Periodic table makes record
STUDENTS and faculty members of the International Medical University’s Pharmaceutical Chemistry department successfully marked a new entry in the Malaysia Book of Records for building the largest 3D periodic table made from recycled materials.
The feat was accomplished as part of the launch of the Pharmaceutical Chemistry Week (PCW) on Aug 27, 2019. The PCW 2019 celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements discovered by Dmitri Mendeleev. And 2019 is also proclaimed as the International Year of the Periodic Table (IYPT 2019) by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) as part of the celebration.
Over 200 participants from various secondary schools and pre-university programmes attended the event. It also acts as a platform to mark aspects of the periodic table, including its history, global trends, and perspectives on science for sustainable development, and the social and economic impacts of this field.
Prof Abdul Aziz Baba, IMU vice-chancellor, congratulated the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy for their enormous efforts in organising the first IMU Pharmaceutical Chemistry Week 2019.
The idea of using recycled materials to build the 3D Periodic Table comprising over 645 recycled boxes, newspapers and other materials stands as a “sustainability” statement. Funds raised from recycling were donated to the IMU Cares Humanitarian Aid Fund.
Each element in the Periodic Table is reflected in our daily lives and a high percentage of materials are left unrecycled or disposed inefficiently.
Veenusha, an IMU Pharmaceutical Chemistry student, shared that when they first started on the 3D periodic table project, they were afraid of their lack of ability to make the record. As they put the materials together block by block, and as the periodic table started to take shape, they realised that their main objective was not to build the 3D periodic table or set a record, but to educate the public about the importance of Chemistry in a fun and innovative way.
Her fellow course mate, Goh Ling Li, echoes these sentiments. “I’m ecstatic that our 3D Periodic Table model made it into the Malaysia Book of Records. This entire experience of teamwork in building the periodic table increased my motivation to raise awareness on the importance of Chemistry,” she said.
The pharmaceutical chemistry degree from IMU is accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), UK. The course is undertaken entirely at IMU and completed in three years. Upon completion, graduates can enter the workforce and begin their career as chemists in pharmaceutical and other chemical industries.
After obtaining the IMU BSc (Hons) Pharmaceutical Chemistry degree, those who meet the academic criteria can continue to pursue the Master of Pharmacy programme at the University of Sydney or Curtin University in Australia. They are given credit exemptions in the Master of Pharmacy programmes. The graduates of the Master of Pharmacy degrees from these universities can register as practising pharmacists in Australia and Singapore, but not in Malaysia currently.
If you have just completed your SPM and do not have pre-university qualifications, consider enrolling in the oneyear IMU Foundation in Science, the direct route for entry into any of the university’s degree programmes.