“Yesterday, thank God, I received an offer from my academic advisor, Sir,” said Fitri Nur Laily, who is often called Fitri, enthusiastically sharing how she started her journey into the IIPP program.
At that time, her advisor was working on a collaborative project with a professor from National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Taiwan. It turned out that Fitri’s thesis was related to this joint project.
Coincidentally, the professor from NCKU was registered as one of the supervisors in the internship program in Taiwan. This helped facilitate Fitri’s participation in the program organized by the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) for three months in mid-2024.
“Because my thesis is related to the research conducted by the professor from NCKU. After the training process, I was able to conduct preliminary research for my thesis,” explained Fitri, who is still serving as the Chief of the Graduate Student Association for Biomedical Engineering at UGM.
During the program, Fitri was given the opportunity to study and operate various material characterization and testing equipment.
“In Indonesia, training to use even one tool can be quite expensive, whereas over there, thank God, I was able to learn to operate them for free,” said the Physics graduate from UGM’s Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences.
After the internship ended, she continued her research in a UGM laboratory with the knowledge gained from the IIPP.
Support from Lecturers and Practitioners
Fitri’s success in joining the IIPP reflects the strong support from lecturers in UGM’s Biomedical Engineering Master Program for their students. Besides the easy opportunity of discussing with lecturers, the courses taught are designed to be closely aligned with the job market. One such course, Techno-Entrepreneurship, is taught by an instructor from the industry: PT. Mega Andalan Kalasan (MAK), Yogyakarta.
The Biomedical Engineering Master’s Program at UGM also provides opportunities for industrial visits to companies in the healthcare sector such as PT. Pelopor Teknologi Implantindo (Mojokerto), MAK Yogyakarta, PT. Philips Healthcare (South Jakarta), and Nano Center Indonesia (South Tangerang), among others.
“So in our program, instructors come not only from permanent faculty members but also from industry practitioners,” said Fitri, who aspires to pursue a doctoral degree after graduation.
Regarding the interdisciplinary nature of the program, Fitri explained that discussions with peers from various backgrounds can be mutually beneficial and provide new input for innovation. “I come from a Physics background, so I’m relatively weak in Biology and Health Sciences. That’s why I need to discuss and learn from friends with relevant backgrounds,” she said.