Here’s a recap of a field trip to the Halfest Giant 2018 organised with the help from my 4th year students, who are currently taking Extraction and Bioseparation Technology (BSB4173). This is the one of the biggest Halal consumer expos in the country. Since 2011, the event has attracted investors and exhibitors from a variety of industries including halal consumer products, clothing, food and non-food products as well as government agencies.

We had a total of 44 students on board. All thanks to the JPPH’s courtesy on taking care of the transportation matters, we had a bus and a van to accommodate all the students. It took us about 4 hours to arrive at the Mines International Exhibition and Convention Centre (MIECC) at 10am, just right before the event started.

Group picture taken before entering the Halfest Giant 2018 exhibition site. (Photo by Nur Amalina).

The students were given a task to conduct interviews with food / non-food manufacturers in the exhibition. The information gathered will be presented to the class as an assignment. This is to help students understand how the industries incorporate the extraction and bioseparation technology in mass production.

Industrial Biotechnology students had the opportunity to interact with the local halal product manufacturers and learn about the extraction and separation technology applied in mass manufacturing of halal products. The interview was an assignment for BSB4173 Extraction and Bioseparation Technology. (Photo by BSB4173 students).

The field trip turned out well. Task was completed on time. I saw some of my students bought products from the exhibitors. Some students even took my advice and started making inquiries about internship opportunities (which they will go through in the coming 8th semester). We left the venue at 4pm.

This is my first field trip with the class of BSB4173 Extraction and Bioseparation Technology, I would like to bring more of students to visit  exhibitions. This is a good chance for them to be engaged with the industry. A big thank you for the faculty for approving my proposal to this field trip. Hope many more to come!