UNAIR NEWS – In 2014, the professor of Faculty of Science and Technology Prof. Retna Apsari, Dr. M.Si., was trusted to manage Faculty of Vocational Studies. She was trusted as Vice Dean III in the faculty established in June 4, 2014. During Faculty official inauguration 2015-2020, the scholar of Department of Physics was trusted as Vice Dean I.

All this time, Retna Apsari has conducted a lot of researches in Bio-optics and Laser Application, which is believed to bring a lot of advantages not only for industrial application and diagnosis, but also as applicative and useful therapy for our bodies.

Optics is one of the studies on light quantum or photon when it goes through a medium. Optical studies have advantages, it can differentiate optic trails of one wave used, non invasive, non destructive and non ionized.  The advantages of Optics related to nano dimension and lately to femto dimension, which makes it possible to explore the character and structure of a material including biomaterial.

Optics, especially Bio-optics is one of the unique studies as it needs integrated collaboration of fundamental theoretical (physics and mathematics), computation and application (optics, technology information, electro optics), msart system and optical imaging. Considering its broad and complex scope, collaboration with other field is necessary. Integration of fields will accelerate research implementation to stakeholders and it needs laser as the source of light.

Laser can be used as non ionized and non destructive cancer treatment with little side effect as this beam can scan the cancer cells selectively and accurately with various interaction mechanisms such as photothermal, photochemical, photoblastic, plasma production and photodisruption.

Laser can also be used to deal with caries on teeth. It can be used for thermal therapy applied in physiotherapy as a medium of biostimulation. This beam can be used in animal husbandry for example laser beaming for stimulation to fatten the livestock. The principle, the science of laser is very broad and is developing.

There are many phases to be excellent such as establishing partnership with industrial and universities either domestic and abroad. Therefore, the dream to be a world class university can be more achievable. Some international partners she has worked together were Prof. Dr. Ahmad Harith, Prof. Dr. Sulaiman W. Harun, and Dr. Hamzah Arof from Photonics Research Center Universiti Malaya; Prof. Hiroyuki Ichikawa from Lab. Optical Engineering, Faculty of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Ehime University Matsuyama Japan; Prof. Dr. Khosrow Mottaghi from Aachen University Germany, Prof. Dr. Eko from Faculty of Biomedical Engineering Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Prof. Dr. Marsin Sanagi from Institut Ibnu Sina Universiti Teknologi Malaysia; Prof. Dr. Noriah Bidin from Laer Center Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

Faculty of Vocational Studies has three departments, business, engineering and health. Retna said that all disciplines in this faculty can create synergy as Faculty of Vocational Studies is a complete package. Synergy will accelerate implementation of the research results to get to the stakeholders. On the other hand, each graduate of departments have similar opportunity in the professional world. The graduates of this faculty are guaranteed to have a great career. With UNAIR excellent reputation, their quality is also preferable.

“The graduates of Faculty of Vocational Studies in each department have great opportunity at professional world. They were produced to be skillful, creative and visionary for Indonesia,” said Prof. Retna.

In conducting research, Retna admitted that she is assisted by her students especially from the Engineering Department (D3 Instrumentation System Automation) as her research correlated with the discipline. Application can collaborate with D4 Radiology, D3 and D4 Physiotherapy, D3 and D4 Traditional Medicine, D3 Occupational Hygiene and Safety, D3 Animal Health.

As a professor, Retna’s performance in research development is excellent. From 1993 to 2015, she conducted 33 researches. All of them have brought impacts for the society. In 2015 for example, Retna conducted a research, Terapi Fotodinamik Laser Merah Untuk Percepatan Apoptosis Sel Kanker Dengan Variasi Eksogen Fotosensitizer.

The previous year, she worked on Rancang Bangun Sistem Diagnosis dan Terapi Terpadu Kanker Kulit Ekonomis Non-Invasive Berbasis Nanolaser Speckle Imaging and Foto dinamik Laser Infra Merah Untuk Inaktivasi Sel Kanker Invitro Dengan Eksogen Fotosensitiser. The exploration of optic modulation study based on phases developed by Apsari and team has produced some results, such as detection system and material characterization based on interferometri method and optical imaging.

Retna has attended international conferences such as The Fifth International Conference and Workshops on Basic and Applied Sciences – ICOWOBAS 2015 on October 16th – 17th, 2015 and 10th International Symposium on Modern Optics and Its Applications, Indonesian Optical Society (INOS) – Physics of Magnetism and Photonics Group ITB, 2015.

Author: Rio F. Rachman
Editor: Defrina Sukma Satiti