The Faculty of Agriculture at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) has once again welcomed foreign students for research internships. One of the participants is Cen Caihui, commonly known as Mia, a doctoral (PhD) student from the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT), Japan. Mia is conducting her research internship at the Department of Agricultural Microbiology, UGM, supported by a scholarship from the Japan Science and Technology Agency. This program lasts for one month and is part of an international internship initiative. Mia chose UGM for her internship, partly due to a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between TUAT and UGM, which facilitated the administrative process.
SDG 4: QUALITY EDUCATION
The Microbiology Student Association (PERMAHAMI) is hosting the Bincang Bareng Keilmuan (BBK) event. Bincang Bareng Keilmuan (BBK) is a program designed to accommodate students’ curiosity about programs or activities that can be pursued during their time as Agricultural Microbiology students. This event has the theme “Study Abroad: Expanding Horizons through Education.” The purpose of this theme is to prepare a better program plan for Agricultural Microbiology students both during their studies and after graduating from the Agricultural Microbiology undergraduate program. The event will take place on Friday, August 30, 2024, and will feature two AIMS 2023 awardees, Zikra Fathin Nabila and Sausan Syadzafie Shafar. They will share their experiences from their exchange programs in Japan and South Korea.
On Sunday, August 25, 2024, a team of lecturers and students from the Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, UGM carried out community service activities with a farmer group in Kalibawang District, Kulon Progo Regency, DIY. The socialization and training on small-scale cocoa bean fermentation were attended by 47 participants from cocoa farmer groups, women’s organizations (PKK), representatives of youth groups, and summer course students from Ibaraki University, Faculty of Agriculture. The Agricultural Microbiology lecturer who served as the resource person for the cocoa fermentation training was Nur Akbar Arofatullah, SP., M.Biotech., Ph.D., who taught the participants about small-scale cocoa bean fermentation.
On August 18, 2024, PERMAHAMI held one of its work programs, the “Srawung” event as part of the Micrographia 2024 series. This event took place in the Social and Agricultural Economics Building, attended by 36 participants with the support of 32 committee members, and lasted from 7:30 AM to 12:00 PM WIB. The “Srawung” Microbiology event is part of the series organized by the Agricultural Microbiology Department, Faculty of Agriculture, UGM. During this event, the internship series of PERMAHAMI (Association of Agricultural Microbiology Students) began with an explanation of the Department of Microbiology and the study program, as well as an introduction to the faculty members in the department, followed by an explanation of the career opportunities in microbiology. In 2024, the “Srawung” Agricultural Microbiology event adopted the theme “Sahitya Abyakta.” The theme “Sahitya Abyakta” means “togetherness” (Sahitya) and “growth” (Abyakta). Sahitya Abyakta in this context represents the hope that microbiology will become a place for mutual growth and development. Thus, through the series of Micrographia events, new students can grow, and the committee can serve as a place, medium, and intermediary for new students to develop. This event aims to introduce new students to the Agricultural Microbiology Department at UGM.
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.
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.