As a final year medical biotechnology student at IMU, we are required to complete a minimum of 3 months of industrial placement with companies or institutions related to our field. I began to worry about this as I was still unsure of where exactly my interests lie. As I was looking for industry partners to complete my internship, I came upon StemLife, a stem cell bank. Having studied about the use of stem cells in regenerative medicine during my degree, I had a rooted interest in the prospects and advancement of stem cells in the field of medicine. I then decided to complete my internship at StemLife as I wanted to take the opportunity to learn more about the advancement regenerative medicine using stem cells. I completed a 13-week internship in StemLife under the supervision of the Senior IT Manager, Joseph Tang Foo Yuen, whereby the main task throughout my internship was to assist in system migration. Despite that, I was also able to work with other colleagues from other departments as well, which has allowed me to grow not only in terms of knowledge but also in life skills. Going into this internship, I was also worried as unlike my classmates, I will have the opportunity to gain new or hone my laboratory skills. However,I have since realised that there is so much more to learn in the field of medical biotechnology in addition to laboratory skills. As for the challenges encountered during the internship, I am a person who is weak in terms of IT but thanks to the patient guidance as well as advices from my superiors and colleagues, I was able to pull through.
The soft skills I acquired throughout my degree at IMU has also allowed me to better communicate with my fellow colleagues. In addition to that, time management as well as problem solving skills learnt at IMU has also helped me in completing my tasks throughout my internship.
The medical biotechnology programme at IMU has instilled a growing interest in the prospect of stem cell as a source of regenerative medicine which has helped me to better understand the purpose and importance of StemLife as a stem cell bank. With that, I have since taken it upon myself to learn more about the uses of stem cells in treating various diseases. Overall, I am grateful to IMU not just for imparting knowledge on the vast fields of medical biotechnology but also for the various soft skills I have gained from the various workshops and activities.
Written and photos by: Au Yong Siew Chann (MB1/16)
