As a form of cooperation between the Faculty of Biology, Gadjah Mada University and the Kebonalas Village Government, Manisrenggo, Klaten, Central Java. The Independent Learning Program Team of the Independent Campus (MBKM) Sukirno, S.Si., M.Sc., Ph.D. and Yousuf Soulaeman, S.IP., together with the MBKM Student Team and with the Village Head (Mr. Supriyanto S.Pd.), Village Secretary (Mr. Suwadi, S.Pd.), Head of BPD, Staff of Bumdes Maju Makmur, and Mr. Sunardi, to build fruit garden as tourism destination, on Saturday, August 20, 2022, coordination was carried out for arranging Master Site Plan for Fruit Garden Destinations with BUMDES Maju Makmur. An area of ​​14,000 m² is prepared to be built as a tourist destination for fruit gardens, a means of supporting community activities such as an art stage and an MSME center. In the future, this land will be planted with durian, longan, avocado and star fruit commodities as superior products. To support tourist destinations, Kali Putih, which is located on the west side of the land, will also be developed into water tourism.

This Fruit Garden Program is one of a series of forms of the MBKM Village Building Program, Faculty of Biology, UGM which has been implemented since March 2022. After some time ago, a training program for the cultivation and care of fruit plants was carried out, as well as the manufacture of independent fertilizers using insect larvae from the black soldier fly, the village land on Monday, August 22, 2022 began to be processed and arranged. Alhamdulillah, the village government together with the residents are very committed to supporting and implementing this program in a sustainable manner. Hopefully with this program, the Faculty of Biology UGM can play a role in improving the welfare of the people of Kebonalas and its surroundings with sustainable community empowerment programs. In the next few weeks, the MBKM Program will continue with training in fish cultivation, making alternative fish feed with maggot, training for creative SMEs, and digital marketing.

Tiara Putri S.Si., M.Sc., a doctoral student from the Faculty of Biology, UGM, was announced as one of the winners of the Bayer Foundation Fellowship Award 2022. Bayer Foundation is a non-profit organization which supports and provides international exchange opportunities for brilliant young researchers all over the world who are working in the field of science. They provide 3 specific fellowships for the following categories: Otto Bayer – fellowships for drug discovery sciences, Jeff Schell – fellowships for agricultural sciences and Carl Duisburg – fellowships for medical sciences. This year, they have selected 41 young people for this unique experience and Tiara received the Otto Bayer – fellowship in the field of Drug Discovery.

As a follow up of this award, she will undertake part of her doctoral research at Universität Greifswald, Germany to compliment her current scientific studies in a Double Degree scheme. The topic of her research is about pneumococcal co-infection in COVID-19 infected children. During her doctoral study, Tiara is supervised by Prof. Dr. Budi Setiadi Daryono, M.Agr.Sc. (Dean of the Faculty of Biology, UGM) and Prof.  Dr. rer. Nat. Sven Hammerschmidt (Head of the Department of Molecular Genetics and Infection Biology, Universität Greifswald).

Tiara was a former Bachelor and Master student at the Faculty of Biology, UGM and graduated with Cum Laude at both degrees. Her research topic was motivated by the fact that evidence on bacterial pneumonia in COVID-19 is still limited and diagnosis remains a challenge, as both diseases are associated with a similar clinical presentation and high inflammatory markers. As of August 28, 2021, there have been over 214,468,601 confirmed cases according to WHO and over 4,470,969 deaths reported nationwide. In spite of interventions to limit its spread, data regarding the epidemiologic characteristics and clinical features of infected children are very few. Therefore, a collaboration with the Department of Molecular Genetics and Infection Biology at the Universität Greifswald will be conducted to explore deeper insights into the mechanisms of bacterial-viral co-infection using a K18-hACE2 mouse model.

“I do hope that my research on COVID-19 in children could provide long term information related to this pandemic situation. I’m sure that there are still many new and exciting discoveries waiting to be found and of beneficial support for our children and their future. And for certain, I want to be a part of the next discovery,” told Tiara on 12/8/22.

The 5th International Summer Course on Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development has been successfully organized by the Faculty of Biology UGM. The event, which took place on Monday, July 11th, 2022, was officially closed on Friday, July 15th, 2022. The event, which was held virtually through the online Zoom meeting platform, was attended by 49 participants from 8 universities, including 30 domestic and 19 international participants.

On the first day, July 11th, the course was opened by the course coordinator, Nur Indah Septriani, M.Sc., Ph.D., which was followed by remarks from Dr. Puji Astuti, S.Si., M.Sc., Apt. as Director of Partnership, Alumni, and International Affairs UGM, as well as a remarks from Prof. Dr. Budi Setiadi Daryono, M.Agr.Sc. as Dean of the Faculty of Biology UGM as well as Chairman of KOBI. The series of lectures on the first day was moderated by Dr. Eko Agus Suyono, M.App., Sc with the theme Biodiversity: Current and Future Challenges. The first lecture session began with the topic of Ecological Crisis, Challenge, and Hope which was presented by Prof. Dr. Tjut Sugandawaty Djohan from Universitas Gadjah Mada. The second lecture session continued by Atty. Elpidio Peria from the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity with the theme Nature-Based Solution for Climate Mitigation. The next session was themed UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. The material presented by Johannes Kieft from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). After the discussion and rest session, the activity continued with games and Virtual Projects with the topic Histopathology for toxicant effect analysis lead by Nur Indah Septriani, M.Sc., Ph.D. The first day of the event was closed with assignments for the Summer Course participants.

The second day with the theme Global and Local Threat to Biodiversity moderated by Rina Sri Kasiamdari, S.Si., Ph.D. After the opening by the coordinator and moderator, the first session of lecture delivered by Dr. Siti Nur Hidayati from Middle Tennessee State University USA underpinning the Climate Change Impacts on Ecosystem. The second session of lectures continued by Dr. Not Atiqah Binti Norazlimi from Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) with the title Microplastic: A Threat to Ecosystem and Biodiversity. The activity continued with discussion until the end of the session. The topic of Virtual Projects on the second day was Illegal wildlife trade tracking guided by Yunita Dwi Setyorini, S.Si. and Dr. Dwi Sendi Priyono.

The series of lectures on the third day was moderated by Irhamna Putri Rahmawati, DVM., M.Sc, with the theme Transdisciplinary Approach in Conservation and Resource Management. The lecture begins with the topic Ecosystem Services: Valuing Nature for A Green Economy and Sustainable Development Goals with Dr. Abidah Setyowati from the World Bank. After being interspersed with discussion sessions, the next lecture material presented by Dr. Wahyu Yun Santoso from the Faculty of Law UGM with the topic Nature Conservation Legislation. The next lecture took the topic of The Role of the Private Sector in the Implementation of Green Economy and Sustainable Development Goals with Dr. Haskarlianus Pasang from PT Smart Tbk. After the discussion, the activity continued with Virtual Projects: Primary design for Endangered Species, which was guided by Dr. Tuty Arisuryanti and Dr. Aprilia Sufi Subiastuti.

On the fourth day, a series of morning sessions moderated by Akbar Reza, M.Sc with the main theme Technology and Conservation. The lecture begins with the topic How does Artificial Intelligence Aid in Conservation? by Dr. Sebastian Lopez-Marcano of Griffith University Australia. The second session of the lecture took the topic of Remote Sensing and Drones for Forest Monitoring and Early Warning System which was presented by Dr. Noor Janatun Naim Jemali from Universiti Kelantan Malaysia. After the discussion and rest sessions, the lecture continued with Microbiology Diversity and Biotechnology presented by Dr. Nor Ismaliza Binti Mohd Ismail from Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) Malaysia. This session was moderated by Dr. Miftahul Ilmi, S.Si., M.Sc. The series of lectures on the fourth day closed with a discussion session.

The last day, July 15th, 2022, a series of activities opened by the facilitator, namely Akbar Reza, M.Sc. and Riandika Abdul Hafizh Alhaqi, S.Si and continued with Virtual Projects with the theme Bioblitz Using iNaturalist. Interspersed with rest, then the activity continued with the Youth Mini-Summit with the topic Youth movement on Biodiversity and Conservation. In this session, the participants were divided into several groups to make presentations on the results of their assignments related to biodiversity and conservation.

At the end of the event, awards were given to several categories of participants. The first award, The Outstanding Award, the students who actively engaged on lecture and virtual project, was given to Wening Ila Idzatilangi from Hasanuddin University, Liew Yu Heng from Tunku Abdul Rahman University (UTAR), Sabut Kharisona from Universitas Gadjah Mada, and Fauzan Ahmad Wijaya from UIN Sunan Gunung Djati. The second award, Most Outstanding Award, the students with the highest cumulative score, was won by Shintiakho Linggadewi from Brawijaya University, Fenty Wahyu Lestari from Brawijaya University, Jauharah R. Suhendar from Universitas Gadjah Mada, and Faiznur Ain from Tun Hussein Onn Universiti (UTHM) Malaysia. Meanwhile, the third category award, The Most ON CAM, was given to Shintiakho Linggadewi from Brawijaya University, Vita Meylani from Siliwangi University, and Wildanul Hasanah from Brawijaya University.

The awarding and closing of the event carried out by Dr. Eko Agus Suyono, M.App., Sc and Nur Indah Septriani, M.Sc., Ph.D. By these events, The 5th International Summer Course on Biodiversity and Sustainable Development was officially closed. Even though this lecture has ended, the Summer Course hopefully can spark the spirit among the participants and the network among participants would continuously grow. Moreover, with the recent knowledge, the participants hopefully will be motivated to create new things by prioritizing the conservation of tropical biological ecosystems and sustainable development.

On Monday, July 11th, 2022, the annual 5th International Summer Course on Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development was officially started. This event was organized by the Faculty of Biology UGM and the Office of International Affairs UGM in collaboration with Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) Malaysia, MIPAnet and the Konsorsium Biologi Indonesia (KOBI). This activity is also supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, World Bank, Middle Tennessee State University USA, Griffith University, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Faculty of Law, Universitas Gadjah Mada and PT Smart Tbk, and is sponsored by Bank Bantul.

This summer course activity was initiated by the Central Java Field Intensive from Charles Darwin University. In 2016, this activity was held under the Colombo scheme. The activity plan, which was then continued with the International Summer Course on Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development since 2018. Entering the pandemic period, which was originally done offline, this had to be held virtually. 2022 is the third year, Summer Course activities are held online.

The opening ceremony was held through an online Zoom meeting and broadcast live via Youtube Channel of Kanal Pengetahuan Fakultas Biologi UGM. The Summer Course opened with an opening ceremony which began with remarks from the course coordinator, Nur Indah Septriani, M.Sc., Ph.D., continued by remarks from the Director of Partnerships, Alumni, and International Affairs by Dr. Puji Astuti, S.Si., M.Sc., Apt., and Prof. Dr. Budi Setiadi Daryono, M.Agr.Sc. as Dean of the Faculty of Biology UGM as well as Chair of KOBI who officially opened the course.

The series of Summer Course activities are held for 5 days, from 11th to 15th July 2022 online via Zoom and using eLOK, Universitas Gadjah Mada Learning Management System. This activity consists of lectures related to biodiversity and sustainable development which are brought by national and international scientific experts in their respective fields. A total of 11 speakers consisted of 3 domestic speakers and 8 foreign speakers. 2 domestic speakers came from Universitas Gadjah Mada and 1 from PT Smart Tbk. While the other 8 speakers came from abroad and each came from a different institution, including the Asean Centre for Biodiversity, United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Middle Tennessee State University USA, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), Griffith University Australia, Universiti Kelantan Malaysia, and World Bank. In addition, discussion sessions, games, and virtual projects were also held.

The purpose of this Summer Course activity is to provide learning tools that discuss current issues related to tropical biology and sustainable development. With the knowledge provided, participants are expected to be able to create new things and become creative and innovative carriers of change. In addition, this activity aims to strengthen networks between universities and facilitate participants in sharing experiences in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, related to tropical biodiversity, especially in Southeast Asia, and sustainable development. For Indonesian students, this activity is part of the Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) which is a policy of the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture.

This year’s Summer Course was attended by 49 participants from 8 universities, including 30 domestic participants and 19 international participants. Domestic universities consist of Universitas Gadjah Mada which sends 14 participants, UIN Sunan Gunung Djati with 2 participants, Universitas Mulawarman with 4 participants, Universitas Hasanuddin which sends 1 participant, Universitas Brawijaya with 3 participants and Universitas Siliwangi which sends 6 participants. Meanwhile, overseas universities that attended came from Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) which sent 9 participants and Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) with 10 participants. Even though the Summer Course was conducted online, the participants still looked enthusiastic and tried to be actively involved in this activity. 

Indonesia is a country rich in biodiversity (A Mega Biodiversity Country). It is known that as many as 9,600 species of medicinal plants and approximately 300 species are used as ingredients for traditional medicine by the traditional medicine industry. Therefore, the plant biodiversity in Indonesia is an asset and resource that must be maintained and managed so that it can become an ancestral heritage and benefit the community for health maintenance. One of the efforts to preserve medicinal plants is the development of a Family Medicine Garden or abbreviated as TOGA.

In order to introduce medicinal plants, the Community Service Team – Merdeka Learn Campus Merdeka (PkM-MBKM) Faculty of Biology UGM 2022, chaired by Rina Sri Kasiamdari, S.Si., Ph.D. and involving 2 students, namely Anthony Jovian Saputra and Yuana Nindi Astisa, carried out socialization activities related to TOGA on Saturday, May 29, 2022 from 09.00 to 11.30 WIB. This Community Service activity was carried out in Kepuh Kulon, RT 001, Wirokerten Village, Banguntapan District, Bantul Regency.

Dusun Kepuh Kulon RT 001 Wirokerten Village, Banguntapan District, Bantul Regency was chosen as the place for the implementation of the activity because the community has been able to take advantage of its potential in various activities including cultivating telang flowers, making melinjo chips, making paving blocks and others. In addition, Dusun Kepuh Kulon has a population structure with the majority of productive age ranging from 15-58 years old, and the majority having attended high school education (Wirokerten Village Monograph Data 2018). By doing so, it is hoped that some of these things will later be able to encourage the realization of optimizing the potential of family medicinal plants with economic value in Kepuh Kulon, Wirokerten Village, Banguntapan District, Bantul Regency

This socialization activity is one of a series of Community Service activities with the theme “Community Empowerment of Kepuh Kulon RT 001, Wirokerten, Banguntapan, Bantul by Utilizing Family Medicinal Plants with Economic Value”. However, previously coordinated with Mrs. Hj. Rachmawati as Head of Wirokerten Village and Mr. Sunartono as Hamlet of Kepuh Kulon which took place at the Wirokerten Village Hall, Banguntapan, Bantul (Wednesday, 6 April 2022). The meeting discussed the mechanism for implementing activities as well as an explanation of the potential in Wirokerten, especially the Kepuh Kulon Village.

The empowerment activity agenda began with the procurement of a survey of residents of Kepuh Kulon RT 001, Wirokerten Village, Bantul Regency with the aim of knowing the extent of the potential and knowledge of residents regarding Family Medicinal Plants (TOGA). The results of the survey are processed and presented in the form of data and used as the basis for making socialization materials that will be carried out on the agenda of the next activity.

The socialization activity was carried out on Sunday, May 29, 2022 at 09.00-11.00 and took place in the Joglo owned by one resident, and attended by 25 residents. This socialization activity began with remarks from Mrs. Rina Sri Kasiamdari, S.Si., Ph.D. as chairman of PkM-MBKM Faculty of Biology UGM, then continued with remarks by Mr. Zamzuri as Chair of RT 001 and Mr. Sunartono as Hamlet of Kepuh Kulon. The event continued with the delivery of socialization materials by students of the Faculty of Biology, namely Anthony Jovian Saputra and Yuana Nindi Astisa. The socialization materials presented included the background of the need for community participation in the development of Family Medicinal Plants (TOGA); Understanding, Benefits, and Objectives of TOGA in general; and Types of TOGA and how to use them for medicine and planting methods. This event was enlivened by the distribution of door prizes for residents who were interactive during the socialization event. The socialization activity aims to increase people’s knowledge about Family Medicinal Plants (TOGA), especially processing methods and planting methods.

The MBKM PkM activity in Kepuh Kulon RT 001 was continued with plant planting on Saturday, June 11, 2022. The symbolic planting of medicinal plants was carried out by the Head of RT followed by the distribution of medicinal plants to 55 residents of Kepuh Kulon RT 001 which included bay trees, kaffir lime trees, temulawak, turmeric, red lemongrass, green surrender and gotu kola as many as 185 plants. At the event, the distribution of medicinal plant booklets was also carried out as a guide for residents to optimize the use of medicinal plants in the family.

The PkM-MBKM team of the Faculty of Biology, UGM, chaired by Mr. Sukirno, S.Si., M.Sc., Ph.D. with four student members, namely Amelia Rifki Alifiah, Fatika Soraya, Tiara Rachma Jatiningtyas, and Qonita Fillah, on Sunday, June 12, 2022, held a Training for the Development of Fruit Garden for Tourism in Kebonalas Village, Manisrenggo, Klaten. This event is one of a series of MBKM programs in to develop Fruit Garden in Kebonalas. This activity took place at the RW Kebonalas Village Hall at 09.00 s.d. 12.30 WIB and was attended by more than 20 participants consisting of representatives from various village components in Manisrenggo District. At this event, there was socialization and training as well as practical training by the village community to build independent fertilizer production with Mr. Sukirno, S.Si., M.Sc., Ph.D. as the speaker and fruit plant propagation techniques with Mr. Yousuf Sulaiman, S.IP. as the speaker.

The series of training events began with the symbolic handing over of fruit plants from the community service team to the Kebonalas Village. Meanwhile, the core activities of this training include the presentation of material on the production of liquid organic fertilizer (POC) by Mr. Sukirno, S.Si., M.Sc., Ph.D. This training aims at utilizing household organic waste into fertilizer products at household scale that can support the agricultural sector and land use in Kebonalas Village. “Why do we have to produce our own fertilizer? Because most of our crop production mainly relies on commercial fertilizers, which shouldn’t be the case. In the past, fertilizers may not need to be applied too often, but now every plant must be given fertilizer to optimize growth and product yields from these plants.” said Mr. Sukirno in his presentation session. He hopes that this training will stimulate the residents of Kebonalas Village to be able to produce fertilizer independently.

The residents of Kebonalas Village showed their enthusiasm in this Fruit Tourism Village Development Training activity through active participation during practical sessions and interactive discussions at the end of the presentation. Under the guidance of Mr. Yousuf Sulaiman, S.IP., the villagers practiced how to properly graft avocado shoots, from selecting the parent plant, selecting the interest, cutting the stem and inserting the interest. In addition, residents also learned how to take care of plants after grafting, namely by protecting plants from rainwater, especially in the injured part. Not only grafting on avocados, residents also practice grafting on longan plants. At the end of the presentation, Mr. Yousuf also shared his knowledge about the growth of longan plants so that they flower and bear fruit quickly. Mr. Yousuf gave tips to the residents of  Kebonalas so that the plants being cared for can live and produce fruit as expected

“Fruit gardens are like humans, like children, there must be interaction, there must be strong bonds so that we understand how to fulfil the need of plants. They can’t talk, so we have to pay attention, visit or be seen often”.

We hope that the Independent Fertilizer Production and Plant Propagation Technique training event this time can provide benefits, especially for the participants who attended so that the knowledge conveyed can be applied in the future. Hopefully with this training, better cooperation and communication can be established between the village government, villagers, and the MBKM team of the Faculty of Biology UGM so that the Kebonalas Orchard Tourism Village can be realized. We would like to thank the Dean and Vice Dean for Research, Community Service and Alumni, Faculty of Biology UGM who have given permission, facilities, and funding for this activity. We do not forget to express our gratitude to all the Village Management, BUMDES, BPD, Kebonalas Village Youth Organizations, and other parties involved in this activity.

In order of implementing the UGM Community Service program (KKN – PPM UGM), the team led by Sukirno, S.Si., M.Sc., Ph.D. along with student representatives from unit JB-006, namely Winda Hayu Amalia, Muhammad Irfandi Siregar, Fadhil Arrasyid, Putri Laila, and Lintang Febri conducted a survey and hearing of the KKN PPM on 7 – 9 June 2022. On the second day, an audience was held with the Regional Development Planning, Research and Development Agency (BAPPELITBANGDA) of Tasikmalaya Regency. At Bapepelitbangda, the UGM PPM KKN team was welcomed by Mr. Lala Heryana (Secretary of Bappelitbangda and at the same time Head of Regional Planning and Development), along with the Head of Division and staff. On this occasion, the work program plans to be implemented in Campakasari and Bojongkapol villages were presented, and the aspirations and inputs of the BAPPELITBANGDA were collected. BAPPELITBANGDA really appreciates the KKN program plan in Tasikmalaya and is ready to synergize with local government programs.

Campakasari Village and Bojongkapol Village are located in Bojonggambir District, Tasikmalaya Regency. Based on data from the Regional Government, Campakasari Village is one of the under developed villages with heavily damage road access and steep terrain. Limited access has made the economy in Campakasari Village not developed optimally. Meanwhile, Bojongkapol Village is a developing village with adequate road access and has several natural potentials that can be used as tourist attractions such as Situ Denuh and Curug Cikoleangkak. The absence of a place to develop makes Situ Denuh and Curug Cikoleangkak not yet visited by tourists from outside the area.

The program to be implemented consists of the main theme and non-theme programs. The presentation of the work program plan received a positive response from all Bappelitbangda staff. In the discussion session which was held after the presentation of the work program plan was completed, all Bappelitbangda staff gave their appreciation and provided inputs that could be the development of the existing work program.

Besides being attended by staff from Bappelitbangda, the presentation of the work program plan was also attended by Senior Patriot Village Staff, namely Kang Ajat Sudrajat. Patriot Desa which was formed by the DPMD of West Java Province has the task and function of assisting the village government to understand and explore the potentials that exist in the village. Patriot Desa was formed directly by the Governor of West Java as a companion to promote villages in West Java. After, all Bappelitbangda staff and Kang Ajat gave their responses and were responded to by DPL and representatives of the JB-006 KKN team, the event at Bappelitbangda was over.

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The journey continues to Campakasari Village. To go to Campakasari Village, we went through a tea plantation in Bojonggambir District. On the way to Campakasari Village, the road was badly damaged and the terrain was steep, causing the KKN Team vehicle to get stuck in the mud. And the very rocky and steep terrain causes the road to be inaccessible to four-wheeled vehicles. Therefore, the team continued the journey with a motorcycle taxi service. Because of the slippery and rocky conditions, to cover a distance of about 6 km it takes about an hour, and we have to make a detour through the Garut Regency area. The condition of the damaged road causes the path to only be passed by two-wheeled vehicles with the services of a local resident motorcycle taxi who knows the terrain.

Arriving at Campakasari, the team stayed at a resident’s house. Students and DPL stay at the house of the chairman of BPD Aa Imam, while students stay at the house of Teh Irna. The journey continued the next day to the house of the Head of Campakasari Village, namely Mr. Sutisna Adiningrat by on foot as far as 2.6 km for almost an hour journey. Mr. Sutisna welcomed the good intentions of the JB-006 PPM KKN team who will carry out PPM KKN activities in Campakasari Village. After that, the journey continued by taking a local motorcycle taxi to cover 2.5 km through a rocky, steep and slippery road for approximately 40 minutes, to a four-wheeled vehicle stop.

The hearing continued to the village of Bojongkapol. At the Village Hall, the Community Service Team was welcomed by Mr. Dede (Village Secretary) because the Village Head (Mr. Nanang Tarudin) was on duty at the Bojonggambir District Office. Village officials welcomed and explained about the potentials that exist in Bojongkapol Village and asked students to participate in village development that would be carried out by the Village Government.

The hearing was continued in the District of Bojonggambir and continued with brainstorming activities with officials in the District. The KKN PPM unit JB-006 activity is expected to be a useful program for the progress of Campakasari Village and Bojongkapol Village.

Two lecturers from the Faculty of Biology UGM joined the UGM team for the ICTeEFS (ICT-enabled In-service Training of Teachers to address Education for Sustainability) Project and had the opportunity to attend the ICTeEFS managerial meeting in Athens, Greece.

ICTeEfS is a European Commission funded project ERASMUS plus Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) (Reference Number: 598623-EPP-1-2018-1-CY-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP), started on 15 January 2019 and will end on December 2022. This Project focuses on seven partner universities from Indonesia (UGM and UPI), Malaysia (OUM, USM, and UTM) and Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh International University and USSH). The ICTeEfS project is coordinated by Prof. Dr. Vassilios Makrakis, at Frederick University, Cyprus in partnership with the University of Crete and the Regional Center of Expertise in Education for Sustainable Development, Crete (RCE Crete). This project aims to expand the use of Information Technology in ESD and SDGs-based learning in the primary, secondary, and tertiary school levels.

In this managerial meeting, which took place from 29 May 2022 to 6 June 2022, the UGM ICTeEFS Delegation was led by Prof. Ir. Irfan Dwidya Prijambada, M.Eng., Ph.D. as Director of Community Service at Gadjah Mada University, and Nanung Agus Fitriyanto, S.Pt., M.Sc., Ph.D. as the project leader for ICTeEFS UGM. The three members who joined in the managerial meeting this time were Mrs. Lisna Hidayati S.Si., M. Biotech. and Ms. Zuliyati Rohmah, S.Si., M.Sc., Ph.D. Eng. Both from the Faculty of Biology UGM, as well as dr. Rr. Siti Rokhmah Projosasmito, M.Ed.LP&C from FKKMK UGM. The UGM delegation was supported by 2 staff members who flew to Athens, namely: Mr. Azri Faisal Nabhan., S.S., M.M. and Ms. Ratri Bilqis Auwibi., S.I.P. During the meeting, the UGM Team presented the progress report on the activities that had been carried out for the project as well as follow-up plans.

On Wednesday, 18th May 2022 at 13.00 WIB, a meeting between the Faculty of Biology UGM and the University of Leeds was held online via a zoom meeting. From the Faculty of Biology, the meeting was attended by Prof. Dr. Budi Setiadi Daryono, M.Agr., Sc. as Dean of the Faculty of Biology UGM, Rina Sri Kasiamdari, S.Si., Ph.D. as Vice Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, Dr. Eko Agus Suyono, M.App., Sc. as Vice Dean for Research, Community Service Cooperation and Alumni, Sukirno, S.Sc., Ph.D. as the Head of the Undergraduate Biology Study Program, Zuliyati Rohmah, S.Si. M.Sc. Ph.D. Eng. as the Head of the IUP, Nur Indah Septriani, S.Si. Msc. Ph.D. as the Manager of the Biology Office of International Affairs, Emi Dwi Suryanti, S.Si., M.Sc. as Head of the Academic and Student Affairs Section, Mutia Asri Kairunisa and Andari Sekarningrum as prospective double degree students and two academic staffs. The parents of the two prospective students were also present, namely Mr. and Mrs. Iwan Sadono and Mr. Dwi Yulianto. Meanwhile, from the University of Leeds, was attended by Ms. Eileen Wong.

This meeting aims to provide information as clear as possible to prospective students and their parents about the double degree program. The meeting was opened by Prof. Dr. Budi Setiadi Daryono, M.Agr., Sc. Whom expressed his appreciation for the meeting and explained that the Faculty of Biology has international program since 2019 and prioritized having international experiences. The meeting was then continued by Ms. Eileen Wong. She gave a background presentation, an overview of the advantages of the University of Leeds and the programs available to prospective students. Eileen also explained about the application procedure which is very easy to do. Students only need to upload all the required documents. Once they are eligible to apply, Leeds will then process the application.

The program initiated by UGM and Leeds is a 2+2 program which means students must complete their 1st and 2nd-year of Bachelor’s Degree studies at UGM before the students are eligible to transfer to Leeds for the 3rd and 4th-year. At Leeds, the students need to study all the modules, compulsory and optional modules for both years. The program structured at Leeds is, in the 4th year the students need to do a dissertation or thesis fully, and finished it before the students are allowed to graduate. Once they finished their two years at Leeds, they will get a Leeds certificate. It will be Leeds certificate whether or not the students need to come back again to UGM to do another thesis. That would be up to UGM to organize.

In the discussion session, parents of prospective students enthusiastically dig up information about the double degree program. Among the things discussed was the existence of working visas for students who have completed a double degree. This visa is a new program launched by the UK government. This visa is specifically for recent graduates who will be looking for an employment in the UK.

The meeting was closed with the hope that prospective students can apply and upload all documents before 30 June 2022 so that everything can run on time. This requires good coordination between students, UGM and Leeds.

Monday (2/14/2022) as many as 74 Undergraduate Students of the Faculty of Biology UGM took part in the Sakura Science Program 2022. Students who took part in this program came from various grades / semesters. This Program was held online through a zoom meeting by Yamagata University, Japan from February 14, 2022 to February 19, 2022. This program was divided into two parts, there were learning session and practical session that start from 08:00 AM till 03:00 PM for each day. The Sakura Science Program 2022 is a form of collaboration between the Faculty of Biology, Universitas Gadjah Mada and Yamagata University, Japan which has also been implemented in previous years.

The theme raised in this year’s Sakura Science Program is “Understanding the Asian Biodiversity by advanced Methodologies”. On the first day presentations covering “Introduction of Yamagata”, “Introduction of Yamagata University”, and “Introduction of University Museum” were delivered by Prof. Jun Yokoyama. On February  15, 2022, the presentations included : ”Plant Diversity of Southeast Asia”,  “Plant Diversity of Japan and East Asia” and “How to Describe Plant Biodiversity?” delivered by Prof. Jun Yokoyama. On 16-17 February 2022, there were be a practical session, entitled “Workshop: How to Know Organismal Evolution from Molecular Data” and “Performance of Laboratory Works of Molecular Study for Biodiversity”, which was guided by Prof. Jun Yokoyama. The presentation class was again delivered on Friday with the topics “Termitophily: Unique Insect Diversity in Termite Nests” (presented by Dr. Taisuke Kanao), “Diversity of Asian Insects with Particular Attention to Researches on Herbivorous Ladybird Beetles” (presented by Prof. Naoyuki Fujiyama) dan “How do Plant Roots Respond to Water Deficit? : Physiological and Molecular Biological Dissection of Root Hydrotropism” (presented by Prof. Yutaka Miyazawa). The last day of the Sakura Science Program 2022 was closed by watching the live streaming of the snow mountains scenery around Yamagata City. (Ardita)