By: Mohd Noor Hisham Mohd Nadzir
PORT DICKSON, Sept 22 – A total of 75 new students from the Department of Biology, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) joined the Gerak Ilmu Mahasiswa Baharu BIOGEN19/23 Programme at the International Institute of Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences (i-AQUAS), here.
The special programme for new students of the Department of Biology, session 2019 or BIOGEN 19/23 was organised by the Department of Biology and Biology Student Club, UPM.
Programme chairman, Dr. Meenakshii Nallappan hopes that the programme will expose students to the learning environment and challenges that stand before them as Biology students.
“BIOGEN 19/23 helps the students to prepare themselves physically and mentally and motivate them to face their four-year learning journey at the Department of Biology,” she said.
The three-day programme was attended by 55 Bachelor of Science with Honors students and 20 Bachelor of Science with Education (Honours) major in Biology students. Two international students, one from China and another from Iraq also joined the programme.
The programme entitled “BIOGEN 19/23: Kenali Biologi, Kenali Kehidupan” (BIOGEN 19/23: Know Biology, Know Life) was filled with explanations on academic and cocurricular courses as well as interesting activities that spur critical and reflective thinking related to academics to achieve sustainable excellence throughout their period of study.
Students were also exposed to future direction of Biology and career opportunities during the session with the alumni and senior students of the Department of Biology.
The programme was run by the Biology Student Club, a club established to represent the voices of students from the Department of Biology, to care for their welfare and to foster the spirit of togetherness among students. Members of the club are made up of Year 1 to Year 4 students of the department.
Club Advisor, Dr. Mohd Noor Hisham Mohd Nadzir, said that the involvement of student members and lecturers has strengthened their relationships and made sharing of experiences possible throughout their period of study at the Department of Biology.
“I hope that the involvement of lecturers and the club make the students feel comfortable and welcome to the Department of Biology,” he said.
Soft skills can be nurtured through activities such as teamwork, higher order thinking skills and communication skills.
Among activities held were an introductory lecture to the Department of Biology, a session with the Department of Biology Alumni as well as a sharing session with the second and third year students who participated in mobility programmes.
An Islamic motivational talk, Soulful Biology was also held for Muslim students, whereas activities based on moral ethics were conducted for non-Muslim students.
The programme also emphasised physical and mental fitness through an adventure-based slot, Endgame, that focused on the importance of teamwork as each team had to overcome obstacles in order to complete the mission.
Among the obstacles faced were ‘Creating Lantern Together’, ‘Fear Factor’ and ‘Lip Sync Battle’. - UPM
