Muhammad Fauzan Syahbana Achieves Highest GPA Thanks to His Love for Physics

Muhammad Fauzan Syahbana, a graduate of the undergraduate Physics study program at FMIPA UI, is the only undergraduate graduate at UI who obtained the highest GPA, namely 3.99 with cum laude predicate.

This was announced by the MC at the Graduation and Welcoming Ceremony for New Undergraduate Students held on Friday, September 22, 2023.

When the MC mentioned the GPA figure, the graduation ceremony hall, UI Hall, Depok Campus, was abuzz. Sabana said that although he was still grateful, he himself felt exasperated with the final result of his GPA.

“Can you do 4?” he said with a laugh.

Sabana said that her GPA dropped when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, when the learning process, which was initially offline, changed to online. At that time, she had a little difficulty adjusting. However, despite experiencing many obstacles, Sabana did not lose her determination to continue learning. while laughing.

During his education at UI, Sabana felt very helped by the lecturers in the Physics Department who were very supportive. According to him, they were dedicated in teaching knowledge to students.

"In Physics there are several interests, I took the interest in Nuclear Physics and Theoretical Particles. Under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Drs. Terry Mart, I researched meson particles, which are small particles that have a great influence on the development of technology, especially for hundreds to thousands of years to come," said Sabana.

Research related to meson particles is important in nuclear studies. According to Sabana, nuclear development is necessary because humans cannot avoid using energy. Currently, 70-80% of the world's energy consumption is still dominated by coal fossil energy.

In Indonesia itself, the use of fossil energy reaches 91%, consisting of oil, natural gas, and coal. Meanwhile, the other 9% is controlled by new renewable energy such as hydroelectric power, wind energy, and so on.

Sabana's seriousness in the research began with her love for Physics since she was in Junior High School (SMP). Her biggest motivation at that time was to participate in the National Science Olympiad (OSN). She proved her interest by winning a Gold Medal at the 2018 OSN.

Sabana's achievements in OSN successfully brought him into UI through the achievement pathway. Even while in college, he continued to participate in various competitions and olympiads. This time, he participated in the National Mathematics and Natural Sciences Olympiad (ONMIPA) in 2020 and 2021 and managed to win a Silver Medal and a Gold Medal.

Sabana hopes that in the future he can continue his education in plasma physics because the science has not been widely studied in Indonesia. In fact, plasma physics can be used to develop fusion nuclear reactors that combine atoms like in the sun.

"Fusion reactors will be present as one of the cleanest, safest, and cheapest energy sources because they only require water as the main ingredient. This reactor is expected to provide great benefits while maintaining environmental sustainability. Therefore, I hope to gain that knowledge abroad, then return to Indonesia to develop it so that Indonesia can create the first fusion nuclear reactor," said Sabana.

News source : https://sci.ui.ac.id/