Yogyakarta, September 19, 2024 – The Faculty of Biology UGM held the Open Senate Meeting in 2024 at the Auditorium of Tropical Biology with the theme “Biologi Berkarya, Biologi Mendunia” (Biology Create, Biology Goes Global). The Open Senate Meeting was also the peak event of the series of celebrations for the 69th Anniversary of the Faculty of Biology UGM. The meeting was attended by the senate, deans, lecturers, education staff and student representatives of Faculty of Biology UGM, as well as invited guests, alumni, partners, and Dharma Wanita of the Faculty of Biology UGM.
Prof. Dr. Suwarno Hadisusanto, S.U. as the Chairperson of the Senate of the Faculty of Biology UGM opened the Senate Meeting and continued with singing the songs “Indonesia Raya”, “Hymne Gadjah Mada”, and “Mars Biologi” as well as a joint prayer led by Tyas Ikhsan Hikmawan, Ph.D.
Prof. dr. Ova Emilia, M.Med. Ed., Sp.OG (K), Ph.D., Rector of Universitas Gadjah Mada also attended the Senate Open Meeting and then delivered her remarks. “Since its inception, the Faculty of Biology has had a mandate to preserve biodiversity in Indonesia, including promoting work and innovation in sustainable development,” said Prof. Ova in her remarks (19/9). The Rector also expressed her appreciation to the Faculty of Biology in initiating the strengthening of the Indonesian Biodiversity Index, Biodiversity Credit and the pioneering of the Biodiversity Curator Profession.
Next, the Integrated Genome Factory (IGF) service was launched by the Rector of Universitas Gadjah Mada, accompanied by the Dean and Chair of the Senate of the Faculty of Biology UGM and Mrs. Erlina Vera Ratu from the Satriabudi Dharma Setia Foundation. Integrated Genome Factory (IGF) is an integrated DNA/RNA sequencing service unit at the Faculty of Biology UGM. With support from Panin Bank and the Satriabudi Dharma Setia Foundation, IGF uses the long-read sequencing platform from Nanopore Technology to provide the largest sequencing service in Indonesia. The presence of IGF is expected to make UGM a pioneer university in the application of nanopore technology and open up new opportunities for research development in various fields.
Prof. Dr. Budi Setiadi Daryono, M.Agr.Sc. as the Dean of the Faculty of Biology then delivered his remarks and the Annual Report of the Faculty of Biology UGM. He explained that the Faculty of Biology has shown its position in the international arena and has succeeded in maintaining its position at 501-550 in the world for Biological Science, and is the best in Indonesia based on the QS World Ranking. Prof. Budi further explained the role of Biology that continues to develop from the fields of Evolution, Biotechnology, to Ecology, and it’s very large role in efforts to preserve biodiversity, especially in Indonesia. The Faculty of Biology also supports these efforts through the initiation of the Indonesian Biodiversity Index and the establishment of the Biodiversity Curator Professional Program. The implementation of Biodiversity Credit is also carried out together with partners of the Faculty of Biology. This is in line with support for the achievements of the Sustainable Development Program (SDGs), especially in improving the quality of inclusive education (SDG 4), handling climate change (SDG 13), preserving ecosystems on land and sea (SDG 14 and SDG 15).
The improvement of education quality in accordance with SDG 4 is also demonstrated by the Faculty of Biology which has successfully maintained ASIIN international accreditation for its Bachelor and Master programs. This year, the Faculty of Biology UGM has also successfully launched the Biodiversity Curator Profession Program with 17 students with Bachelor to Doctoral educational backgrounds. In 2024, the Faculty of Biology will send 7 students for a Double Degree program with Leeds University UK, as well as dozens of other students participating in exchange programs with the Sakura Science scheme, Student Mobility, Student Exchange JASSO, or student exchange programs organized by UGM. A total of 3 students are participating in the fast-track bachelor-master program. Student achievements also continue to increase in the international and national arenas. The Faculty of Biology continues to improve the quality of research through the support of adequate facilities, including through the procurement of assets and the PUAPT (Inter-University Center of Excellence) grant scheme for various laboratory facilities that support biological research. The support of the Faculty of Biology’s human resources is also demonstrated by the increase in the number of lecturers and professors, as well as various routine programs to improve the quality of human resources.
Furthermore, the achievements of the number of research, achievements of international publications of lecturers of the Faculty of Biology, and the development of journals published by the Faculty of Biology, including the Journal of Tropical Biotechnology and Biodiversity (JTBB) indexed by Scopus Q3 and Berkala Ilmiah Biologi which has ISSN. Data on the increase in community service and cooperation both at the international and national levels were also presented. International publications of lecturers of the Faculty of Biology have continued to increase, especially in Q1 journals in the last 3 years. In improving the quality of education, the Faculty of Biology has collaborated with various world institutions to present 33 visiting professors and 7 adjunct professors during this period. Double degree collaboration has also continued to be improved, and so far, has succeeded in sending students for double undergraduate degrees at the Australian National University, and Leeds University, as well as double doctoral degrees at Montpellier France, University of Greifswald Germany, and Boku University Austria. Various programs that support research and cooperation are implemented, including the 8th National Seminar on Tropical Biology and the 7th International Summer Course on Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development which were attended by hundreds of participants from various institutions and countries, Research Day, BIOENTRI (Biology Open House and Introduction to Research Topics), as well as the first Business Gathering in collaboration with Prasetiya Mulya University and attended by dozens of partners.
The next Scientific Speech was delivered by Prof. dr. Erik H. J. Danen, Dean of Graduate School, Faculty of Science, Leiden University. He presented his latest research entitled “Advanced 3D co-culture models for mechanistic studies an
d drug testing in the context of fibrosis and cancer”. In the speech, Prof. Erik conveyed the focus of his research in the development of 3D models for cancer testing.
Furthermore, the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement regarding the Joint Doctoral Degree with the Faculty of Science, Leiden University was carried out by the Dean of the Faculty of Biology, Prof. Dr. Budi Setiadi Daryono, M.Agr.Sc. accompanied by the Chair of the Senate, Prof. Dr. Suwarno Hadi Susanto. On that occasion, Prof. Budi said that the collaboration was one of the efforts of the Faculty of Biology in increasing recognition in the international arena.
The Senate Open Meeting ended with a closing by the Chair of the Senate of the Faculty of Biology, Prof. Dr. Suwarno Hadisusanto, S.U. It is hoped that the Open Meeting agenda as part of the celebration of the 69th Anniversary of the Faculty of Biology can spark the enthusiasm of the academic community so that the Faculty of Biology can continue to develop and provide benefits to the nation and state.