SEAMEO BIOTROP, the Southeast Asian Regional Centre for Tropical Biology, held an official onboarding activity to welcome the selected students from across Indonesia to the Certified Internship and Independent Study Program (MSIB) Batch 6. This event took place in the Matoa Meeting Room at SEAMEO BIOTROP’s headquarters on 4 March 2024 and was conducted through hybrid mode via an online platform.

This year’s MSIB program focuses on four themes for its class: Plant Biotechnology, Tropical Biodiversity Management, Sustainable Urban Agriculture, and the Management and Utilization of Sub-Optimal Land in Tropical Regions. The student will undergoes their internship program in SEAMEO BIOTROP campus starting from 16 February 2024 until 30 June 2024.

The event was graced by the presence of Prof. Dr. Ir. Sri Suning Kusumawardani, S.T., M.T., Direktur Pembelajaran dan Kemahasiswaan from the Directorate of Higher Education at the Ministry of Education and Culture. In her opening remarks, she highlighted the pivotal role of the MSIB program in expanding students' skills, competencies, and preparing them for future challenges.

“We thank SEAMEO BIOTROP for facilitating the students to conduct their internship in SEAMEO BIOTROP. SEAMEO BIOTROP has been a regional center of excellence and a proud partner of the MSIB program since 2022, offering recognition of 20 credits for the participants”. Prof. Dr. Ir. Sri Suning Kusumawardani, S.T., M.T. expressed the appreciation to SEAMEO BIOTROP in her remarks.

Mrs. Dewi Suryani, the coordinator for MSIB Batch 6 at SEAMEO BIOTROP, emphasized the importance of health and safety during the program. Ms. Rima Febriana, the Finance and Facility Department Manager, detailed the safety and security regulations, ensuring a secure learning environment for the interns. Furthermore, Ms. Dewi Suryani introduced the mentors and lecturers who will guide the students through their internships, which will later be converted into 20 university credits.

The selection process for this batch was rigorous, with over 5000 applicants from more than 539 universities nationwide. Only 60 students were chosen through a comprehensive screening process that included administrative review, the Academic Potential Test, Field Competencies Test, and interviews.

Program supervising lecturer (Dosen Pendamping Program - DPP), Ir Purwadi from Universitas Pembangunan Nasional (UPN) Veteran Surabaya, reminded students for program rules and regulations, including withdrawal policies, restrictions, as well as daily logbook recruitments.

Through the MSIB program, SEAMEO BIOTROP aims to cultivate a new generation of experts equipped to tackle the challenges of tropical biodiversity management. The program not only offers a unique learning experience outside the traditional campus setting but also prepares students for their future careers by providing practical, hands-on experience in their chosen fields.

For more information regarding the MSIB activities on SEAMEO BIOTROP, please visit https://msib.biotrop.org (hcn, ra).