PENANG, 4 August 2015 – Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) is hosting six undergraduate and masters’ students from the University of Keele, U.K under a collaboration between USM and Keele which began seven years ago.

The students are spending the three months of this placement programme at USM on data collection for their respective final year projects and Masters’ dissertations.

Lecturer at the Unit for Vector Control Research Unit, School of Biological Sciences, USM Professor Dr Zairi Jaal said that the placement students were a welcome addition to the school as it enabled the exchange of knowledge and ideas, in line with USM’s aspirations as a world class university.

Zairi added that besides student exchange, USM and Keele also collaborated on research and staff exchange.

“The co-operation between USM and Keele which began seven years ago has been of benefit to us as a research university as it has also enabled joint research, such as in the area of vector studies,” said Zairi, adding that the continued inflow of students from University of Keele for placement programmes at the School of Biological Sciences despite minimal financial assistance was testimony to their recognition of USM’s expertise and facilities as a premier Malaysian research university.

Lewis Shackleboid, 20, from Manchester who is reading for a B.Sc in Biochemistry said that he found his Malaysian counterparts to be friendly and hospitable, making his first visit to Malaysia a valuable learning experience in a multicultural community.  As his placement coincided with the month of Ramadan in Malaysia, he says that he has indirectly learnt about Muslim life in this multicultural environment and is amazed at the difference between Muslim practices here and in the U.K.

He has also enjoyed the sense of independence gained from coming to Malaysia, rating that as his most valuable personal achievement from this three-month placement.

Lewis believes however that the main benefit of his Malaysian stint will materialise when he graduates. “To be able to say that I have undergone a placement programme in Malaysia for my final year project is a valuable addition to my resume which will hopefully be to my advantage after graduation as I have been able to be very independent and hands-on in doing my work here,” he said.

“There is no way I would have been able to do these types of experiments with mosquitoes back in the U.K,” he stated, adding that he is able to spend a lot more time doing solid work on his final-year project in the laboratory here in USM compared to at home where laboratory hours for final year projects are capped at sixty hours.

Harry Edward Thomas, 22, who is here on research for a dissertation in a joint Masters from the Universities of Keele and Salford, U.K in Molecular Parasitology and Vector Biology stated that the environment here at the School of Biological Sciences is very conducive for his postgraduate work as there are different facilities here which are not available in the U.K.

“You can’t do these tests in the U.K and this is a World Health Organisation lab that offers much more that you can do here than in the U.K,” he said, explaining that he was investigating whether mosquitoes were able to recognise the presence of pesticides based on smell, thereby learning to avoid pesticide nets.

He hopes to build on his research here at USM to ultimately improve pesticide nets especially those used in African countries and make them more efficient to prevent the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.

On his Malaysian experience, Harry remarked, “I would definitely encourage others to come here especially people who want to experience new cultures and new things, it broadens your horizons. I have really enjoyed my experience here in the lab and also outside of it, interacting with the local people. Everyone seems much friendlier here… I don’t want to go back, I have enjoyed it here,” he laughed.

Final-year Biochemistry undergraduate Gregory Warren, 20, was keen to come to Malaysia and USM to get a head start on his final year project which deals with fish molecular biology. He has particularly enjoyed the natural environment and tropical rainforests besides sampling the diverse cultures and local food.

Hailing from London, Greg remarked that he had gained more insight into Muslim culture here in Malaysia which is different from in the U.K. Despite the differences, they have not faced any difficulties as people here are friendly and they have not had any problems adapting to the new environment.

The students from Keele University who have been here since June are visiting USM on a three-month placement programme and are variously based at the School of Biological Sciences, Pusat Racun Negara, Drug Research Centre and the Doping Centre.

Text: Tan Ewe Hoe & Dr. Nurul Farhana Low Abdullah, Syuhada Abd. Aziz & Siti Naquiah Abdillah