Institut Teknologi Bandung

For Erna, owning both bachelor’s and master’s degrees outside ITB has made her aware of her insecurity. However, she did not give up and proved that she was able to enroll in ITB, thanks to her family’s support.
As a doctoral student of ITB Electrical Engineering and Informatics Study Program, Erna also worked as a chief operating officer at PT Motekar Edukasi Indonesia and lecturer at PASIM National University. Conducting lectures as a doctoral student in 2019 is certainly a challenging task. Yet, she believed that residency- the weekly reporting of research progress by ITB doctorate students- helped her to achieve success as an ITB Doctor.
Residency is conducted every Wednesday, in which students are required to publish papers in international seminars and journals.
Writing one has become a routine for Erna, With the guidance and support of her supervisor Ir. Kridanto Surendro, M.Sc., Ph.D., she was chosen to present her research at an international seminar attended by 15 countries and received the Best Presenter award.
The experience of her being able to share her studies on a global scale becomes her motivation to continue improving herself. Each semester, Erna regularly publishes her research. In her second semester, she successfully published one paper in a reputable Q1 international journal. At the end of her doctorate study, she published three Q1 journals, one Q2 journal, and five international proceedings.
"The valuable knowledge I got during my studies was not only for my insight but also for my self-habituation, increasing motivation, spreading the spirit of sharing, and becoming a better person," Erna stated.
Reporter: Pravito Septadenova Dwi Ananta (Geological Engineering, 2019)
Translator: Ruth Nathania (Environmental Engineering, 2019)