Started from Hobbies, Student IPB is Now Doing Research in Thailand
This unexpected opportunity is not Sissy Nagita's dreams. Her passion in business has led Sissy to win 1st winner for the Business Plan Competition Festival of Creative Industries and UMKM IPB 2017 in April with the concept of environmentally friendly Mini Terarium. Now she is busy attending the Mandiri Entrepreneurial Program funded by the Directorate of Career Development and Alumni Relations (CDA) of Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), Sissy chose different steps in completing the final task.
Sissy is a 7th semester student of the Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences of Bogor Agricultural University (FMIPA IPB). She is currently doing her five-month Research Program in Thailand. This program is implemented at Kasetsart University, Thailand, on 1 August – 31 December 2017. Program which is a collaboration between IPB and Kasetsart University was attended by 15 students from IPB, Ho Chi Minh Open University, and Nam Lam University.
In addition to Sissy, there are three other IPB students who were successfully selected to have same program as Sissy does, namely Ismail Shaleh, Rara Tiara, and Era Mardiyah. The selection program to be qualified for this program was quite short and fast. Sissy only sent files via online for the interview.
Sissy said the present annual program is really different with the previous year. This year is a Full Research Program. After participating in this program, Sissy will only have to revise the proposal and wait for the trial schedule. In addition, Sissy will also get two research supervisors, from her home campus, Dr. Yohana C. Sulistyaningsih, and from Kasetsart University, Dr. Prasart Kermanee.
The student whose origin is Lampung said that it was not the first time for her to fly the airplane, but after joining this program, it was the first time for her to fly abroad.
After three months in Thailand, she admitted that she learned more from the community there. One of which is cultural and religious tolerance. The majority of Thai people are Buddhist, but they are very respectful to other faith, especially Muslims. The tolerant philosophy of Buddhism and the constitutional guarantees of religious freedom have provided a fertile ground for adoption and admixing new religious beliefs with traditional beliefs. Temples, churches, synagogues and mosques are examples of structures created for worship in Thailand, they can be found everywhere in tourist areas. They show that in Thailand there is no conflict between the worship of Buddhism and other religious beliefs.
"So far we do not face obstacles along the way to implement our research program, difficulties I had only the adaptation process on halal food and communicate with Thai people in Thai language, but research abroad is the vehicle for her to improve her English proficiency," she said. Therefore she would like to express her sincere thanks to those who had supported her, including the Biology Department of IPB, that aided her to get her funding support. (Wied)
