Pradipta Guntur Putra, a 2019 Agricultural Microbiology student affectionately known as Dipta, has just completed his undergraduate research in Japan. This research was conducted at the Laboratory of Food, Life, and Environmental Science, Faculty of Agriculture (農学部), Yamagata University (山形大学), under the guidance of Prof. Toru Watanabe, Ph.D. His research titled “The Analysis of Functional Genes and Microbial Community Relevant to CH4 and N2O emission in Dent Corn Fields” was successfully completed and presented at the Joint Seminar, Eco-Science Course, Yamagata University, on August 7, 2023.

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One of the Microbiology students from the 2020 cohort had the opportunity to participate in the “Sakura Science Exchange Program”. Arya Dharma Sanjaya, commonly known as Arya, was granted a golden opportunity to join the Sakura Science Exchange Program at Osaka University from October 22nd to October 28th, 2023. According to Arya, this program was not just an ordinary journey but his first trip abroad. The International Center for Biotechnology at Osaka University served as the venue for this adventure. In this program, Arya not only explored the academic world but also interacted with fellow exchange students from various countries. One interesting aspect of Arya’s experience in Osaka was the variety of activities organized. Firstly, there was an orientation session about the campus environment, where Arya was introduced to the advanced learning facilities. The well-organized campus provided an insight into Japan’s excellent higher education system.

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Students from the Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Fika Tri Andaini (2020) (Fika) and Nur Afni Febriyani (2020) (Afni), had the opportunity to participate in the Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) program in the form of Internship Learning Activities (MBKM-Internship) at the Coffee and Cocoa Research Center (PUSLITKOKA) from February 6, 2023, to June 16, 2023, precisely in their 5th semester. During their MBKM at PUSLITKOKA, Fika was placed in the Plant Disease and Pest Laboratory, while Afni was in the Plant Protection Laboratory. The MBKM-Internship program undertaken by Fika and Afni was equivalent to more than 20 credits in one semester. The courses equivalent for Fika and Afni had some differences, depending on the laboratory where they were placed. For Fika, there were 11 equivalent courses, including Microbial Development, Production, and Utilization; Soil Microbes; Pest and Disease Control; Development of Biological Agents; Identification of Pests and Diseases; Processing of Agricultural/Plantation Products; Quality Control and Quality Assurance of Agricultural/Plantation Products; Managerial Behavior; Field Work (KL); Seminar; and Leadership, while for Afni, there were also 11 equivalent courses, but there were 5 courses different from those taken by Fika, including Communication Skills; Processing of Agricultural/Plantation Land Fertility; Development, Production, and Utilization of Beneficial Microbes; Fundamentals of Coffee Biotechnology; and Fundamentals of Cocoa Tissue Culture.

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Cokorda Keigoputra Pemayun (2021) (Keigo) and Chandra Rizqullah Triananda (2021) (Chandra) conducted their Field Work (KL) activities at PT MOYA Tangerang, a subsidiary of PT MOYA Indonesia, which is one of the largest private companies in clean water processing in Indonesia. The KL activities took place from December 27, 2023, to January 26, 2024. During the first week, the students were introduced to the company in general and learned simple water sample analysis methods. Keigo and Chandra used this time to understand the company’s situation and culture. In the following weeks, there were daily analysis activities, networking, processes, biweekly tasks, and data verification with PDAM as a cooperative partner. The third and fourth weeks were the busiest times during the KL implementation, due to water processing projects involving nanobubble and ozone equipment. They found the working atmosphere at PT MOYA Tangerang very comfortable because they were given the opportunity to participate directly in several projects, and the laboratory infrastructure facilities were excellent.

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