Bela Maya Paramitha, a Chemistry student from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia, class of 2019, successfully won the title of finalist in the 2021 IChEC Competition organized by HIMATEK-ITB. With her work entitled ‘Fabricated Chitin Nanofibrils Hyaluronan Nanoparticles Entrapping Staphylococcus epidermidis to Replace Beauty Sheet Masks’ Non-woven Fibers', Bela managed to become one of the 10 best participants out of 500 other participants after going through a series of competitions in the form of submitting works to finalist presentations.
The idea he wrote about was about how we can use bacteria that are naturally found on human skin as nutrients in beauty sheet masks (beauty mask). “I chose this title for two reasons. First, I do use this type of mask quite often and this type of mask is very popular among various groups from various countries. Second, I have an interest in learning more about bacteria in the human body and its benefits. I want the public to gain new knowledge that bacteria have many and varied benefits (these are not bacteria outside the human body, but bacteria that live on the skin and inside our own bodies.)” Bela said when interviewed by the FMIPA Public Relations Team regarding the background of her innovation.
Speaking of challenges, Bela also often faces challenges in writing her essays. One of the challenges she faces is that Bela has to find ideas that are slightly different from what she usually learns in class. This is because the chemical engineering and chemistry majors have quite contrasting differences, especially in terms of how to execute the idea. In addition, Bela also revealed that time management is also one of the biggest challenges because while participating in the competition, she is also undergoing several other activities in college.
However, behind the challenges, Bela also has a strong motivation so that she can complete her essay well and get the title of finalist. "My motivation is that I don't want to keep the knowledge I have to myself. I want to share it with many people. That way, my knowledge will not only be useful for myself, but also for others. In addition, by expressing passion-"In my daily activities such as competitions, it will make my ideas more likely to be realized, compared to if I just keep quiet and don't let others see what I like. Even if my ideas are not realized, it will still be easier to find people with the same interests if we are active in the field, so that the opportunity to innovate with others is more open." Bela said enthusiastically while delivering her motivation.
At the end of the interview session, Bela also said that it is very important for students to always challenge themselves to do things that seem difficult. Bela believes that actually everything can be done. Participating in competitions is one of the right ways because students will be able to develop their abilities in the science they like, while also developing soft skill especially in terms of self-control.
Bela advised all other FMIPA students to avoid laziness with the principle just do it. It is very good for students to continue to explore themselves so that they can stay motivated. In addition, try to focus on our strengths, so that we will be more confident to move forward and don't forget to always accompany everything with commitment.
Indonesia Chemical Engineering Challenge (IChEC) 2021 is a competition organized by the ITB Chemical Engineering Student Association with the main theme 'Converging Advances in Technology to Achieve Sustainability'. In addition to the essay category, the competition also carries 3 other categories, namely business case, problem solving, and plant design. Registration for the competition opens on October 30, 2020, the deadline for submission of works is February 13, 2021, the announcement of finalists on February 27, 2021, the presentation session on March 13, 2021, and the closing ceremony on April 2, 2021.
Article compiled by FMIPA UI public relations contributor: Arrizqy Nadya Khairunissa Yulianto (Geography 2019)
News source: https://sci.ui.ac.id/
DEPARTEMEN GEOGRAFI – Suasana berbeda menyambut kunjungan spesial dari siswa-siswi homeschooling Kak Seto ke Departemen Geografi. Kamis, 23 Oktober 2025 ruang yang biasanya dipenuhi diskusi akademik mahasiswa, kini riuh rendah
Depok, 25 Juni 2025. Indonesia, sebagai rumah bagi keanekaragaman hayati global yang luar biasa, menghadapi tantangan besar akibat alih fungsi lahan dan kebakaran hutan. Namun, Prof. Dr. Rokhmatuloh., S.Si., M.Eng.,
Depok, 25 Juni 2025. Sumber daya perikanan Indonesia berperan penting dalam ketahanan pangan, pendapatan, dan mata pencaharian, serta menjadi sumber protein hewani yang terjangkau bagi masyarakat miskin di pedesaan. Hal
