SCIENCESS AGD

Here it is, guys. Last entry of the semester, courtesy of Najat:

KOS Gala Nite '08

Food, fashion and fun under one roof =)

Tsk... Tsk... Can't believe it's that time of the year again... A time for girls to doll up in glamourous make-up and guys to dress up for a change... The range of wardrobe goes from traditional Mmalay to modern day smarts to creative fusions. What great minds our friends have to out-dress each other. All in the spirit of our annual KOS Gala Nite, held on the evening of 17th October (may I add it was Nainai's birthday?) at M.S. Gardens Hotel.

It was a festive event with performances by Sazli's trio magic (who apparently can materialize RM 10 from thin air), Jay's soulful poem recitation accompanied by the talented Nabilah's guitar-playing, Jay's band of angklung (they played a fantabulous Barney theme song among other classics renditions), and our famous in-house kompang ensemble that came with a dramatic twist. At the end of the night, to see our seniors singing their hearts out on stage was an honour, albeit with a bittersweet feeling. They'll be leaving us soon, to embark on new chapters. We wish them good luck =)

Not forgetting... Food! Glorious food (with intonation from Oliver Twist)! Nothing says "Asian" better than Japanese tofu, Thai fried chicken, lamb massala and Chinese sweet and sour fish. Even the desserts served were superb with brownies, banana crumble and homemade bubur kacang hijau.

But my favourite part of the night was taking pictures with everyone I could find. That is actually the true highlight of the night. Hehe, that includes the plan of having Jay's unique get-up captured on film. Seeing everyone having fun, laughing and joking, while taking pictures and calling out to one another made me feel that this is definitely one of the good memories to cherish. No matter where you go in the future, be certain that you will always have a place with the friends you have here.

With one heart, as one family, under one roof =)

Su-Qi

New SCIENCESS Exco

Some of you might already know the results... But I don't. Still waiting for the list from Man! O_o Should be up sometime tomorrow...

A message to the new excos and candidates:

Zack has expressed his deep regret that lots of the candidates turned down their appointments. Personally, I don't see what's keeping you guys from holding a position. A heavy workload? We all face that. Just do your best and have faith in yourselves. We do.

The recently ended poll showed that SCIENCESS members want more educational trips and competitions, followed by religious programmes and educational talks. So think up of more activities geared that-a-way, fellas.

In the meantime, 'Id Sa'id Wa Mubarak, and enjoy your holiday!

We finally have it! =D Ladies and gentlemen, the new SCIENCESS executive committee for term 2008/2009:

PRESIDENT

Izzudin Bin Ahmad Nadzirin
0522855
BSBM
Time Is the Best Encourager

VICE PRESIDENT I

Ahmad Mustaqim Bin Mohd Sidek
0526257
BSBT
56:56

VICE PRESIDENT II

Siti Fatimah Binti Zakaria
0535054
BSMS
We Are Under the Same Sky

SECRETARY GENERAL

Jazli Bin Aziz
0621945
BSBM
Success Comes Before Work Only in the Dictionary

ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL

Siti Farah Binti Razlan
0536518
BSMS
Don't Be Afraid to Be Weak, Don't Be Proud to Be Strong

TREASURER

Nur Farhana Binti Mohd Zaidi
0525368
BSBM
Your Smile Makes Me Smile!

ASSISTANT TREASURER

Nor Izzamuddin Bin Mohamed
0530501
BSBT
A'sh Azizan Au Mut Shahidan

NON-MALAYSIAN COMMITTEE

Mohamed Faizan
0615815
BSBT

Nuttawadee Langeetun
0527350
BSBT
A Good Intention Is a Halfway to Success

Wan Ibtisam Masamee
0512852
BSBM
Effort Is from Us, The Result Is from Allah =)

BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Ahmad Mujahid Bin Mohd Amar
0713195
Perfection Comes with Mistakes

Mohd Azri Bin Abd. Jalil
0713213
Together Generating a New Hybrid of SCIENCESS

Nadia Hanis Binti Abdul Samat
0717074
More You Give, More You Get

Nurul Asyikin Shahnaz Binti Hod
0613124
If You Meet a Bump on a Road, It's Just a Bump on a Road

BIOTECHNOLOGY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Don Luqmanul Hakim Bin Don Biyajid
0626083
KCA 4289

Mohd Faais Bin Yusof
0718545
Excel Forward with Islam

Najatul Su'ad Binti Abdullah
0626984
Faith and Enthusiasm Makes Life Worth Living

Nurul Suhaidah Binti Abdul Rashid
0539400
A Good Leader Is a Good Follower

COMPUTATIONAL AND THEORETICAL SCIENCE COMMITTEE

Fazrul Bin Abdul Rahman
0535555
Our Right, Our Responsibility

Mahfuzah Nurizzati Binti Mohamad Hood
0530486
Takde, Kete Je

Mohamad Taqiuddin Bin Anuar
0531631
Contribute Better Together

Raja Nadiatul Syima Binti Raja 'Ainal Shah
0715638
Begin with the End in Mind

Vote for a New... Government?

It's Nuzul Al-Qur`an today! =D You can't vote for a new government, but you can vote for the new SCIENCESS excos tomorrow. Biotech and biomed students can see the list of nominees pasted on the door of WacKOS. Voting's also carried out there. CTSians should proceed to the CTS Lounge. I'll try to get the list up here by tomorrow. Choose wisely =]

Professional Career Week 2008

The Professional Career Week, launched on Monday, is the hottest event at KOS right now. The exhibition at the Lobby's running till this Friday, 5 P.M. Not much there, but have a look around, there's at least a few interesting facts you've never known. The career-cum-personality test ended yesterday, so too bad if you missed it. But you can still go to STAD at KOM to take the test. The place is just adjacent to Brother Danial's office. A career talk will be held at the Main Auditorium this Saturday. It's highly recommended if you're unclear about what you want to do after your degree. I'm really looking forward to the mock interview, grooming class, and "starting a business" bit, but I don't have the details right now. Tell you what, go ask the committee hanging around at the Lobby. They'd love to tell you about their programme =)

Iftar Jama'i

With these kinds of events, it's always fashionable to be late. Which is why I arrived at just before 7 P.M. Not that it was intentional. I wanted to come early. Its just that I had to wait for a certain someone to take a bath and finish his 10-minute karaoke session in the shower. Anyway, people were still queuing up to get their replacement tickets when I got there. I could see Bad at the ticket counter looking flustered. I actually haven't paid but had written my name on the list, and I didn't have a coupon. So I waited for the rest of the biotech third-years, one of whom was holding my coupon. When they turned up, I was told someone had already paid for my behalf. What a nice surprise it was! =D Jazakallah to that kind soul.

This year's Iftar Jama'i was just as good as last year's. Though I can't say much about the early evening's itinerary (I was told there was a talk by Dr. Ibrahim Shogar and a video show), the food was amazing for the RM 3 fare. We had nasi beriyani, rendang ayam, and acar. There was one other kuah, but I can't remember what it was... They limited the number of participants to just 22 people for each class, which is too bad because WacKOS could've accommodated more people if they'd just moved more tables aside.

When everyone had taken their seats on the woven plastic mats, and the Azan was called, we recited our Du'a` and broke fast with the Tamr provided. There was also a kuih which I didn't know the name of... Or was it just agar-agar? Some didn't waste any time in digging into the delicious nasi beriyani. For a few very long minutes, everyone ate in silence, savouring the food they dreamed of so much in the day, fearing a 3 Ringgit misspent.

After wolfing down the food and guzzling down the orange juice, we prayed Maghrib (some in the Musolla and some in WacKOS) together. It was kinda uncoordinated (notice that always happens?). We should've all prayed in WacKOS, but some people took their time, so one thing led t another... Anyway, I always love these get-togethers cause you get to get to know new faces and mingle with crowds you're unfamiliar with. Iftar Jama'i is something I look forward to every year. I guess everyone does, judging from the attendance. Hope it gets better and better in the following years =)

I never got down to it, so here it is:

On behalf on SCIENCESS, Ramadhan Mubarak to everyone!

P.S. To the organising comittee: Great job! =D Just hope you can accommodate more people next year. Nice thought providing us with tissues. Can't live without them -_-

P.P.S. Don't forget about the talk on how to Celebrate Aidilfitri According to Sunnah next Monday, 9:45 P.M. at Sisters' CF!

AGM and AGD

Annual Grand Meeting

It's almost the end of the current excos' tenures, and it's time to choose new faces to lead us. These are the people who will decide on what programmes we'll be having. They are the mascots of SCIENCESS. The forms have been distributed. You've filled them and sent them in. Let's all pray we've made the right decision in choosing our future leaders. The AGM will be held on 22 September 2008. Stay tuned for more updates.

Annual Grand Dinner

17 October 2008. Not a good day. I'll be off to Pulau Perhentian for the 3-day Perhentian Island Challenge 2008. Man, this leaves me wishing I could create kage bunshins... I want to eat nice stuff at a hotel and camwhore to the middle of the night. But I also want to run around, sweat profusely, swim all day, and enjoy the beach. What do I do? Anyway, someone will have to cover the event, and I have just the right person in mind... If you haven't registered for the AGD, there's still at least one spot left (mine, that is), so contact Duang (017-9702096). I'm not going =/

Ramadhan 1429 H

"It's that time of the year, Ramadhan is here~!"

It's one week late, but here's to a blessed and happy Ramadhan to everyone at SCIENCESS =)

The Islamic Affairs Bureau (IAB), spearheaded by Yusuf, has teamed up with all the other societies in IIUM Kuantan to bring us Ihya` Ramadhan, a special month-long programme to enliven this holy month. So let's join the festivities (for our own sake). IAB's line-up of events are as follows:

1) Iftar Jama'i


Date: 10 September 2008 (Wednesday)
Time: 6:30 P.M.
Venue: WacKOS
Payment: RM 3

Only 11 guys and 11 girls from each batch can attend, so do fill in the forms quickly. They should've already been circulated in class by today. There's gonna be a talk by Dr. Ibrahim Shogar and a video show shortly before Iftar. And after 'Isha` and Tarawikh, there's gonna be more (pronounced moh-rei), or more food (just to make it simple).

2) Talk: Celebrate Aidilfitri According to Sunnah

Date: 22 September 2008 (Monday)
Time: 9:45 P.M.
Venue: Sisters' CF

Be there or be... Oh, just be there! -_-

New Photocopy Centre and Bookstore

This isn't exactly new development, but I just have to write something, or I'll feel bad...

Since August, the Special Task and Economy (STE) Bureau of SCIENCESS have started operating a photocopy centre at A-G-08, just in front of the Musolla. You can now photostat your notes at just 10 Sen per page without having to go to the Library or the dreaded CC with high photostat machine downtime. Hooray for SCIENCESS! =D They also have a couple of textbooks, but you don't need those now that it's the middle of the semester. Perhaps next semester when your PTPTN and JPA money gets replenished. The house is run by the STE team, but you'll see Don and Latep there most of the time. Feel free to hang out. Or help out. Better yet, sign up to be a part of the STE Bureau right now to work your arse off for them. Remember, it's Ramadhan. Double the fun, double the Hasanat! XD

P.S. It's still in development, but you can expect t-shirts for your course by the end of the semester. Now, I wonder when I'll be getting that elusive SCIENCESS jacket... It was the wrong size the last time...

Our Activities So Far

So far this sem we’ve had:


1) 2nd KOS Bowling Tournament 27 July
2) 7th Gathering of SCIENCESS Students (GASS VII) 28 July
3) IIUM Games Fiesta 29 July-10 August
4) KOS Sports Day 3 August
5) Hajj Course 9 August
6) Chateau of Tradition (in conjunction with I-QUEST 2008) 15-16 August
7) Palestine’s Day 20-22 August

That's six articles not written. I really can’t keep up with the demands of this job. It’s almost impossible to write about events you’re organising--because you’ll see its flaws and write about them, spoiling the article--and joining--because you're too busy doing whatever it is you're doing that you don’t have time to check out other stuff that's happening.

So... I need assistants, guys. Good with words? Got a camera? Want some fame? PM me (ezehelm[at]gmail.com). Maybe you'll get some cash. I'll go ask Lan. *Switch to Lan hunting mode*

GASS VII

Semester 1, Academic Session 2008/2009

Hmm, sounds quite studious, huh? Yet it has a very optimistic note to it ^-^ Another year has started and that means many fresh faces to meet on campus, yay! The old seniors here are really excited to meet the fresh young (juicy) juniors because some of us are already jaded seeing each other for the past god knows how many semesters... Huhu.. Just joking =P

At the beginning of the semester, SCIENCESS has successfully organised the seventh Gathering of Science Students (GASS), its first important semi-annual programme, under the Public Relations and Information (PRI) Bureau. GASS VII, in its seventh year running, is a one-night gathering of all science students, to welcome the new faces (and unite the old ones), giving them the opportunity to find new friends from different departments and batches, our in-house way of socialising =)


Though I arrived to the Main Auditorium quite late, I managed to witness the programme kicking-off with the introduction of the SCIENCESS exco line-up. Zack and his comrades looked very charming and assuring as our society leaders on stage, wearing the official Kulliyyah of Science (KOS) blazer, with blue ribbons and all. But the truth is, in our hearts, the excos are just like the big brothers and sisters of our big SCIENCESS family. The night's emcees, Master J (better known as Jazli Aziz) & Farhana (a.k.a. Nainai) were superb in keeping the evening light. Needless to say, they were hilarious in the way they kept stealing each other's lines.


The pantomime by the second-year students was very amusing. I was captivated to watch three caring students from different backgrounds working hard together to come up with an antidote for an epidemic that is plaguing IIUM students. I say, if the epidemic was laziness, sign me up to be treated. Hehe. Admirably, they suceeded, but when one of the leading actors died in the end, it was simply tear-jerking ='( in essence, the pantomime gave a better overview of the prospects of each departments with the message of unity deftly conveyed. It was definitely the highlight of the evening. Thanks a lot to Zul Yunus and Co. for coming up with the performance on such short notice.

After that, there was a conclusive virtual tour of KOS, where all the facilities that are available at KOS are featured in a video. We were shown many venues for students to conduct their classes or programmes, laboratory sufficient for hands on practical, a cafeteria to fill up our empty stomachs, and not forgetting the Resource Centre and CTS student lounge to spend time in between classes. It was interesting the way they presented the tour based on the true life story of a typical science student on a frenzied day, portrayed by The Don =) So, as a healthy undergraduate, please do not deny the possibility of waking up late, not being prepared for quizzes, having crushes on classmates, playing video games, and falling asleep when we're supposed to study ^-^ Hehe, its a student life, right? ;p C'est la vie.

To top it off, the guys from WacKOS also prepared a fantastic video to publicise the WacKOS project to first-year students. They've also started a green environment and lunchbox campaign. So support the cause and use lunchboxes, not polystyrene packs. Maybe we can start a petition for the cafes to use eco-packs like in Gombak.

At the opening of the second session of the evening, Faqar and Haneen had a good-humoured four-line-Malay-poem-duel (indirect translation of membalas pantun). As cheeky as Faqar gave his four lines, Haneen replied in exact scholarly dose. We were at wits' end laughing. Nevertheless, both of them did a wonderful job in giving us a glimpse of our colourful Malay tradition.

The one thing I still remember clearly from that evening was Dr. Jesni, our new Deputy Dean of Student Affairs, quoting Lilo (from the movie, Lilo & Stitch), "Family means that nobody gets left behind." Though the words were simple, it had a significant note etched into it. Well, I guess for the night, everyone eating together was just what the doctor ordered.


With one heart, under one roof, as one family.

Su-Qi

End of Semester 2, 2007/2008

Assalamu'alaikum,

I daresay this has been the greatest and most productive semester yet for SCIENCESS! Did we have a lot of fun or what, people?! XD As for myself, it was fun managing the blog--though stressful. Thanks to Lan for extending me this opportunity to flex some journalistic muscles. Mid-way through the job, I realised that it's impossible to do a one-man show. Try juggling covering four events happening in the same week and writing lab reports. Anyway, hope there would be more reporters next semester.

I would also like to apologise if the reports don't make much sense or if anyone was hurt by the articles posted. Other than that, on behalf of SCIENCESS, I would like to wish everyone at KOS the best in their final examinations. Break a leg (or two). And to our lecturers--good luck with the marking. Go easy on us =b Till then! Take care, everyone =)

Regards,

Muhammad Zulhilmi Bin Mohd Ghouse =3
Public Relations and Information committee

Vote for Vids

As all of you know, the SCIENCESS Video Competition (SVC), which ran from the 4th of February to the 3rd of March, 2008, has ended Monday. We received two entries, which is too bad for the rest of you because they' ll be winning all the cash prizes.

Now, you can't have the money. But you can get a bit of that succulent lump of cash. Don't worry, we'll tell you how: By voting for the two teams (see right). We need your help to decide which video is the Most Creative and which is the Most Hilarious. Here's how you get your money: After you vote, you can bug the teams 24/7 (get together and mob their rooms) and claim your share for voting for them. They'll ignore you at first, but as your numbers increase and tensions rise, they'll surely succumb to public pressure and agree to treat you to (at least) a KFC barrel or Pizza Hut Stuffed Crust Pizza each. Wicked plan right? It's guaranteed to work because they don't have water cannons and tear gas! A tip: Block all emergency exits and access to the toilets. That'll sure to speed up the 'negotiating' process.

Vote on! Power to the people!

*Note: The voting period has ended. Results will be announced on Monday, Insha Allah.

Family Day

When we first heard that the Kulliyyah of Science’s Family Day was going to be cancelled, boy were we disappointed. But fortunately, the organisers managed to solve the problem caused by IIUM’s ‘observation’ of the elections. I’m sure there was much to see on the 24^th of February. People hanging election posters, flags (only to be out-hung by another higher flag). It’s been scientifically proven that blue and green are soothing to the eyes. Perhaps they needed a break? Back to the topic, although we didn’t have the sand and beach, the atmosphere at the Family Day was great. Some events like sand castle had to be scrapped due to KOS’s lack of sand. But we made up for that by adding a few more games.

There was coconut bowling (biggest nut we ever threw in our lives), futsal (with four goalposts–double the confusion, double the fun!), galah panjang (where all the galahs screamed a lot), helicopter (a game where you pretend you’re a chopper and compete in a race where air crashes are possible), paper princess (dress up in old newspapers with headlines like ‘Holy war against monkeys’ and ‘Polis kata jangan’), baling selipar (where Asadis and Batas turn into deadly projectiles), war game (Unreal Tournament-style four-sided balloon fight in the middle of the KOS courtyard), water balloon (girls’ game of pass-the-bursting-parcel), straw building (no, you don’t build straws), konda-kondi (ball version of baling selipar for our delicate girls), pancing botol (where bottles are fish and bait is shoved down their throats), treasure hunt (a game full of aches for the feet, heart, and head), gunny racing (four people in a gunny–4WD redefined), and musical chairs (where push comes to shove, and shove comes to scream).

Magenta emerged the surprise champions this year, accumulating 260 marks. Coral and Chartreuse both tied at 230, while Dodge Blue trailed behind at 175. Magenta had a series of first-place wins earlier in the competition, thanks to the stellar performance of their girls. That gained them a big lead early on, and despite a low-key performance by their guys later in the games, they managed to win. You guys deserved it you sly underdogs!

Chartreuse was a real dark horse that day. They didn’t have a lot of guys, and had someone’s drapes for a flag (probably bought at Kamdar on Saturday). In spite of that, Chartreuse dominated a lot of the games earlier on. But even though the guys ruled the roost in both futsal and coconut bowling and the girls won paper princess, they had a lot of third-place wins towards the end, which allowed Coral to tie with them.

Coral, the apparent powerhouse, and expected winner based on sheer number, didn’t win surprisingly. Maybe it was just the i-QUEST shirts, which gave everyone the impression that they were everywhere. They had their shining moments, but never had a real lead and only caught up with Chartreuse later in the day through a few second-place wins.

Dodge Blue had the most dismal performance. They didn’t have a lot of major wins, which was why the gap in marks between them and the rest of the teams was very obvious. The staff didn’t miss out on all the fun either. They had representatives as well. Dubbing themselves Team Rocket (early declaration of support for the 8^th?! 0_o), they had a few second-place and third-place wins, which was not bad since they were short in manpower.

It was really great seeing everyone just having a good time that day. Even those that didn’t play came to give support. The staff bought their families over, and even Prof. Ridzwan, Dr. Ahmad Aman, Dr. Jalal, and Dr. Ibrahim Shogar showed up in sports attire! Just before the prize-giving ceremony, the Dean was mentioning the possibility of having the Family Day next year at KOS again. Well, he was outvoted by everyone. We all know that's impossible... Unless someone rigs our votes =)

Rock Climbing

There’s a difference between rock climbing and wall climbing. In rock climbing, you climb a rock. And in wall climbing, you climb a wall. Obviously. Those colourful vertical tall things at the X-Games? That’s wall climbing. Amateur stuff. You can easily see where to get that foothold you desperately need when your hand’s just about to give up. Rock climbing is something else. Whoever thought that climbing a wall of rocks was easy would better think again. We had guys jumping the gun and giving up just a few feet away from the end point. It all boils down to ‘spidey skillz’ and determination. Hoisting, jumping, footing, wedging, pulling, and all manner of bodily skills come into factor. Arm strength and length isn’t everything in this sport. In fact, we had four able-bodied guys fail to climb a couple of routes!

When we reached Wira Damai (near Sri Gombak), the first thing we did was set camp and pitch our tents on a clearing just beside the big rock we were supposed to climb. Turns out the rock was near a kampong. A Masjid was 400 metres away (that was where we bathed), and there was another field between our campsite and the Masjid. Sundry shops and restaurants were a stone’s throw away. Schoolchildren were enjoying the flying fox as we watched on in envy. That afternoon, we had an outdoor classroom where we learnt the history of rock climbing, the types of rock climbing, basic terms, and knot tying. For the first time in our lives, we had an inkling of what it felt like to be in a war. Amidst shells of bird droppings, we listened distractedly to our instructors–Abang Man and Kak Lili–who went it over with us while we worried about getting bird poo on ourselves.

We had a barbecue that night, a very late dinner, since it was past 11. God were we starved! A snake appeared out of thin air near the barbecue pit, causing a dude to almost get scared to death. We had a brief snake hunt, then there was a botched Ta’aruf session with the students from Gombak. I think we were all on the same mental frequency (I’m citing already strong Ukhuwwah), which was probably how we silently agreed that it was corny and abruptly cancelled it. After dinner, stuffed full of oily goodness, the guys laid down under the stars for a while and the girls retired to their tents.

The next day, we practised our knots–actually, there was only one knot, called the figure eight follow through with double stopper. The climb was very satisfying overall, with everyone averaging 3 routes each. A route, mind you, is just a vertical path on the rock. You climb with a rope tied to your crotch, which extends to the top of a route where it is looped around a ring, and extends down back to another person who holds the rope, called the belayer. This person controls the rope by pulling on it so that you don’t fall if you let go of the rock. So to climb, we had to work in pairs.

The climbing part wasn’t easy. We only had bowling shoes, which weren’t great for climbing, but did the trick for some. Some preferred to go barefoot for better grip, but came down with cuts–the rocks were very sharp (we’re talking about granite here). What amazed us most was the atmosphere and the amount of people there at the climbing site. It was a weekend, and there were families climbing, kids, babies, old people, foreign tourists. And the kids! They had such nimble fingers and limber bodies, they put some of us to shame, scaling the walls at super speed. Talk about mad ‘spidey skillz’!

For first-timers, a lot of us were pretty awesome. A couple of the guys managed to climb one of the highest routes that day. And yet a few others nailed a 5C route (1-4 being the toughest). Someone even managed to climb in a pair of jeans! It’s a wonder his equipment’s not damaged =)

Events Galore! Writer's Horror!

I am downright overwhelmed by the amount of activities SCIENCESS has been organising lately! 0_0 And despite what some people might think, I can’t just spit out articles like, well, spit. Particularly because I wasn’t there at those events. Physically. I mean, mentally I can try to imagine what it was like being at the Sisters’ Open Futsal Tournament. But truth be told, I’m a guy. There are… Complications. Enough said ^_^ Here’s a recap:

Since the past month, we’ve had:

3^rd Feb

CENFOS – A Step Closer to Your Future

(Training and Career Development Bureau)

13^th Feb

Medical check-up

(Research and Education Bureau)

15^th Feb

ScienceTrex: Bank Negara Malaysia

(Training and Career Development Bureau)

16^th Feb

Healthy Lifestyle

(Research and Education Bureau)

15^th-17^th Feb

Al-Khawarizmi Camp

(Public Relations and Information Bureau)

16^th-17^th Feb

Rock Climbing

(Sports, Recreation, and Culture Bureau & Adventure and Recreational Club)

18^th-20^th Feb

Sisters’ Open Futsal Tournament

(Sports, Recreation, and Culture Bureau & Mahallah Representative Committee)

18^th-22^nd Feb

The Way of Life According to Sunnah and Sirah of the Prophet

(Islamic Affairs Bureau)

23^rd Feb

Explorace

(Islamic Affairs Bureau)

24^th Feb

Family Day

(Sports, Recreation, and Culture Bureau)

25^th Feb

Charity Movie

(Social Welfare Bureau)

2^nd Mar

KOS School Tour

(Public Relations and Information Bureau)

Mondays: Professional Day

Fridays: Jumaat in Style

Islamic Affair Bureau

Under Construction.....

SCIENCESS Induction Course

Loose and Leisure – that was the theme for last SCIENCESS Induction Course attended by all the Executive members of the society. Held at Dusun Eco Resort, situated in the middle of the jungle of Bentong, Pahang from 25th till 27th January 2008, the members really had fun of it besides other spiritual and mental inputs.

The core objective of the course was to build and strengthen the bond between the Exco members as it was important for the society to work in a friendly and closely environment throughout the tenure. There were many activities in the course covering both outdoors and indoors. The indoors aimed to provide comprehensive medium for them to know each other more and to recognize each and everyone’s strength and weaknesses. Meanwhile, the outdoors like jungle trekking, crossing the hanging bridge, and flying fox challenged their ability to fight the fear in them. Cooperation, laughter and joy shone throughout the course signaling the objective was successfully grabbed. Not only that, but in the end of the course tears were shed as everyone breathed out their feeling sharing about being members of SCIENCESS Exco.

All in all, it is hoped the leaders in our society to be in one united ally to lead the society and its members towards exceptional academic and co-curricular achievements.

Flying without wings!

Who can produce and sell the best cars for obirigin?!

Having meals together...

The HeadComms and their respective assistants are discussing on how to solve problems related to their bureaus.

"Women are better than men!" Dzaqqee says.
"No! We are weak. How come you can say we are better?" Latifah replies.

Reciting ma'thurat together after Subh prayer.

These are the 22 people (including the man behind the camera ;p) - the leaders of SCIENCESS.

Crossing the hanging bridge really challenges your determination to reach the other end.

Preparing for Flying Fox.

Session with Presidential - it's time to analyze their strength and weaknesses.

Prepared by:
Secretary General
SCIENCESS
http://szakif.blogspot.com

Erudition

From the creators of Shrek...
Eh! From the creators of SVC...

Erudition

This is what PRI (Public Relations and Information Bureau) have been working for these past few weeks! We're in the final stages of editing, so you can look forward to reading it soon.

Erudition is a by-students-for-students newsletter, so to speak. Every semester, there's going to be two editions. We're now looking for people with ideas on how to make it more interesting or anyone who wishes to become part of the editorial team. People who love to write, draw, and design.

You know how newsletters can be... Boring articles and cartoons that make President Bush with nuts in one hand and a placard in the other saying "America for global peace"... Funny-ish. Help us not make it that (by which we mean both). Help us make Erudition enjoyable to read. Think of Erudition as your newsletter. You decide what's going to be in it. Well, actually, that's if you sign up. We'll be expecting you! ^_^

SCIENCESS Video Competition

PRI is proud to bring you...

The SCIENCESS Video Competition!

The rules are simple. Shoot. Win. That's it, really. There are five cash prizes altogether, amounting to a whopping

RM 990!

Think about it for a second. Just how many people in campus have videocams? Do the math, and figure out your chances of winning!

Of course, this is just a lure to get you guys to participate =) Now that you've taken the bait...

MWAHAHAHA! Our evil marketing scheme worked!

Don't read the fine print on our posters.

ScienceTrex - Malaysian Genome Institute

The group departed from Kuantan at 5 A.M. and, naturally, hibernated all the way to Bangi. Upon waking up (it was already 9 o’clock), we had already arrived at what seemed to be a large premise, with greenery all around and dozens of interconnected one-storey buildings. Cool, spacious, and green. Our still sleepy selves had a pleasant walk to the café, where we had a humble, nutritious breakfast of karipap, kuih lapis, teh tarik, and Nescafe. The tour guide, an eloquent Kak Liza, then gave us a splendid briefing of what the Malaysian Genome Institute (GENOMalaysia or MGI) is all about:

MGI is actually a Government-funded not-for-profit research organisation geared towards research of tropical organisms. In other words, it’s finding out the possible applications that Asian plants and animals–Malaysian mostly, and microorganisms included–could offer to medicine or other industries like agriculture. Among its current projects are:

1) Gene study of Burkholderia pseudomallei, a disease-causing bacteria native to the soils and waterways of the Tropics that is increasingly becoming antibiotic-resistant.
2) Genetic improvement of Asian sea bass (Lates calcarifer) for better breeding and management.
3) Gene comparison of species of Eimeria (bacteria).
4) Whole genome sequencing and mapping of extremophiles (bacteria living in extreme environments).
5) Study of the metagenomics of diverse tropical ecosystems.
6) Bioprocessing of oil palm lignocellulosic biomass.

MGI actually has three other sister organisations just like it in Malaysia, the names of which I can’t recall, but which offer gene sequencing services as well other services for a minimal charge. Interestingly, Kak Liza told us it really does not make any profit, as the Government really pays for everything (machines, electricity, etc.) except for the chemicals, which, if you choose to employ the MGI’s service, you’ll have to pay for yourself. Well, that’s to be expected or it’ll be a loss-making organisation, wouldn’t it? But sitting there, listening to the briefing, you suddenly realise how much of a progress the Prime Minister wants biotechnology to make in Malaysia, and what the future holds for people in this sector.

With the support of the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI) and the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), MGI is also actively promoting biotechnology as a career for lower secondary students all around Malaysia. They even created this board game called Liku-liku DNA, which all of us got for free! There’s also another game called the Biotechnology Board Game–the game to play with biotech dummies if you’re bent on winning. Sadly, we didn’t get that.

So what did the people who didn’t come along miss? Well, for one, they didn’t see and feel for themselves the kind of environment which they’ll work in should they decide to pursue a career in (biotech-related) research–labs and labs of bulky equipment. They also didn’t get to interview the people in the field up close and personal–their salaries and qualifications. And–the clincher–they didn’t get the chance to enquire for vacant jobs during the semester break–which we did–and… Let’s just say there’s someone to call if ever we need a job in April. Those who went now have an idea of what protein expression, gene sequencing, and microarray is, and how they are used in research. It was really beneficial information for all of us. No doubt about that.

But really, those who went would agree with us if we said that MGI was time and cash well spent. There was nothing to lose and everything to gain by going. SCIENCESS would like to congratulate the organisers of the ScienceTrex trip to the Malaysian Genome Institute for a job well done. It was unquestionably an invaluable experience for the participants, which comprised of second- and third-years–a suitable time for them to be exposed to the field. Let’s organise more trips, guys!

The writer claims no responsibility for any misinformation, intended or not, in the article above. He’ll try his best to write everything down the next time he goes on a trip.

What's Going Down

We're very busy this month at PRI, what with the mid-semester exams and other planned programmes haunting our every living moment T_T We're trying our best to post reports of what's been happening, so stay tuned for more posts about:

1) ScienceTrex educational trip to Malaysian Genome Institute (MGI)

2) SCIENCESS newsletter: Erudition

3) SCIENCESS Video Competition

Nos. 2 and 3 are our babies, so please participate for our sake--if not for the money! $_$

We're in the middle of considering adding Google's AdSense to the blog, which might see cash heading our way. But it's still in the feasibility study stage. As you can see, we've also changed the blog layout! Planning to make a few more changes. Hope you guys like them! =)

Fashion Friday

The Islamic Affairs Bureau has launched a new campaign to promote Islamic dressing. We hope that on Fridays, everyone will dress in the traditional Baju Melayu and Baju Kurung, or Thaub (Jubah) and Abayas. Lecturers and staff are also welcomed to join in the fun. After all, what better day than Friday to show everyone that we are Muslims and are proud of that fact?

Boy, do our exco members know how to strut their stuff! ^_^

P.S. SCIENCESS would like to wish everyone the best in their exams. May Allah (S.W.T.) grant you excellent results and lots of A's. And let's not forget to make Du'a instead of just wishing each other, okay?