Fruitful learning experience
TWENTY-four IMU Chinese Medicine students visited the Rimba Ilmu Botanical Garden in Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur with the primary interest in learning how to identify actual plant species physically instead of just from pictures and in learning how to preserve a plant sample.
During the visit, they had the opportunity to go on an educational walk and collect specimens with a Rimba Ilmu coordinator. Before entering Rimba Ilmu, the group was brought to the information centre for a briefing.
The centre exhibits the plant and animal life that can be found in a typical tropical rainforest in Malaysia.
Information about Rafflesia, the biggest flower in the world is also discussed here. The conservatory’s collection of rare plants and orchids includes some of the rarest and most threatened species.
This scientific facility supports the garden’s research interest on rare and possibly endangered species. Rimba Ilmu also houses the university’s herbarium.
The students had the opportunity to identify plant families such as Lamiacea, Polypodiacea, Moraceae, Dipterocarpaceae and many more and were also given a lot of useful information, which helped when they collected the plant specimens.
All of them collected at least two samples for a workshop. They really enjoyed the one and a half-hour educational tour.
After collecting the specimens, the students were taught how to press and mount them.
There was a step-by-step demonstration on how to preserve the specimens and the group was guided and monitored while doing the procedures.
The specimens were pressed and fitted into a page the size of a newspaper and covered with two sheets of cardboard. A few samples were put together as there were only four sets of wooden compressors before tying the straps to keep the press tight.
The specimens were brought back to campus for conservation – they will be placed in the oven 24 hours for one week at 50°C to preserve the DNA.
It was truly a fruitful learning experience for the students as they had the opportunity to learn about Mother Nature.
IMU offers a four-year BSc (Hons) in Chinese Medicine programme. It also has partnerships with several universities of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) in China- Shanghai University of TCM, Shandong University of TCM, Guangzhou University of TCM as well as RMIT University, Australia for students to transfer after three years in the IMU Chinese Medicine programme.
Students will then be awarded bachelor’s degrees in Chinese Medicine from the respective partner universities upon completion of their studies.
Commencement for the Chinese Medicine programme is in February and September each year.
IMU welcomes students with pre-university qualifications to join the university as a start to a promising and rewarding yet challenging future with a career in Chinese Medicine. If you have pre-university qualifications, make an online application today.
If you have just completed your SPM and do not have pre-university qualification, consider enrolling in the one-year IMU Foundation in Science (FiS), the direct route for entry into any of the university’s degree programmes.
■ For more details, refer to www.imu.edu.my or email start@imu.edu.my or call IMU at 03-2731 7272.