Mona Muhidinović - Guest student at SSST

Mona Muhidinović - Guest student at SSST

Jul 29, 2019

The guest of the University Sarajevo School of Science and Technology is Mona Muhidinović, a 20-year-old who continued her education at the Sorbonne in Paris. She’s spent some time acting, modelling, swimming, but chemistry is her first love. Her interest in natural sciences started as early as in elementary school, but it wasn’t until high school that her love towards chemistry came to life.

“We are all chemists, even those who do not study chemistry. All around is chemistry, when we cook, when we clean, the chair we sit upon, the colour of our shirt, the cream we apply to our face and so on. I am studying chemistry because I truly love it and I know that I will never grow bored with it. Chemists are actually artists. Our mission is to be imaginative, and it is precisely for that reason that chemistry is continually progressing, thanks to the imaginative mind of the scientists.”

After her first cycle of studies she plans to go on to master studies in Paris. France, she says, is a country that invests heavily into research, as well as into cosmetics. She sees herself in one of the global cosmetics companies as project leader in researching new technologies when it comes to cosmetics. She is working on her research paper at SSST, and these are her first impressions about us:

“Since chemistry is a wide-spread science and can be found within all disciplines of natural sciences as well as in medicine, I was able to fit in a part of my research work when it comes to medicine. That is why I chose SSST, since it is the leading university in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The first time I came for an interview, the Dean of the Medical Sarajevo School, Dr Semira Galijašević, who is also my mentor, was there to meet me. That is when I realised what separates SSST from other universities, especially medical schools. After talking to Professor Galijašević, I knew that there was a lot to learn at this University from her, as well as make further progress. It is very important to me as a student to have a patient mentor, a knowledgeable and extraordinary conversationalist ready to listen to me and my ideas.”

The topic of her research under the mentorship of Dr Semira Galijašević is “The mechanism of haemoglobin degradation reaction under the conditions of stress oxidation ”.

The destruction of haemoprotein heme is extremely toxic for various organs and cells, which leads to serious pathological consequences. The cellular toxicity is mainly a consequence of generating free iron, which has the ability to participate in the production of free radicals. Free radicals then mediate in a series of biochemical reactions resulting in numerous pathological conditions such as inflammation, atherosclerosis, acute vasculitis, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer. The reaction mechanism of autooxidation and oxidation of haemoglobin from erythrocytes in the state of oxidative stress is very complex and still not fully known. During my research I had a chance to familiarise myself with new laboratory techniques, analyse the latest literature in this field as well as the data I obtained. Considering the significance of this research, I would like to continue working in this field.

She was most impressed by the positive energy that governs the University SSST, she says. Of course, she was also impressed by the laboratories equipped by European standards, as well as the moto of our University, “Ex solo ad solem”.

“‘Ex solo ad solem’ means ‘From the earth to the sun’, which means that SSST promises all students that they will be accepted no matter where they come from and gives confidence to students who are sometimes lost after finishing high school,” says Mona.

At the end of our conversation, Mona pointed out why she would recommend the University SSST and our Sarajevo Medical School.

“I would recommend the University SSST to students who wish to study medicine because it is a place where they will certainly acquire the necessary knowledge and practice. Also, I am happy to know that SSST will complete its story with a pharmacy program set to start in the coming academic year. I am sure that our country, as well as the world, will gain numerous experts from all fields of medicine.”

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