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First Step into Understanding Asian Plant Biodiversity Through Molecular Biology

Headline News Release Monday, 20 February 2023

Sakura Science Program-Yamagata University-Daily Chronicle: Day 4

Sunday (19/02/2023) marks the fourth day of our program at Yamagata University. We gathered at the campus at 8 a.m. as per usual and started the day with delicious gyūdon to fill us up with the energy needed for today’s activities. Although the continuous drizzle indicated higher temperatures, the winds still made it feel just as chilly. However, the weather did not hinder today’s exciting agenda which is a series of experiments titled “Understanding Asian Biodiversity by Advanced Molecular Biology Technique”.

These experiments extended for the next three days, ending with a presentation explaining our results. After being divided into groups of 3, Professor Jun Yokoyama gave us an introduction to what we were going to do as well as handing us protocols to follow for the experiments. Each group will pick one of the five genera of plants (Vanda, Bulbo, Dendrobium, Cymbidium, Phalaenopsis), where each member of the group will extract a sample of a plant belonging to the chosen genus. Then, by following the instructions given in the manual, the samples are processed thoroughly by a series of buffer solutions and multiple centrifuge sessions with the goal of isolating the DNA to be put through polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which will be followed by electrophoresis on the next day. By isolating the DNA of the plants and turning it into readable data, we can compare the similarities and differences between each plant within the genus. Hence, we can draw conclusions about what caused the evolution between species and how biodiversity came to be within a genus, as previously explained in yesterday’s (17/02/2023) lecture.

The preparation of isolated DNA was not an easy task, especially since most of us were unfamiliar with the process. Although we were very excited to try something new, it took immense concentration and care when it came to the chemicals involved in the experiments; one of the biggest concerns was minimizing contact with the crucial parts to avoid contamination, which even the slightest could jeopardize the results. Paired with the many steps involved, it is safe to say that there was a slight aura of panic and anxiety among us at the beginning. However, this nervousness was outweighed by the helping hands of the Yamagata students who used their experiences to guide us through this unfamiliar territory. They made sure our experiment would not go awry and their friendliness took all the pressure away. They even handled the more complex parts of the experiment to save us time and trouble. We could not be more grateful to have them as our lab assistants. One of the best parts about having them as our lab assistants was the fun conversation we had about cultural exchange, as we learned something new and interesting about each other every minute; from learning simple phrases from each other’s languages to talking about local cuisine.

In the afternoon, between the continuous experiments, we were given warm and savory chicken curry with naan on the side. After we finished our DNA isolation, we stored them away to be put through PCR and excitedly waited for the results tomorrow, hoping that our efforts will pay off. At 17.30, we once again had dinner at the Indian restaurant from the night before, where we ate curry that we chose beforehand, all the while chatting with the lab assistants who joined us that evening. With the evening ending on a great note, we parted ways once again to roam the city and eventually call it a night. (Niki&Reiz)

Embracing The Nature That Opposite from Ours: An Adventure on Mt Zao, Yamagata Japan

Headline News Release Sunday, 19 February 2023

Sakura Science Program-Yamagata University-Daily Chronicle: Day 3

It was a cold windy morning (18/02/2023) in Yamagata, the students of Faculty of Biology UGM that joined the Sakura Science Program were getting ready to start our day. On this eventful third day, the students of the Sakura Science Program gathered at Yamagata University early on Saturday morning at 7 am. That day’s agenda was to explore the winter landscape and attractions of Mt Zao. The mountain area of Mt Zao is a cluster of volcanoes located on the border between Yamagata Prefecture and Miyagi Prefecture. This group of volcanoes has a rich biodiversity of animals and plants and is one of the most popular areas for skiing and hot springs.

At 8 am sharp, we took a 40-minute bus ride to Mt Zao. On the ride there, we were served a hot bento box of rice and fish with pickled and cooked vegetables as the side dish for the breakfast menu. On this trip, we were accompanied by Prof. Yokoyama and Prof. Fujiyama, as well as several students of Prof. Yokoyama and Prof. Fujiyama. Our trip was managed by Mr. Arai as our tour director. After we arrived, we were then taken to the winter sports rental store to change our clothing into mountain clothing. We were provided with mountain boots, a hiking jacket and pants, gloves, and a beanie. After all of us slipped into our mountain gear, we then walked for about 10 minutes to the foot of Mt. Zao is where the cable car station is situated. We were given snow trekking shoes and a pair of hiking poles and then taken to the top of the mountain by cable car. Our ride stopped at the top station (1.387m above sea level), we put on the gear and walked along the trek and explored the snowy Mt. Zao. It was the first time for most of us to see and experience snow, so everyone had a wonderful time. They also learned a lot of insight and new knowledge about this zone and climate, such as Mr. Arai told us that Mt. Zao was said to be a monster god who falls asleep especially if we see it from above; how this mountain has such deep snow cover and has permafrost; or when Prof Yokoyama pointed at us the snow bud of a pine tree that would bloom in the springtime.

After playing in the snow, we were making our way to descend Mt. Zao and going to a Turkish restaurant to have our lunch. There, we had hot traditional Turkish foods which were served in Japanese style, such as kebabs, bowl of chicken, beef wraps, fish and chips, and chicken kaarage. Afterwards, the group of students continued their way to the rental store where we changed into our original clothes. We then explored the town that is at the foot of Mt. Zao.

During our exploration of the town, we visited a gift shop where it sells the town authentic souvenirs which most of the students bought as gifts for themselves and their loved ones back in Indonesia. After indulging the town’s festive and cold atmosphere, the group then got on the bus for the trip back to Yamagata.

The trip back to Yamagata was short and quiet, which took around thirty minutes as all of us wasted no time, since we had been tired from our adventure. After arriving at the university, the students were given free time for 30 minutes in which they could explore Yamagata university freely and gathered again for dinner at 6 pm.

The day was wrapped up with dinner in an Indian restaurant located in the city of Yamagata where we were served original Indian cuisine foods such as curry and naan. Our Saturday adventure ended nicely with a full belly and tired feet. (Max&Zid)

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Learning Biosystematics and the Insects Biodiversity through the view of Yamagata University

Headline News Release Saturday, 18 February 2023

Sakura Science Program-Yamagata University-Daily Chronicle: Day 2

On a cloudy Friday (17/06/2023) morning, the students made their way to Yamagata University. That day’s agenda were four lectures by Professor Jun Yokoyama, Professor Yutaka Miyazawa, Professor Naoyuki Fujiyama, and Dr. Taisuke Kanao. Two lectures in the morning and two in the afternoon. Professor Jun Yokoyama was the first to deliver his lecture “How to Describe Plant Diversity”.

In his session, Professor Yokoyama described that traditionally the diversity of plants was usually described if they were useful for human use. Medicinal and edible plants are most illustrated and documented in antiquity. In modern times, new species are documented following a strict set of rules. Formally, these rules started with “Systema Naturea” by Carl Linnaeus. Introducing classification of the plant kingdom, the animal kingdom, stone classification. However, now if a new species would like to be described, one must: discover a new species, compare it to already well described species, selection of type species, name preparation, paper publishing, and peer review. Afterwards, Professor Yokoyama continued upon the various species concepts and cladistics. One of which is the phylogenetic species concept, which states that organisms which are descended from a common ancestor have traits which were derived from that common ancestor. Ending the lecture with which approach is required to procure data for phylogenetic analysis, molecular data from DNA and Proteins are required.

The second lecture was delivered by Professor Yutaka Miyazawa on the topic of “Introduction to Plant Molecular Physiology: Molecular Mechanism of Root Hydrotropism, an adaptive plant response to water deficit. He explained the phenomenon known as hydrotropism where plant tissues grow towards areas with a higher moisture gradient. Tropic processes other than phototropism and gravitropism are not wholly understood. As such, to study the mechanism of hydrotropism one must find what causes such a growth. By analyzing the contents of the growing tissue, patterns can be found. Through analysis of growing Arabidopsis thaliana roots, a few hundred genes responsible for the entire growth process have been found. Due to the large amount of work, it would take and experiment on all of them to find which gene was primarily responsible for hydrotropism. A different approach was taken. Mutants which didn’t display any hydrotropic growth were isolated and compared with wild type specimens. There existed two genes that were not expressed in the mutant type, further called MIZ1 and MIZ2. MIZ1 affects the growth of root stelae and external tissues. If absent, Arabidopsis thaliana roots are only affected by gravitropism; when expressed normally as in the wild type, roots will grow normally following a higher moisture gradient; when over expressed, roots will approach water at a much faster rate. Despite hydrotropism appearing in other plant species, the genes and responses which occur are wholly different to Arabidopsis thaliana.

Now after the finished the first half of lectures, we have our lunch in the campus cafeteria. We have hot ramen and shrimp dumplings, which very delicious and fit for the weather. After lunchtime, with all of us being satisfied with the delicious ramen meal, we went back to the Faculty of Science to proceed our next session.

Our afternoon session was opened by a lecture form Professor Naoyuki Fujiyama. The lecture was about the Asian insect’s Diversity, which included up to 3 main parts. Prof Fujiyama started his lecture with a question which region in the world that has the largest diversity of insect? is the species diversity of insects the highest in Asia?”, In which it follows with a temporary answer which is “uncertain” depend on how we perceived.

He then continues the lecture by explaining the factors that could affect the insects’ biodiversity. In some of his explanations, he told us that the larger the area, then the species would have much more diversity. The climate is also part of the factors that impact the insects diversity. For example, a tropic climate would contain a much more phytophagus species due to its host plant species diversity. After all of his explanations, he would then come back to his question to the students and then gave his new answer which explained that the insects diversity might be the highest in asia, due to the factors that could affect the diversity which is the size of an area, the amount of islands, the climate, the geological history, and the plant species biodiversity in those area.

On the second part of Professor Naoyuki Fujiyama’s lecture is the Indonesian diversity of the herbivorous ladybird beetles. His explanations indicated that the center of distribution of the herbivorous ladybug beetle is the tropics, and it originated from Africa. Moreover, the Cucurbitaceae is the ancestral host, and most of the many Asian species depend on Solanaceae. He concluded his lecture by explaining his case study of the herbivorous ladybug beetle and on what information we could know from the DNA sequence data. After Professor Naoyuki Fujiyama’s lecture, the students were given a ten-minute break before proceeding into the next session by Dr. Taisuke Kanao.

In Dr. Taisuke Kanao’s session, we learned about the termites as a decomposer, a pest, and a social insect. Furthermore, he added that almost 3100 species of termites is known. The social strata/caste of termites breaks down from the queen, king, worker, soldiers, nymph & alate. Each of the social class has their own task, from the queen in which she was tasked to lay eggs and regulate the colony by the pheromone. The king in which he mates with the queen, the workers in which they had to take care of the queen, eggs and larvae and collects food. And then there’s the soldier that protects the colony and lastly the nymph & alate in which they are the future queen and king. In between the explanation, Dr. Taisuke Kanao showed us a specimen of the termites’ queen to the students, and the size of it was surprising to the students as it can be compared to a human’s thumb.

Later on, Dr. Taisuke Kanao explains the guests’ term in the termite’s world, from the synectrons, the one that is persecuted by the termites as they are most likely to be the predator to the termites. The synoeketes, in which they are the guests that are ignored by the termites. And the synophilis which are essentially the “true guests” of the termites since they are highly integrated into host termite societies. After that, Dr. Taisuke Kanao continued the topic of phylogeny. The topic consists of the evolution of termitophily in Aleocharinae which explained that they evolved for at least 14 times. The convergent of morphology and host relationships, and the errors of the Aleocharinae systematics.

After each of the lectures has been said and done, the lecturers would given a souvenir from Yogyakarta and from the Faculty of Biology UGM, and then there would be a photo session afterward. The last lecture was lasted until 16:00 PM. Furthermore, the students would be given a break time until the time for dinner comes up at 17:30 PM. During this time, we had free time to going to Downtown, enjoy scenery or doing some shopping. (NAdh&Ibar)

Bersiap mengikuti sesi Kuliah dengan semangat

Sesi 1. Kuliah dengan Prof. Jun Yokoyama

Sesi 2. Kuliah dengan Profesor Yutaka Miazawa

Menikmati Lingkunagn kampus Yamagata University

Kenang-kenangan untuk Prof. Naoyuki Fujiyama

Kenang-kenangan untuk Dr. Taisuke Kanao dari Fak. Biologi UGM

The Start of a Journey: A Walk Through our Day One

Headline News Release Saturday, 18 February 2023

Sakura Science Program-Yamagata University-Daily Chronicle: Day 1

As the incredible day, yet challenging journey came to an end on our day of arrival, another began. This morning (16/02/2023), our team gathered at 8 AM sharp, as promised the night before. Due to the close proximity of Yamagata University to our hotel, we made a decision to walk as a mode of transportation throughout our entire stay in the city located in the Yamagata Prefecture. We were greeted by none other than Prof. Jun Yokoyama and were immediately directed to a classroom for our breakfast session. Afterwards, an orientation was presented to us as delegates of the Sakura Science Program 2023.

To prepare us for our very best performance, Prof. Jun Yokoyama was kind to share a detailed presentation regarding our program’s itinerary, all the way to everything we needed to know about the many years’ worth of our partner university’s city. Starting off with listed activities from day one to day nine of our stay, we were promised the chance of learning lectures related to molecular biology, alongside multiple laboratory courses that would further develop our understanding on the said topics.

Continuing the lessons with the study of weather conditions us, tropical islanders have not been used to. We were told that Yamagata serves as a spot with an extreme distinction between its winter and summer climate. Our own country home was displayed a direct inverse of a constant 30°C all year round, while Yamagata’s winter reached below 0°C and summer nearing 27°C. This difference was not limited only to the currently freezing town’s climate, but also to the rate of precipitation, temperature changes, and radiation waves emitted throughout all 12 months of the year. the summer

Prof. Jun Yokoyama had been very intent on mentioning the found differences in our climate conditions, which would be a major factor in the existing biodiversity – especially of plants, that Earth possesses. Moreover, this was important to the program we are undertaking, as we were facilitated with even more knowledge that would support our work on the molecular biology research that will be done by the week through the next few hours of lecture.

However, we had to end our session right before the said lecture began, for our big portion of the meal had already been served by the time set high in the afternoon. A bowl of rice with salad and soup as our side dishes, a plate of tomato and cheese-stuffed chicken katsu accompanied by bolognese spaghetti to enrich the flavors, we ended our first half of the day with a full stomach and stories to share at the dining table.

After having a delicious lunch at the campus cafeteria, we went straight to our classroom to learn about the diversity in Yamagata. Professor Jun Yokoyama explained about the diversity in different areas in Japan, including areas with different elevations. We were told that areas in Japan have different types of plant species due to the factors mentioned above.

Professor Jun Yokoyama took us on a trip around the campus. There are many lab facilities, such as animal behavior lab, plants development lab, and many other labs with up-to-date equipment. We got the opportunity to visit the lab, also the professor explained about the facilities and the tools in each of the labs. Professor Jun Yokoyama and his colleagues also showed us a room filled with advanced technology regarding science.

For the last activity, we went on a trip to the Yamagata University Museum, which is in a different building. So, we went on a short walk through the campus building. It was super cold and windy. But at the same time, we could enjoy beautiful snowy scenery. We decided to take some pictures of ourselves and the scenery, of course. As we entered the museum, we were mesmerized by the view. In the museum we got a chance to see preserved animals and it was interesting to listen to the professor’s explanation.

After visiting the museum, we went to the cafeteria to have dinner together. Our dinner was chicken curry rice with salad. The dinner was great! We had a lot of fun. After that, we went outside to see the surrounding environment. The temperature was around -4°C at that time. In our free time after the lecture, we went on a sightseeing tour around our hotel, where we visited several stores to buy some food and snacks, and then we went back to the hotel to take some rest. (Zeph&Fel)

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Faculty of Biology UGM Held Training on Microscope Operation and Repair Techniques

Headline News Release Friday, 17 February 2023

The issue that Educational Laboratory Institutions (PLP) or laboratory assistants typically encounter is that they have not implemented techniques for operating, maintaining, and repairing microscopes properly and correctly. This problem arises especially in agencies that have laboratories and microscopes in them. Therefore, on Tuesday 7 February 2023 the Faculty of Biology UGM held Training on Microscope Operation and Repair Techniques at UGM.

“This training is for the MBKM program for Education Personnel, especially for Laboratory Assistants at UGM. Why MBKM? because the participants who took part in the training today willingly to learn more without any enforcement” said Mr. Mulyanto, S.T., M.M as Chair of the Committee who also serves as Plt. Head of Administration Office of the Faculty of Biology UGM.

The full day training was opened by the Vice Dean for Finance, Assets and HR, Dr. Niken Satuti Nur Handayani, M.Sc. In her remarks Dr. Niken thanked the organizers for their initiative in organizing this event. She also thanked the participants who had enthusiastically participated in this event. This enthusiasm can be seen from the participants who attended the training coming from six faculties at Gadjah Mada University, which are Faculty of Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Technology and Faculty of Dentistry. She hoped that through this training, this knowledge could be applied in the laboratories of each participant.

The training, which was held at the Microteaching Laboratory, Building B, 2nd Floor, Faculty of Biology, UGM, started at 08.00 a.m. to 04.00 p.m. The resource persons were from PT Miconos, which is one of the manufacturers and distributors of laboratory equipment in Yogyakarta. The training was continued with independent assignments on the 8 to 9 February 2023 in the laboratory of each participant.

Embarking on a Journey: from the Warmth of Yogyakarta to the Snowy City of Yamagata

Headline News Release Thursday, 16 February 2023

Sakura Science Program-Yamagata University-Daily Chronicle: Day 0

On the 15th of February, in the early morning, the team of Sakura science program 2023 Faculty of Biology Universitas Gadjah Mada met up at the Sukarno Hatta International Airport. The fifteen students and two lecturers were preparing to start the journey to Yamagata on the Sakura Science Program. After the last briefing and commencement (9/2/2023) by our Dean Prof. Dr. Budi Setiadi Daryono, M.Agr., Sc. , this was the first time our team met in complete assembly.

We met at 3.00 am. Everybody looks so excited about this trip. Some students were accompanied by their parents, who also looked elated and happy for their children to have such an experience studying abroad with large groups. After dropping the baggage at the check-in counter, we later parted ways with parents and family in front of the customs gate. The students took the first step on this trip with a blessing and prayers from their parents.

We had a very eventful flight with very minor turbulence. At 3.00 pm, we landed at Narita Airport. There is a long way to a guarded quarantine check point for Covid-19 screening, immigration, and customs. It was good that we prepared for this check-in by filling in the Visit Japan (https://www.vjw.digital.go.jp). We can see that in the future all these check-ins will be done automatically with an auto machine and minimal staff.

Prof Jun Yokoyama, our host Professor, had traveled a long way from Yamagata to pick us up in Narita. We met him directly after we got out of the customs check-in. Prof. Yokoyama greeted us very warmly and took us to subway stations to get us from Narita Airport to Tokyo Station. After more than 6 hours of flight, our team members are still in high spirits. With our big luggage in tow, we were going up and down several flights of stairs at the subway station to catch the trains. Unfortunately, one of our member lost the railway tickets, so Prof. Yokoyama accompanied the member and let us get on the shinkansen by ourselves. With the limited time that we had, it so happened that we didn’t notice that our Shinkansen train consisted of 2 trains that would be separated at Fukushima Station. We got on the second train. After pushing our luggage from the 4th carriage to the 10th one, we just realized that there was no way for us to get to our carriage on the 17th. We were so stressed out and confused. Fortunately, we could get hold of Prof Yokoyama on call, and he talked to the carriage officer about what was the best way for us to move to the correct trains up front. One of our students (Alifya) was also very helpful with her Japanese and let us know that we had to get out of the next station and run to the front train. With that idea, all of us were huddled near the exit door with all our luggage and getting ready to sprint to the nearest upfront train doors. We were in a hurry since we only had less than one minute to get all 16 of us to the correct trains. It was a surreal experience to run with big luggage and make sure all of us got on the train.

Finally, at Omiya station, we sprinted for our lives, to get to the front train. During this run, we could really see that the Shinkansen train was two trains with different locomotive heads that travel together (Yamabiko trains and Tsubasa trains). We finally got on the Tsubasa train that we were supposedly on, and once more pushed our luggage from the 11^th to 17^th carriage, but this time we did it with relief since 16 of us made it safely to the Tsubasa train. We finally arrived at Yamagata Station at 9.59 pm and met with Prof Yokoyama’s student, Mr. Yuji Yamamoto. He led us to a hotel where some of the team members would stay during the program, which is 11 minutes walk from the rail station. After all the members that stayed in the hotel settled down, got their dinner bento, and went to the room, Yuji-san then led the rest of the team members to go to Yamagata University.

We walked for another 25 minutes from the hotel to the Yamagata University guest house. It was a very quiet night in Yamagata. We could see the snow covering all the open surfaces and gathering on the side of empty streets along the way to the campus. We arrived in the dormitory at almost midnight. However, since it was a new experience to enter a Japanese university dormitory, we were excited to learn about this new environment and fortunately, Yuji-san kindly explained and answered our questions from how to prepare hot water to sort the trash. Afterward, we then settled in our rooms and had our hot halal bento that was heated using a hot pocket. It was a very yummy and fulfilling dinner for our famish selves. We slept tight and will be ready for the next day.

2023 Faculty of Biology Outstanding Student Selection Socialization

Headline News Release Student Activities Thursday, 16 February 2023

2023 Faculty of Biology Outstanding Student Election Socialization event was held with the theme “Get ready, show your greatest achievement” by the Department of Scientific Development, Student Executive Board Faculty of Biology. This socialization was held on Sunday, 22 January 2023 at 10.00-12.00 a.m. This event was attended by around 30 students from the Faculty of Biology, Universitas Gadjah Mada. The event began with a talk show session by Adhelia Intan Sabhira as the 2022 Biology Faculty outstanding student and continued with a talk show session by I Putu Gede Eka Praptika as the UGM 3rd level outstanding student.

The 2023 Faculty of Biology Outstanding Student Selection Socialization event was held with the aim of increasing knowledge about Pilmapres, students’ hard skills and soft skills and increasing student enthusiasm to participate with various experiences that will be shared during the activity. The event was held in 2 forms, a talk show session and a question and answer session. The talk show session discussed the speaker’s experiences and impressions, during and after the Outstanding Student Selection event at both the Faculty and University levels, guidelines for registration of outstanding students, benefits of becoming an outstanding student, tips & tricks for preparing the selection of outstanding students at both the Faculty and University levels, such as how to self-branding, building self-confidence and others. Finally, the event was closed with a question and answer session from the audience to all the speakers present regarding the materials that had been presented as well as other questions regarding the 2023 Pilmapres.

Entrepreneurial Student Program (PMW) Talk 2023

Headline News Release Student Activities Thursday, 16 February 2023

PMW Talk is one of the work programs under the Creative Economy Department of BEM Biology. The PMW Talk was held on Saturday, 21 January 2023. The purpose of this activity is to help introduce the Student Entrepreneurial Week (PMW) program among students, especially Biology students and it is hoped that it will be able to increase the entrepreneurial spirit to be able to take part in PMW activities. This event was chaired by Salfa Athallah.

This year, PMW Talk presented friends from the Yoguruto team consisting of Eva (Biology 2021), Andrea (Biology 2020), and Hanif (Biology 2021). The Yoguruto team is a team from the biology faculty that has successfully passed funding in 2022. Submission of material in the form of the initial idea of forming a team, the definition of PMW, terms and conditions, timeline, benefits, activities in PMW, and funding tips to qualify.After the presentation session, a question and answer session was opened which was answered directly by the Yoguruto team. This event ended at 11.15 a.m. and ended with a documentation session.

UGM Biology Lecturer joins the residence program at UCLA

Headline News Release Thursday, 16 February 2023

Apart from being a food provider, the agricultural and plantation sectors have a role in driving the community’s economy, especially farmers. However, this sector is one of the causes of loss of tropical forest ecosystems as well as one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. Having the ambition to minimize the impact of agriculture on the sustainability of tropical forest ecosystems, Br. Mukhlish Jamal, lecturer at the Faculty of Biology UGM, was selected as a recipient of the Project on Resource and Governance (PRG) Fellowship research grant, along with two other recipients from South Africa and Benin. In his submitted project, Mr.Mukhlish will identify the inhibiting aspects and opportunities that support the implementation of sustainable tropical agriculture.

“From the point of view of ecological science, maintaining sustainability in equitable agricultural land can be done by utilizing the ecosystem services provided by the biological community. However, agricultural production and nature conservation often clash so that it seems as if we can only choose one.” said the biology lecturer who is currently completing his studies at the Department of Biology, University of Oxford, UK.

For two weeks (January 17-27 2023), Mukhlish had the opportunity to discuss with several staff and postgraduate students at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) to refine the research plan to be carried out. This research is an effort to downstream the results of Mr. Mukhlish is related to the function of ecosystems in tropical agro-ecosystems to support agricultural sustainability as well as nature conservation.

“Hopefully this study can be applied to support the fulfillment of Indonesia’s commitment to climate change mitigation in Indonesia as stated in the NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution)” hope Mr. Mukhlish.

Partnership Initiation of the Faculty of Biology UGM with CV Pradipta Paramita Biotechnology Industry through Collaboration Independent Learning Research of the Independent Learning Campus Program

Cooperation Headline Monday, 13 February 2023

Thursday on 2 February 2022, the Research Team for the Independent Learning Campus Program (Lit MBKM) of the Faculty of Biology UGM, chaired by Dr. Rarastoeti Pratiwi M.Sc. with Pratama Atha Nafi, Diani Nur Dzakiyah, Lutfi Maulana and Cintya Angelina, have carried out an initial visit at CV Pradipta Paramita, Karanganyar, Central Java. The visit was warmly welcomed by Dra. Agnes Heratri M.P., as the Main Director of CV Pradipta Paramita, along with several managerial staff. In his remarks, he said that CV Pradipta Paramita was very open to the partnership that would be forged with the UGM Faculty of Biology. According to Mrs. Agnes, she is very happy with this collaboration, because as an alumni of the 1982 batch of the Faculty of Biology UGM, she hopes to provide more benefits to her alma mater.

During the meeting, it was also conveyed about the activities and various products that have been produced by CV Pradipta Paramita, including in the form of supplements and probiotics to support the health of livestock and fish, various organic plant fertilizers, as well as biological agents to control horticultural plant pests. CV Pradipta Paramita also produces various herbal-based health drink products. The company also has an experimental garden where product prototypes are tested to be applied to horticultural crops. Product marketing from this CV covers various cities in Indonesia.

After listening to an explanation from CV Pradipta Paramita, then followed by a discussion between the MBKM Lit team at the Faculty of Biology UGM. The discussion began with some questions from students, starting from the beginning of the establishment of CV Pradipta Paramita, to becoming the Biotechnology Industry. Mrs. Agnes explained about the many problems that arise in society, starting from the health, agriculture, fishery and environment sectors. In fact, Indonesia has extraordinary biological wealth, which can be used to overcome these problems. The various products produced by CV Pradipta started with the results of research, observation and field tests, data analysis and then made products that have been tested and registered with the relevant agencies to be traded.

The MBKM Research Team also conveyed the theme of the research that would be carried out jointly, namely regarding the development of butterfly pea plants as a health drink and anti-pest product for cultivated plants. The butterfly pea plant (Clitoria ternate) is the choice, because based on a literature review, the butterfly pea flower has properties as an antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic and anti-depressant. In addition to its distinctive color, blue to purple, butterfly pea flowers can be combined with various other herbs and nutrients, so that they can be made into health drinks. In addition, the eggplant also contains compounds that can be used as insecticides, hence that it can be developed into a biological agent for controlling pests in horticultural crops.

During the visit, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Faculty of Biology UGM and CV. Pradipta Paramita signed by the Main Director, Dra. Agnes Heratri, M.P., with the Dean, Prof. Dr. Budi Setiadi Daryono, M.Agr.Sc. This collaboration is expected to be expanded and improved again for the next five years. The visit ended with mementos in the form of several health drink products from CV Pradipta Paramita.

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