Applying Science into Our Daily Lives

How do we apply scientific formulas or theories into our daily lives?

According to Associate Professor Dr Hon Wei Min, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences at UCSI University, the coursework for their students is catered to help them practice and apply science into real life.

Dr Hon also observes that at UCSI University, the students are serious about their studies but are also fun and outgoing individuals. Therefore, the lecturers try their best to cater to the needs of their students and find ways to make studies and assignments more interesting. At the faculty, students are placed as a top priority.

Some of the interesting methods used in the classroom include having chemistry assignments done in video form. Students demonstrate a process on video and these video are posted on the video-sharing website, YouTube. Though the tasks may seem simple, students’ interest in their studies is stimulated because it is not a one-way learning process where only the lecturers share their knowledge, students also get to share theirs.

A Nutri Food Fair is organised by the faculty annually in May, and lecturers are encouraged to use the event as an opportunity for students to gain more knowledge in their assignments. Students who take part in the food fair are to come up with new, innovative, as well as nutritional food products, which they can sell to the university community.

Through the fair, students also gain entrepreneurship skills while doing it in the name of charity. In 2009, the faculty donated proceeds from the food fair to United Voice, a society which promotes Self-Advocacy for Persons with Learning Disabilities.

Dr Hon finds her job interesting especially working with students from diverse backgrounds. She reiterates that we shouldn’t be biased towards students from another culture. She practices a fair grouping system in her classes where she groups students according to the name list, as opposed to having them grouped in cliques.

Her greatest joy is when she witnesses her weak students, who had personal or learning difficulties, walk up the stage to receive their degree scrolls during convocation. Dr Hon says that sharing and learning with students has made her stay and feel young. “I think this is the best benefit of my work. In addition, I have a great team who share the same vision as I do - nurturing students and also have a passion for research.”

She hopes all her students have a goal in life, find their interests and enjoy whatever they do. Her closing remark, “It is important in this life to know what you like.”

Check out the UCSI e-News feature on Dr Hon who shared her secret of staying young by sharing and learning with her students.