Liang Tian Haw (MIC190017)

GIG1005 SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT

Reflective Writing 

Introduction of Microbiology and Proper Way of Hand-washing 

Liang Tian Haw (MIC190017)                          Date: 30 April 2020

I am a first year student who study at University Malaya. Entering the second semester, all of us, the biomedical science students have to take a course name ‘Social Engagement’ which means that we have to communicate with somebody. Honestly, I feel happy about this course when I was informed that my group will be going to SMK Sri Pantai to conduct an event to teach the secondary school students knowledge about bacteria and microbiology. I felt quite interested as I liked to recognize and make new friends!

We must been trained well before we can teach others, so we had an internal workshop. Our instructor was so kind enough that she let us to decide the date we wanted to have our workshop and after a discussion we decided to have it on 13 March 2020 at the seminar room of our department. During the internal workshop, Dr Puah prepared all the necessary materials and teach us the way to conduct the workshop at SMK Sri Pantai. First of all, we learned about the way to fold a paper foldscope. Our group was sub-divided in smaller groups that consists of two people in each group and we followed a tutorial video to complete our foldscope. This simple foldscope consists only paper and lens. It is quite amazing that we were able observe microorganisms on the slide through paper and lens! This alter my original understanding that microorganisms can only be seen under a microscope.

Then, our next activity was making a model of bacteria using balloons in each of the group. Each of the group made a different and basic modelling of the bacteria such as coccus, bacillus and also spiral-shaped. This activity was suitable for the secondary school students as it was easy to understand and practical. Students can learn knowledge through a comfortable mood. After that, we learned about the sneezing zone. We used different layers of tissue and hands with gloves to block a dye sprayer. The dye sprayer is used to indicate people sneezing and to determine the distance that can be reached by a sneeze. The results showed that using two pieces of tissue papers to cover our mouth is safer and this can prevent the spreading of infectious bacteria through airborne. Before the internal workshop ended, we went through a last activity which is known as ‘hand-shaking experiment’ that let us know that bacteria on our hands can spread to many people through hand-shaking. 

Event though the internal workshop was quite fun, but it was heart-broken that the trip to SMK Sri Pantai was canceled due to the new disease COVID-19. The spreading of COVID-19 was so fast until the government declared about Movement Control Order(MCO) all over the country. We were not as lucky as other groups as only our group left without conducting the workshop at the secondary school. Despite our original plan failed to conduct, we use alternative method to replace it. My group prepared a proper hand-washing video, info graphic poster and also questionnaires. 

I was allocated to the poster making group. It was interesting to design a poster about the corona virus disease COVID-19. Through the process of designing, I learned more about the tools that I can use in Microsoft Word. i had a deeper understanding about the tools that I can utilize to design an attractive poster. My group designed a few posters and finally we choose the best through voting among the group members. 

I have learned a lot of things through this ‘Social Engagement’ course. This course has widen my perspective and knowledge. Besides, during the internal workshop we were already on the track of communicating with others except that they were our coursemates and not the secondary school students. 

Even though we cannot communicate through traditional method of face-to-face communication, but we still able to communicate with others through online and this is suitable for us in this modern era as I believe our community will be more prompt to communicate with others through electronic device in the future. Online communication is convenient without worrying about the distance, disease or time. Finally, I would like to thank my group members for giving us full commitment and cooperation during the preparation work and the workshop. Thank you to Dr Puah for teaching us and giving us a chance to work together and thanks to this course for letting me keep improving myself. 

(744 words)