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.

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)

Faculty of Biology, Universitas Gadjah Mada has successfully held the international conference known as, “The 7th International Conference on Biological Sciences (ICBS) 2021”. This conference is a biennial agenda in the Faculty of Biology as a series of events from the celebration of the faculty’s anniversary. This year, the 7th ICBS was held online on October 14th-15th 2021 and inviting Prof. Craig Moritz (Director of the Centre for Biodiversity Analysis Australian National University) together with Dr. Aparna Lal (Research School of Population Health, ANU College of Health and Medicine, Australian National University) as the keynote speakers. Besides, there were several invited speakers, namely Prof. Datin Dr. Maryati Binti Mohamed (Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia), Dr. Ahmed Abd El Wahed (University of Leipzig, Germany), Prof. dr. Joana Falcao Salles (University of Groningen Netherlands), and Dr. biol. hom. Nastiti Wijayanti (Faculty of Biology, Universitas Gadjah Mada).

The theme that was discussed in the 7th ICBS was “Contributing to Global Issues: Current Advances in Biodiversity and Health Research in the Face of Climate Change”, with 7 conference topics, which are biosystematic, functional biology, biomedical, bioinformatic, genetic, bio-nanotechnology, and bioengineering.

The conference was opened with the event report by the Chairman of the committee, Dr. Miftahul Ilmi, M.Si. “This year’s conference is also the first time held online due to the global pandemic situation. However, it becomes a blessing in disguise, because the conference becomes accessible to a wider audience and participants from all over the world. The number of participants registered is 223. Among them, 183 participants will present their paper of which 6 of them are presented in the poster form. Most of the participants are from Indonesia, but we also have participants from Malaysia, Philippines, Pakistan, and India,” said Dr. Ilmi in his report.

The first welcoming speech was delivered by the Rector of Universitas Gadjah Mada, Prof. Ir. Panut Mulyono, M.Eng., D.Eng., IPU ASEAN Eng., then continued by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia, Ir. Budi Gunadi Sadikin, CHFC, CLU. As the opening remark of the conference, Prof. Dr. Budi Setiadi Daryono, M.Agr.Sc., as the dean of the Faculty of Biology, Universitas Gadjah Mada, delivered his speech as well, “I’m sure this conference will really have a fruitful exchange of ideas of biology and provide valuable input for supporting better human life in overcoming climate change”. Aside of that, Prof. Budi also delivered a verse in English, “English is easy, easy is abcd. If you lose your sweety, join ICBS and be happy”.

Meanwhile, the first day of the conference was started with presentation from the keynote speakers, Prof. Craig Moritz together with Dr. Aparna Lal who discussed about “Synergistic approaches to understanding impacts of climate change on biodiversity and human health”, continued with presentation from Prof. Em. Dr. Datin Maryati Mohammed about “Biodiversity and human welfare amidst global climatic changes: food and medicines from insects”. After that, a parallel presentation session by the participants was conducted and then the first day was closed with a presentation by Prof. dr. Joana Falcão Salles with a topic “Taming the plant microbiome for a sustainable agriculture”.

On the second day, the event was opened with a presentation by Dr. biol. hom. Nastiti Wijayanti, that discussed about “Animal Cell Culture: Development of research on biodiversity and virology”, then continued with a parallel presentation session by participants, and the last session was a presentation by Dr. Ahmed Abd El Wahed who brought the topic about “Next generation molecular assay: time to think different”. As the closing act, there were announcement for the best presenters, best poster, and also door prizes winners for participants who actively participated during the whole sessions.

The result of the seminar will be published in Advances in Biological Sciences Research as the conference proceedings and also as journal publication to The Indonesian Journal of Biotechnology dan Journal of Tropical Biodiversity and Biotechnology. Those publications have been indexed by Scopus as well as Web of Science. This whole event was held by the support of Publishers and Publications Boards (BPP) of Universitas Gadjah Mada, HEXOS, Manna Kampus, Mykonos, KONIMEX, and Vishuo Biomedical Pte. Ltd.

This past summer, one of UGM undergraduate students, Nareta Defiani (Biology, 2018) just completed her internship program hosted by the National Institute of Genetics at the Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI) through the NIGINTERN 2021 Program. The 14th NIGINTERN program was carried out from June 17 to July 28, 2021. This program took 6-week in total, including the welcoming party, colloquium, lectures by outstanding researchers from inside and outside NIG, farewell party, and a social night conducted by fellow NIG interns.

“Although NIGINTERN 2021 was held in a virtual concept, due to COVID-19 situations, I am really thankful of the NIG committee members for giving me the opportunity of letting me understand the wide range of opportunities for research in the field of developmental biology. It has been my honor of learning about the working environment of NIG. Also, I just met twelve amazing interns from around the world and we connected to each other regardless of the time zone and language barrier. The colloquiums and regular lectures, which are conducted in English, making it easier to understand.” said Nareta.

Every year, the NIGINTERN program accepts twelve undergraduate and graduate students in their pre-final years, whilst Nareta was the only and the first student admitted from Indonesia. Intern students will conduct independent research under the mentorship of a host investigator at NIG. The program includes training on scientific research, scientific communication, and lab visits to discuss with individual principal investigators. At the end of the program, participants will give a presentation on their experience at the “NIGINTERN Reports Symposium” (was not applied for NIGINTERN 2021). NIG will issue a certificate to those who have successfully completed the program.

Nareta was assigned to the Koichi Kawakami’s Laboratory of Molecular and Developmental Biology, focusing on zebrafish (Danio rerio). The primary objective of the research is to create a large number of transgenic fish lines that express the yeast Gal4 transcription activator in specific cells, tissues and organs.  Also, Kawakami’s lab has developed the highly efficient transposon system in vertebrates by using the Tol2 transposable element from Japanese medaka fish. Further, in a model vertebrate zebrafish, the lab has developed powerful genetic methods, including the transposon-mediated transgenesis, gene trap, enhancer trap, and Gal4-UAS methods.

“It was very interesting yet so intense, but thanks to the lab members and colleagues that were very keen on me. Although this year I only had a virtual experience of researching, it was just beyond my expectations since everything was just well-planned and remarkable. For every UGM student who is willing to commit a higher-level and deep understanding of molecular biology research, I would recommend NIGINTERN without hesitation!” added Nareta.

The Faculty of Biology UGM organized the 9th Biotalk: The Role of Biology in Managing and Developing Higher Education in Indonesia and the World. It was held on Tuesday, November 24, 2020 with invited speakers: Prof. Datin Maryati Binti Mohamed (Tun Hussein Onn University Malaysia; Alumni F. Biology UGM 1972), Prof. Dr. Sofyan Anif, M.Si. (Rector of the Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta; Alumni F. Biology UGM 1982), and Dr. Drs. Sunarto, M.Hum. (Dean of the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education at the Christian University of Indonesia; Alumni of Faculty of Biology UGM 1977).

The first speaker, Prof. Datin Maryati Binti Mohamed, explained that Higher Education activities in Malaysia are based on the needs of the state. In collaboration with the university, the state has been employing expertise and various resources, including students, in managing matters related to the conservation of environment, such as managing forests, mangroves, and peatlands. Prof. Datin. Dr. Sofyan Anif, M.Si., as the second speaker, said that education is essential to create great quality of human resources, and lecturers have an essential role in improving the quality of human resources through education. The final speaker, Dr. Drs. Sunarto, M.Hum. explained that the success of a university requires collaboration between lecturers and staff with the policymakers. It will significantly affect how a university can play a role in society, and collaborates with industry or the private sector.

The Faculty of Biology UGM held the 8th biotalk, on Wednesday, 7 October 2020. The invited speakers were Dr. Barano Siswa Sulistyawan, M.Sc. (Conservation Manager, WWF Indonesia; Alumni F. Biology UGM 1990), Prof. Drs. Rosichon Ubaidillah, M.Phill., Ph.D. (Senior Researcher, Center for Biological Research, LIPI; Alumni F. Biology UGM 1983), and Matin Nuhamunada, M.Sc. (Lecturer at the Faculty of Biology UGM; Alumni F. Biology UGM 2010). The first speaker, Prof. Drs. Rosichon Ubaidillah, M.Phill., Ph.D. explained that big data development opens up new opportunities for biological research. Big Data will give birth to a new paradigm in biological research. Barano Siswa Sulistyawan, M.Sc. as the second speaker, discussed the potency of Big Data application in Indonesia. The last speaker, Matin Nuhamunada, M.Sc., presented about the benefit of using Big Data in biotechnology research.

Indonesia has been struggling to overcome drug problems, since many Indonesian youth are deeply involved in drug abuse. The Faculty of Biology organized the 7th Biotalk discussing “The Role and Contribution of Biology in Solving the Drug Problems in Indonesia.” The talk was held on Thursday, 3 September 2020, inviting several speakers: Prof. Dr. L. Hartanto Nugroho, M.Agr. (Lecturer at the Laboratory of Plant Biology Structure and Development UGM; Alumni F. Biology UGM 1983), Brigadier General Pol. Drs. Sumirat Dwiyanto, M.Si. (Head of West Sulawesi Province BNN; Alumni F. Biology UGM 1985), and Kombes Pol. Drs. Heri Istu Hariono (Director of the South Sumatra Drug Research; Alumni F. Biology UGM 1985).

Prof. Dr. L. Hartanto Nugroho, M.Agr. presented about the Secondary Metabolite Study that can be used and abused as drugs. The second speaker, Brigadier General Pol. Drs. Sumirat Dwiyanto, M.Si. emphasized that biology graduates have an essential role in drug eradication efforts, especially those with knowledge about metabolite compounds that can potentially be narcotics and psychotropic substances. The last speaker, Kombes Pol. Drs. Heri Istu Hariono discussed about: “The Role and Contribution of Biology in Facing Drug Crimes in terms of Legal Aspects.”

The Faculty of Biology UGM once again held a biotalk, a talk show discussing biology issues in a multi-sector perspective, this time with the theme: The Role and Contribution of Bio-Politics in the Management of Biological Resources. The 6th Biotalk was held on Thursday, 20 August 2020. The invited speakers were Drs. Bambang Praswanto, M.Sc. (Alumni F. Biology UGM 1970 and Political Observer), Agus Sumartono, S.Si. (Alumni F. Biology UGM 1988; Member of the DIY DPRD 2019-2024), and Drs. Abdul Hakam Naja, M.M. (Alumni F. Biology UGM 1984, Member of the Republic of Indonesia DPR 2003-2014 and 2018-2019).

Drs. Bambang Praswanto, M.Sc., presented material about the contribution of biology to the organization and political policymaking. He is the only alumni from biology who was appointed as the UGM Board of Trustees. He explained that biology has the potential to contribute to politics. Biology is essential in making policies, especially in responding to future challenges, especially in food scarcity and energy renewals.

The second speaker, Agus Sumartono, S.Si., discussed about Sustainable Development in DIY. He said that the environmental science lectures during his study at Biology was vital in shaping his view in making policies. The last speaker, Drs. Abdul Hakam Naja, M.M. emphasized that biology should be the basis of decision-making, since a policy maker with background in biology should be better in understanding humans and their welfare.

The International Summer Course on Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development is an annual event organized by the Faculty of Biology, Gadjah Mada University, in collaboration with UTHM and UTAR Malaysia. The 3rd Summer Course in 2020 was also held together with MIPANET School. This course aims to provide a transformative learning experience on current issues related to tropical biodiversity and sustainable development.

Focusing on “Biodiversity and Sustainable Development Under Rapidly Changing World” theme, the course was conducted online in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The activities consisted of lectures from experts followed by virtual projects. The course was attended by 39 participants including students from Universiti Tun Hussein of Malaysia, Mulawarman University, Jambi University, Sriwijaya University, Sebelas Maret University, Adi Buana University Surabaya, Airlangga University, Syarif Hidayatullah University Jakarta, Walisongo University Semarang, Ahmad Dahlan University, Malang State University, and Malang Islamic University.

In 2020, the Faculty of Biology, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), commemorates its 65th Anniversary. The theme for this year anniversary is: “Biology, Working and Serving the Nation”. The opening ceremony was held on Thursday, 6 August 2020, at 09.30-10.00 WIB at the Tropical Biology Auditorium via online. It was attended by the Dean of Faculty of Biology, along with the deputy deans, chairpersons, secretaries of the senate, and department officials. Dr. Slamet Widiyanto, M.Sc. as the chairman of the event, mentioned that the anniversary were held online to support the government efforts in reducing the spread of Covid-19.

The opening ceremony was followed by the 5th Biotalk event. The speakers for the talk were: Rina Sri Kasiamdari, S.Si., Ph.D. (Alumni 1987; Lecturer and Researcher of Mycology, Faculty of Biology UGM), Prof. Drs. I Made Sudiana, M.Sc. Ph.D. (Alumni 1982; Researcher at the Research Center for Biology, LIPI), Dra. Agnes Heratri, M.P. (Alumni 1982, Owner of CV Pradipta Paramita) and moderated by Dr. Eko Agus Suyono, M.App. Sc.

Rina Sri Kasiamdari, S.Si., Ph.D. as the first speaker, discussed about: Microbial Biodiversity in Indonesia and its Applications. Although the microbial diversity in Indonesia is very high, very little has been identified. The identification of microbial species in Indonesia is lower compared to the identification of new species of animals and plants. Therefore, there is a huge opportunity to continue exploring and identifying new species of microbes. The second speaker, Prof. Drs. I Made Sudiana, M.Sc. Ph.D. presented about: “Microbial Ecology of Tropical Ecosystem Conservation Strategy and Its Sustainable Utilization”. The last speaker, Dra. Agnes Heratri, M.P. presented about: “Biofuel Development in Indonesia: Research Opportunities and Challenges. As the CEO of CV Pradipta Paramita, she explained that her company is serving as an example of business utilizing microbes to develop food additives, probiotics, and natural medicines. The company, located in Solo, is engaged in the biotechnology industry and develops probiotics/synbiotics for animal feed.