Foreign Students and Researchers Enthusiastically Participate in Tropical Seaweed Summer Course at IPB
The Department of Aquatic Product Technology, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences, Bogor Agricultural University (FPIK-IPB) has successfully held a Tropical Seaweed Summer Course with the theme Diversity and Clean Processing Technology. This activity was attended by 17 postgraduate students and researchers from 13 countries. The Masters and Doctoral students came from Victoria University of Wellington New Zealand, American University of Cairo Egypt, Universiti Putra Malaysia, National University of Singapore and Kasetsart University Thailand. Researchers or postdocs who actively participated in this summer course came from the Climate Foundation of the United States, France, Norway, University of Tasmania Australia, seaweed practitioners from the Philippines, seaweed practitioners and chambers of commerce and industry from Tanzania. In addition, this activity was also attended by policy makers related to seaweed from the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, RI and lecturers from the Jakarta State Polytechnic of Fisheries.
The summer course was held for ten days on 18-28 August 2018. This activity was opened by the Dean of the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences, IPB, Dr. Luky Adrianto.
In his speech, Dr. Luky emphasized that the collaboration platform in scientific development in the FPIK-IPB environment consists of three types, namely science to science which produces scientific publications, science to policy which produces policies that are implemented in society and science to business which produces technology that is utilized by industry. “FPIK has successfully implemented all three. Related to seaweed, FPIK and its researchers have collaborated with the seaweed-based processing industry.”
This activity was initially planned to be held in Bogor for classroom activities (theory), while the field session was in the Kertasari waters, West Sumbawa and Lombok. Related to the earthquake that hit Lombok and part of West Sumbawa, namely the Kertasari Waters which is one of the seaweed cultivation centers in Sumbawa, the summer course field session activities were diverted by visiting seaweed-based cosmetic producers CV. Ocean Fresh in Bandung, refined carrageenan producers PT. Kappa Carrageenan Nusantara (PT. KCP) in Pasuruan, East Java and seaweed cultivation centers in Sumenep, Madura. The lecturers of this summer course come from various countries, namely Prof. Georg Pohnert from Jena University Germany, Prof. Yumiko Yoshie-Stark from Toyo University Japan, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Anong Chirapart from Kasetsart University Thailand, and lecturers from FPIK IPB namely Prof. Linawati Hardjito, Prof. Joko Santoso, Dr. Eng. Uju, Dr. Wini Trilaksani, Dr. Kustiariyah Tarman from the Department of Aquatic Product Technology, Dr. Hawis Madduppa from the Department of Marine Science and Technology. In addition, participants received material on seaweed seed tissue culture from Dr. Erina Sulistiani, a SEAMEO BIOTROP researcher. Participants also had the opportunity to visit the seaweed seed tissue culture facility at SEAMEO BIOTROP. At the end of the activity, summer course participants hope to be able to participate in the next summer course activities that will be held by the THP Department of FPIK IPB, especially related to seaweed development. Participants who come from various countries also hope that in the future they can strengthen cross-disciplinary and cross-country cooperation.
