On Monday, June 10, 2024, The MBKM Research Team of The Faculty of Biology UGM held a Consultation and Coordination Meetings on Utilizing Local Plants as Biolarvicides Against Aedes aegypti with LABKESMAS Yogyakarta. The meeting held at the Entomology Laboratory of LABKESMAS Yogyakarta aimed to discuss the testing of local plant extracts such as nutmeg pulp, duku peel, cat’s whiskers leaves, and others as biolarvicides against Aedes aegypti, the primary vector of dengue fever. This initiative was warmly welcomed by Mr. Yohanes Didik S, the head of the Entomology Laboratory, and Mr. Sutopo, the head of the Training Division. The activity involved three postgraduate students and two undergraduate students participating in the 2024 Faculty-Student Collaboration Grant and MBKM-research project from the Faculty of Biology, UGM, supervised by Dr. Dra. Rr. Upiek Ngesti Wibawaning Astuti, B.Sc, DAP&E, M.Biomed.
In addition to inspecting the laboratory facilities, the students were briefed on resistance testing on adult mosquitoes using the CDC bottle assay, surveillance, and the necessary data collection. Mr. Didik explained in detail the readiness and testing procedures for both larval and adult stages of Aedes aegypti, which greatly interested and motivated the students to commence their research.
During the meeting, Mr. Sutopo also explained the rules and regulations for research at LABKESMAS. The follow-up to this meeting will be a workshop on techniques for collecting, rearing, testing, and analyzing results, which will be held at the end of June or early July. The event concluded with a group photo, marking the Faculty of Biology UGM’s commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially Goal 3: “Good Health and Well-being.”
