Experiencing marine studies in Russia
AMONG the fondest memories marine biology student Imran Luqman Muhammad Hatta, 22, has of his childhood are of visits to local aquariums, such as Aquaria KLCC and Underwater World Langkawi, with his parents.
He was especially enamoured with sharks due to their ferocity and reputation as “king” of the ocean.
“I was seven the first time I was introduced to sharks. I asked my parents to buy me books and take me to see movies and watched TV documentaries on not only sharks, but also other marine-related organisms, as well as the marine ecosystem.
“After turning 10, I made it a point to myself that I would become a marine biologist. I had discovered the various destructions that came in the form of pollution and over-exploitation that plagued the marine world.
“I made a personal oath that I would strive to become a marine biologist to not only be able to work with sharks and other marine organisms, but also to save them from extinction,” said Imran, who had his primary education at SRK St John’s 1 and secondary education at Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur.
And that was how he became aware of Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT). He decided to undertake his matriculation studies at the Pahang Matriculation College as a means to pursue a bachelor’s degree in marine biology at the university’s School of Marine and Environmental Sciences.
“I found out that the syllabus for marine biology is comprehensive and wide-ranged, but, at the same time, detailed and meticulously planned. I was also made aware of the various experts in multiple fields of marine biology, whom I now call my lecturers. Besides that, I was also intrigued by the array of field trips, sampling and outdoor activities that were offered to marine biology students here,” said the final-year student.
Last December, Imran was approached by one of his lecturers, Associate Professor Dr Izwandy Idris, a polychaete or marine bristle worm expert, to go to the White Sea Biological Station (WSBS) in Russia for his internship.
WSBS is an educational and research centre under the auspices of Moscow State University’s Faculty of Biology.
Izwandy, who was the first Malaysian to visit the station seven years ago when he was doing his doctorate, knew of Imran’s interest in embryology. Imran intended to pursue a project in embryology for his master’s degree and the research station had an embroyology department, which was one of the best in the world.
Imran sent an internship application to WSBS director Professor Alexander Tzetlin. A few weeks later, he received an email stating that he had been accepted for a three-month internship from June to September.
“Getting to Russia was not easy. Applying for the visa requires a special invitation from the institution I would be visiting and it took more than a month to prepare. My parents and I were at the edge of our seats waiting for that special letter as we already purchased the flight tickets and made hotel reservations,” said the only child.
The letter arrived just in time during Ramadan for everything to come into place. Then, the journey began.
First, there was the flight to Doha and then onwards to St Petersburg, where they celebrated the first few days of Hari Raya Aidilfitri. They then took a domestic flight to a small Russian district called Apatity, which is quite secluded and had a very small population.
“After staying a night there, we had a very bumpy three-hour car ride to an even more isolated location, Poyakonda. Poyakonda is a fishing
I made a personal oath that I would strive to become a marine biologist to not only be able to work with sharks and other marine organisms, but also to save them from extinction.
village located inside the Arctic Circle with a population of only 78 people. Once there, my parents and I went on one of the WSBS speed boats called Trident Indigo and headed for WSBS, which was 15 minutes away,” said Imran.
At WSBS, Imran did work in various fields, primarily embryology and taxonomy of marine invertebrates. Every two weeks, he would work in a different course or field.
“I started off with embryology, where I learnt techniques to spawn, fertilise and maintain/care for marine invertebrates, such as sea stars, sea urchins and marine annelids, which are marine worms. I was also fortunate to operate several high-tech equipment, such as the Leica Photographic Microscope, where I took beautiful photographs of my microscopic organisms.
“Then, I joined the Benthic Invertebrate course, where I got to go for deep-water sampling at 120 metres on research vessels and was able to use various grabs, trawls and dredges. In this course, I was also able to operate a Russian-made remoteoperated vehicle called Gnom and did some areamapping using unmanned aerial vehicles, called drones,” said Imran.
At the same time, he started a major project with his supervisor, Dr Nadezda Rimskaya-Korsakova on the Embryonic and Early Larvae Development of Galathowenia oculata, which are very small marine annelids.
“During this project, I was able to use other high-tech equipment, such as the Confocal Light Scanning and Scanning Electron Microscopes. Working on this extremely challenging project has provided me with valuable knowledge and skills that have paved the direction for my master’s degree project.
“Currently, I am working with Dr Anna Zhadan on the diversity of marine annelids, where I learn the ways of taxonomical identification through identification keys, micro-dissections and scientific drawings as well as the proper ways to collect, process and preserve specimens.”
Rimskaya-Korsakova specialises in embryology while Zhadan is an expert in taxonomy and biology.
“After each course, I will undergo an evaluation and do a presentation in front of them and other lecturers, where I show the findings and the results of my project or course work. I will be evaluated through these presentations.
“My evaluation will then be sent to the lecturer responsible for internship in UMT, Dr Suvik Assaw. He will then grade me accordingly. Izwandy will also be made aware of my progress here in WSBS as he is sort of the ‘connection’ between WSBS and UMT,” said Imran.
At the end of the internship, Imran expects to have the necessary knowledge and skills to be successful in the project for his master’s degree.
“I am also expecting to be an expert in embryology, particularly in marine annelids as the field is fairly new, and there is a lack of experts in Malaysia,” he said.
In October, Imran expects to continue his master’s project in UMT under Izwandy’s supervision, where he will be working on the embryonic development of two species of marine annelids — Marphysa moribidii and Diopatra claparedii. The former being a species discovered and described by Izwandy himself.
“My experience in Russia has equipped me with more knowledge and skills that I would have imagined. These will be crucial in the execution of my master’s project as working for 10 to 14 hours a day for seven days a week here in WSBS has taught me mountains of knowledge,” said Imran.
Of doing internship abroad, Imran said Malaysia also has great internship opportunities, but not in the field of embryology.
“That is why I chose to go through all that trouble to study at WSBS. Knowing that I will gain rare knowledge and skills that can be monumental back in Malaysia is worth the trouble.”
His advice for other students who were considering going to Russia like him was to learn basic Russian.
“If you’re a Muslim, bring tonnes of canned meat. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, even though there is a language barrier. Learn to enjoy the culture of another country and most importantly, don’t be afraid to fail.”
UMT’s School of Marine and Environmental Sciences†dean Associate Professor Dr Marinah Mohd Ariffin said all 22 UMT students who have enrolled in international industrial training abroad since 2016 were 100 per cent successful.
“The students are monitored or supervised via teleconferencing with UMT’s international industrial supervisors. Some resort in frequent emails, phone calls or even personal visits,” she said.