after a long break

i was really dissapointed that i had left this page for nearly a year. lot of things happen and it seems at one stage, i lost interest in writing again. this must change. writing is a good activity. it ignites your brain to think.

i already completed my degree in Biotechnology in IIUM. and now, i am on my way in pursuing my masters in bioscience in IIUM also. Plus, i got a chance to work under INOCEM IIUM, a research institute which focusing on oceanography and maritime studies.

this is the new beginning

My Final Year Project (IIUM 2010)

"Suspended Sediment Effects towards Coral Ecosystem in Pulau Redang"

by

Muhammad Faiz bin Mohd Hanapiah

Supervised by

Dr Shahbudin bin Saad

Overview

One of the major stressors on corals is the settlement of suspended sediment on their surfaces. This leads to blocking of light, smothering of the coral mucus surface and increased risk of disease. Sedimentation rate on a reef is highly important variable in studies of coral reef. The level of suspended sediment in marine environment is increasing due to development of coastal area and also recreational activities in the coral reef. Research on sedimentation rate is often done by deployment of sediment traps, containers positioned vertically with an open top and capped base. These remain submerge for a period of time before they are removed and the sediment collected in the containers dried and weighted as a quantifiable measurement of sedimentation on the reef.

May Allah give me strength to make it a successful one..

little bit info about Department of Marine Park Malaysia

The department of Marine Park Malaysia, of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE) was officially established on 16^th July 2007. Formerly known as the Marine Park section under the administration of Department of Fisheries, the section was later transferred to NRE. Marine Park Malaysia or MPM, as it is now commonly known, is responsible for managing the marine parks of Peninsular Malaysia.

Objectives:

• To conserve and protect the biological diversity of the marine community and its habitats.
• To upgrade and conserve the natural habitats of endangered aquatic species.
• To establish management zones for the conservation of aquatic flora and fauna.
• To establish zones of recreational use consistent with its carrying capacity.
• To manage and develop capacity building in public awareness programmes.

our 1st dive

geng budak2 veteran

been thinking

been thinking to be a thinker...

gedebush!!!

tomorrow gonna be the pool session
one step in scuba diving
againsts all fears
againsts all worries
nervous and bla2..
"jgn pikir, terjun je!!"





Gedebush!!!!!!


to be continued.....

dinoflagellate

What are dinoflagellates?

Dinoflagellates are microscopic, (usually) unicellular, flagellated, often photosynthetic protists, commonly regarded as "algae" (Division Dinoflagellata). They are characterized by a transverse flagellum that encircles the body (often in a groove known as the cingulum) and a longitudinal flagellum oriented perpendicular to the transverse flagellum. This imparts a distinctive spiral to their swimming motion. Both flagella are inserted at the same point in the cell wall, by convention defining the ventral surface. This point is usually slightly depressed, and is termed the sulcus. In heterotrophic dinoflagellates (ones that eat other organisms), this is the point where a conical feeding structure, the peduncle, is projected in order to consume food.

Dinoflagellates possess a unique nuclear structure at some stage of their life cycle - a dinokaryotic nucleus (as opposed to eukaryotic or prokaryotic), in which the chromosomes are perminently condensed. The cell wall of many dinoflagellates is divided into plates of cellulose ("armor") within amphiesmal vesicles, known as a theca. These plates form a distinctive geometry/topology known as tabulation, which is the main means for classification.

Both heterotrophic (eat other organisms) and autotrophic (photosynthetic) dinoflagellates are known. Some are both. They form a significant part of primary planktonic production in both oceans and lakes. Most dinoflagellates go through moderately complex life cycles involving several steps, both sexual and asexual, motile and non-motile. Some species form cysts composed of sporopollenin (an organic polymer), and preserve as fossils. Often the tabulation of the cell wall is somehow expressed in the shape and/or ornamentation of the cyst.

Why bother?

Besides being important primary producers, and therefore an important part of the food chain, dinoflagellates are also known for producing nasty toxins, particularly when they occur in large numbers, called "red tides" because the cells are so abundant they make the water change colour. Besides being bad for a large range of marine life, red tides can also introduce non-fatal or fatal amounts of toxins into animals (particularly shellfish) that may be eaten by humans, who are also affected by the toxins. Many of these toxins are quite potent, and if not fatal, can still cause neurological and all sorts of other nasty effects. Add this to the rather ominous suspicion that red tides may be more common thanks to human inputs of phosphates and warmer global temperatures, and you can probably see why we have a vested interest in finding out more about them - both medical and economic.

source: http://www.geo.ucalgary.ca/~macrae/palynology/dinoflagellates/dinoflagellates.html

Lab session in UKM

We are actually having marine microbes lab session in UKM starting today.

it was tiring
full of moving here and there
overloaded with lecture on dinoflagellate
and lab work...

phew..
to all other marine guy
be strong... be fresh...
earn these moments.....:-)

i'll prove it

this isn't a lie..

Tanjung Lumpur Jan 5

Kuantan River - 16 Dec 2009

Oceanography

What?

Oceanography is the branch of Earth science that studies the ocean. It covers a wide range of topics, including marine organisms and ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamics; plate tectonics and the geology of the sea floor; and fluxes of various chemical substances and physical properties within the ocean and across its boundaries.

Many people associate careers in oceanography as consisting of swimming with marine animals at a marine life park or snorkeling in crystal-clear tropical waters studying coral reefs. In reality, these kinds of jobs are extremely rare and there is intense competition for the few jobs that do exist. Most oceanographers work in fields that use science to solve a particular problem in the ocean. Some examples include:

What is the role of the ocean in limiting climate change?
What kinds of pharmaceuticals can be found naturally in marine organisms?
How does sea-floor spreading relate to the movement of tectonic plates?
What economic deposits are there on the sea floor?
Can rogue waves be predicted?
What is the role of longshore transport in the distribution of sand on the beach?
How does a particular pollutant affect organisms in the marine environment?

Job Duties of Oceanographers

• Geological oceanographers and geophysicists
• Physical oceanographers
• Chemical oceanographers and marine geochemists
• Biological oceanographers, marine biologists, and fisheries scientists
• Marine and ocean engineers
• Marine archaeologists
  

"Blup2 Conservation: Towards Better Ocean for Tomorrow"

no class lah this week..:-)

as usual, there'll be no classes in the first week
it's a boring fact...

this semester, i begin my years as 'org laut' with 4 core subject:

• Marine Pollution
• Marine Microbiology
• Marine biological Diversity
• Marine Oceanography

my seniors told me that this semester will be a busy one.

cool..:-)

"Blup2 Conservation: Towards Better Ocean for Tomorrow"

Coral bleaching

What?

"Coral bleaching is the whitening of corals, due to stress-induced expulsion or death of symbiotic unicellular algae or due to the loss of pigmentation within the algae[1]. The corals that form the structure of the great reef ecosystems of tropical seas depend on a symbiotic relationship with photosynthesizing unicellular algae called zooxanthellae that live within their tissues. Zooxanthellae give coral its coloration, depending on the particular clade. Under stress, corals may expel their zooxantheallae, which leads to a lighter or completely white appearance, hence the term "bleached"."[wikipedia.org]

"Corals rely on algae that live inside each coral polyp to provide nutrients and supplemental oxygen. Bleaching occurs when these colorful algae die out or leave the polyps, often in response to overly warm conditions. Without their brightly colored algae, the coral's skeleton becomes visible through its transparent tissue, making it appear white. Although the tissue remains intact and can recover over time, this stressful condition can cause corals to stop growing and reproducing." (Sciencedaily.com)

"Bleaching has destoyed almost 30% of the world's coral reef." (Sciencedaily.com)

Causes:

• increased in water temperature
• increased solar irradiance
• pathogen infection

"One known culprit is an ocean-dwelling bacterium, Vibrio coralliilyticus, which chokes off corals' energy supply and kills these shell-clad marine animals. At lower temperatures, the bacteria are harmless to coral. But at warmer temperatures (above 75 degrees Fahrenheit) the bacteria become virulent and can kill coral." (ScienceDaily)

Conservation action in Malaysia
Realising the incredible value of coral reefs, Department of Fisheries Malaysia have established marine parks under a government directive in 1983 to conserve and protect coral reefs for sustainable fisheries, tourism, and research. There are currently 136 marine protected areas, containing 7% of the country's coral reefs. These national parks are situated around 40 islands in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah, which are grouped together for better management.

"Blup2 Conservation: Towards Better Ocean for Tomorrow"

embarking a marine life

this is it...
this is the moment I've been waiting for


yeah....
right from the beginning
i always dared to do something different
somehow it went against what i am capable of

long time ago
i used to love to be an inventor
invent cool stuff, ease people's life
i did had quality in physics, maths and chemistry
biology was my least favorite subject
i know i am strong in those area

yet i opt to defy all of them
yet i opt to choose biological science
(ok r dari amik medicine..:-p)
i believe i had to venture into new area
whereby it would be difficult to survive
alhamdulillah, i did survive

in biological science
i was doing well in understanding human body
i love it..
yet i opt to defy it
yet i opt to choose biotechnology
i believe i had to venture into new area
whereby it would be difficult to survive
hahahahaha..

in biotechnology
i did pretty well in organic chemistry, bioprocess
i did pretty well in understanding environment
i was doing bioremediation for my EAP
yet i opt to defy all of them
yet i opt to choose marine biotechnology
i believe i had to venture into new area
whereby it would be difficult to survive
another laugh
hahahahaha..

reason?
life only once
if we don't embark new fresh challenge
we don't know what other quality we might have
we may end up in the safe mode all the time

in the years to come,
perhaps i will make such decision again..
:-)

Industrial Training

Pulau Perhentian Marine Park, Terengganu

curiosity

curiosity

it is a gift, a fitrah to all
we are full of it
when we were so young
pondering how
wondering why
about every anything
yet as the time goes by
it disappear...

the same trend goes to me
i've lost this gift slowly
i must say in my study life
i'm so dependent on the notes
the book, the already there
just memorize, just understand a little
yet no curiosity being put
it made me felt blank about the facts
made me felt blank on what i've had learn

during classes
oh, i attend so many useful classes in my life
delivered by great lecturers
i rare to ask, rare to raise any hand
in those so many useful classes
that left me in blank, almost empty
as the new semester began

during lab,
i didn't give my full commitment
i became a watcher
coz there were so many hands available
i believe it is a lame excuse indeed
it was me who don't want to
it was me who hid my curiosity foolishly

i believe
in order for me to become
man in this field
i've gotta change
gotta build and regain this gift again
because being the man in this field
we don't just rely on what we already had
we keep pondering
keep improving
keep moving forward
to bring something great
to us..

What choice do i have?

open my eyes

that would be

the most historic moment

of my life..

thank you Allah

You gave me sight to see

the beauty of entire world

the story goes on

i raised as a boy

full of curiousity

asking this, questioning that

wondering why, pondering how

the beauty of entire world

there goes education

whereby i learnt a lot of new things

increasing the hunger of knowing

aha..

those moments also taught me

the purpose of knowing

the beauty of entire world

at one point,

i felt it's my choice to explore

the beauty of entire world

at one point,

i just want to stop

n start thinking of my self,

my life

what choice do i have?

should i bury those curiousity?

should i let it go?

at one point,

i felt i've been drifted away from my path

but then again

He always there to give me option

giving me choices

to be what i wanted to be

thank you Allah..

You put an offer on my desk

it may require a great desire

a great spirit, a great determination

to explore

the beauty of entire world

marine biotech

here i come...=)