Mahasiswa UGM Ikuti HISAS ke-13 di Hokkaido, Jepang
Mahasiswa UGM Ikuti HISAS ke-13 di Hokkaido, Jepang
Universitas Gadjah Mada sent two students to Hokkaido Indonesian Student Association Scientific Meeting (HISAS) held from 5-6 March 2016 at the Faculty of Letters, Hokkaido University, Japan. The two students, Riris Anindya Ghifari and Lily Widyawati, are from the Faculty of Biology.
HISAS which is an annual program of the Association of Indonesian Students in Hokkaido (PPIH) started since 2003 as a forum for Indonesian students in Indonesia and abroad to publish the finding of their research. The current event is an opportunity for both students and researchers from different countries to share knowledge and discuss recent research about the development of science. In its 13th event this year, HISAS specifically chose "Science Progress for Humanity, Food Security and Prosperity" as a theme.
This event was officially opened by representatives of the Indonesian Embassy in Japan, followed by a keynote speech by Education and Cultural Attache of the Embassy, Dr. Ir. Alinda Medrial Zain. On this occasion, she gave an outstanding speech which was able to motivate the participants of the conference. Other speaker is Yoshitaka Uchida, PhD, head of the Laboratory of Environmental Biogeochemistry, Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University. He went on to give an explanation of the research conducted in Japan, including how farmers in Japan experiment on their plantations.
At a later session, the participants who have successfully passed the paper selection were given chance to present their research finding. The UGM students presented a paper entitled Comparison between Buffered Saline Concentration 0,32% and 0,36% in erythrocyte Osmotic Fragility Validity Test for Beta Thalassemia Carriers that they had worked on under the guidance of Dr. Niken Satuti Nur Handayani, M.Sc. They explained that the process of validation with beta thalassemia carrier detection method is relatively cheap and quick compared to the test by buffered saline.
The participants also took part in field activities to learn about different cultures in the Japanese society. They visited the Disaster Prevention Center of Sapporo and Sapporo Sewerage Science Museum that shows the environmentally friendly water management system in Japan, as well as water waste treatment mechanisms which transform water waste into drinkable water.
According to Dr. Budi Setiadi Daryono, Vice-Dean of Academic and Student Affairs of UGM Faculty of Biology, this activity is very helpful to the development of Indonesian students. "Many experiences and benefits have been gained by the delegation of the Faculty of Biology by participating in this event. It made students to be more open minded and able to expand their network," he said on Monday (18/4).