A community outreach event with the theme “Science Meets Society: Integrating Food, Gene and Population” was hosted by Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) and the University of Reading (UK). This event was sponsored by the British Council and MIGHT (Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology) through the N2RTU (Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics Research and Training Unit) initiative.
The talk covered nutrition and gene interactions and how a genetically predisposed individual can prevent obesity by eating the right type of food thus reducing the chances of getting diabetics. Dr. Anto Cordelia, N2RTU Lead (Malaysia), Centre for Biomedical and Nutrition Research, UTAR, and Prof. Vimal Karani S, N2RTU Lead (UK), Deputy Director of Institute of Food, Nutrition & Health (IFNH), University of Reading, were the speakers that presented this session. Both of these individuals are well-known in their respective fields.
There were also many different types of booths that were setup which were related to health and nutrition, but the one that attracted the most attention was the fitness challenge booth. At this booth, many participants could be seen doing push-ups and planks and the participant who lasted the longest won prizes. There were also learning-based games and activities, as well as a contest.
The event was inaugurated by Encik Mohd Zakwan Bin Mohd Zabidi, Senior Vice President of MIGHT, representing Yang Berbahagia Datuk Dr. Mohd Yusoff Sulaiman, President & CEO of MIGHT. The UTAR’s Vice President for R&D and Commercialisation, Prof. Ts. Dr. Faidz Bin Abd Rahman, was also present at the event. Clr. Albert Ho Wai Mun, representing Yang Berbahagia Dato’ Rumaizi Bin Baharin @ Md Daud, the Mayor of Ipoh was also seen participating this initiative.
When MyIpoh spoke with some of the attendees, nearly all of them expressed a desire for similar events to be held on a regular basis since they felt benefited from them. This is consistent with Dr. Anto Cordelia and Prof. Vimal Karani’s objective to continue raising awareness of this programme. MyIpoh wishes Dr. Anto Cordelia and Prof. Vimal Karani a special thanks for creating awareness to the members of public for an eventful day.
