(14th April 2023) The 4th USIM Intervarsity Microbiology Quiz Competition 2023 (iMICROBE ’23) was successfully held at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FPSK), Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) on 11th March 2023. This competition is an annual event organised by the third-year medical students and the Microbiology Unit lecturers of FPSK, USIM. This year, Prof Datin Dr Che Ilina Che Isahak and Dr Siva Gowri Pathmanathan along with the rest of the microbiology lecturers served as advisors for the event while Ms Sakinah Sapuan headed the 95 enthusiastic and highly committed team of committee members. Besides testing the microbiology knowledge of medical students, this programme aimed to introduce and build healthy relationships between the medical students of USIM and other medical students throughout Malaysia, whilst also supporting leadership activities of students under the holistic element of the Graduate Model of the Integration of Naqli and Aqli knowledge (GIINA).
This year, a total of 30 teams, consisting of 120 medical and dental students from 17 public and private universities in Malaysia participated in the competition. The one-day event started with a multiple-choice question (MCQ) test, held at Level 4 & 5 Laboratories. Each participant was required to answer 30 MCQs within 40 minutes and the score obtained was summed as a group score. The second round consisted of 10 OSPE-style questions answered within 20 minutes in sequence. The total score for the first and second rounds qualified 24 groups to advance to the semi-final round. This round (Olympiad) consisted of four leagues whereby, two groups compete in each session to answer a maximum of nine questions on the buzzer. Finally, the three best teams advanced to the viva round which took place at the auditorium hall.
A total of three judges judged this session, namely Associate Prof Dr Asrul Abdul Wahab (UKM), Associate Prof Dr Nadiya Atiya (UM) and Prof Datin Dr Che Ilina Che Isahak (USIM). Each contestant received a long viva question from the judges and was given six minutes to prepare and present their answer. The program ended with the closing ceremony officiated by Associate Prof Dr Mohd Azmani Sahar. The proud winners of the iMICROBE ’23 quiz competition were teams from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) (first place), followed by International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) (second place) and Management and Science University (MSU), Malaysia. Two teams from MAHSA University, another team from UKM, a team from USIM and a team from Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) won consolation prizes.
Despite having a three-year gap due to the pandemic and being the first time at our new faculty venue in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, we must say that the event was a smooth success. This was also reflected in the overall highly positive feedback received from participants.