Rendra Panca Anugraha (wear academic dress) with his parents after the graduation ceremony

ITS Campus, ITS News – There was something special in the 119th Graduation Ceremony of Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) which was held for two days at Graha Sepuluh Nopember ITS, on March 16-17 2019. There was one graduate who got a doctoral degree at 24 years 4 months named Rendra Panca Anugraha from the ITS Chemical Engineering Department, Sunday (17/3).

This anti-mainstream age of graduation is the same as Grandprix Thomryes Marth Kadja, the winner of MURI record as the youngest doctor in Indonesia who was also 24 years old at Bandung Institute of Technology in 2017. So, this young man who is often called Rendra can be said to be the youngest doctor in Indonesia today.

The story starts from the proposal of his supervisor in the undergraduate study period (S1), to take part in a scholarship program called Masters Education to Doctorate for Bachelor Degree (PMDSU). The program launched by the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education (Kemenristekdikti) in 2015 challenged leading scholars to continue their studies to the doctoral level within four years.

Who would have thought, this young man that was born in Bondowoso, November 25, 1994, completed the challenge in just 3.5 years. During that period, the student mentoring Prof. Dr. Ir Gede Wibawa M. Eng and Prof. Dr. Ir Ali Altway MS successfully conducted research publications in three reputable international scientific journals, as well as two international seminars.

Rendra Panca Anugraha, from the Chemical Engineering Department ITS is currently the youngest doctor at the age of 24

In his dissertation, Rendra focused on the use of Dimethyl Carbonate (DMC) and Diethyl Carbonate (DEC) as additives in gasoline fuel. The reason, Indonesia has a high dependence on fossil fuels (especially gasoline or gasoline), even though these resources are very limited. Therefore, he offered the idea of reducing this dependence by adding DMC and DEC which could be produced from biomass sources.

How Rendra Enjoys Youth

In the superhero film Spiderman, Uncle Ben’s figure told Peter Parker a legendary phrase, “With great power, comes great responsibility.” Power in this article can be interpreted as a level of intelligence. A doctor is a man who is endowed with high intellect. With all the limitations that exist, they should be able to find opportunities where it can contribute to society through this intellectual capacity.

Rendra was inspired by Uncle Ben’s character in the Spiderman movie

There are many real problems in the community that need a solution, and some problems have high complexity, so they require special capabilities. A doctor has basic provisions to handle this kind of thing, and this opens up opportunities for him to be able to contribute to carrying out his role.

“The way I enjoy youth is to find solutions to problems that exist in the community with the knowledge and abilities that I have,” said the doctor who is also trusted as supervisor researcher at the ITS Thermodynamics Laboratory.

According to the son of Suwardjito and Miftachul Djannah, a doctor is a person who stands at the end of the horizon of the development of science in his field. He is on the tip of the edge, so the task of a doctor after completing his doctoral studies is to continue the development of knowledge in that field.

Finding a solution to a problem, for Rendra is the way he enjoys his youth.

Rendra admitted, during the PMDSU program he was confronted with a number of issues which hampered the progress of his research. One of them is in terms of providing experimental materials. Sometimes, Rendra has to find the necessary experimental materials by himself aboard, so he needs to deal with the letter of credit of export-import goods. “It is very difficult to find the raw material for my research in Indonesia,” said the owner of 3.95 GPA.

Although it’s difficult, Rendra still committed to undergoing his doctoral studies as well as possible. The youngest of his 5 siblings felt they had a responsibility to complete the trust that the country had entrusted him through this PMDSU program. This enthusiasm has even led Rendra to carry out various researches as well as gather experiences at Hiroshima University, Japan. (mia / qi / Anjani / ITS Public Relation Officer)

Rendra Panca Anugraha (wear academic dress) with his family members after the graduation ceremony