December 1, 2004

LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION

To Whom It May Concern:

Mr. Faizal A. Samman, S.T., M.T. has asked that I prepare this letter of recommendation to support his application to continue his study to pursue a Doctorate Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering or other related area.  I do so with great enthusiasm.

I met Mr. Samman for the first time in 1999 when he was in the process of taking a teaching position at the Department of Electrical Engineering, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, INDONESIA, where I myself have been with since 1983.  Freshly graduated with honor from Gajah Mada University (UGM), which is one of the most prominent universities in the country, he was surely a very prospective faculty member our department was looking for. At the time, our department was looking forward to having him as one of our staff as soon as possible, but he told us that he preferred to continue his study before fully joining with us here in Makassar. We appreciated his intention very highly, and let him continue his study in Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), another most prominent university in the country. He completed his Masters Degree there in 2002, again with honor (cum laude). He joined our department right after the graduation, and became one of our most active and productive faculty members now. 

Mr. Samman had his continuing study program very well planned, and had his research projects well in mind. His interest in developing a very sophisticated microelectronic chip-sets operating as fuzzy logic controller circuits clearly indicated his strong qualities and great potential as a future researcher in the field of electronics and control engineering, area that we both share our interests. He wrote his Masters Thesis based on this original idea of his, and then published and presented several papers related to this subject in scientific journals and international conferences in the country and abroad. He is a self-starter person who can produce high quality works with little supervision. He came to see me several times, and in all these encounters he showed his openness to suggestions and an eagerness to engage in professional discussions that could enhance his understanding of the subject he is interested in. It has also been a great pleasure for me to have Mr. Samman teaching several classes together with me. I see in him the many qualities of both an excellent teacher and a great researcher.

I have been so thoroughly impressed by Mr. Samman’s technical competence in his field, and that he showed a very high motivation to continue his study, I wholeheartedly recommend him for any opportunity to pursue a higher degree programs in his filed. 

Should you wish any further information, please feel free to contact me, and I will be very pleased to respond to your inquiries.

With kindest regards,

Dr. Ir. H. Rhiza S. Sadjad, M.S.E.E