UNAIR NEWS – Studying abroad was not a priority for Hana Aqilah Nur Imania or Hana. However, the opportunity came unexpectedly through a selection program of outstanding students organized by the institution she was studying, Faculty of Medicine (FK) Universitas Airlangga.
“Incidentally, last year the faculty held a selection of outstanding students. At that time, I was still in the third semester, so I had not made many achievements, so I felt that I wasn’t qualified to register. But by the will of Allah, I met a senior, and she encouraged me to try, “Hana said.
The support from the senior made the student from Bontang challenged to try out. She then registered for the selection by writing a scientific paper, and preparing the necessary papers such as the GPA transcript, TOEFL certificate, and curriculum vitae (cv) and qualified for to the next stage.
“Long story short, I made it to the presentation stage of scientific paper and bilingual interview. Alhamdulillah, at the final stage, I could become the first winner. For this achievement, the faculty gave a reward, the opportunity to join an exchange to the Research Institute for Microbial Diseases (RIMD) owned by Osaka University, Japan, ” she said.
However, Hana was not alone, and she went to the country of the rising sun with two other selection winners and FK UNAIR 2018 Favorite Ambassadors, Faiza Rahma Ebnudesita, Salwa Putri Qurrotuaini, and Alfira Nailatul Izzah. The four of them stayed in Osaka for three weeks, from July 22 to August 10.
“While in Osaka, we were divided into two research groups. I partnered with Faiza, studying the topic of Bordetella spp. in the Department of Molecular Bacteriology while Salwa and Alfira in the Virology Department studying the Rota Virus. We gained much experience, “Hana said.
The girl explained a little about the topic she was studying. According to Hana, Bordetella spp is a pathogenic bacteria that infect the respiratory tract. One species often discussed there is a bacterium that causes whooping cough in humans, Bordetella pertussis. Prevention of bacteria is usually done by giving the Diphtheria Pertussis Tetanus (DPT) vaccine.
“In the first two weeks in the laboratory, Faiza and I were involved in an experiment to purify dermonecrotic toxin (DNT) which is a protein compound as a virulence factor in Bordetella bacteria, then observe its activity in another cell called MC3T3-E1. We were guided by Prof. Yasuhiko Horiguchi, ” she explained.
Meanwhile, Salwa shared her story while studying the Rota Virus in the Virology Department, which was led by Prof. Takeshi Kobayashi. She explained that Rota Virus is a cause of diarrhea in infants and toddlers. Salwa and Alfira were also guided to find out the development of vaccines, the process of PCR-DNA, protein separation, DNA cloning in bacteria, electrophoresis reading, and other research activities.
In addition to gaining a lot of experience and insight, four of them were impressed with the laboratory at Osaka University as every laboratory, including RIMD, has qualified facilities and funds that support all researches. Government institutions such as the ministry of health in Japan as well as various related scientific institutions are very keen to support various health research at Osaka University.
“But I hope that research in Indonesia will grow in the future. Our campus itself has the Institute of Tropical Research (ITD). It can be an excellent first step for developments in the field of research, “Hana concluded. (*)
Author: Nabila Amelia
Editor : Khefti Al Mawalia
