study plan

My name Is Gayuh Aji Prasetyaningtiyas I was born in Wonosobo Regency. Wonosobo Regency is located between Sindoro and Sumbing Mountains. Generally, Wonosobo district consists of hill-side. This condition causes most of residence-houses and public infrastructures are built around slope area. Moreover, some highways are built by cutting hills.
For some years lately, there are numerous slope failures along lane that is connected Wonosobo and Banjarnegara—the district near Wonosobo. The natural disaster killed hundreds people and destroyed in some infrastructure constructions. In some sub-districts—Garung, Kejajar, and Karangkobar the construction failure break transportation activities. This is because the broken highways and bridges are the only one access at these sub-district.

This fact brings me to the landslide topic for my research thesis in my master degree. I took Karangkobar as my case study, to be noted Karangkobar has the worst condition caused by landslide. From the research I obtain the rainfall model that can indicate critical state of slope.

There are more slopes that prone to landslide across Island in Indonesia. Thus, The Ministry Of Settlements And Regional Infrastructures Of The Republic Of Indonesia releases Department of Crisis Center to do research in counter-measuring and early warning landslide. This year I am joining this team to do landslides research in Java-Sumatra areas. My field in the team is collecting and processing geotechnical data, also running the program to analyze slope stability. Goal of the research is to give early warning system for public. That early warning system showed on the website.

Based on this reason, I decide to take landslide and slope stability to be the object I would love to pursue during my next several years as a PhD student. I have contacted Professor xxx to be my supervisor in NTU (National Taiwan University). Prof. xxx is Department of Civil Engineering, National Taiwan University. He is the researcher in Taiwan who concerns in slope stability and Earth Retaining Structure in Taiwan. I have contacted him and told him about my PhD plan in NTU. He gave me positive response for my PhD admission.

Slope failure in Taiwan has a great similarities with the slope movement in Indonesia. Both of them mostly caused by rainfall. On the other hand, Taiwan Government takes high concern in this issue. Also, the landslide research in Taiwan is more advanced than in Indonesia, especially in rainfall infiltration modelling that triggers slope failure. By better modelling a researcher can have better approaching of existing condition of a slope. Based on this reason, my planning to continue PhD in Taiwan is the best choice, in purpose to have more clear theory and approaching in understand landslide.

In my PhD research I would like to focus on precipitation modelling into soil. The main case study of my research is the heavy population area near hill side or high inclination in Taiwan. This region usually has transformed its function—usually from free land to the housing or city. This transformation gives big impact to surrounded area. The direct effect particularly in slope’s shape that needs cut and feel process. More, soil properties will be influenced by the changing of drainage system of public activities.

Indonesia is a developing country. This country never stop improves. Twenty years ago the amount of population was about 137 million and now this number increase dramatically to more than 200 million people. I am pretty sure the total can be higher in the next year. Therefore shelter area spread toward hill side will not stop to grow. This situation will bring Indonesia to the Taiwan condition. Therefore, after I achieved my PhD, I would return to Indonesia, and continue my research in landslide with Crisis Center team. By combining my PhD modelling and theory I would try to approach to improve solution to face landslide problem in Indonesia.

There will be some challenges if I took study in Taiwan, such as language barrier and shock culture. Thus I plan to take a mandarin course, a couple months before I go to Taiwan.