KazNMU Student Completes Research Internship at Shandong University International Summer School
Balausa Seithan, a fourth-year student of the School of General Medicine-2 at Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University (KazNMU), successfully participated in the *2026 International Summer School of Lab Internship on Basic Medical Sciences (ISS-LIBMS), held from **July 12 to 25, 2026, in Jinan, Shandong Province, China, at one of the country’s leading higher education institutions — **Shandong University*.
The International Summer School brought together students and young researchers from more than 20 countries, including Kazakhstan, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Russia, Iran, Somalia, China, and others. The program was designed to develop practical research skills, strengthen international scientific collaboration, and introduce participants to modern experimental medicine.
A distinctive feature of the program was that each participant completed an internship in a research laboratory under the supervision of an individual professor. Balausa Seithan joined the laboratory of *Professor Zhaojian Liu (刘招舰)*, where she had the opportunity to participate directly in the complete cycle of a molecular biology research project.
During the internship, she mastered a wide range of modern laboratory techniques, including cell culture, RNA and genomic DNA extraction, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Western blot analysis, and gained an introduction to the processing and interpretation of high-throughput sequencing data. Under the guidance of her supervisors, she also performed RNA-seq bioinformatics analysis using the R programming language. This comprehensive training enabled her to experience every stage of biomedical research—from cell culture and experimental data generation to computational analysis and biological interpretation.
In addition to intensive laboratory training, the program offered a rich cultural and educational agenda, allowing participants to gain deeper insight into China’s history and traditions. International students visited the historic city of Qufu, the birthplace of Confucius, toured the Confucius Temple and the Confucius Family Mansion, participated in a traditional Chinese tea ceremony, attended introductory Chinese language classes, took part in Tai Chi workshops, and joined various cultural exchange activities that promoted international communication and intercultural understanding.
Upon successful completion of the two-week program, Balausa Seithan received a Certificate of Completion of the International Summer School and was honored with the *»Outstanding Intern»* award, presented to the program’s most active and distinguished participants.
The participation of KazNMU students in international educational initiatives of this kind contributes to the development of professional competencies, mastery of advanced research technologies, expansion of international academic cooperation, and the training of highly competitive specialists capable of succeeding in the global scientific community.
