Learning of Genetic Science 

248 primary and secondary students from 15 Penang schools participated in the B. Braun Genetics Week from the 26th to 30th September 2016 at the Penang Science Cafe @ Heritage. Sponsored by B. Braun Medical Industries, the workshops aim to expose Penang students to the wonders of genetics, and inspire them to choose Biomedical Science as a career path, in order to help nurture a talent pool of scientists and medical professionals for the country.

Gracing the launch of the Genetics Workshops was the Honourable Chief Minister of Penang, Mr. Lim Guan Eng who said, “As Penang grows its biomedical industry, we see a convergence with the existing world-class electronics cluster. Penang can become a leading knowledge cluster in Malaysia with our 3 T's of talent, technology and tolerance of new ideas. We are fortunate that B. Braun is willing to lend a hand to realise this aspiration.”

Dato Yoon Chon Leong, Director, Penang Science Cluster (PSC), said, “The core aim of the PSC is to ensure that our future generations are highly proficient in their knowledge of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S. T. E. M) subjects. We are delighted to support B. Braun Medical Industries, the Pillar Lead for Life Sciences and Medical Health under the PSC, to organize these workshops to build a strong interest in the Genetic Sciences.”  

Ms. Anna Maria Braun, Management Board Member of B. Braun Melsungen AG and President of B. Braun Asia Pacific, said, “Having grown with Penang for the past 44 years, B. Braun is honoured to have the opportunity to continue to contribute to the local community.  It is B. Braun’s hope, that through these workshops, a long-lasting curiosity and deep interest in Science will be cultivated, to form a rich talent pool of new generation thinkers and innovators for the country.”

A team of scientists from the Science Bridge initiative of Kassel University in Germany conducted the week-long workshops. For 20 years, Science Bridge has worked to improve scientific literacy in schools and the public in Germany. They will now help Penang students of different age groups to discover the basics of genetics, examine DNA and learn how it determines the characteristics of living organisms. They will also identify their genetic fingerprints by amplifying DNA fragments with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique.