30/4/2018
Kakato Scholarship 2018 Apr‘s Diary

We had one week’s holiday in April and I went for a visit to the National Pingtung Science and Technology University (NPSTU).  I’ve always heard that the School of Veterinary Medicine there was pragmatic, and my visit was indeed an eye-opening experience.  Its facilities are complete and faculty spacious, not only there is a clinic for large animals, they even have an autopsy room for large animals and an animal blood donation car.  There is also a monkey skeleton in their specimen room which I have never seen before.  I understand from a friend who is now in year two studying in that School, that their curriculum is similar to National Taiwan University (NTU), only NTU is more focused on textbook knowledge whilst NPSTU is more on practice, NTU is more on pets whilst NPSTU is more on economic and wild animals.  This visit exposed me to many facilities that don’t exist in NTU, and it was very fruitful.

— Chau Sin Lee

This month, I learnt some laboratory techniques to identify viruses. I was taught to perform plaque assay and immunocytochemistry staining which could be used to estimate the colony-forming unit (CFU) of the virus and to visualize the localization of viral antigen in cells respectively. For physiology practical lessons, I participated in experiments regarding the circulatory system. Group mates and I performed tests on one of the group mates and monitor his change in pulse and ECG waves with electrodes placed on special points of the body with the electrodes connected to an ECG machine.

— Yeu Ernest

It has been a month already since the start of the second semester. In this semester, I have to work and learn driving apart from the academic studies, which makes me busier, but at the same time enrich my life and help me acquire time management skills.

Nevertheless, I started to feel that the study is becoming heavier and much more difficult, especially embryology which is driving me crazy! What’s taught in embryology is basically how an embryo is developed in mother’s uterus starting from fertilization until giving birth to the baby. The content is extremely complicated and difficult. Not only is there the sea of vocabulary you need to remember, but the comprehensive skill is also greatly highlighted. Compared to embryology, anatomy (the subject that I think was very challenging in the first semester) seems to become unimportant at all! Of course, It is, without doubt, finding the course demanding for me who had never studied biology in high school, but I do believe in myself and I know I am going to pass it! (hope so)

Lau Wun Lam