Day-4 The Last Day of Laboratory Work

Today before we doing the daily activity, for the Moslem man, we are doing the Friday praying. This Activity held in Islamic Center Of Chiba University. The room is only about 5x4 meter, we pray solemnly . In this building also sell halal Food, it also can be referenced for the people that looking halal food.            

After the Friday Praying, we continue the activity to the each laboratorium. In the Center for Enviromental Remote Sensing (CEReS) Laboratorium, we join the seminar or project report from student that supervised by Prof. Jospaphat Tetuko Sri Sumantyo. That project report is explain the antenna design for GPS-RO. After that, we have class with Prof. Josaphat Tetuko Sri Sumantyo about SAR-Image Processing and it’s applications. The class duration is about 30 minutes, and afterwards, continued by Mrs. Ratih F.P. She is one of the lecturers in Chiba University and graduated from Faculty Of Geography Universitas Gadjah Mada. She explain about SAR-Image Processing with GMTSAR. That software is one of the open source programs about SAR with the Ubuntu operation system.

                Meanwhile, activity ini Health and Enviromental Safety Laboratorium is a presentation from the Japanese students about Carbon and continue with farewall party. We celebrated that by souvenir exchange and having lunch together.

Today some of us also having lunch in Gazaru Restaurant. The location of the restaurant is near the main gate of Chiba University. The restaurant  serves the India’s food like Chicken Kari. This restaurant is one of the recommended restaurants near Chiba University with reasonable price. In  the afternoon we go to Hard Off. To reach this place we have to walk about 30 minutes from Chiba University. This place sell the second hand goods like shoes, clothes, sport and music equipments and many more with reasonable price.

Idham Nugraha

Day-3 SKYNET Symposium and Presentation from MPPDAS Student in HSE Laboratory

SKYNET Symposium

It such a pleasure that today we are able to find new friends and new cultures in TWINCLE activities (Twin College Envoys) at Chiba University. In the TWINCLE activity on the day-3, we get an opportunity to follow the International Symposium Of SKYNET. The event is an international standard format about the  results of  research  related to the earth's surface, which has lately experienced a change in a negative direction.

The symposium was followed by researchers from several countries. Furthermore, the participants presenting result of  the research  they have done in their research area. One of the symposium participants was talking about the problem of extreme weather conditions, which among other factors involved that lowering the air quality. SKYNET itself is a way to see the condition of the surface of the earth from the humidity factor, surface temperature, and other factors which can be seen from satellite imagery.

After attending the symposium activities, we went to the campus lounge. Chiba University student has a positive and unique activities during the break time. The location of the performance is in front of the school cafeteria. Students shows their respective performance, such as break dancing, singing and dance in a group. Activities performed by the students get an incredible response from the audience. Appreciation was given by the diverse audience, many of those who sit in front of the mat measuring 8 x 10 m is to see the performance of their own friends. Not only that, there are students who are specifically record the events. The event was start at 12.00 and finished at 13.00

We as a guest students were very entertained by the performance. After resting for a moment, we continue the activities with Japanese students and attend lectures together. One of the students was the head of the Indonesian Students Association asked the lectures to give permission to us to join the class. 

Presentation by MPPDAS Students in HSE Laboratory

While the remote sensing group attending the symposium, other group was giving presentation to the supervisor of Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology under the HSE Laboratory, Prof. Machida (Machida Sensei), as well as to other master students. Four MPPDAS students presented about water problem in Indonesia, specifically in Jakarta. The feedback for our presentation was very good. Besides talking about water problem in Jakarta, we were also talking about the culture in Indonesia and several interesting and beautiful places in Indonesia. Since one of the students in HSE Laboratory will visit Yogyakarta, Indonesia under the TWINCLE Program in September, so that we feel like it will be interesting and useful to him to see an overview about Indonesia, especially Yogyakarta.

After that, we have a good lunch together with all the members of the laboratory. We tried the original culinary from Japan, which is Sashimi, and other kind of seafood. 

Today is again a wonderful day for us. Tomorrow will be our last laboratory work course!

Faizal Rachman

Day-2 Laboratory Course Work in Remote Sensing and Health Safety Environment

On our second day in Japan, all of students who join TWINCLE Program have a chance to learn based on their interest. Students are divided into four laboratories belongs to four departments in Chiba University, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Division of Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology, and Center for Environmental Remote Sensing, Health Education, and Department of Information Processing and Computer Science. MPPDAS UGM students are divided into two groups of interest, four students join the laboratory that belongs to Center for Environmental Remote Sensing and six students join the laboratory that belongs to Division of Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology, focusing on Safety and Health Environment.

Laboratory Overview 

CEReS

Center for Environmental Remote Sensing (CEReS) is the only one laboratory that monitored by ministry of education and technology in Japan.The participants of the TWINCLE Program have the opportunity to have a tour to CEReS laboratories which is hosted by Prof. Josaphat Tetuko Sri Sumantyo. He have been developing some research about remote sensing especially related to RADAR in his laboratory. The laboratory itself is even called with his own name, Josaphat Microwave Remote Sensing Laboratory. Furthermore, GAIA-1 and GAIA-2 are some of his satellites that makes us feel impressed. GAIA-1 is developed to detect earthquake spots and GAIA-2 is developed to detect land deformation and land subsidence.There are some satellites in CEReS laboratory, receiver satellite TERRA data from USA and Fengyun data from China. Fotometer is also developed in this laboratory to produce solar energy. Solar energy is used to upgrade electrical energy that had lost two years ago because leak of nuclear energy during earthquake and tsunami. 

Health and Environmental Safety

This laboratory is supervised by Prof. Motoi Machida. The participant of TWINCLE program get an introduction about the laboratory and the research produced through the laboratory work by students and staffs. It was really exciting to see the process of water purification by activated carbon originated from many natural resources such as bamboo, oak wood, etc. Prof. Machida explained every detail of the research conducted by the members of the laboratory, includes the concept, methodology, and equipment.

Although our study background is from Geography and not really get into deep to Chemical aspect, but it is so interesting to see and understand the chemistry perspective in environmental study, since we also learn about environment, but more in spatial approach. 

During the lunch time, we also get the chance to experience one of the interesting culture of Japan. When we passed the public room for students near the campus shop, we saw many students try the kimono. We figured out that they are graduating students who try the kimono for their graduation party. Surprisingly, several staffs who take care of the kimono, asked us to try to wear it as well, so we feel so lucky and happy to be in the right place and in the right time.

And tomorrow, we will continue working on the laboratory. We are looking forward!!

Nurwinda Latifah Hanum

Day-1 TWINCLE Program Orientation

Our first day of the TWINCLE program in Chiba University was started quite late since we have landed in Japan in the middle of the night on the previous day. After spending some times of sightseeing on the neighborhood in the Chiba international dormitory, we have been guided to go to Chiba University for the first time of our life by Oshima Sensei, one of the supervisors for our program.

In the university, we got a brief introduction about Chiba University. Afterwards, we have an explanation of schedule and all the task and requirements that should be done during and after the program.

Since the main activity of this program is a laboratory work and cultural experience, so that we are divided into several laboratories from different divisions and study center. Most of the member of our team join the laboratory belongs to the Center for Environmental Remote Sensing (CERES), Chiba University. This laboratory course is supervised by Prof. Josaphat Tetuko Sri Sumantyo. However, other members will join the laboratory course of Division of Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology, supervised by Prof. Motoi Machida. Other students from Universitas Indonesia and Udayana University will join the laboratory of Deparment of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Health Education, and Department of Image Processing and Computer Sciences.

After the explanation, we have a campus tour around Chiba University which is very useful to make us get more familiar with the environment and the campus atmosphere. We visited all the respective laboratories that we have to join and several campus facilities, such as sport facilities (basketball stadium, swimming pool, tennis field, etc). We find it really interesting to see the activities from the students in Chiba. There are many extra curricular activities developed, and students looks really active to participate. 

The campus trip is ended with a welcoming ceremony. In the ceremony, we have been introduced to the professors and staffs of the Faculty of Education and TWINCLE Program. There is also a demonstration of Kendo by the student of Chiba University. As known, Kendo is a martial arts originally from Japan. It was so interesting to see the performance and culture. We have also a lot of great food, including the famous Japanese food, Sushi. 

Afterwards, we have a session of introduction between Indonesian students and Japanese students. Oshima Sensei asked us to introduce our self and remember all the name of Japanese students, also in other way around. He make a game to introduce each other in front of all other participant. Although in the beginning it was so difficult to communicate to each other (both sides were so shy), but in the end we managed that and becoming friends easily. Many topics were discussed between students from the two countries, including academic and cultural aspects. We feel like it is so enriching, and such a precious opportunity for us to learn each other culture and make a new friends!.

The program of today was end at 09.00 pm,

We are looking forward to join the laboratory course tomorrow and to have a new experience!


Annisa Triyanti

Introduction-Blog of TWINCLE UGM

TWINCLE- Stands for "Twin College Envoys Program"

-is a joint program between Chiba University, Japan and several universities in Indonesia. Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) is one of the partner universities in Indonesia besides Universitas Indonesia, Universitas Udayana, and other universities.

On 1-11 July 2013, ten UGM students under the Master Program on Planning and Management of Coastal Area and Watershed (MPPDAS) Faculty of Geography UGM, together with five Udayana students, and ten Universitas Indonesia students  join the laboratory work and cultural experience in Chiba University, Japan. The program is aimed to erinch experience and promote academic and cultural exchange among participants from Indonesia and Japan.

This blog is basically a collection of travel diaries, documentation, and daily activities of UGM students during the program.

This blog is dedicated to extend the experiences, knowledge, and information. We do hope that it can be useful and be functioned effectively to improve and to promote academic and cultural experience, as well as to encourage a mutual understanding between Indonesia and Japan, either on the present time or in the future.

Chiba, 1st July 2013

Greetings

TWINCLE UGM Team 2013