Merry Sonia Subiantoro – A Biomedical Engineering Student at Udinus

There is a principle saying that the best research comes from the needs of the public. This very principle is upheld by a Biomedical Engineering student at Universitas Dian Nuswantoro, (Udinus), Merry Sonia Subiantoro.

Initially started as merely an interest in medical technology and wanting to help people with disabilities, Merry, a student of the 2020 cohort, managed to invent a prosthetic leg named the Silicone Partial Foot Prosthetic (SPFP).

To create this prosthetic leg, Merry had to undergo a series of processes spanning for three months, including brainstorming. During those three months, Merry dedicatedly worked on her project alongside her friend.

“The SPFP aims to help people with disabilities, both caused by congenital issues and accidents. Additionally, this device is also specifically aimed at people with disabilities who do not have sole. For that reason, my friend and I are concerned and committed to helping people with disabilities,” she revealed.

Their invention would later be handed to users who are also partners. In addition, she also uttered that the SPFP was also handed to the Biomedical Engineering Department for archival and further research purposes.

“Hopefully, the SPFP can eventually be accepted by people with disabilities, as well as boosting their knowledge,” she hoped.

Actively Participates in Organizations

In addition to research, Merry, born in 2001, is also particularly fond of getting herself involved in organizations. She was once the Vice President of the Biomedical Engineering Student Association. Furthermore, she is also a member of the Dinus Innovation Design Community (DID.co).

According to her, a campus is a place for her to gather knowledge, both academic knowledge and non-academic. Also, she said that the campus was a perfect place to learn both soft skills, as well as hard skills. Thus, it would be the right decision if a student were to utilize this opportunity to its fullest.

“So, it is important for us to gather experience and uncover our latent potential through organizations instead of focusing altogether on attending daily lectures,” she added.

Merry also advised her fellow students to keep honing their potential. This is because knowing oneself is crucial, allowing one to understand their interests and competence.

“As a student myself, it is alright not to excel in all college subjects. My advice is that you need to only focus on what you are good at and fond of, and from there, you can learn this competence more deeply. Also, I would like to leave words to my juniors, gather knowledge, and uncover your latent potential so you can eventually be able to work on thesis well,” she concluded. (Humas Udinus/Ika. Foto: Dok. Pribadi)