The black orchid, known as Coelogyne pandurata Lindl., is a rare endemic flora of Indonesia. This orchid can only be found in East Kalimantan and Papua. Its uniqueness lies in its black labellum adorned with green stripes and fur, along with green flower ornaments with triangular-shaped petals. This orchid holds high economic value as an ornamental and rare plant collection. Unfortunately, infrastructure development projects in East Kalimantan have escalated the rate of extinction in the wild. Despite being categorized as Appendix I under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and protected by the Presidential Regulation of the Republic of Indonesia No. 7 of 1999, this orchid faces challenges.
In light of this, three UGM students, part of the UGM 2023 PKM-RE Team funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, namely Anisa Dewi Rahayu, Lathief Al Umami, and Shiddharta Arya Anggoro Cen from the Faculty of Biology, with their supervising professor, Prof. Dr. Endang Semiarti, M.S., M.Sc., are undertaking ex situ conservation through micropropagation using Temporary Immersion Systems (TISs) technology.
The application of TISs technology represents a cutting-edge method to accelerate the growth and development of the black orchid. Its advantages include the elimination of subculturing, optimal aeration, and prevention of hyperhydration. The innovative integrated sensor system of TISs facilitates the monitoring of environmental parameters such as pH, temperature, humidity, light intensity, and carbon dioxide levels. Lathief explains that the development of the TISs device, equipped with real-time sensors, is controlled by an Arduino Uno to facilitate environmental parameter regulation. The sensor measurements of environmental conditions are displayed on an LCD display. Shiddharta adds that the incubation chamber design at the top, serving as a space for explants from seeds to plantlets, can be flexibly adjusted according to needs without the need for modifying the sensor and actuator system.
Anisa elucidates that the application of the integrated sensor TISs on black orchid plantlets in the UGM Biology Biotechnology Laboratory has proven to accelerate growth parameter increments. This application initiates the development of modern and efficient ex situ conservation efforts for other endangered plants, leading to the production of higher-quality plants with minimal production costs.
Achivements
A team of Biology students at Gadjah Mada University (S1) made another achievement at the national level by winning first place in the National Essay Competition, led by Ghefira Nur Fatimah along with Jauza Hanifah Azzahra, Meinawa Amaliah, Fadilla Nur Hidayat, and Nimas Ayu Pramesthi. This national-level essay competition was organized by Brawijaya University from June 1st to September 13th, 2023, with the theme “Collaborative Nation-Building through Applied Technology Innovation towards Self-Reliant Indonesia,” . This event encompassed various stages, including the submission of works, assessment, finalist announcement, video presentation submission, video presentation assessment, and winner announcement.
The team took the subtheme Food and Agriculture Processing Technology, with their work titled “Organic Capsule Fertilizer Made from Household Organic Waste as a Manifestation of Circular Economy and Environmental Conservation.” Their scientific work was motivated by the escalating issue of waste accumulation in Indonesia, a country that generates approximately 21.2 tons of waste per year, predominantly consisting of household waste such as food waste, dry leaves, wood, tree branches, and food industry waste. Among the household waste types employed by Ghefira and her team was the mangrove crab shell waste (Scylla serrata). The mangrove crab’s body is primarily composed of its shell, accounting for about 80% of its weight, with the remaining 20% being edible flesh. They selected the mangrove crab shell due to its biocompatible, biodegradable, low toxicity, easy synthesis, and safe application properties.
In their innovation, Ghefira and team implemented two technologies: vermicomposting and microwave technology. This combination transformed organic waste into an innovative product: water-soluble organic capsule fertilizer. The organic fertilizer was crafted from household organic waste, while the water-soluble capsule shell was created from mangrove crab shells. The vermicomposting technology was utilized in the production of organic fertilizer involving the use of earthworms, specifically Eisenia foetida and Eisenia Eugeniae, in composting organic matter. The end result of vermicomposting technology is vermicompost, a mixture of worm castings and compost.
The microwave technology was used in producing water-soluble capsule shells using mangrove crab shell material. Chitin compounds found in mangrove crab shells can be transformed into chitosan for capsule shell production. The chitosan from mangrove crab shells has a large molecular weight, necessitating the application of microwave technology to produce chitosan with high deacetylation degree and low molecular weight, ensuring high solubility in water. The process for making chitosan capsule shells involves several sequential steps, including sample preparation, chitin isolation (deproteinization, demineralization, and decolorization processes), chitosan synthesis (repeated deacetylation using microwave), production of Glucosamine Hydrochloride (GLcN HCl) (via hydrolysis and centrifugation processes), and finally, capsule shell formation using modified capsule molds.
Through these two technologies, they produced water-soluble organic capsule fertilizer with numerous advantages. The use of fertilizers that previously required mixing various components may now be simplified through the capsule form, making application on plants more convenient. Individuals need not worry about measuring fertilizer quantities, as the organic capsule fertilizer already contains all necessary elements for plants in a complete and precise manner. Additionally, the capsule form facilitates storage due to its relatively small size, saving storage space. The water solubility of the organic capsule fertilizer is relatively fast, preventing residual waste during use. Therefore, the organic capsule fertilizer implements a circular economy system and is anticipated to contribute to environmental conservation.
The Panasonic Scholarship Indonesia was first launched in 1998 by Panasonic Corporation Japan to celebrate its 80th anniversary. The scholarship is offered through PT. Panasonic Manufacturing Indonesia in the form of Postgraduate Scholarships at the best universities in Japan for outstanding graduates with a Bachelor’s degree (S1) from various universities in Indonesia. Since 2014, Panasonic has changed the scholarship policy to provide Education Cost Aid and monthly Stipends for Bachelor’s (S1) and Master’s (S2) students, and in 2019, it was extended to include Diploma (D3/D4) students. The selection process for the Panasonic Scholarship begins with candidate selection through their respective universities /faculties /programs, followed by Panasonic’s own selection. The determination of scholarship recipients takes into various factors such as the completeness of administrative documents, students’ GPA, language proficiency, family’s economic condition, involvement in organizations, “Future Plan” essay, and readiness to become a Panasonic Scholarship recipient.
Biology students at Gadjah Mada University (S1) Zildan Basara made another achievement at the national level by winning 2nd place in the National Essay Competition in collaboration with student of Electronics and Instrumentation (S1), MIPA Faculty UGM Ferdian Arvin Nayandra.This national-level essay competition was organized by UKM MAPALA LOKA SAMGRAHA Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha, namely “Jaga Bumi Tetap Lestari”. The competition was opened on 1 May 2023, and the winners were announced on 10 June 2023.
During the Festival of Ideas, The 21st Indonesian Scholars International Convention (ISIC), Indonesia achieved an honor for the success of Jimmy Al Fa’is and Elvian Indah Nilamsari,who secured first place in an international essay competition. They outperformed competitors from all around the world with their ideas on the topic of Sustainable Transition. These two students proposed opportunities for Indonesia to achieve energy independency by harnessing the potential we possess.
ISIC is a scientific forum that was organized annually by the United Kingdom Student Association of Indonesia. In 2023, one of its events was an essay and scientific poster competition open to all Indonesian students across the country. The competition was highly competitive,participated by Indonesian students from 10 different countries. This year, there were 3 essays with 2 nominations contested. (1st and 2nd Place). On this achievement, they were invited to attend an international conference at Nottingham University, UK.
Biology students at Universitas Gadjah Mada (S1) made another achievement by winning the Bronze Medal and Favorite Poster at the national level El Bajo Essay Competition. This achievement was achieved by a team chaired by Amelia Rifki Alifiah (Biology 2019) and its member Fatika Soraya Taufik (Biology 2019) under the guidance of Sukirno, S.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D. This competition carries the theme “Idea, Innovation and Creativity to Realize the MDGs” and is carried out in two stages. The first stage included online essay selection by the jury with a total of 265 works from State and Private Universities in Indonesia, so that 28 finalist teams were obtained. The second stage was held on 18-19 March 2023 with an offline final presentation at the Office of the West Manggarai Regent, Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara. The organizers also held field trips for the finalists with the intended destinations including Pink Beach, Komodo Island and Padar Island.
Biology students at Gadjah Mada University (S1) made another achievement at the national level by winning 1st place in the National Essay Competition. This achievement was achieved by Zildan Basara, a student at the Faculty of Biology class of 2020. This national-level essay competition was organized by the Respati Tasikmalaya STIKes Student Executive Board at an annual event, namely the Stunting Response Festival. This year, the Stunting Response Festival has the theme “One Step for Indonesia: Optimizing Zero Stunting for Golden Indonesia”. The competition was held online with 103 registrants from 79 universities, the competition opened on 16 February 2023, and the winners were announced on 23 March 2023.
Two Biology students Class of 2019 who are members of the “Organic Sheet Mulch” team under the guidance of Dwi Umi Siswanti, S.Sc., M.Sc. won a bronze medal on March 21, 2023 in an international scientific work competition. The team chaired by Vykra Aulia Firdiana with one member, namely Fatika Soraya Taufik took part in the Agritech Research and Entrepreneurship Innovation (AGREETION) competition which was held in cooperation with several organizations at the Faculty of Agricultural Technology, University of Brawijaya, including the Agritech Research and Study Club (ARSC), Agritechno Business Center (ABC), Agricultural Industrial Technology Student Association (HIMATITAN), Agricultural Engineering Student Association (HIMATETA), and Agricultural Product Technology Student Association (HIMALOGISTA). This competition takes place from 1 February 2023 to. 21 March 2023 and was successfully attended by 243 teams from three countries (Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines).