On Friday, 5th April 2019, the graduation ceremony was held for graduates of all Doctor and Master’s Programs in FMIPA, FTSL, SBM, SF, and SITH. The ceremony also saw conferment of Honorary Doctor Degree to CEO of PT. Paragon Technology and Innovation, Dra. Nurhayati Subakat, Apt. The conferment of Honorary Doctor Degree to Nurhayati Subakat is historically notable for ITB because it marks the first time ITB confers Honorary Doctor Degree to women.

The second day on Saturday, 6th April 2019 saw the graduation ceremony for graduates of all Undergraduate Programs and Master’s Programs in FITB, FSRD, FTMD, FTTM, FTI, SAPPK, and STEI. Ten foreign students were also graduated, two comes from Czech, one from Yemen, one from Tanzania, one from India, two from South Korea, two from Malaysia, and one from Libya.

On the ceremony, Rector of ITB, Prof. Dr. Ir. Kadarsah Suryadi, DEA congratulated the graduates and addressed a message to all graduates. “This is the time to be grateful for your hard work you did during your study in Institut Teknologi Bandung. Tomorrow you have to prepare yourself for the next step,” said the Rector.

In accordance with the conferment of Honorary Doctor Degree to Nurhayati Subakat, Prof. Kadarsah addressed a speech about cosmetics. At the end of 19th century, cosmetics got particular attention not only for its benefit to beauty but also to health. With the advancement of technology, some cosmetics is made from combination with pharmaceutical, commonly referred to as cosmeceuticals. It generally includes personal care products such as skin whitener and deodorant.

The Rector explained that cosmetic industry grows significantly in the last 40 years. Chemical industry have important role in it for giving many alternatives to cosmetic materials. The quality and the quantity of biological materials for skin cosmetics increases. “That’s why, other professions such as doctors also practice and give attention to the science of skin beauty,” he said.

Developing national cosmetic industry demands reliable research and innovation. Hence, higher educations should be involved in the research and development of cosmetic products. Prof. Kadarsah said that since long ago ITB has given contribution in the development of cosmetic products, such as the formulation of cosmeceutical preparations that can repair cell function on skin layers, effective sunscreen formulation, hair tonic formulation, including the stability test.

With the developed testing method, ITB cooperates with several cosmetic companies to specifically conduct test on cosmetic safety. Various research regarding expansion of preparations and selection of material, development of new products and technology innovation are continuously conducted.

On the occasion, the Rector also mentioned several achievement gained by ITB. This year, ITB sits on the 200 best higher education according to Times Higher Education Asia-Pacific University Rankings 2019. ITB also sits on 164th place in Emerging Economies, #401-500 in Business & Economics, 601+ in Computer Science, #601-800 in Engineering & Technical, and #601-800 in Physical Sciences, all of them according to Times Higher Education University Ranking 2019.

ITB is also the 2nd best higher education in Indonesia according to Times Higher Education Asia-Pacific University Rankings 2019 and the 3rd best university in Indonesia according to Webometric in 2019.