Located 1,420 km from the Special Region of Yogyakarta, a story of student dedication is etched in the land of Southeast Sulawesi. “Mai Te Wuna,” which means ‘come to Muna,’ Muna Regency not only offers beautiful natural scenery but also a community eager for knowledge. The 2024 Community Service and Empowerment Learning Program (KKN-PPM) of Gadjah Mada University was successfully held in Moolo Village and Lanobake Village, Batukara District, Muna Regency, Southeast Sulawesi Province. The KKN-PPM activities were carried out for 50 days, from July 1 to August 20. With the theme “Sustainable Community Empowerment Based on the Optimization of Local Commodities as an Effort to Increase the Transpolitan Mutiara Economy in Muna Regency,” the program involved 28 students from various majors, including Agricultural Microbiology.
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Two students from the Department of Agricultural Microbiology at Gadjah Mada University have completed an internship at PT Ajinomoto Indonesia, Mojokerto Factory. The two students, Hanifatul Mahiroh and Faisal Nurul Fajri, undertook the internship program from July 1 to August 2, 2024, as one of the mandatory courses of the Faculty of Agriculture at UGM. They chose this location for their internship because PT Ajinomoto Indonesia, Mojokerto Factory is a multinational company engaged in the food industry, which aligns with the focus and interest of the two students who are interested in agro-industrial microbiology. Over approximately 33 days, they gained a lot of experience and learning during the internship. Faisal and Hanifa were placed in the Quality Assurance department in the Quality Control section.
Agricultural Microbiology students from the 2021 cohort at Gadjah Mada University, namely Abdi Cahyo Negoro, Nobela Dhoiriyah Putri Dinar, Salma Nuha Zahirah, and Zulva Nur Aini Hafizhah, have received the valuable opportunity to participate in the 6th semester MBKM internship program for the 2023/2024 academic year at PT Eka Timur Raya (Etira), located in Pasuruan. The MBKM Internship Program was conducted from February to June 2024. PT Eka Timur Raya is a company focused on the production and distribution of button mushrooms (champignon), a high-value commodity exported to various countries. During this internship program, the students were invited to understand and directly engage in various processes of button mushroom production, providing them with in-depth insights into how this product is produced under strict international standards.
On Monday, August 5, 2024, the Faculty of Agriculture’s Microbiology Department lecturers from Universitas Gadjah Mada, along with several agricultural microbiology students, conducted a training on the production of fermented livestock feed “Silage” in Umbulharjo village, Cangkringan District, Sleman Regency, Yogyakarta, as an effort to improve livestock efficiency and health. The Silage production training was held at one of the villagers’ houses and was attended by approximately 30 participants, including the local neighborhood head and residents who own livestock.
On July 31, 2024, the Department of Agricultural Microbiology graduated two students, Wilda Asyrina Maris (2019) and Nur Afni Febriyani (2020). Wilda Asyrina Maris, often called Wilda, completed her studies in 4 years, 11 months, and 19 days, while Afni completed hers in 3 years, 10 months, and 17 days. This second graduation ceremony was held at the Microbiology Library, on the 4th floor of the Agrotropica Learning Center (AGLC) building. Wilda graduated with an “Excellent” (Sangat Memuaskan) distinction and Afni graduated with a “Cum Laude” (Pujian) distinction, with a GPA of 3.78.
Saturday, July 20, 2024, the Faculty of Agriculture lecturers and students from Universitas Gadjah Mada carried out community service in Koripan Village, Matesih, Karanganyar, Central Java. A training on the production and utilization of biochar and silage was held at the Koripan Hamlet meeting hall, attended by approximately 40 participants, including the head of Matesih sub-district, Sugiharjo, SIP., MM., the head of the agricultural extension center of Matesih sub-district, the head of Koripan Hamlet RT, and resource persons for silage and biochar production training.
The Agricultural Microbiology Department graduated nine students consisting of four students from the 2017 cohort, three students from the 2019 cohort, and two students from the 2020 cohort. The Agricultural Microbiology Study Program graduation ceremony was held in the Microbial Ecology Laboratory Room, Agrotropica Learning Center (AGLC) 4th Floor on Monday, July 22, 2024, attended by the Head of the Study Program, the Head of the Department, and the Thesis Supervisors. The graduation ceremony began with a speech by Prof. Ir. Irfan Dwidya Prijambada, M.Eng., Ph.D.
The Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, UGM conducted a comparative study to Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST) and Plant Medicinal Research Centre (PMRC) in Vietnam. This activity aimed to establish cooperation with both institutions in Vietnam, promote the reputation of Gadjah Mada University as a global player in education, research, and community service, gain insights into curriculum development in the field of Agricultural Microbiology, and map potential programs that can be continued as collaborations between the university and related institutions. This comparative study was conducted from July 15-16, 2024, with activities including a visit to Hanoi University of Sciences and Technology (HUST) on Monday, July 15, 2024, with discussion topics on the potential collaboration between UGM and HUST. It continued on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, with a visit to the Plant Medicinal Research Center (PMRC) with the topic of potential collaboration between UGM and PMRC.
The Agricultural Microbiology Student Association (PERMAHAMI), in collaboration with the Department of Agricultural Microbiology, organized an industrial visit to PT Industri Jamu dan Farmasi Sido Muncul Tbk. located in Ungaran, Semarang, attended by 53 students and accompanied by two faculty advisors. The visit, held on Tuesday, July 2, 2024, aimed to provide knowledge and experience in understanding firsthand how the concepts studied in the classroom are applied in real-world practice.
The visit was received by the Public Relations of PT Industri Jamu dan Farmasi Sido Muncul Tbk, Mrs. Ami, and began with an explanation of the rules while at the industrial location. Ami explained that after the COVID-19 pandemic, Sido Muncul limited company visits to minimize the transmission impact. Ami further explained that Sido Muncul has a vision to become a pharmaceutical company, traditional medicine, health food and beverages, cosmetics, and herbal processing that benefits society and the environment.
The Department of Agricultural Microbiology organized a Community Service and Research Student Meeting on Wednesday, July 3, 2024. This event was held at the Integrated Agrocomplex Laboratory, Universitas Gadjah Mada, and was attended by faculty representatives, including Muhammad Saifur Rohman, S.P., M.Si., M.Eng., Ph.D., Desi Utami, S.P., M.Sc., Ph.D., Susanti Mugi Lestari, S.P., M.Si., Ph.D., and Yumechris Amekan, S.Si., M.Biotech., Ph.D., as well as educational staff, temporary daily workers (THL), and research students. The event started at 08:00 with community service at each laboratory where the researchers were based, followed by a research student meeting at 10:00 which included an evaluation of the ongoing research in the laboratory.