ONE FOR THE ALBUM... Prof Balbir (front row 4th from left) posing for a group photograph with students and staff of UCSI University. Also seen in the photo are Sunita (front row 3rd from left) and Lu (front row 5th from right).

Kuching, 20 August 2010 - Science students of UCSI University, Sarawak Campus were given an insight into what they can pursue after they have completed their GCE A-Levels and Foundation studies at the University.

One option available for them is on the research on Malaria and this topic was shared to them by Professor Balbir Singh of the Malaria Research Centre at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS).

A special talk on The Research of Malaria was conducted by Prof Balbir for the students today and it had attracted the students’ interest in pursuing on the research of the illness.

Organised by the UCSI University’s Student Affairs Office, the talk also saw Prof Balbir sharing his personal stories and adventures as a malaria research scientist.  His travel experiences in gathering information for his research and vaccine development definitely had the students’ full attention to his talk.

“As with any job, there are highs and lows; carrying out research on malaria brings you to places, I’ve given talks in many various all over the world, but putting yourself out there in the jungle to look for malaria carriers in insects and animals is a high-risk job,” said Prof Balbir.

During the talk Prof Balbir also revealed that a few academic staff of UCSI University, Sarawak Campus had been or are still part of the malaria research team, including Chief Operating Officer Lu Huong Ying and Chemistry lecturer Sunita Shamsul.

For GCE A-Levels student Jason Rainer Anthony the talk was a valuable lesson as he learned on the various species of mosquitoes including those that are malaria carriers.

“I had no idea there were so many types of mosquitoes, and the percentage that are actually malaria carriers,” Jason said.

“Professor Balbir gave us quite a lot of information into this area of research, and what I find most interesting are the types of treatment options available to malaria victims, as well as the severe need for people to be educated about the disease; especially in tropical regions,” he added.

After the talk, Jason and his peers were left with knowledge of several options available for them after A-Levels.

“It is not just the direct paths to careers in medicine and pharmacy, but rather careers in relevant supporting fields,” he added.

The Student Affairs Office of UCSI University, Sarawak Campus often organises talks and workshops on various topics pertaining to that of what is currently being taught in the University.

Aside from GCE A-Levels and Foundation in Science, programmes offered at UCSI University, Sarawak Campus include Hospitality Management, Event and Tourism Management, Commerce, Hotel Management, and Foundation in Arts. The University also offers a part-time executive diploma programme for working adults.

For more information on seminars and activities at UCSI University, Sarawak Campus call 6082 455 255 or log on to www.ucsi.edu.my/sarawak to view the University’s event calendar.