UNDERSEA AFFINITY: Mei Li aspires to advance her research on moon jellyfish toxins for therapeutic purposes.

IT is something of a throwaway observation to note that research isn't exactly the favourite activity for most undergraduates.

Graduating fast is; and anything else that comes in between - group projects, site visits and lab work - is often regarded as a means to an end.

With that in mind, meeting one who breaks the mould always comes as a pleasant surprise.

Enter one Khong Mei Li who has set her heart on research. The top Biotechnology student in UCSI University's Faculty of Applied Sciences (FOAS), Mei Li is now aiming to read a PhD to further her research on jellyfish.

"We all know that jellyfish use toxins to capture prey and I was interested to know whether that toxin could be used as a cytolysin - toxins responsible for cell destruction - for therapeutic purposes," quipped the 21-year-old when quizzed on her affinity for jellyfish.

"Oh, and aren't they(jellyfish) cute too?"

Mei Li's efforts recently yielded dividends when she bagged the top honour for her presentation at the 23^rdIntervarsity Biochemistry Seminar at Universiti Malaya - an event involving the crème de la crème of local varsities.

Her presentation: The identification of poisonous organelles and toxins in Aurelia aurita (Moon jellyfish).

In a nutshell, Mei Li identified two toxin genes from the moon jellyfish that bore similar structural and functional similarities to toxins of the box jellyfish.

This was done through bioinformatics analysis and subsequent evolutionary analysis proposed that the toxins originated from a common ancestor, namely, the delta Endotoxins from bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis.

"Tracing the origins allows us to understand the landscape of the staggering diversity of toxins within jellyfishes," said Mei Li.

"This understanding allows us to make structural and functional predictions that the toxins may act as cytolysins."

Talking with her hands, Mei Li explained that correlations had to be understood before one could elucidate the toxins' mechanism of action, a pivotal step to making myriad therapeutic discoveries.

"Toxins act as specific molecular 'bullets' that target a specific physiological system," she enthused. "Recently, studies on jellyfish toxins have been linked to the development of new anti-cancer strategies."

The UCSI influence

Conscientious and unassuming, Mei Li was quick to acknowledge the influence of her alma mater.

"Being at UCSI allowed me to conduct innovative and creative research," she enthused. "Much of this is down to the help of my supervisor, Dr Hwang Jung Shan.

"Dr Hwang was always concerned about the progress of my research and she devoted a lot of time to ensure I completed my research project with great success."

In fact, Mei Li's research may not have taken off without Dr Hwang's intervention.

Moon jellyfish samples were hard to come by but Dr Hwang obtained them from the National Institute of Genetics of Japan and accessed the jellyfish's expressed sequence tag (EST) database - the short sub-sequence of a cDNA sequence – through collaboration with a German institution.

The experience clearly shaped Mei Li's worldview of university life and she waxed lyrical about her final year at UCSI.

"Academics and students worked alongside each other and we did good work together," she said. "A two-way process of learning was in place and we became co-creators.

"Our efforts and insights were recognised and this does wonders to a student's confidence."

That confidence - and more opportunities provided by UCSI - saw Mei Li making the most of her internship opportunities.

The first, with Novozymes - the biotech-based global leader in enzyme technology - was an eye-opener as Mei Li learnt how to reconcile her academic grounding with professional expectations.

Her second and third internships were with the Sime Darby Technology Centre and the many lab opportunities she received cemented Mei Li's belief that research was indeed her calling.

"I must thank UCSI again for providing these avenues," she mused. "The Cooperative Education and Career Services centre - a division of UCSI's Student Affairs department - identified both companies for me and all I had to do was apply.

"This is only possible as UCSI has a long standing relationship with many prominent companies in the industry that recognise the quality of its students."

Holistic involvement

Complimenting Mei Li's achievements, FOAS dean Assoc Prof Dr Hon Wei Min noted that her success story bore testament to the vibrant academic culture at UCSI.

"Students need knowledge but they must know how to apply it to different situations," she said. "For example, a Biotech student should also be adaptive enough to make it in the business world.

"At UCSI, we train and teach our students to be open minded. Every option must be considered and students should evaluate their many prospects earnestly."

With FOAS recording a virtual 100% employment rate, the statistics show that this is indeed the case.

University records show that around 40% of FOAS students move on to sales and marketing upon graduation while others move into non-Biotech fields like quality control – a field that involves a great deal of chemical analysis - and Microbiology.

Apart from Biotechnology, FOAS also offers a Food Science and Nutrition degree programme that has been growing in popularity. Active in societal engagement, the programme's students organise an annual food fair in the name of charity.

Held at the Empire Shopping Gallery last year to coincide with the university's 25^th anniversary, the annual event is purposed to bring out the best in students as they integrate what they science-based knowledge with elements of business and marketing.

"The Food Fair is always fun and people love it but a lot of hard work goes on behind the scenes," mused Dr Hon. "The students work really hard to develop new food products that are both nutritious and tasty.

"We break the students into groups for the Fair and this allows them to become team players and develop their interpersonal skills as they work together to bring in the crowd."

All these, and more, go far to fulfil UCSI's commitment to produce dynamic graduates who are ready to impact the industry.

Note: This year's food fair will be held at UCSI University's South Wing campus, in conjunction with its Applied Science week that runs from July 19 to 21.

For more information on UCSI University's Biotechnology programmes, visit its open day on July 21 and 22 (between 9am to 6pm), contact UCSI counsellors at 03-9101 8880 or email www.ucsiuniversity.edu.my/onlineenquiry.

One may also obtain more information by visiting http://www.ucsiuniversity.edu.my/foas/