I used to be no different from others, struggling to decide on what to pursue after high school.

Until my parents suggested to me, to pursue pharmacy, where there is considerable job stability and a wide variety of career opportunities.

As I read more about this course through the UCSI University website, I realized the course is composed of subjects that I like and it is a job that I could apply my knowledge to improve the healthy and quality of life of the public.

I realized that I could help treat symptoms of sick people as well as advise healthy individuals on being healthy.

Meanwhile, UCSI University also offered vast opportunities for its students get involved in research and attachments to foreign countries. Pondering these reasons, I finally decided to enrol into the Bachelor of Pharmacy programme at UCSI University.

I personally believe that a pharmacist should not be restricted to only front line duties, and I enjoy reading on new discoveries and medical innovations that help advance healthcare.

And that’s how I got myself involved in a niche research work on my final year.

Besides learning different skill sets during the research work, I was also given opportunity to present my project at international academic conferences with other researchers from different countries.

I am really grateful that I attended the MET-I-CON 2019 International Conference on Innovation in Pharmaceutical Technologies which was held on 15^th and 16^th February 2019 in Nashik, Maharashtra.

It was a research conference organized by the Institute of Pharmacy of the MET Bhujbal Knowledge City, which served as a platform for researchers, academicians, investigators, industrialists, clinical practitioners and young promising pharmacists to share their research outcomes and thoughts on the advancement of science and technology in regards to the future of the pharmaceutical industry.

As a young researcher, participating in academic conferences are one of the crucial steps for me to learn, improve and grow.

Talks by international keynote speakers not only provide the latest information on pharmaceutical research and technological breakthroughs, but also innovative and ground-breaking ideas for potential research ideas that I plan to do in the future.

I was lucky that I had a chance to meet the speakers in person for advice on my current and future work.

Apart from that, meeting international researchers and scholars of different dispositions and cultures who share the same passion – I cannot describe the excitement I felt in words. It was also a great chance to build my network and connect with people.

At the conference, I presented my research work titled ‘In vitro superoxide dismutase (SOD) evaluation of leaves and stems of Artabotrys suaveolens’ through the poster.

The topic was chosen because of possible detrimental effects contributed by dietary supplements of non-enzymatic antioxidant.

SOD is an enzymatic antioxidant that is proved to be able to fight against cellular oxidative stress.

The A. suaveolens plant was investigated due to its ethnomedicinal uses. The plant was traditionally used to treat emmenagogue, cholera, enlarged spleen and to relieve postpartum fatigue which some of the uses are related to antioxidant properties possessed by the plant.

This research aims to study SOD enzymatic antioxidant activity of extracts and fractions of leaves and stems of A. suaveolens.

The objectives of this study are to:

(1) extract and fractionate leaves and stems of plant with solvents of different polarity

(2) screen the phytochemical content of crude extracts and

(3) investigate antioxidant activity of the crude extracts of leaves and stems and their fractions using in vitro superoxide dismutase (SOD) assay.

In this study, both leaves and stems of A. suaveolens possess SOD-like activity in which water fraction of the stem has the highest activity. The findings of this study supports that A. suaveolens is a promising derivation of potential antioxidants and future in vivo antioxidant research needs to be carried out to support the in vitro data.

I am pleased, honoured and humbled that my research work was acknowledged and I was chosen for the ‘Best Poster Presenter’ award!

This whole research journey to getting to where I am now has been a difficult and long path.

From doing laboratory work to completion of the project, and preparation of the research poster - a lot of work and challenges were faced.

Other than controlling the temperature of the enzymes, handling plate-based assay requires high precision and good pipetting techniques to ensure accuracy.

As enzymatic reaction is involved, plating time is critical for achieving comparable and reproducible results.

While using Microsoft PowerPoint to create the research poster, choosing the right font size that was readable was one of the biggest challenges I encountered.

Designing the poster was not an easy task when colours, arrangements and how the information was presented had to be considered to be presentable and appealing to audiences’ eyes.

Above all, I am indebted to my supervisor as well as the Dean of Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Assistant Professor Dr Mogana Sundari for her inspiring guidance, motivation, knowledge, support as well as her constructive critique on my research.

Apart from the conference, I also had the opportunity to explore Nashik and Mumbai despite the short stay in India.

Before this, visiting India was insane and impossible for me due to hygiene and safety issues what with the violent crimes against women in India. Nonetheless, these perceptions did not stop me from signing up for the conference and today, I feel thankful that I had made the right decision.

Throughout the trip, I discovered new things about India and never expected to have met wonderful people around the university who are kind, helpful and willing to share their traditions and more importantly, taste authentic Indian food and snacks such as butter chicken, Bhel Puri and various types of chaat which I could not find in Malaysia.

Another unique experience from India were the constant stares I received everywhere I went.  

Being a foreigner who looks, dresses, and acts differently, many would request to take a picture with me.

Initially, it was weird and unpleasant, but then it would normally break the ice and lead to a priceless grin or an interesting conversation. I was also impressed that the city of Mumbai is surrounded by numerous colonial British buildings.

However, due to time constraints, I did not manage to visit all of Mumbai, but did go the Gateway of India, the Taj Palace, and the Haji Ali Dargah Mosque.

The entire journey to India was a great learning experience and it was an honour for me to have won the award.

All I can say is that now, I am much, much more motivated to take up new challenges in the future, whatever may come.

Written by Theresa Lee Wei Ting