HUMAS USU - A delegation from the Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU), led by Prof. Dr. Poppy Anjelisa Hasibuan, S.Si., M.Si., Apt, Vice Rector III for Research, Community Service, and Cooperation, visited the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) to monitor the development of the internship program on May 26, 2023. The delegation was accompanied by Dr. June Kuncoro Hadiningrat, the Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia in Pakistan.

The visit was a result of the successful internship program that USU had implemented in 2022, where 10 students from various study programs, including Pharmacy, Biology, and Chemistry, along with three lecturers, were sent to ICCBS for research internships. The collaboration allowed USU students and academics to conduct research at ICCBS research facilities under the guidance of expert staff and professors.

The USU delegation included Dr. Edy Ikhsan, SH, MA, Vice Rector I for Academic, Student Affairs, and Alumni, Dr. Cut Fatimah Zuhra, S.Si., M.Si, Vice Dean for Academic, Student Affairs, and Alumni of FMIPA, and Dr. Rudy Sofyan, SS, M.Hum, Head of the International Affairs Office. They were warmly welcomed by Prof. Dr. M Iqbal Choudhary, HI, SI, IT, the Director of ICCBS, at the Foreign Scholar Lodge Building in the ICCBS Complex, Karachi.

In his speech, Prof. Iqbal expressed his welcome to the USU delegation and extended an invitation to other USU students and academics to participate in similar internships in the future. The program offers internships ranging from 6 to 12 months at ICCBS laboratory facilities.

Prof. Poppy Anjelisa expressed her gratitude to ICCBS for the cooperation, which was a realization of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on November 10, 2021, between USU Rector Prof. Dr. Muryanto Amin, S.Sos, M.Si, and ICCBS Director Prof. Dr. M Iqbal Choudhary, HI, SI, IT, facilitated by the Consulate General of Karachi. The MoU allows USU students to conduct their final research projects at ICCBS lab facilities under joint supervision from USU lecturers and ICCBS researchers/professors.

The supervisors at ICCBS acknowledged the hard work and dedication of the USU students during their internships. The students had spent approximately seven months analyzing data and samples at the ICCBS laboratory facilities to complete their projects.

Prof. Poppy expressed her hope that in 2023, USU could send more students for similar internship programs. In response, Prof. Iqbal emphasized the importance of strengthening and nurturing the cooperation between USU and ICCBS for the benefit of both institutions. He also invited USU students and academics to utilize the research facilities available at ICCBS for their research projects.

Author: Bambang Riyanto - Humas

Interviewee: - - -

Photographer: Amri Simatupang - Humas