the No- Research funding is essential to boost our vember edition of the postgraduate programmes of biomedical sci- AIMST University‘s bi- ences. Recently, in October 2018, we have re- monthly Newsletter. ceived RM 1,581,400.00 as research funding Convocation function for 11 research projects from Ministry of Edu- is the event of pride for cation Malaysia under its ‗Fundamental Re- the university, and its search Grant Scheme (FRGS)‘ (page 7). To all stakeholders. manage research projects efficiently, the Re- We are taking the op- search Management Centre is gearing up to portunity to make our implement ISO 9001:2015 standard (page 9). November Issue of the We are always eager to hear the achievements newsletter available to all stakeholders of the uni- of our alumni; hence, in the newsletter, we versity by releasing it on the eve of the 11th Con- have started ‗The Alumni Column‘ to highlight vocation Ceremony. the achievements and views of alumni. In this To update all stakeholders of AIMST university Issue, Dr Tan Wan Ying, Dr Nicholas Cheong briefly, we have included the summary of various Wong Wai and Ms Namani Srilahari, AIMST academic events and activities conducted in the alumni, shared their views on their educational last two months or recently in and outside of the journey (page 11, 12 & 13). Alumni from all university campus. faculties are excelling; we will highlight at least one representative alumnus in every following As a part of our social responsibility, in collabora- Issue of the newsletter. tion, AIMST organised and hosted the Sayangi Mata Vision Clinic 2018 programme and made a I wish to thank the Editorial team members, National record by distributing 3438 spectacles and AIMST academic staff those have contrib- to the needy patients. The Honourable Chief Min- uted in bringing out this Issue of the newslet- ister of Kedah State lauded the efforts of AIMST ter on time. University (page 1). On behalf of the Editorial Team of this newslet- Our lifestyle choices determine the consequences ter and AIMST‘s academics, I Congratulate all on our health and the population at large. students those are graduating during the 11th AIMST International Conference on Lifestyle Dis- Convocation Ceremony, and wish them ‘All The eases, held in October, discussed various dimen- Best’ for their next adventure! sions of lifestyle choices and diseases. Honoura- Dr Subhash J Bhore ble Deputy Health Minister, YB Dr Lee Boon Chye Editor-in-Chief, AIMST Newsletter

AIMST International Conference on Lifestyle Diseases

Faculty of Medicine conducted a 3-day international conference from 10-12 of October 2018 to deliberate on lifestyle choices and their consequences on the health of the population at large. The conference was inaugurated by the Deputy Minister of Health, Minis- try of Health, Malaysia, YB Dr Lee Boon Chye. Two pre-conference workshops including a pre- conference workshop on innovative and nutritious cooking – to suit all dietary needs was conducted by Mary Easaw from the National Heart Institute and Leonard Yap from Malaysian Dietitians Association. The workshop was inaugurated by YB of Merbok, Nurin Aina Abdullah. Another workshop was conducted on diabetic foot ulcer, and advanced wound care by our alumni, Medical School Association and….. Inaugural speech was delivered by Honourable Deputy Health ►Read more and view the pictures on page 4. Minister (Malaysia), YB Dr Lee Boon Chye, October 11, 2018. Page 4 AIMST Newsletter

►Continued from page 3 ed of 2 keynote speakers, ten invited speakers, 14 for young scientist award, 11 oral presentations by staff, 25 MEDIASIA wound care centre (Malaysia), Dr Mogan by students, seven poster presentations by staff and 10 (you may read more on page 37), Dr Rama and their by students. team.

The conference was well received by both local and overseas delegates. There were 460 participants for the conference of which 70 of them were external delegates (in and around Malaysia) and 49 from overseas. A large delegation consisting of 40 came from Saweetha Medical Col- lege, Chennai, India.

The conference consist-

Honorable Vice Chancellor of AIMST University, Emeritus Prof. Dr Har- charan Singh Sidhu presented AIMST University’s plaque to the Honourable Deputy Health Minister of Malaysia, YB Dr Lee Boon Chye in the presence of Registrar of the university and Dean and Deputy Dean of Faculty of Medi- cine.

A group photo with Honourable Deputy Health Minister, YB Dr Lee Boon Chye and Honorable Vice Chancellor of AIMST Univer- sity, Emeritus Prof. Dr Harcharan Singh Sidhu. Volume 1,Issue 4 Page 5

►Continued from page 1 thanked AIMST for hosting and supporting this significant cause. AIMST University along with Rotary International dis- Emeritus Professor, Dr Harcharan Singh Sidhu, Vice trict 3300, Lions Club International 308 B2, Onesight Chancellor of AIMST University, delivered the welcome Foundation and Luxottica Group, organised the Sa- address and accompanied the MB on a tour of the Sa- yangi Mata Vision Clinic 2018. The district action group for blindness prevention lead by Dato.S.Kulasegaran yangi Mata Vision Clinic 2018. coordinated this great initiative. The rotary club of Ban- dar Sungai Petani was the host club in charge and Prof Dr Rajesh, Faculty of Medicine, AIMST was the organising chairman. More than 26000 children and adults were screened for visual acuity defects by Lions and Rotary clubs since July 2018. The prescreened beneficiaries were tested again at AIMST University (between October 8th- 12th, 2018) by optometrists flown in from the USA by the onesight foundation. State-of-the-art ophthalmic and optometric equipment were used to test the beneficiar- Thumbs up with MB ies and to make the spectacles onsite. Free spectacles customised to individual patients were donated to the recipients. Rotaractors from the Rotaract club of AIMST University, RED association and the medical students undergoing ophthalmology posting benefitted a lot from this event. A total of 3438 spectacles were issued at our campus, the highest number in a single event and as a result became a national record. The Menteri Besar of Kedah Darul Aman, Yang Amat Berhormat Dato Seri‘ Haji Mukhriz Bin Tun Dr Ma- hathir visited AIMST University to sign the certificate to endorse the entry into the Malaysia Book of records. Speaking on occasion, YAB MB, expressed happiness over the success of the socially meaningful event and Selfie Time: YAB MB takes a selfie with the organizing team.

A group picture with the SVC team. Page 6 AIMST Newsletter

►Continued from page 1 Pharmacy and the Faculty of Dentistry. Meanwhile, the Indian Team won the prize for best participation and Although it was a small scale exhibition of weapons and coordination which was organised for the staff. communication equipment, students and staff AIMST, well known for its support and services to the swamped the exhibition camps. The entry of the Gempi- neighbouring schools and villages, invited six schools, ta was received with excitement and shouts from the SMK Ibrahim Sg. Petani, SMK Convent, SMK Bedong, students because it was kept secret from them. A drone SMK Sin Min, SMK St. Teressa and SMK Gurun to join was arranged to deliver the Malaysian flag to the Vice- in this grand celebration. Chancellor, Prof. Emeritus Dr Harcharan Singh Sidhu to officiate the ceremony with three shouts of ―Malaysia, Together with this celebration, registrar of AIMST Uni- Malaysia, Malaysia‖. versity, Assoc. Prof. Dr S. Kathiresan was promoted from Lieutenant Colonel to full Colonel rank by APM. Together with ATM, the Angkatan Pertahanan Awam Four of AIMST KOR SISPA students, Wong Pey Yuan, (APM) from Kuala Muda, also extended their support by Lee Ying Hui, Hew Jing Yi and Tee Yu Qian were com- training the students for the marching and the parade missioned to 2nd Lieutenant. organisation. APM which runs the KOR SISPA programme at AIMST trained the students for the march- A total of seven platoons, each platoon consist of 35 ing competition, which is an inter-faculty competition. students participated in the marching competition. Over This year the first prize and the challenge trophy were 900 students and staff participated in the event, making won by the faculty of Nursing, followed by the faculty of it a memorable event for its participants as well as the organising committee.

“Harmony in Diversity” is our Strength. Volume 1,Issue 4 Page 7 Research at AIMST University is Soaring Upwards

Research Management Centre (RMC) started the year Life Science Sdn Bhd is sponsoring 2 of their staff to 2018 by awarding 17 internal grants. Also, with the pursue their postgraduate studies at AIMST. support of all our staffs, we have managed to increase One Intellectual Property (IP), the first of its kind, ‗Cold- our external grant applications. chain-free live attenuated cholera vaccine‘ was success- We had submitted 5 Prototype Research Grant Scheme fully filed with MyIPO and the trademark name, proposals, 47 Fundamental Research Grant Scheme ‗MyChol‘ is registered for it. We have three more IPs in (FRGS) proposals, 1 Long Term Research Grant Scheme the pipeline. We have signed a research collaboration (LRGS) proposal as program leader and another LRGS agreement with the University of Leicester, Technical with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia as project leader, to University of Denmark, Deakin University and Fairy the various funding offered by the Ministry of Higher Food Industries Sdn Bhd. We are in the process of sign- Education. The number of grants applied thus far in ing agreements with University of Copenhagen, Univer- this year is 54% more than the number of grants ap- siti Teknologi Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia, GK plied in the year 2017. Aqua Sdn Bhd, Meluha Life Sciences Sdn Bhd, and Me- ridian Recycling Sdn Bhd. It will facilitate the joint research activities and also en- able us to share their research facilities. From all the grants applied this year, we have secured 11 Fundamen- tal Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) grants which were approved by the Ministry of Education Malaysia that amounts to a total of RM 1,581,400.00. The latest ad- dition takes the total amount of grants secured in the year 2018 to RM 1,807,100.

The amount secured for this In this year, we have been approached by industries year (2018) is 4.5 times higher than the amount se- offering us industry funding. A total of 6 companies cured in the year 2017. Aside from FRGS, we have five have contacted us so far and two companies namely, industry grants and one international grant (from the Fairy Food Industries Sdn Bhd and Meluha Life Scienc- University of Leicester). The graph shown illustrates our es Sdn Bhd has confirmed funding for us. Aside from performance in securing external funds from the year funding the project, Fairy Food Industries Sdn Bhd are 2012 to 2018. also sponsoring one of their staff to further his post- The table given below shows the list of recipients of the graduate studies under the funded project while Meluha recently approved funding under FRGS.

No. Project Leader Faculty Project Title RM* Evaluation of Prototype Cold Chain Free Live Attenuated Dr. Guruswamy Oral Cholera Vaccine for its Cross-Protective Immunity 1. Biotechnology 185,200.00 Prabhakaran against Enterotoxigenic Escherichia Coli (ETEC) as a Dual-Use Vaccine for Diarrheal disease Characterization of transformed salivary microbiota in Dr. Karthikeyan Pri- the Malaysian Children Population who experience Envi- 2. Dentistry 190,400.00 yadarshini ronmental Tobacco Smoke exposure based on meta- genomic and metatranscriptomic sequencing. ►See page 8 for the information about other FRGS granted projects Page 8 AIMST Newsletter ►Continued from page 7

No. Project Leader Faculty Project Title RM* Design and synthesis of new 6-Azauridine nucleoside Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sun- analogues against DENV-2 virus NGC strain: A molecu- 3. Pharmacy 147,800.00 dram M.Karupiah lar docking, 3D-QSAR and in vitro C6/36 cell line activity based anti-dengue study Understanding the role of oral and gut microbiome's 4. Dr. Heera Rajandas Biotechnology 200,700.00 functional signatures in relation to Schizophrenia Discovery of novel benzamidine analogues based silver nanoformulation for treatment of periodontitis due to P. gingivalis: A study that encompasses molecular docking, Prof. Dr. Pat- 5. Medicine 3D-QSAR analysis, synthesis and silver nano- 140,800.00 tabhiraman Lalitha formulation of benzamidine analogues accompanied by toxicity analysis, in-vitro and in-vivo (egg model) evaluation against gingipain. Elucidating the role of non-protein coding RNAs in the Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chin- regulation of virulence factors associated with fimbriae 6. ni Venkata Suresh Biotechnology 147,100.00 and flagella in Proteus mirabilis through gene knock-out Babu studies Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gene knock-out studies of non-protein coding RNAs as 7. Gokul Shankar Sabe- Medicine potential candidates in regulation of biofilm formation in 80,800.00 san Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi Identification and Characterization of Novel non-protein Dr. Sridevi Visvana- coding RNAs (npcRNAs)binding with Global Transcrip- 8. Medicine 112,200.00 than tional Regulator Hfq, in Pathogenic Bacteria Acinetobac- ter baumannii Stemming the Rot from Within: Bacteriophages as a po- Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lee 9. Biotechnology tential biocontrol agent against macergens causing soft 122,200.00 Su Yin rot diseases Deciphering the Genetic Blueprint of Endangered Indige- Dr. Sivachandran 10. Biotechnology nous Plants and their Associated Microbiome using a 142,000.00 Parimannan Multi-omics approach Assoc. Prof. Dr. Investigation on Male Contraception Activity of Hibiscus 11. Krishnamoorthy Ven- Pharmacy 112,200.00 Species- Molecular Insights kateskumar

Grand Total (RM) 1,581,400.00

RM* = Approved Budget SPECIAL Camp for the Needy Children

Guided tooth brushing programme for children with Special needs by Faculty of Dentistry, AIMST University.

The Faculty of Dentistry, AIMST University, initiated a unique noble project to address the oral health needs of the special children enrolled in the suburban school, " Persatuan Kanak Kanak Khas",►Read more on page 39. Volume 1,Issue 4 Page 9

AIMST Research Management Centre Is Gearing up to Implement ISO 9001:2015 Standard

Research Management Centre (RMC) has implemented steering committee is working on the Internal Audit the Quality Management System (QMS) since July programme for RMC to ensure that all the process es- 2018 and gearing itself towards ISO 9001:2015 certifi- tablished are in accordance with MS ISO 9001:2015 cation. Related work including the identification of the standard. scope of certification and relevant docu- ment preparation is carried out by the ISO 9001:2015 Steering Committee led by Associate Professor Dr Sundram M Karupiah with hardworking committee members comprising of Mr Thiagu, Ms Sumathi (Risk Coordinator), Mr Azahar, Mr Dhanaraj, Dr Rohini, Mr Kurunathan and Ms Santhi under the patronage of the Registrar and Vice Chancellor.

As part of the certification process, the steering committee and few other university staff had attended QMS ISO 9001:2015 Awareness Training, Risk Management & Assessment and Internal Audit Training organised by SIRIM STS, ISO 9001:2015 Steering Committee members. an organisation responsible for t h e I S O 9001:2015 certification.

An internal ISO 9 0 0 1 : 2 0 1 5 awareness workshop was conducted by Assoc Prof Dr Sundram M Karupiah. The Participants of ISO 9001:2015 Awareness Training conducted by Pn. Zainorni from SIRIM STS.

Participants of Internal ISO 9001:2015 Awareness Training conducted by Assoc Prof Dr Sundram M Karupiah. Page 10 AIMST Newsletter Global Recognition for AIMST Biotechnology in Foreign Institutions Biotechnology and Bioinformatics are the thrust areas have been accepted for postgraduate studies in Univer- of Industrial Revolution 4.0. AIMST BSc (Hons) Biotech- sity of Cambridge, The University of Manchester, John nology graduates are well placed in industries such as Hopkins University, Yale University, Murdoch Universi- Pfizer, Novo Nordisk, Biocon, B Braun, IVF, Stem cell ty and University of Western Australia. It reflects that and Medical Implant. It is noteworthy to mention that the international community well recognises our Bio- AIMST BSc (Hons) Biotechnology curriculum received technology degree programmes. Grade A (91%) from MQA and the Biotech graduates

Faculty of Pharmacy Stakeholders Meeting Faculty of Pharmacy had conducted its annual stake- were deliberated in the meeting which was chaired by holders meeting on 16 August 2018. Among the stake- the Dean of FOP, Professor Dr Mohd Baidi Bahari. holders present were precep- tors from Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital; pharmacists from community pharmacy; alumni members from Clinical Re- search Centre, Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital and Total Par- enteral Nutrients pharmacist from Sultanah Bahiyah Hospi- tal, Alor Setar; and pharmacists from the pharmaceutical industry. Many aspects including the expectations of the stakeholders and ways to improve the current curriculum Volume 1,Issue 4 The Alumni Column Page 11 AIMST University: Where My Journey to Yale Began ─ by Dr Tan Wan Ying – AIMST alumnus I am Tan Wan Ying, an alumnus of the Faculty of once been a wishful thought that I had in mind. Medicine, AIMST University (2013 – 2017). At AIMST, I Thankfully, my fondness towards scholarly work and learned a lot, which motivated me to become a compe- natural aptitude for learning came in handy. As a tent doctor with a high need-for-achievement and long result, I was rewarded with academic achievements, -term career goals. The excellent faculty, facilities and which gave me a place in the ―TOP 3‖ position in the forward-looking elective programmes of AIMST Univer- university. sity gave me the opportunity to visit and take part in At the Department of Medical Oncology at Yale the Academic programmes at Yale School of Medicine, Smilow Cancer Hospital, I was posted for one month New Haven, USA, the University of Alabama at Bir- to the inpatient and outpatient settings of various mingham USA, and Christian Medical College, Vel- oncological subspecialties. Spending time with pa- lore, India. tients suffer- ing from advanced cancer helped me develop deep insight into human life. Most importantly, it made me ponder upon the effective- ness of current cancer t r e a t m e n t with the hope for a cure or at least better ways to alleviate suf- fering from this disease.

My growing enthusiasm and immense interest in this field helped me to Myself, Tan Wan Ying (first from left) with my colleagues at Yale University, the third-oldest institution of get an offer higher education in the United States. to join the metabolomics Yale University is a member of the prestigious ―Ivy team at Yale as a postgraduate fellow starting from League‖, a group of America‘s most celebrated higher November 2018. education institutions. It is a great opportunity that I am pursuing my further ―Fellowship in Cancer Re- Thank you AIMST UNIVERSITY, my alma mater! search‖ at Yale University. You are indeed an incubator where the students’ dreams are valued, nurtured and realised. Stepping foot into the top universities in the world had Page 12 The Alumni Column AIMST Newsletter Reflections from Dr Nicholas Cheong Wong Wai (MBBS – 2008 intake)

Medical curriculum is of a 4-member team that won runner-up positions in tough as the human body 2012 & ‘13 in the Siriraj International Microbiology is the most complex living- and Immunology Competition held at Bangkok, Thai- machine known to us. land. These successes have convinced me and other However, there is no more students that the education provided by AIMST is gen- significant achievement in uinely world-class. life than the ability to over- For my housemanship training, I was posted to Hospi- come challenges in life. tal Raja Permaisuri Bainun (HRPB), Ipoh from 2013 to Like several of my batch- ‗15. Later, I was posted to Hospital Selayang as a med- mates, I have worked hard ical officer in 2016. During this period, I had success- and made many sacrifices fully completed all three parts of the Membership of to get to where I am to- the Royal College of Physicians (UK) and was conferred Dr Nicholas Cheong Wong Wai day. the MRCP(UK) in May 2017. My years in AIMST were filled with joy and challenges. It seems, life has much more in store for me. I relocat- Every moment prepared me for the next. As time ed to Singapore recently in 2018. As at the time of passed, I found myself growing in maturity and found writing, I am serving as a registrar in the Department the strength I needed to forge ahead into the world of Internal Medicine in Khoo Teck Puat Hospital ahead of me. I graduated from MBBS Batch 14 in Octo- (KTPH) and am a prospective candidate for residency ber 2013. We were a class of 140 students who began programme (national speciality training). I realise that our medical education in 2008. The first two years (pre- the past prepares you for the future but what you clinical studies) were my formative years when I learnt make of the present moment is entirely in your own how to learn. Undeniably, learning how to learn is an hands. essential part of education and most often under- emphasised. I wish to admit that AIMST University is the place where students dreams begin and realised. I recall with gratitude four teachers who were instru- mental in shaping me into the clinician I am today: Pro- Dear friends, as you walk on that stage to receive your fessor PK and Dr Bharathi Sengodan during the pre- scrolls, look back on your journey and remember how clinical phase and Professor AP Singh, the Neurologist far you have come and how much you have grown. and Dr Usha Singh, a Paediatrician in the clinical Your graduation is a testimony of your hard work and years. With them, my learning curve increased expo- is the beginning of an exciting journey ahead of you. nentially, and their guidance forged me into a graduate Congratulations! ready for the world. Dr Nicholas Cheong Wong Wai, MBBS (AIMST), MRCP Due to the encouragement from my lecturers, I went on (UK), Staff Physician (Registrar), Department of Internal to pass my the United States Medical Licensing Exam Medicine, Woodlands Health Campus (Khoo Teck Puat (USMLE) Step-1 in 2012 and step-2 in 2013. I was part Hospital), Singapore. AIMST University Has Made Me Who I Am Today

I am Namani Srilahari, an alumnus of Faculty of Engi- AIMST was brilliant. neering and Computer Technology, AIMST University, I have been taught by Malaysia. I completed my 'Diploma in Electrical and some amazing lecturers Electronic Engineering' and 'Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) in Electrical and Electronic Engineering' at who have been enthusi- AIMST University. astic to help students at all times. ►Read more on Currently, I am pursuing my Doctor of Philosophy (in page 13 Biomedical Engineering) at National University of Sin- gapore. My experience as an international student at Namani Srilahari Volume 1,Issue 4 The Alumni Column Page 13

►Continued from page 12 Lab is an In- ternational AIMST has provided all the facilities that are required forum which for students success. AIMST has given me various op- aims at build- portunities to prove myself. AIMST has a holistic envi- ing and pro- ronment where I have grown not only as a student but moting inter- also as a person too. It has helped me to enhance my disciplinary interpersonal skills and taught me various aspects of connections life. With the lessons and experiences gained from among excel- AIMST, I believe that I can pave a path to my success lent young and create a positive impact in the society. academics, Student Culture in AIMST is quite impressive. As an entrepreneurs international student, I was welcomed into the commu- and profes- nity without any country and or language barrier. sionals from AIMST has the most beautiful campus which provides all fields. the conducive environment for students to study. There were 100 contestants from more than 60 coun- Greenery in campus helps students to relax, rejuvenate tries all over the world. As one of the winners of Fall- and revitalise themselves and inculcates the sense of ing Walls Lab, I presented my talk again on the grand inner peace in oneself. Extracurricular activities are an stage of ―Falling Walls Conference‖ alongside Nobel integral part of student life and plenty of opportunities Laureates like William E. Mourner and world-class were made available to me while studying at AIMST researchers like Esther-Duflo. Besides that, I was one University. They have outstanding sports facilities, and of the winners of ―SMTT Innovation Challenge Trophy‖ I was fortunate enough to be involved in sports and organised by SMT Technologies Sdn Bhd, Malaysia in recreational activities like Badminton, Table Tennis and 2016 where I presented ―S-Band (Senior Band) – It‘s Dance. At the same time, I met wonderful people and time to care, It‘s time for a change‖ which aims to as- made strong friendships which I will cherish as a sweet sist elderly to keep track of their health and safety. memory in my life. I also won ―Best Poster Award ―in 3rd Regional Confer- I think students at AIMST university are lucky; because ence on Biosensors, Biodiagnostics, Biochips and Bio- faculty and university encourage students to participate technology (3rd RC4Bs-2016), which was held at in plenty of academic and cultural activities organised AIMST University on April 20-22, 2016. I have under- for students skills development at the national and in- gone leadership training on ―7 Habits of Highly Effec- ternational level. I, as a dancer, have grown through my tive College Students‖ by Franklin Covey team (US) at performances in various university concerts during my AIMST University. tenure in AIMST. As a part of co-curricular activities, I was very much I have achieved a lot as a student at AIMST University. I active in participating and organising events as an have consistently been a Dean‘s list awardee, topper in event manager at University and National level. As a my batch, received the Faculty's 'Best Student Award' student, I do attribute all my success to the AIMST during my Diploma and 'Faculty Outstanding award', a University, Lecturers, Parents, Friends and all my well 'University Gold Medal' in my Bachelors. I was one of -wishers. the winners in Falling Walls Lab Malaysia 2017 and In brief, six years of my experience as a student at was selected to represent Malaysia in the grand finale of AIMST University was extraordinarily enriching and Falling Walls Lab 2017, held in Berlin, Germany on 8th memorable. November 2017. I have presented a novel computer- aided design aimed to identify different mosquito spe- AIMST has made me who I am today pursuing my cies to minimise the human sufferings from mosquito- dream research at National University of Singa- borne diseases thereby ―Breaking the Wall of Mosquito- pore, one of the leading universities in the world. Borne diseases‖. I was awarded ―Young Innovator of the Thank you, AIMST! Year 2017‖ being one of the winners by the distin- guished panel of juries including Nobel Laureates at Namani Srilahari. ―Falling Walls Lab 2017‖ in Germany. The Falling Walls Page 14 AIMST Newsletter Group B MBBS Batch 21 during our community medi- Engaging Our Communities: Medical Camps cine posting on April 21, 2018. The MBBS students from Faculty of Medicine, conduct- • Health camp at Petronas Taman Nilam Sari on May ed five medical camps as stated below. 12, 2018, organised by staff and students from Group • Health camp at Memohan Saringan Kesihatan Un- D, MBBS Batch 21 during our community medicine tuk Pendudak Taman Ria, SP on April 1, 2018. posting • Health camp at Taman Rio Jaya on April 4, 2018. • Health camp at Dewan Makan, Masjid Al-Altiq, • Health camp at Dewan Terbuka Rakyat Kampung, Kampung Merbok on June 30, 2018, organised by staff Batu Hampar SP organised by staff and students from and students from Group D, MBBS Batch 21 during our community medicine posting.

Some pictures from the Medical Camps. Volume 1,Issue 4 Page 15 Engineering Project Exhibition for the Indian Community

On 17th August 2018, at the Student Orientation Hall puter Technology, AIMST University. This exhibition of AIMST University, one hundred and thirty (130) Indi- was aimed to motivate and guide Indian students to an Students attended the Engineering Project Exhibi- consider education and career in Electrical and Elec- tion organised by the Faculty of Engineering and Com- tronic Engineering.

Special Olympics Malaysia (SOM) visit to AIMST University

A team from Special Olympics Malaysia (SOM) visited with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round AIMST University on 16th August 2018, to initiate training and competitions to 5 million athletes and collaborative talks. Special Olympics is the world's Unified States Sports partners in 172 countries. largest sports organisation for children and adults ►Read more on page 21. Page 16 AIMST Newsletter Students from Public Universities Completed Internship at Faculty of Applied Sciences

Three students from local universities has completed their internship training at the Fac- ulty of Applied Sciences on 9 September 2018. Students were from UTM Johor (1 student) and UiTM Perlis (2 students). They were provided training in practical skills such as microbiology, molecular biology, bioinformatics and soft skills such as communication, time management and planning. They were presented with a certificate upon completion of their training. Students were guided by Ms Ramitha, Mr Nithianantham, and Dr Sivachandran. Engineering Project Exhibition at SMK Sungai Karangan

An Engineering Project Exhibition was organised at the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Sungai Karangan, Kulim, Kedah, held on the 16 August 2018. The project work demonstration encouraged the secondary school students to pursue their future undergraduate education at AIMST University. Mr Sangar Ganpathy and Mr Pugheneshwaran Nagaratinam demonstrated practical projects and answered questions raised by students. Ilham Project On 20 August 2018, an Ilham Project was conducted in the Laboratories of Faculty of Engi- neering and Computer Technol- ogy, AIMST University for the 40 students who visited Engi- neering Faculty and Laborato- ries. In this project, students were briefed about the courses offered in the field of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. The aim of activities was to improve the skills and knowledge of students. Volume 1,Issue 4 Page 17 Participation in Microbiology Quiz

Out of the two FoM teams which went for the Intervar- sity Microbiology Quiz-2018 at USIM, one of the teams reached semifinals. AIMST team (#2) was also ranked in the third position in the preliminary rounds of the quiz participated by 32 teams. AIMST 1 (AIMST Uni) AIMST 2 (AIMST Uni)

Ranking in Microbiology Quiz-2018 Page 18 AIMST Newsletter A Workshop by Sabah Alzheimer Association AIMST University, School of Nursing, Faculty of Al- lied Health Professionals. A group photo was taken in KPJ Sabah Kota Kinabalu during the 2-day workshop (18 & 19 August 2018) organised by Sa- bah Alzheimer Association. The two guest lecturers were Dr TiongIng Kheng, Consultant Geri- atrician, Kushing Hospital, Sara- wak, and Ms Ooi Saw Geok, Sen- ior Lecturer from

Nursing Students‟ Interview by Island Hospital Date: 31/7/2018, Time: 2pm -4pm, Venue: School of Nursing Meeting Room.

Some snaps taken during the event.

Safety Exercise: Fire Drill at AIMST Main Building

The safety of students, staff and visitors is vital for snaps are on page 19.  AIMST University.

A fire drill at the main building of AIMST University was conducted on 25 October 2018. The fire drill was aimed at promoting fire safety among the staff and students. It also helped in understanding - how a building would be evacuated in the event of a fire or other emergencies.

In total, 109 staff and students were evacuated. All working staff (and students) evacuated the building within 5 minutes after hearing the massive explosion and fire alarm. All the staff gathered at the assembly point and participated in the demonstration of fire- fighting training conducted by JPAM. ►Tow more Volume 1,Issue 4 Page 19 Optometry Training: Notable Students Accomplishments

Sixty-four AIMST students who volunteered for the na- other. These volunteers helped in screening school tional eye screening project (SVC) were trained in basic students around Sungai Petani in the last four (June- optometry by four optometrists on 22 May 2018. The September 2018) months. trainees practised their newly acquired skills on each

Optometry Training

Safety Exercise: ►Continued from page 18

Demonstra- tion of fire- fighting conducted by JPAM. Page 20 AIMST Newsletter AIMST Faculty of Applied Sciences Includes „Laboratory Biorisk Management‟ in Its BSc Biotechnology Curriculum degree programme offered by the Faculty. It is expected that ‗Laboratory Biorisk Management‘ course will play a Biorisk Management in general and Laboratory Bio- role in moulding students to practice and promote the risk Management, in particular, are the emerging safe working environment in laboratories to boost a cul- areas in biosciences. Considering the latest trends ture of safety and responsibility, and to boost the stu- and need of the industry, Faculty of Applied Scienc- dents‘ competency. Subhash J Bhore, from Faculty of es has included the ‗Laboratory Biorisk Manage- Applied Sciences, had conceived the idea of developing ment‘ in its BSc (Hons) Biotechnology curriculum. and implementing the ‗Biorisk Management‘ curriculum. The Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), the United The initiative is a part of the Continual Quality Im- States provided the technical support. provement (CQI) of the BSc (Hons) Biotechnology

Year three students of the BSc (Hons) Biotechnology degree programme pose for a photo with Dr Subhash J Bhore and Snr Prof. Ravichandran, Dean, Faculty of Applied Sciences, AIMST University at the end of the inaugural session of the ‗Laboratory Bio- risk Management‘ course, October 24, 2018. 11th Biennial Congress of Asian Academy of Prosthodontics The 11th Biennial Congress of Asian Academy of Prosthodontics themed ―Quintessential Contemporary Pros- thodontics‖ organised by Asian Academy of Prosthodontics and Ma- laysian Association of Prosthodontics was held on 21st to 23rd September 2018. Dr Vini Rajeev, Dr Neeraja Turagam and Dr Ajay Jain from Faculty of Dentistry attended the three days conference and presented scientific posters on their research work. Dr Vini Rajeev, Dr Neeraja Turagam and Dr Ajay Jain from Faculty of Dentistry. Volume 1,Issue 4 Page 21

Ethical Hacking Concepts, Principles of Cybersecuri- Workshop on Fundamentals of Cybersecurity ty and Cryptography. The focus was on the current On 14th August 2018, at AIMST University, a half-day trends in Cybersecurity to promote the understand- interactive workshop on ―Fundamentals of Cybersecu- ing of cybersecurity threats. Hands-on sessions were rity‖ was conducted by Faculty of Engineering and conducted for the participated students. This work- Computer Technology (FECT) for a batch of 25 AIMST shop was an initiative for promoting the new upcom- foundation students. Ms Umayal of AIMST University ing programme, ―Bachelor of Information Technology and Ms Syeda Naila Mansoor an Intern from Bahria (Hons) with a specialism in Cybersecurity‖ offered by University, Pakistan jointly conducted this workshop. FECT. The workshop covered various aspects of Networking,

►Continued from page 15 AIMST health care team discussed with SOM team members regarding the various avenues to support their outreach programme. The collaborative talks were positive. The primary purpose of this collaboration is to provide an additional platform for our students and staffs to participate in the social outreach programmes organised by SOM and gain valuable experience in supporting people with intellectual disabilities. Emeritus Prof Dr Harcharan Singh, Snr. Assoc. Prof. Dr Kathiresan Sathasivam, Assoc. Prof. Dr Ramesh Kumaresan and a Team from Special Olympics Malaysia and other university representatives. Page 22 AIMST Newsletter Discussion with Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences Dr Anthony Leela while serving as Acting Dean of FoM ment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) ‗A‘ grade ac- and Prof PK Rajesh, Deputy Dean (for Academic and credited institution‖. It is recognised by the Medical International Affairs), visited Saveetha Institute of Council of India with a 5 star rank among India‘s Medical and Technical Sciences in May 2018 to dis- Best Medical Colleges. cuss the possible collaborations between the two Uni- The discussion included the registration of FoM staff versities. for PhD degree programmes at Saveetha, academic Saveetha Institute, located at Chennai, India is a and research collaborations in future including offer- deemed to be University and is a ―National Assess- ing options for student electives.

Training the “Nex-Gen” of Malaysia programme, the participants not only learned but also became confident to incorporate these latest endodon- Faculty of Dentistry, AIMST University had organised a tic techniques and skills in their practice. The partici- two days Endodontics training course titled, ―FROM pants were awarded participation certificate stating 10 CROWN TO ROOT TO CROWN‘‘, as a part of the continu- CPD points by Malaysian Dental Council. It was a suc- ing dental education programme. It was conducted on cessful training programme due to the constant hard 25th and 26th August 2018. The course was very much work of the organising committee, giving a remarkable useful to new dental practitioners both in the private and experience for our faculty. The course facilitator was government sectors; It created interest in participants to Dr Rahul Rathi, from the Academic Unit of Endodon- pursue a master‘s degree in Endodontics to explore the tics, Faculty of Dentistry, AIMST University. new opportunities in dentistry. This programme‘s success also reflected the true aca- Four lectures, six demonstrations and six hands-on ses- demic quality of our university and our simple philoso- sions along with discussions formed the basis of this phy of subscribing to the highest levels of service and programme with one to one approach. By the end of this professionalism.

A glimpse of “FROM CROWN TO ROOT TO The team behind the success of this event along with participants. CROWN’’ workshop at AIMST Dental Centre. Volume 1,Issue 4 Page 23 Top 10 Reasons to Join BSc (Hons) Biotechnology & BSc (Hons) Bioinformatics Programmes at AIMST University the study.

1. FUTURE READY GRADUATES: Biotechnology 5. EXCELLENT CURRICULUM: AIMST BSc (Hons) and Bioinformatics are the thrust areas of Indus- Biotechnology curriculum received Grade A from trial Revolution 4.0. MQA.

2. EXCELLENT EMPLOYABILITY RATE: 97% place- 6. POSTGRADUATE OPPORTUNITY: AIMST Univer- ment rate. Students are placed in industries such sity offers BSc, MSc, and PhD in Biotechnology. as Pfizer, Novo Nordisk, Biocon, B.Braun, IVF, 7. ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE: 16 years of academic Stem cell and Medical Implant. excellence in Biotechnology. 3. INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION: AIMST BSc 8. AFFORDABILITY: Most affordable Tuition fee. (Hons) Biotechnology graduates have been accepted for postgraduate studies by well-known univer- 9. REBATE: Rebate up to RM 9560/- for BSc (Hons) sities including University of Cambridge, The Uni- Bioinformatics and RM 2000/- for BSc (Hons) Bio- versity of Manchester, John Hopkins University technology Programme. and Yale University. 10. FULL SCHOLARSHIP: 100% scholarship for 4. INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY EXPOSURE: Op- Foundation in Science leading to BSc (Hons) Bio- portunities for overseas industrial training during technology or BSc (Hons) Bioinformatics Pro- grammes. Updating Skills with Recent Trends in Caries Calibration

One day ―The International Caries Detection and As- standing of the process of initiation and progression of sessment System (ICDAS) Calibration‖ workshop was dental caries. This system allows us to record the se- conducted for the entire dental faculty on 24th August verity and incidence of caries in its continuum. 2018. The ICDAS were developed for a better under-

Represented AIMST at Medan dontic Treatment is ASEAN Economic The 2nd International Prosthodontic Scientific Meeting Community‖. Dr was held from 30th August to 1 st September 2018 at Neeraja Turagam Santika Premiere Dyandra Hotel and Convention cen- presented a lecture tre, Medan, Indonesia. Around 600 delegates from and participated in Asian countries had participated in the conference. the conference. The theme of the conference was: ―Advance Prostho- Page 24 AIMST Newsletter A Day for Therapies with Therapist with the staff and students of AIMST University. The students designed and organised seven-game stations to ‗A Day for Therapies with Therapist Programme‘ for measure the fitness level of participants. The partici- AIMST students and staff was organised by Physio- pants were advised how to improve the fitness level therapy students on 3rd July 2018 at AIMST Universi- based on their performance in game stations. This event ty Foyer between 11 am and 2.00 pm. This event facil- was also supported by students from School of Nursing itated the AIMST students and staff to know their fit- to provide health consultation for the participants. Stu- ness level status. This event was aimed to make the dents raised funds to provide financial support to the participants aware of the significance of physiotherapy ―Persatuan Parkinson Pulau Pinang‖. Each donator got a in the day to day life. It was also a platform for Physio- paper clip as a token of appreciation. therapy students to sharpen their interpersonal skills

Protocol Writing Workshop 2018 Participants attended from gov- A scientific workshop on ―Protocol Writing‖, ernment held on the 11th and 12th October 2018, and non- was organised by faculty members from the government Faculty of Dentistry, under the chairman- institutions. ship of Dr Manikandan Natarajan. Dr Arunkumar N and Dr Swaminathan Sethu, ►Two internationally renowned speakers from In- more pic- dia facilitated the event. A total of 20 partici- tures are pants registered and participated in the on page workshop. 27. Volume 1,Issue 4 Page 25

and 13th July 2018. Staff members and students Neuropaediatric Physiotherapy Workshop from Pemulihan Dalam Komuniti (PDK), under the A team of Spanish physiotherapists Mr Pablo Llanes Ministry of Welfare, Malaysia and AIMST University Do, Ms Azcárate Núñez, Ms Ana Yazi and Ms Estefania participated in this event. Our physiotherapy stu- Deshayes visited AIMST University and conducted a dents gained hands-on experience about the Bobath ―Neuropediatric Workshop‖ for physiotherapy students approach from the International physiotherapist. at Physiotherapy Skills Laboratory between 10th July

A Physio- therapist has the brain of a scientist, the heart of a humanist and the hands of an artist! Proud to be a physiotherapist! —Unknown author Page 26 AIMST Newsletter Biotech Show at FAST-2018 Exhibition at Tech-Dome Penang

Faculty of Applied Sci- ences participated in the FAST (Food, Art, Science and Technolo- gy) 2018 Exhibition hosted by Tech-Dome Penang, from 16-19 August 2018. In line with the objective of the FAST-2018 Exhibi- tion, the faculty demonstrated molecular-based methods for food analysis, application of plant tissue culture, and enzyme immobilisation method in food technology. Invited Talks and Presentations Prof. PK Rajesh, Deputy Dean a Deemed to be University, located in Chennai, Tamil (Academic) and Head of Medi- Nadu, India. cal Education Unit, FoM, pre- Dr S Gokul Shankar of Mi- sented on WhatsApp Enhanc- crobiology Unit, FoM was a ing PALs-Opportunities and guest speaker at the Inter- Challenges, at 13th Interna- national Conference on Pro- tional Medical Education Con- biotics and Food Sustaina- ference-2018, held at KL. He bility-2018 organised by presented on "How peer- UTM in collaboration with assisted learning can be con- the Asia Pacific Institute of ducted over Whatsapp". Food Professionals (APIFP) Dr Myat Thu Thu Win from at Johor Bahru, held on 23- Pharmacology Unit, FoM 24 Sep 2018. He delivered a delivered a keynote address talk on ‗Food safety in the titled ―Role of Genetic and Hospitality Industry – Ex- Caloric Restriction in the pectation Vs Reality‘. He Clinical Trial‖ in the 5th also chaired a scientific session of the conference. World Congress on Advanced Dr Saraswathi Bina Clinical Trials and Clinical Rai of Community Research, Singapore, held in Medicine Unit (FoM) May 2018. She also present- was invited as MyO- ed a paper on ‗Importance of HUN Speaker/ Coor- Dosage Effect on Clinical dinator and facilita- Trials‘ at the conference. tor. She has conduct- Associate Prof Dr Anthony ed a workshop for Leela, delivered an invited MyOHUN (My One talk on "Importance of Tak- Health University ing Occupational History" at Network) on Risk As- Saveeta University, Chen- sessment, held on nai, India on May 3, 2018. April 2018 at Miri, She also explored the possi- Sarawak. It was at- bility of collaborating with tended by various Saveetha Institute of Medi- participants from cal and Technical Sciences; east and west Malaysia. Volume 1,Issue 4 Page 27 Technical Talk on LED Driver IC for Solid State Lighting

Assoc. Prof. Dr Ir. Arjuna Marzuki from the School of engineering students to pursue their postgraduate Electrical and Electronic Engineering of University education in the field of Electrical and Electronic En- Science Malaysia delivered a technical talk on ‗LED gineering upon completion of their BEng (Hons) in Driver IC for Solid State Lighting‘ on the 15th August Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Dr Arjuna 2018 at the Faculty of Engineering and Computer highlighted the overview of Design of LED Driver and Technology (FECT), AIMST University. Solid State Lighting. He also highlighted the skill set and knowledge required to excel in research in the Lecturers and the final year students of BEng (Hons) area of Solid State Lighting. Mr Ravandran Muttiah in Electrical and Electronic Engineering attended the had organised this talk. talk. The talk was aimed to encourage the final year

Protocol Writing Workshop 2018 ►Continued from page 24

Participants interacting with a speaker, Dr Swaminathan Sethu through webinar. Page 28 AIMST Newsletter World Sight Day 2018

Dr Christina Gellknight was invited to take part in the 32nd Anniversary of Tun Hussain Onn National Eye Hospital‘s International Meeting in conjunction with ―WORLD SIGHT DAY 2018‖ and ASEAN Association of Eye Hospitals. Event was held on 20 October 2018.

She was given the recognition and acknowledged for her contribution in the ―SVC Eye Clinic 2018 Project‖ by Dato S. Kulasegaran, President ASEAN Association of Eye Hospitals.

Silver Medal for Innovation

P r o f . R ab ind e r - jeet Singh (from Unit of Physiolo- gy, FoM) is a part of the team which was awarded Silver Medal at 29th Interna- tional Invention, Innovation and Tech- nology Exhibition-2018 Kuala Lumpur, held on 10-12 May 2018. This award is for the team‘s ‗Coconut-based Energy Gel‘ work. Volume 1,Issue 4 Page 29 Medical Camp at Dewan Kampung Bujang

The Faculty of Medicine, AIMST University conducted a Medical Camp at Dewan Kampung Bujang, Merbok, Sungai Petani on 20th October 2018. It was organised by the Unit of Community Medicine and medical students of Batch 22 (Year 3 Group E). The health camp was aimed to carry out a health assessment, spread health awareness and provide health counselling. The Chief Guest was YB Nurin Aina Binti Abdullah. Snr Prof. Dr Sethuraman, Dean, Fac- ulty of Medicine also addressed the community.

The ‗Oral Health Awareness Campaign 2018‘ at Central Square mall, Sungai Petani, Kedah.

Community Service: Oral Health Screening and Patient Education

Screening of around 150 patients was carried out on 20th October 2018 at Mydin Mall, Bukit Mertajam.

AIMST Dental Faculty members, supporting staff and students involved in community service. Page 30 AIMST Newsletter The Beginning of a New Journey On 18 September 2018, AIMST Dental Students Associ- juniors and other activities were a fun yet informative ation (ADSA) had organised student orientation pro- for the new students! gramme for the newly joined first-year students. This On the next day, outdoor orientation was organised in event was to know dental seniors and colleagues within which new students enjoyed all the games with seniors. the faculty. There were sharing sessions, introductory The games were exciting and challenging. The new stu- sessions for Malaysian Dental Students‘ Association dents challenged station games, and this helped to (MDSA), Asia Pacific Dental Students‘ Association strengthen their mentality skills, social skills, and other (APDSA), and International Association of Dental Stu- soft skills which are surely required throughout their dents (IADS). The ice-breaking game sessions for the journey in dentistry.

Heartily welcome to first-year students to our AIMST Dental Students Association (ADSA).

Autism Awareness Day Event by RED Association

On 2nd April 2018, RED Association (a charity associa- tism Awareness Campaign in collaboration with Per- tion of Medical Students of AIMST) conducted an Au- satuan Ibu-Bapa Kanak-Kanak Autism. Volume 1,Issue 4 Page 31 AIMST Astronomy Club AIMST student‘s astronomy club organised observa- the students during the observation of the important tion of Total lunar eclipse and MARS opposition on celestial event. 28th and 31st July 2018. Mr Murali, SGFS, Dr Ariffiu- din, Dr Arun Sen and Prof M Ravichandran were with

Some pictures from the event.

The Excellent Placement Rate for the BSc (Hons) Biotechnology 2017 Graduates Soon After Their Graduation

There were 57 students those were graduated in BSc (Hons) Biotechnology in 2017. We contacted 53 graduates to get the details on their present status. Out of these 53 graduates, 18 graduates (34 %) are pursuing higher studies (MSc and PhD) in local or International Universities. Thirty-four graduates successfully secured their jobs, of which twenty-two graduates (41.5%) are working in biotech-related companies at various levels; whereas Twelve graduates (23%) are working in non-biotech companies in right positions. One student (2%) resigned as the job was in the no- biotech field, and searching for a biotech-related job. It suggest that biotechnology graduates are in de- Overview of the placements status of BSc (Hons) Biotechnology mand. 2017 graduates as on 1 July 2018 . Page 32 AIMST Newsletter Better Posture for a Better Future: A Physiotherapeutic Knowledge Transfer Programme

(from 27th August 2018 till 30th January 2019) based intervention. Also, 30 teachers of the same Our Physiotherapy degree students have adopted Sekolah school are involved in creating awareness in the pre- Jenis Kebangsaan (Tamil) Bedong for transferring their vention of musculoskeletal disorders due to their physiotherapeutic knowledge regarding ideal and abnor- workplace ergonomics. This is a long-term pro- mal posture to 350 students aged between 7 and 12 by gramme organised and coordinated by Mr Kaviarasu providing a systematic postural evaluation and evidence- Mahalingam, a Lecturer.

Innovation in Anatomy Teaching Dr Jagadeesh from Anatomy Unit (FoM) participated in 'the Innovation in Anatomy Teach- ing' Competition organised by Malaysian Anatomical Associa- tion Education Symposium 2018 (MAAES 2018). In the competition, he won the bronze medal for, "Economical and interactive innovative anatomy teaching". The programme was held at University Sultan Zainal Abidin, Kuala Terengga- nu on 3rd and 4th August 2018. Congratulations Dr Jagadeesh! Volume 1,Issue 4 Page 33 Launching of Malaysian Rainforest Genome Ontology Project: A Brainchild of Faculty of Applied Sciences‟ Center of Excellence, COMBio

The Malaysian Rainforest Genome Ontology (MARGO ulty of Applied Sciences‘ Center of Excellence, COMBio research project was officiated on 18th September in will be part of this collaboration in studying the rainfor- the Belum Rainforest Summit 2018 (BRainS 2018), an est flora using genomic technology. Pulau Banding international conference held at Pulau Banding, Gerik. Foundation, the non-profit and non-political organisa- Exchange of official research collaborative agreement tion, which aims to promote research through the sus- between AIMST University, University of Copenhagen, tainable development of the rainforest ecosystem of the University Malaysia Kelantan and Pulau Banding Belum-Temengor Rainforest Complex will also be fund- Foundation had marked the launch of this mega pro- ing the expeditions required for MARGO by approving ject which focuses on studying the genetics of rain- RM15,000 for the cause. forest‘s various plants through omics technologies. Fac- Page 34 AIMST Newsletter

The participating universities include UniKL RCMP First Asian Clinical Anatomy and Clinical (two teams), MAHSA University (two teams), AIMST University (two teams), Taylors University, USIM and Physiology Quiz UiTM (one team each). Emeritus Prof Dr Harcharan Singh Sidhu, Chief Executive & Vice Chancellor and AIMST Medical Students secured the second position Senior Prof Dr K.R. Sethuraman, Dean, Faculty of (First runner-up) in the First Asian Clinical Anatomy Medicine, AIMST University congratulated the stu- and Clinical Physiology Quiz conducted at UniKL dents and the involved staff members for their RCMP, Ipoh on 6 Oct 2018. The Anatomy and Physiolo- achievement. gy Units trained the students for the quiz. Dr Rajiv P a t h a k and Dr Satyana- r a y a n a c o o r d i - n a t e d t h e training for the s t u - dents. A total of 9 teams r e p r e - s e n t i n g 6 Uni- versities p a r t i c i - pated in the Quiz.

Virtual Reality: The Next Big Thing in Dental Training

Teaching is a noble profession and knowledge can be im- been using technology in pace with the general tech- parted to students using different forms of teaching. nological developments. One such development is the Lately, technology is being used profoundly with the aim incorporation of virtual reality (VR) to teach dental of effective yet more comfortable teaching. Dentistry has students. Dr Sudheesh K M, a lecturer from the faculty of dentistry has been following the uses of virtual reality in dentistry close- ly. He presented a paper on 'Use of VR for training undergraduate dental students' in the Malaysia Inter- national Dental Exhibition and Conference, held on July 20- 22, 2018. Dr Sudheesh K M at Malaysia International Dental Exhibition and Conference. Volume 1,Issue 4 Page 35 AIMST Participated in the Relay for Life, Penang 2018

Relay for Life is a worldwide movement, a community- Coordinated by the faculty of Medicine, AIMST par- based fundraising event initiated by the American ticipated for the second time. It was a team effort by Cancer Society with the aim to publicise cancer many and 25 participants from AIMST attended (14 awareness among the community, to raise funds as students and 11 staff) the event. It was, unfortunate- well as to celebrate the event with cancer survivors. In ly, a very wet day but that did not deter the AIMST Penang, it is organised by the National Cancer Society team from attending and participating. The pro- of Malaysia, Penang Branch and this year it was held gramme at USM kicked off with entertainment, exhi- at the Sports Stadium of University Sains Malaysia bition and food fair until the official opening by the (USM) on 7th October 2018. Chief Minister of Penang at 6.00pm.

Title Title

AIMST .

At the Opening Ceremony (by the Chief Minister of Penang) .

Medico-Legal Conference-2018 from all over Malaysia including students and lecturers from AIMST University. Dr Patrick, Director of CSC, was the Speaker and Coordinator for Medico- Legal Conference-2018 organised by Rotaract Club of AIMST University. The goal of this conference was to enhance the professional development of students and orient medico-legal laws to the medical students as well as participating professionals. The event had participants Page 36 AIMST Newsletter AIMST Biotechnology Research on Phage Technology was Presented at Oxford University

Research work on the use of Bacteriophage against Dickeya chrysanthemi, a bacterial pathogen that causes soft rot disease in plant was presented at the 8th International Annual Conference, Phages 2018. The conference was held on 11th – 12th September 2018 at the Edward Boyle Auditorium, JdP, St Hilda‘s College, Oxford University, Oxford OX4 1DY, United Kingdom.

Prof. M. Ravichandran presented this research, and the other members of the research team were Ms Sasireigga Jayajothi, Mr Kurunathan Sinniah, Dr Lee Su Yin, Dr Heera Rajandas and Dr Sivachandran Parimannan.

Stakeholder Meeting for Post Basic in Critical Care Nursing

Assoc. Prof Dr Soh Kim Lam from UPM attended stakeholder meeting held on 7 August 2018. Venue: School of Nursing Meeting Room.

AIMST University Biotech Career Talk and Exhibition at STAR Education

On 4th and 5th August 2018, AIMST Biotechnology was delivered by Prof M Ravichandran to explain the University participated in the STAR Ed- career options in Biotechnology in the era of Industrial revolution ucation fair. In order to promote the Bio- 4.0. All other faculty members participated along with our hard- technology programme, a career talk on working marketing team. Volume 1,Issue 4 Page 37 What is Your Awareness Level on Autism?

As the saying goes ―Autism is not a disability, it is a tific programme of the conference. different ability‖. However, it is saddening to know that Through this talk, Dentists were educated about the not many healthcare providers are aware of the condi- diagnosis as well as dental management of autistic pa- tion. Same holds good for dentists. However, this year an attempt was made to reach out to and enlighten ma- tients. jority of dentists across Malaysia about autism through Following the talk, Dr Nandini was approached by oth- the Malaysia International Dental Exhibition and Con- er dental schools in Malaysia to deliver talks on Autis- ference, held on July 20-22, 2018. Dr Nandini Kumari tic patients. She was acknowledged by the organisers Katta, a Lecturer from the Faculty of Dentistry, AIMST with a takeaway gift and a certificate of appreciation. University, was selected from across Malaysian Univer- sities and was invited as a speaker to deliver a talk on Awareness of autism in society is essential because Autism and its dental management as part of the scien- autism awareness leads to autism acceptance.

Dr Nandini from Faculty of Dentistry, AIMST University at Malaysia International Dental Exhibition and Conference. AIMST Alumni Conduct the Pre-Conference Workshop on Wound Care Malaysian Diabetic Limb Salvaging Society lead by the workshop. After five hands-on workshops on ‗Life & AIMST FoM alumni Dr Mogan Naidu and Dr Rama Limb Salvaging Screening‘, ‗Home Foot Offloading Device‘, Doraisamy, conducted a pre-conference workshop on ‗3D Silicone Insole‘, ‗The Art of Wound Dressing and ‗The ‗Diabetic Foot and Wound Care‘ on October 10th Role of Antiseptic in the Infected Diabetic Foot‘ the course 2018, with a total of 310 participants. This workshop, concluded with which had a record number of participants, was a part two live surgeries. of the AIMST International Conference on Lifestyle For the alumni, Diseases organised by the Faculty of Medicine. conducting this in The workshop was strategised to provide insights into their alma mater the prevention and management of diabetic lower limb for a record num- ulcers at various stages and to prevent unnecessary ber of participants amputations. Medical students, academic faculty staff, was a ‗double bo- and primary care physicians actively participated in nus‘ indeed! Page 38 AIMST Newsletter A Talk on High Power Frequency Analysis in Electronic Circuits

Mr Alan Gooi from Philpal conducted this event on the discussed in detail - how to analyse high power fre- 14th August 2018, at the Faculty of Engineering and quency in electronic circuits? Thirteen (13) final year Computer Technology, AIMST University. With the students participated in this event. Dr Koby Asirvat- final project students of BEng (Hons) in Electrical and ham organised this talk. Electronic Engineering degree programme, he

A Talk on Phase Noise Analysis Using Spectrum Analyser

Mr Alan Gooi from Philpal delivered this talk on 24th gain practical hands-on experience on how to use the August 2018, which was organised by the Faculty of Spectrum Analyser in real time applications. Thirteen Engineering and Computer Technology, AIMST Univer- (13) students participated in this event. Dr Koby Asir- sity. Mr Alan Gooi trained our final year students to vatham organised the event.

Poster Presentation on RF and Microwave Electronics

On the 29th August 2018, a session of Poster Presenta- (Hons) in Electrical and Electronic Engineering pre- tion on ‗RF and Microwave Electronics‘ was held at the sented their coursework as a poster for the course of Faculty of Engineering and Computer Technology, RF and Microwave Electronics. Dr Koby Asirvatham AIMST University. The final year students of BEng conducted the event. Volume 1,Issue 4 Page 39 Biotechnology Roadshow at Schools

Faculty of Applied Sciences organised biotechnology activities as part of the roadshows at various secondary schools in Perak, Kedah, and Penang in July 2018. Faculty staff demonstrated the DNA extraction method from strawberry and onions, gel- electrophoresis, enzyme immobilisation technique and plant tissue culture. The roadshows aim was to introduce the students to biotechnology through interactive sessions and to educate them about the career opportunities in biotechnology industry.

Some pictures from the events.

►Continued from page 8; located in Sungai Petani. one attention by the experienced faculty members and This programme was held on 17th and 23rd October the BDS year five students. This event was well received 2018; it was organised by Dr Kishor Tom, Dr Praveen and appreciated by the school management which is a Bhoopathi, Dr Manikandan Natarajan and Dr Nandini huge motivation to organise such events on a large Kumari Katta. A total of 37 children with autism, scale. Downs syndrome and slow learners were given one to Page 40 AIMST Newsletter

Live Vitreo Retinal Surgery Workshop ducted by world-renowned Ophthalmic surgeon ―Padma Dr Christina Gellknight Snr Associate Prof from the Shri‖ Dr S. Natarajan from Mumbai, India. The Surgery Unit of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine took part was conducted with the latest technology involving the in the ―Live Vitreo Retinal Surgery Workshop conduct- ―3D effect with the wide-angle camera view monitor‖ with ed in THONEH Hospital in conjunction with World the latest NGENUITY Machine which is a real ‗Break Sight Day Celebration 2018. The workshop was con- though‘ in the Retinal Eye surgeries in the world of Oph- thalmology.

Workshop on Food Safety Management The resource persons for the short course include: 1)Dr Malik A Hussain, Senior Food Safety Science Officer, Food Safety Unit, Department of Health and Human The professional development workshop on "Food Safe- Services, Melbourne, Australia and Adjunct Snr Lectur- ty Management and HACCP was jointly organised by er in Food Microbiology, Lincoln University, Christ- Faculty of Applied Sciences and Faculty of Medicine, church, New Zealand and Executive Director of APIFP. AIMST University in collaboration with the Asia Pacific 2) Associate Prof Dr Marzieh Hosseini Nezhad from Re- Institute of Food Professionals (APIFP). The workshop search Institute of Food Science and technology, Mash- started with the opening remarks by Snr Prof Dr KR had, Iran; and 3) Dr Bushra Niaz from GC University, Sethuraman, Dean, Faculty of Medicine, and Snr Prof Pakistan. Dr M Ravichandran, Dean, Faculty of Applied Sciences, AIMST University. The programme was attended by over Dr Gokul Shankar and Prof Marimuthu coordinated the 40 participants that included academicians, research programme. scholars and representatives from the food industry. Volume 1,Issue 4 Page 41 AIMST Awareness Programme by Marketing Division at SMK Convent Ipoh The workshop was conducted by our experienced mar- lent results in their final examination? The workshop keting personnel, Ms Siti Fairus and was assisted by also covered the different programmes available at Mr Ericson. Ms Faustina was invited to be part of the AIMST University. The students and teachers were very workshop as she was an alumnus of the school. Ms Siti impressed and expressed their interest to make a study shared essential information on— how to achieve excel- tour to AIMST University, in year 2019.

The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.

—- Aristotle Page 42 AIMST Newsletter Blended Learning Workshop

Dr Neeraj Kumar Fuloria (Snr. Associate Professor) and Dr Shivkanya Fuloria (Associate Professor) from Faculty of Pharmacy, steered the AIMST Staff Quality Improvement Programme titled ―Flipped teaching and learning‖ on 30th July 2018 and conducted workshop titled ―Blended Learning: Workshop Series: 02‖ on 27th August 2018 for AIMST staff members at computer lab, medical building, AIMST Uni- versity.

Biotechnology Research Soaring High with Collaboration with the University of Leicester

Genomics is the buzzword in the era of industrial revolution 4.0. AIMST University has inked an MOU with the University of Leicester on 5 September 2018 to col- laborate in the area of genomics and biology of bacteriophages. Prof M Ravichandran, Dean, Faculty of Applied Sciences mentioned that in connection with this collaboration, a shot international grant has been received, and Prof Martha Cloke, Prof of Microbiology & Dr An- drew Millard, Lecturer in Bacteriophage Bioinformatics, University of Leicester visited AIMST University on 7 May 2018 and organized a workshop on metagenomics. This collaboration will serve as a way forward for boost- ing research and post- David Hall, Registrar, and Chief Operating Officer (COO) with graduate studies at Dr Sivachandran and Dr Heera, Centre of Excellence in Om- AIMST University. ics driven Computational Biodiscovery (COMBio), Faculty of Applied Sciences, AIMST University.

AIMST University Collaborates With Dr Wong and Partners- Smilelink Dental Group

A team from Faculty of Dentistry, including Dr Ramesh ogy laboratory and also provide job opportunities for Kumaresan, Dr Tom Kishor, Dr Ajay Jain and Mr our dental technology graduates. Later, Dr Wong and Mansor Bin Arshad visited Dr Wong and Partners, Partners team, consisting of Dato‘ Dr Wong Ruen Yuan- Smile-Link Dental Group headquarters and Skywin CEO of Smile-Link dental group, Datin Jean Wong-COO digital dental laboratory on 4th October 2018 to dis- of Smile-link dental group and their Japanese counter- cuss the possible collaboration for the dental technolo- part visited AIMST University on 17th October 2018. gy programme. Smile-Link Dental Group operates over Mr Maget, from business development and international 70 dental clinics in Malaysia with high-end dental tech- articulation division, highlighted the university pro- nology laboratory. The main objectives of this visit were grammes and facilities available for the students and to have the industrial attachment for our final year staffs. Dr Ramesh Kumaresan, Dean, Faculty of Dentis- dental technology students in the digital dental technol- try, ►Read more on page 44 Volume 1,Issue 4 Page 43 Business Across Borders - International Student Mobility Programme

'Business Across Borders' programme intends to pro- The programme is offered in collaboration with AIMST vide an International exposure to the students of PSG University, Malaysia. Lectures on Malaysian Economy, Institute of Management, Coimbatore, India to under- History, Culture, Trade, Commerce and Industrial visits stand the nuances of business in a global context. In for knowledge gaining sessions with local entrepreneurs total, 107 Students from Batch 1 and 2 participated in is covered under this programme. this programme, held during October 15-26, 2018.

Post-graduate students from PSG Institute of Management (Batch 1) with the Chief Executive and Vice Chancellor of AIMST University, Emeritus Professor Dr. Harcharan Singh Sidhu posed for a snap.

PSG Institute of Management students attending one of the many seminars organised by AIMST University.

Participants from Batch 2 attending a corporate briefing during the Industrial Visit session at MIMOS Berhad. Page 44 AIMST Newsletter

►Continued from page 42 ates in Malaysia as well as overseas. The collaborative talks were very positive and fruitful. discussed dentistry and dental technology programmes at AIMST University. Subsequently, a dialogue session was carried out between both the parties followed by a fruitful session with the Dental technology students. D u r i n g t h e A team from Dr Wong and Partners with Vice-chancellor, m e e t - Emeritus Prof Dr Harcharan Singh at AIMST University ing, Da- to‘ Dr W o n g m e n - t i o n e d t h a t there is a bright f u t u r e for dental tech- n o l o g y g r a d u - A team from Faculty of Dentistry visited Dr Wong and Partners Smile-Link Dental Group’s head quarter. International Articulation Dr Chowdhury Rafiqul Ahsan, Professor, Department of Microbiology, University of Dhaka (Dhaka) Bangladesh. Delegates from Bangamata National Cellular and Mo- lecular Research Center (Dhaka) visited AIMST Univer- sity on June 29, 2018 to discuss the scope of academic and research avenues for academics collaboration.

The delegates who visited include Dr Mahmood UZ Ja- han, Director, Bangladesh Medical Research Council, Dhaka, Bangladesh; Dr Sheikh Mohammad Fazle Ak- bar, MD, PhD, Researcher and Full Faculty, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Ehime, Japan and Chief Advisor, Bangamata National Cellular and Molecular Research Center at Dhaka, Bangladesh; and

Collaboration is the key for success and progress. Volume 1,Issue 4 Page 45 Water Balloon Festival

First of its kind, ‗Water Ballon Festival‘ was organised by our Physiotherapy students, held on 4th of July 2018 at AIMST sports complex. It started at 6 pm after the classes, and hundreds of students from the entire faculty participated in this event. The event began in a style with warming up and an aerobic session by our Alumni. The festival was broken up into some stages with a variety of stations to challenge the participants throughout the event. A colourful event filled with joyous moments was wit- nessed by the newcomers of AIMST as well. The event aimed to improve the interaction between students from different faculties in order to enhance the colour of unity among AIMST students. The event was concluded with speeches from few Physiotherapy staffs along with the advisor and prize giving ceremony for those who won the mini-games. ―It was a fun, interactive day that‘s all about water.‖

We create the chain that binds us. Page 46 AIMST Newsletter Family Medicine Staff Attended Pre-Hospital Care Conference

On 29 October 2018, ‗the 2nd National Pre-Hospital Care Conference and Championship‘ was conducted at Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah, Alor Setar, Kedah, Ma- laysia. Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz inaugurated the Conference. Dr Sawri Rajan and Dr Tin Soe from the Family Medi- cine Unit of Faculty of Medicine, AIMST University took the active part in the programme, which included the emergency evacuation by helicopter.

Demo: Emergency evacuation by heli- transport.

Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz with FoM Staff , Dr Sawri Rajan and Dr Tin Soe.

61st Annual Biological Safety Conference, USA

Under the U.S. Department of State's Biosecurity En- gagement Programme (BEP), Dr Subhash J Bhore (Faculty of Applied Sciences) participated in the 61st Annual Biological Safety Conference, held at Charleston Conven- tion Center, South Carolina, the United States (USA).

Subhash completed three one day preconference courses on ‗Biosafety‘, ‗BSL3 Oper- ations‘, and ‗Containment in Agriculture‘. He also presented a paper in the form of a Poster on the ‗Biorisk Man- agement‘ curriculum, developed with the technical support from the Sandia Nation- Subhash J Bhore with a team from the Sandia National Laboratories (USA) during his poster al Laboratories (SNL), USA. presentation session at International Session of the 61st Annual Biological Safety Conference. Volume 1,Issue 4 Advertorial Page 47

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