TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) inaugurated the Integrated Oceanographic Research Laboratory (Laterio) on Tuesday, February 22, which is equipped with an Integrated Instrumentation Laboratory and 14 open laboratories. It is hoped that the laboratory can be used by various groups, not only BRIN researchers.

“Hopefully it will be a good start for all of us to improve oceanographic research that is not only at BRIN but also in Indonesia as a whole and involve at least the marine faculties in our country,” said BRIN Head Laksana Tri Handoko during the facility launching event in Ancol, North Jakarta, Tuesday, Feb. 22.

The 14 laboratories include the Physical Oceanography Lab, Geospatial Information Systems Lab, Marine Microbiology Lab, Geology Lab, Heavy Metal Lab, Biogeochemistry Lab, Toxicology Lab, Marine Environment Lab, Invertebrate Lab, Plankton Lab, Vertebrate Lab, Marine Botany Lab, Micro technical Lab, and Ecophysiology Lab.

Acting Head of the BRIN’s Oceanographic Research Center, Udhi Eko Hernawan, explained that the focus of marine research at the global level ranges from coastal areas to sediments zone.

“The scope of the research includes aspects of the community around the coastal area, coastal ecosystems, ecosystem health, pollution, mangroves, seagrass up to water pools,” he said. In addition, he also conducts other research, such as oceanographic phenomena, physics, chemistry, and geology.

Meanwhile, the Integrated Instrumentation Laboratory is designed as a hub for the science e-service platform or ELSA BRIN with various laboratory analysis instruments that are routinely used by interdisciplinary researchers in marine science. “It is an open platform service through the ELSA system (www.elsa.brin.go.id),” Udhi concluded.

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MARIA FRANSISCA LAHUR