UTAR Alumni

FEBRUARY 2010

Passion, Commitment, and Prolonged Interest: Keys to achieve your goal

LIM CHOON KIAT
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONS) BIOTECHNOLOGY
Alumni August 2009

Information about Master degree at Glasgow

Glasgow and the UK:

Why did you choose to study in UK?

I decided to study in a UK-based university mainly due to their strong research culture, good quality and standard of education. Also, I only had to spend one year to complete a master degree here.

Why did you choose to study at Glasgow/ Scotland then?

Glasgow University is one of the few institutions that has diverse research areas in plant science. Moreover, it is recognized as one of the most leading universities in research and academic performances. Glasgow University was actually founded in 14th century and it is the 4th oldest institution in English spoken countries. To top off, it is also one of the top 100 universities in the world.

Scotland is a lovely place embroidered by natural sceneries, historical sites and mixtures of both modern and classical buildings. The design and architecture of these buildings are really impressive. Glasgow is one of the big cities in UK, and I get many opportunities to interact with people coming from all over the world here. The people are nice, helpful and I do enjoy my life at Scotland.

Your course:

Why did you choose your course-Plant Science?

My principal research interest lies in the field of plant stress (abiotic and biotic) and the tolerance mechanisms involved. In addition, the good reputation of plant science group of Glasgow University and the availability of research experts in this field have further prompted me to pursue a Plant Science Master Degree here. I would like to testify that my postgraduate study at Glasgow University has indeed provided me excellent skills needed to pursue a research career in Plant Science in future.

What are the things that you like about your course?

This course has introduced me the state-of-the-art experimental approaches and techniques that are much required in my field. Besides developing my intellectual skills through numerous of seminars hosted by both divisional and external speakers and workshops regarding literature research skills, bibliographic software trainings etc, I am well trained in terms of forward planning skills, proper experiment designing skills as well as data analysis skills.

Above and beyond, my participation in journal club discussion has honed my presentation skills, communication skills and ways to critically discuss findings from journals as well. Through these discussions, I have the opportunities to discuss my research works with academic and research staffs here who are highly regard as experts in their field of studies.

Of course besides carrying out my own research, I also have the privilege to get involved in other research projects and published some interesting results in journals in this field.

Recently, one of the research works I involved has been published on Plant Journal (impact factor = 6.5), a journal ranked top 10 in Plant Science category. For those who are interested with research career, a co-authorship in a high impact peer-review paper will be an excellent kick-start in journal publishing.

Besides, another project I involved at Glasgow is currently under assessment and I do hope this second paper could be published as well.

What's your non-academic commitment in Glasgow?

I am a volunteer in International Advisory Group, Career Service of Glasgow University. Therefore, I have to equip myself with various information about academic and career opportunities in UK, Europe, and even the whole world. This position has also given me the opportunities to work with other international students and improve my communication and leadership skills.

In addition, I am also a volunteer in the e-mentor programme of Glasgow?s Student Network. I joined e-mentor program due to the privilege to interact with new prospective students and share my experiences as an international student here.

Is there anything that you would like to improve in your life now?

Yes. I would like to improve my English speaking skills, confidence and be more daring in facing challenges since a postgraduate's life is always challenging. Undeniably, up to present, my master degree at Glasgow has trained me to plan and manage time more effectively.

How would the master degree benefitted you?

I am aiming to pursue a career in research and academia with special reference to evaluate the impacts of environmental stress on plant growth and tolerance mechanisms involved. I wish to focus on this aspect as environmental stress is a contributing factor to low productivity in crops and subsequently causes famine and low income among poor farmers in developing world. An excellent master training will serve as a stepping stone for me to pursue a doctorate degree in future.

About PhD at Exeter University, England, UK.

What reasons prompted you to pursue research in Plant Stress Tolerance?

Global famine and potential food insecurities issues in future. The impact of environmental constraints, e.g. abiotic stress (global warming, i.e. high temperature, drought, ) and biotic stress (pathogen infections on crops) have further exacerbated this problem.

Some facts:

- In developing countries

>800 million individuals are short of food supply

1.3 billion live with less than USD 1 a day

- Poor farmers

expensive price of herbicide, pesticide

- Projected World human population (2050)

rise from 6.1 billion to 9.3 billion

Therefore, an additional 50% of food production is required to accommodate the needs of the world population in future, else our lives would be under threat!

Understanding of mechanism of stress tolerance in plants and strategy to develop stress tolerant crop are essential to overcome a potential food crisis

Research summary at Exeter University

Investigating protein and metabolite profiles of model plant, Arabidospsi thaliana in response to biotic and abiotic stresses.

Employ systems biology approach to integrate the resulting protein and metabolite profiles.

Systems Biology is a cutting edge study using model and / or network to integrate interaction among biological components such as genes, metabolites, and proteins. This study involved experts from various fields such as mathematicians, engineers, bio scientists, etc.

Background of Exeter University:

· The Times Good University Guide ranked Exeter in 9th position.

· Top 5 in UK for student satisfaction

· Times Higher Education University of Year 2007/08

· £25 million investment in new laboratories is underway, due for completion by 2010

· The School of Biosciences received substantial funding from University Science Strategy and now has a next-generation DNA Sequencer and instruments for metabolomics and proteomics research

Any advice for students who wish to pursue postgraduate study abroad?

Always plan ahead, do more research and seek advice from seniors, families, friends and academician. Also, self-discipline, motivation, and proper ways to reduce stress are essential.

I was an average student when I pursued my first degree. However, with the positive attitude and interest on scientific research I have, paired with learning opportunities provided by UTAR, I managed to build a strong foundation which is essential for my research career now.

Remember, no matter what you do: PASSION, COMMITMENT, and PROLONGED INTEREST will drive you to achieve your goal.

I also share my life in UK in the following blogs:-

Chinese: http://limchoonkiat.blogspot.com/

English: http://limchoonkiat-ck.blogspot.com/

What are your most valuable experiences?

I like their strong academic culture and treasure the exciting opportunities to visit great tourist spots at Europe countries. Their museums and art galleries are always free-of-charge too. Besides, I like to meet people across the world (Africa, America, Europe, Asia, etc) and get to know their cultures, life styles and food. Besides, I have become more independent and know how to cook now.