The Elements Revealed: IMU Built Largest 3D Periodic Table From Recycled Materials

Kuala Lumpur Tuesday, 27 August 2019 – Students and faculty members of the International Medical University’s Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department successfully marked a new anecdote in the Malaysia Book of Records for building the largest 3D periodic table made from recycled materials. This amazing feat was completed as part of the launch of the Pharmaceutical Chemistry Week (PCW) on 27 August 2019.  PCW 2019 celebrates the 150^th anniversary of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements discovered by Dmitri Mendeleev. Year 2019 has also been proclaimed as the International Year of the Periodic Table (IYPT 2019) by UNESCO as part of this celebration. The 3-day event was held to bring awareness and appreciation for the sciences among researchers, students, educators, and the public. Over 200 participants from various secondary schools and a pre-university programme attended the event. It also acts as a platform to reflect upon many 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, Vice-Chancellor of IMU during his opening speech congratulated the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy for their enormous efforts in organising the first IMU Pharmaceutical Chemistry Week 2019. He added, “Upon seeing the large structure, it brought back memories of my first encounter with the periodic table during my school days. It is with pharmaceutical chemistry and cutting edge researches, many advanced therapeutics and cancer treatment modalities have been successfully used in hospital settings and more improved versions are in the pipeline for higher survival rate.” The idea of using recycled materials to build the 3D Periodic Table comprising of over 645 recycled boxes, newspapers and other materials stands as a “sustainability” statement. All these recycled materials with a total weight of 250 kg were sent to a recycling centre after the event. Funds raised from recycling these materials were donated to charity – IMU Cares Humanitarian Aid Fund. Taken for granted most of the time, each and every element in the Periodic Table is reflected in our daily lives and a high percentage of materials are left unrecycled or disposed inefficiently. Recycling is more energy-efficient than mining and refining raw ore for virgin materials. Dr Azlan Shah, the Director of Industrial Linkage, American Chemical Society-Malaysia Chapter shared that the sustainability of the consumerism is critical. It is important for consumers to be aware of what they are consuming from Mother Earth. It is also very important to evaluate every action as a consumer and how to conserve it. Tan Sri Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr Augustine Ong, President of the Malaysian Invention and Design Society (MINDS) shared that he is very proud that the IMU recognised Chemistry as a basic foundation in their discipline for Pharmaceutical Chemistry. He emphasised that the Periodic Table is a major development in Chemistry and the need for more students to explore this field of study to ensure the sustainability of innovative drugs and more in the pursuit for curing diseases. “We have to communicate with the leaders and the decision-makers to invest in chemical research, to produce new inventions. It is also vital to bring our message across to the younger generation on the importance of chemistry as a critical part of science,” said Datuk Dr Soon, President, Institute Kimia Malaysia (IKM) and Royal Society of Chemistry-Malaysia Local Section. He also further explained the importance of periodic table and ways to improve collaborations within the science community to boost and support greater achievements, discoveries, and research. Veenusha, IMU’s Pharmaceutical Chemistry student shared that when they first started on the 3D periodic table project, they were afraid of their lack of ability and capability to make it for 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 is not only to build the 3D periodic table or to 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, resonates these sentiments. “I am 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. Over the 3-day event, participants engaged with a variety of activities ranging from an exhibition on “Chemistry and Me”, talk on “Public Awareness on Chemical Safety and Environmental Protection”, Cooking with Science – a Molecular Gastronomy cooking competition, hands-on activities such as soap making, edible caviar creations and crystal extraction from aspirin tablets; and an Entrepreneur day – filled with workshops, forum, and a talk titled “Successful Entrepreneur” by leading industry experts.

Cooking With Science Competition 

Molecular Gastronomy blends physics and chemistry to transform the tastes and textures of food. The result? New and innovative dining experiences. The term Molecular Gastronomy is commonly used to describe a style of cuisine in which chefs explore culinary possibilities by borrowing tools from the science lab and ingredients from the food industry. Formally, the term molecular gastronomy refers to the scientific discipline that studies the physical and chemical processes that occur while cooking. Molecular gastronomy seeks to investigate and explain the chemical reasons behind the transformation of ingredients, as well as the social, artistic and technical components of culinary and gastronomic phenomena. In this exciting competition which is open to IMU FIS students only, registered students are given a video link on “How to make faux caviar?”. Prior to the competition, registered students will plan for their food product and bring the material/ premade product on the actual day. On the actual day, they will prepare food caviar for their food product and present their food with the caviar on it. Caviar should be the main line rather than the decoration.

Instagram Photo Contest

An Instagram Photo Contest themed “Chemical Elements in My Life” which called for entries starting mid Jun 2019, saw over 100 participants from secondary school and pre-university students. Shortlisted entries were invited to present their entries at the PCW 2019. Jaimah from MAZ International School, 17, who was one of the finalists shared that she was a bit anxious in meeting and presenting her photo the judges. However, when the event started, her nerves were overridden with the excitement of the various activities. She also mentioned, “It was a great experience and I want to attend more events like these. The hands-on workshop helped me to gain more knowledge and experience new things.” 

Category A:	Pre-University
First Prize	Leong Whay Shern (International Medical University)
Second Prize	Surian A/L Mohannadas (SMK Dato’ Jaafar, Johor Bahru)
Third Prize	Hee Ka Chun (SMK Dato’ Jaafar, Johor Bahru)
Consolation Prize	Kaushalynn Kaur Bhojwal A/P Amarpal Singh (International Medical University)
Consolation Prize	Elva Chua Si Yun (SMK Dato’ Jaafar, Johor Bahru)
Most-liked Photo Prize	Kaushalynn Kaur Bhojwal A/P Amarpal Singh (International Medical University)
Other Finalists:	Amal Nazirah binti Haji Maidin Laavanyaa Murali Hong Qi Qi	SEGi College Subang Jaya SMK Dato’ Jaafar SMK Dato’ Jaafar

Category B:	Secondary School
First Prize	Piumi Nathasha Liyanage (MAZ International School PJ)
Second Prize	Alda Lim Ying Rong (SMK USJ 13)
Third Prize	Arifa Islam (MAZ International School PJ)
Consolation Prize	Jaimah Shakwat (MAZ International School Shah Alam)
Consolation Prize	Heng Xing Er (Foon Yew High School Kulai)
Most-liked Photo Prize	Alda Lim Ying Rong (SMK USJ 13)
Other Finalists:	Sriyaah Shaakti Raju Amirul Edzran Bin Eduan Cha Wen Hui Shenaluddin Rod kil yoonseok Aya Ueda Iman Khaleyla Johan Zhiwei Siau Kang Dae Geon (Andrew) Raneen Maxene Blythe Gonzales-Coralde Hemish Somasundaram Yap Jun Shen Ayushi Das Josh Dylan M. De Leon	MAZ International School PJ SMK Kinarut Papar Sabah SMK USJ 13 MAZ International School Shah Alam MAZ International School PJ MAZ International School PJ MAZ International School PJ MAZ International School PJ MAZ International School PJ MAZ International School Shah Alam MAZ International School PJ MAZ International School PJ MAZ International School Shah Alam MAZ International School PJ MAZ International School PJ

The participants look forward for IMU to continue bringing the best in creating a fun and exciting avenue to learn more about science and chemistry. They mentioned that they were fascinated to see a life-sized 3D Periodic Table and amazed by the enthusiasm, determination, and effort of our students and faculty members in building the model.

The event was supported by Institut Kimia Malaysia (IKM), Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)-Malaysia Local Section, American Chemical Society (ACS)- Malaysia Chapter, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre (MAGIC) as event collaborators.