Author name: Ghina Nafsiya

In celebration of the 64th anniversary of Universitas Padjadjaran, Unpad Business Incubator Center and BEM Kema Unpad collaborated with SEAL by Amazon Web Services (AWS) to organize the National Hackathon and CollaborAction program.   The proposed program is a part of Padjadjaran University’s support for the digital startup industry to grow. This activity focuses on two main topics, namely Educational Technology and SME Digital Transformation and Aggregator. This national event was carried out over a series of four sections starting from September to October 9 that marks the final session of the National Hackathon. In this final round, a total of ten best startup teams compete for a cash prize worth IDR 150 million and an AWS credit program worth 110 thousand US Dollars. The ten teams that made it to the final session are namely Nursing Catalyst, Mentify, Harta Tahta Data, ReadyLearn, Fishery Skill Lab, Picknic, Toko Clouds, Bizlook, Sandangin, and Team Infinite. The invited judges include Furin Ongko (AWS Education Program Lead Indonesia), Christina Agustin (Assistant Deputy for Information Technology Development and Business Incubation Kemenkop UKM), Mohamad Fahmi (Director of Education and Internationalization Unpad), Deeng Sanyoto (Head of TaniAcademy TaniHub), Rhezandra Priatama (CTO Sekolahmu), and Melvin Santoso (Investment Manager PT. Mandiri Capital Indonesia). Director of Innovation and Corporation Unpad, Diana Sari, explains that the National Hackathon and CollaborAction program is part of Unpad’s vision to become a hybrid university that brings together online and offline learning supported by reliable technology. This is intended to improve the quality of educational services and provide an impact on local, national, and global communities in order to establish Unpad as a world-beneficial campus. The National Hackathon and CollaborAction program is also supported by the Indonesian Ministry of SME Cooperatives, the Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Bank Mandiri and Mandiri Capital Indonesia, TaniHub, and others. It is necessary that support for local digital startups continuously evolves. Not only to reach a competitive level above national standards, but also to enable local digital startups to compete globally. Writer: Maria Imanuella Dewi SekartajiTranslator: Dhia Anaulva Putri

Bandung, West Java — The COVID-19 pandemic is a global phenomenon that not only killed a large number of people, but also caused several occupations and businesses to go bankrupt. As a result, this brought losses to many workers.  In response to this, workers from the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) who are part of UMKM Alumni Universitas Padjadjaran community, held a “Gerebek Warung” activity in Bandung City last Saturday (8/14). This was initiated with the aim of helping to recover and improve the economy of small businesses workers who have been affected by the Coronavirus pandemic.  With this opportunity, UMKM Alumni Unpad targeted eleven small stalls “warung” around Bandung City with turnovers of Rp200,000 or less per day. Andri Ganamurti, the coordinator of Gerebek Waung UMKM Alumni Unpad, expresses the efforts that has been done, namely by providing business capital in the form of assistance in selling products and guidance in product marketing.   “So, for every warung, we provide additional capital in the form of the products they sell. We also make banners for their products so people recognize them. During Gerebek Warung, we also distribute rice boxes to residents around the stalls with the conditions that they have to buy a product in the warung,” Andri states. Andri also gives an example of the marketing efforts made, which is by giving rice boxes to every resident who buys coffee at the coffee warung.  In addition to the aim of helping restore and increase the income of many small warung, Gerebek Warung also has a vision to change the image of MSMEs as always assumed to be only “waiting for assistance” into ones that provide assistance to members and residents around their warung. Unpad Alumni UMKM was formed in 2020 and has a legal entity called Perkumpulan Bumi Alumni (PBA), a cooperative named Koperasi UMKM Alumni (Kuali), and a cafe outlet known as Kafe Lupba in BTC Mall Bandung.  Assistance and empowerment aimed at helping to improve MSMEs is a wise step in the effort to eradicate poverty. On the other hand, this activity is also a form of achieving the principle of justice for all Indonesian people.  Writer: Maria Imanuella Dewi SekartajiTranslator: Jauza Maryam Mumtazah

Jatinangor, West Java –  A healthy and clean environment is supported by good water absorption. This is one of the ideal conditions that should be supported by all members of the educational institution community.  This is in line with the collaboration carried out by the dean of the Faculty of Communication Sciences, Dr. Dadang Rahmat Hidayat, with several students of the Faculty of Geological Engineering who took the initiative to make 24 biopore wells in the Fikom Unpad environment. This effort, which is fully supported by the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, aimed to increase the process of water absorption into the soil. The inauguration of the biopore well was carried out in a simple ceremony that invited a number of lecturers, employees, and students of Fikom Unpad. This activity took place in the Plaza area of Fikom Unpad on Friday (11/18). The inauguration was also attended by the Vice Chancellor for Management and Resources, Dr. Sigid Suseno, who symbolically inaugurated the program.  In this activity, Sigid and Dadang drilled a biopore well point as a symbol of inauguration. In addition, the Dean of Fikom and Vice Chancellor of Unpad for Management and Resources also placed a PVC pipe in a biopore well with a special cover. Even after the event ended, the program was continued by drilling and installing biopore wells at a number of points in the Fikom Unpad area.  Through this activity, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences and all other faculties at Universitas Padjadjaran hope to create and provide a healthy and clean environment through good water absorption.  Writer: Maria Imanuella Dewi SekartajiTranslator: Jauza Maryam Mumtazah

Jatinangor, West Java — Sustainable food resilience is one of the critical areas of focus for the government. In this case, the government partners with educational institutions in accomplishing this objective. Executed by the Faculty of Agriculture Universitas Padjadjaran, collaboration has been established with the Perhimpunan Pemuliaan Tanaman Indonesia Indonesian (Peripi)—Plant Breeding Association in English—West Java, in realizing food resilience in line with technological developments. The collaboration successfully resulted in an international seminar and business meeting held in hybrid at Bale Sawala, Unpad Rectorate Building, Jatinangor, on Monday (7/29/2024) and Tuesday (7/30). The seminar, attended by 200 participants, lifted the theme, “Development of Technology and Innovation in the Indonesian Sweet Potato Agribusiness: Innovation and Transformation Towards Sustainable and Globally Competitive Sweet Potato Agriculture”. In sync with the theme, the seminar participants consisted of sweet potato farmers from Asosiasi Agrobisnis Petani Ubi Jalar Indonesia (Asapuji)—Indonesian Sweet Potato Farmers Agribusiness Association in English—and Asosiasi Agrobisnis Ubi Cilembu (Asaguci)—Sweet Potato Cilembu Agribusiness Association in English—as well as representatives of educational institutions. Moreover, the seminar and business meeting were also attended by officials of Universitas Padjadjaran, including the Chancellor of Universitas Padjadjaran, Prof. Rina Indiastuti, Dean of Faculty of Agriculture of Universitas Padjadjaran Dr. Ir. Meddy Rachmadi, Chair of Peripi Komda West Java Prof. Agung Karuniawan, Secretary General of Peripi Komda West Java Prof. Awang Maharijaya, and Chair of the Committee as well as Lecturer of Faculty of Agriculture Universitas Padjadjaran Dr. Ade Ismail.   Chairman of Peripi Komda Jabar and Professor of the Faculty of Agriculture, Prof. Agung Karuniawan declared Peripi Komda Jabar’s support for scientific research and development activities in the agricultural sector, especially in sweet potato cultivation. The aforementioned support is shown through a collaboration with the Asosiasi Agrobisnis Petani Ubi Jalar Indonesia (Asapuji) – Indonesian Sweet Potato Farmers Agribusiness Association. At the same time, this activity is also supported by various faculties at Unpad, one of which is the Faculty of Cultural Sciences.  “This partnership is aimed at accelerating technological innovation, increasing productivity, and expanding market opportunities for sweet potatoes,” he said in his opening remarks. Agung also added that the international seminar aims to serve as a forum for sweet potato cultivation experts to exchange ideas, knowledge, and share their experiences. Furthermore, he also hoped that the seminar participants could contribute to the sustainability of sweet potato farming in West Java and Indonesia. “We believe that this seminar will encourage productive discussions and result in beneficial outcomes for all parties involved,” he said. Meanwhile, the Chancellor of Universitas Padjadjaran, Prof. Rina Indiastuti, said that the international seminar and business meeting were a manifestation of Unpad’s vision and mission, which is to develop research and innovations that have an impact on society. Unpad is also committed to increasing sweet potato productivity which is also in line with efforts to introduce environmentally friendly and sustainable technological developments. “I think the specific focus we are putting on sweet potato is very relevant to our vision and mission. Universitas Padjadjaran is committed to overcoming challenges in strengthening national food resilience and improving the farmers’ welfare,” said Rina. As for now, Unpad has conducted various activities to assist farmers in increasing annual agricultural productivity, one of them being providing effective training and technical assistance for the advancement of the food industry. The international seminar and business meeting held is expected to be a forum for stakeholders to commit to ensuring sweet potato productivity in the future through technology and innovation. “Let us work together to realize the vision and goals of this meeting in building a more prosperous and sustainable nation,” said the Chancellor of Unpad. The international seminar also presented speakers who are experts in related fields, such as Prof. Kai Zhang and Dr. Shahid Ullah Khan (Southwest University, China), Rizky Arif Nugroho (Ph.D Candidate) and Prof. Ryo Kohsaka (Tokyo University, Japan), Prof. Agung Karuniawan (Chairman of Peripi Komda Jabar and Professor of Faculty of Agriculture Unpad), Miranda Risang Ayu, Ph.D. (Faculty of Law Unpad), and Puji Lestari, Ph.D. (Head of Organization of Agriculture and Food Research or ORPP BRIN). In addition, the business meeting also presented the Kadistan and Horticulture of Sumedang Regency Sajidin, S.HUT, Kadistan of Bandung Regency Ir. Ningning Hendasah, Kadistan of Kuningan Regency Dr. Wahyu Hidayah, Lecturer of the Faculty of Economics and Business Unpad Dr. Asep Mulyana, Director of PT Indowooyang, Cirebon Lee Jung Ryull, and Director of PT Seed Origin Indonesia, Mojokerto Andrew YW Cho. Through this collaboration, it is expected Indonesia will be able to further strengthen national food resilience and also increase the quality of Indonesian food in countries overseas. Writer: Maria Imanuella Dewi SekartajiTranslator: Dhia Anaulva Putri

Political policies are actually born for the common welfare. This is because the policies that are formulated are intended for the community. Thus, the community should be sensitive to all policies and issues that occur around them and respond critically.  In order to encourage public participation in this regard, the Faculty of Communication Sciences, Universitas Padjadjaran organized a public discussion webinar with the theme, “Inviting Citizens to Handle Public Issues Towards 2024.” This webinar activity was held on Tuesday (11/7/2023).  The discussion was attended by professionals in the field of communication and politics, and supported by the Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB) Unpad. The speakers included Center for Communication, Media and Cultural Studies (Fikom Unpad) researcher Detta Rahmawan, Sekolah Tinggi Hukum Indonesia Jentera Bivitri Susanti, writer Kalis Mardiasih, and Sustainable Madani Foundation representative Nadia Hadad. Several policy recommendations presented by the speakers were further studied in order to increase opportunities for public participation.  Researcher at the Center for Communication, Media and Culture Studies (Fikom Unpad) Detta Rahmawan conveyed the results of interviews and discussions that had been conducted with 37 speakers in the 2021-2023 period. Based on the results of these observations, it was found that the issue of participation had not been discussed optimally and tended to decline.  In this discussion, Detta also added that the discussion was held because the opening of participation channels by the government and parliament was administrative and not yet substantial. This causes unrest in the community towards the legislative process, which is a sign of the lack of optimization of public participation.  In this regard, Detta hoped that the government and the public are able to collaborate with each other in order to communicate participation issues. Public participation in this case can occur in the decision-making process that involves the active role of the community. This also needs to be supported by the community’s efforts to participate in public discussions related to political issues.  In line with Detta, Bivitri states that participation that often occurs in society is generally narrowed down to the scope of elections. This causes “citizen participation” to be considered equivalent to “voter participation.” On the other hand, the practice of participation is generally limited to the presence and participation of citizens in the election of members of parliament and the president.  However, the ideal participation is to consider the public voice in every aspect of government and statehood.  In addition to Detta and Bivitri, Kalis also argued that the role of the community in this field can occur by including a deep understanding or legal literacy. Nadia also stated that the demographic bonus faced by Indonesia can actually be an opportunity to expand the channels of public participation.  Writer: Maria Imanuella Dewi SekartajiTranslator: Jauza Maryam Mumtazah

Bandung, West Java – Regional language is one of the identities owned by each tribe in Indonesia. It is not uncommon to find tribes that have sub-tribes with different languages and dialects. This makes Indonesia one of the most linguistically rich countries in the world.  Sundanese is one of the regional languages that is the identity of the Sundanese people. In teaching and learning activities carried out in schools in the province of West Java, Sundanese is one of the languages that is not left behind. However, along with the times and the sophistication of information technology, the use of Sundanese has become rare and tends to be replaced by national and international languages. Not infrequently, the loss of the use of regional languages is also due to mixed-ethnic marriages.  Departing from the phenomenon of mixed ethnic marriages or commonly known as amalgamation families, a number of Universitas Padjadjaran students who are members of the Social Humanities Research Student Creativity Program (PKM RSH) team were moved to conduct deeper research related to the use of Sundanese in amalgamation families in the Bandung area, West Java. The team, which successfully received funding from the Directorate General of Higher Education in 2024, consists of five students from the social humanities group, namely Ikmalludin ( Cultural Sciences), Henhen Hendayeni ( Cultural Sciences), Salman Ramdan Rachman ( Social and Political Sciences), Salsabil Qodrunnada ( Law Studies), and Shelvi Nur Awaliyah ( Communication Studies), and mentored by Dr. Taufik Ampera, M. Hum, lecturer at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB).  Ikmalludin says that his team’s research aims to examine culture-based parenting in families as well as individual cultural literacy.  “This research examines the effectiveness of ethnoparenting (culture-based parenting) and cultural literacy (a person’s understanding in positioning himself as part of a diverse Indonesia) in maintaining the vitality of Sundanese in Bandung City,” says Ikmalludin.  In addition, he also explains why his team chose the city of Bandung for their research. This is due to the existence of Bandung, which is a major city in West Java with high cultural and economic mobilization.  On the other hand, mixed methods with quota sampling were chosen as the method and sample selection technique by Ikmalludin’s research team. The criteria for the informants chosen by this team are families or parties who are in intermarriages of Javanese and Sundanese ethnic groups, have children who have received at least an elementary school education, and live in Bandung City.  From the research conducted by this team, the results show that family involvement in efforts to inherit regional languages, especially Sundanese, is lacking. This is unfortunate because families, which ideally function as a child’s first school, do not inherit the nation’s cultural wealth by teaching local languages. Children only learn and practice their local language in their neighborhood and school.  Dr. Taufik argues that the phenomenon of the replacement of regional languages with national languages in the family environment has occurred in other amalgamation families, such as marriages between Sundanese and Batak peoples “Actually, when compared to Sundanese marriages with other ethnicities, such as Batak, there are some similarities. It’s just that maybe the difference can be seen in terms of naming, for example naming children. However, the use of language in the family is mostly neutral, or using Indonesian,” he says. Indeed, efforts to inherit the nation’s cultural wealth, such as regional languages, have become a shared responsibility. The family, which is essentially the smallest social institution in society, should be able to carry out its function as an educator for its offspring. Thus, regional languages are able to continue to exist in the midst of the world’s modernization.  . Writer: Maria Imanuella Dewi SekartajiTranslator: Jauza Maryam Mumtazah

The MoA signing between the Faculty of Cultural Sciences Universitas Padjadjaran (FIB Unpad) and The Faculty of English Linguistics and Literature, University of Cultural Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh (EF USSH (VNUHCM) was done on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. It coincided with the visit of FIB Unpad team to Vietnam.  The signing of this cooperation agreement was directly carried out by the dean of FIB Unpad, Prof. Aquarini Priyatna, and the dean of the Faculty of Linguistics and English Literature VNUHCM (USSH), Nguyen Dang Nguyen. This cooperation agreement is focused on the implementation of academic and research programs. In particular, inviting lecturers in their respective faculties as adjunct professors. Additionally, this cooperation is also directed at joint research programs with the aim of joint publication and the exchange of qualified doctoral lecturers between each institution. This cooperation aims to contribute to the development and advancement of knowledge and to strengthen mutual understanding between the two institutions. It is also expected to be the first step to open cooperation in other fields. For FIB Unpad, the cooperation agreement with Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh resulted from the visit of FIB’s faculty leaders to Vietnam, supporting the international recognition of FIB Unpad. This cooperation is also part of the internationalization program of FIB Unpad to support Universitas Padjadjaran as a World Class University towards the top 500 QS WUR world rankings.  Writer: FIB Unpad Media TeamTranslator: Jauza Maryam Mumtazah

Jatinangor, West Java – Real Work Lecture (KKN) is one of the programs that allows students to plunge into the community and witness the problems faced in the area. This program is carried out as a form of executing one of the mandates in the Tri Dharma of Higher Education. Each KKN group has an issue focus that is different from one another. Some raise social, natural, technological, and health issues, such as those carried out by the integrative KKN-PPM group “KKN Simanis”. KKN Simanis with field supervisor Prof. Dr. Keri Lestari, M.Si., Apt., focuses on health issues and community digital literacy. In addition, this KKN group also held a free health sugar-level check at SMK Pasundan, Jatinangor on Monday (25/7). The digital literacy socialization was attended by more than 200 students of SMK Pasundan. On the other hand, this activity was also carried out by cadres and the people of Desa Cikeruh, Jatinangor. The speaker of the socialization was Prof. Keri who argues that digital literacy is very important for the community, especially in sorting out digital information that is often scattered on social media. “Through the Integrative KKN-PPM program in collaboration with the Ministry of Communication and Information, we hope that the community recognizes the importance of digital literacy awareness,” said Keri. Writer: Maria Imanuella Dewi SekartajiTranslator: Dhia Anaulva Putri

Bandung, West Java – Education can be done just about anywhere and not merely on campus or school. This is also the case with knowledge that everyone should be able to obtain, regardless of age or background. This is in line with what has been conducted by the Universitas Padjadjaran KKNM team with the Field Supervisor (DPL), namely Prof. Dr. Betty Natalie Fitriatin, Ir., M.P. The KKNM team supervised by Prof. Betty carried out its community service agenda in Patrolsari Village, Bandung in July 2023. The KKNM team focused on carrying out a number of activities to support the village’s agricultural activities. The first activity was in the form of counseling environmentally friendly fertilizer held at the Patrolsari Village Office Hall on Sunday (23/7). The counseling was attended by representatives of farmer groups, village officials, and all RW heads in Patrolsari Village.   The problem of using chemical fertilizers that are widely chosen by farmers is the focus of the counseling of the Unpad KKNM team for this specific event. The KKNM Unpad team mapped out the environmental problems before the counseling took place. This was done to ensure that the right problem-solving strategy was obtained. Based on interviews during mapping, the KKNM Unpad team obtained information that Patrolsari Village produces quite rich agricultural commodities. These include rice, corn, cassava, and several types of fruits and vegetables. However, the use of chemical fertilizers chosen by farmers is a serious problem in this village’s agriculture, because it can have a negative impact on the environment in the long run. “In an effort to increase public awareness to be more concerned about the environment, we held a socialization on the use and manufacture of environmentally friendly fertilizers that are expected to benefit the community, especially the farmers in the village,” said KKNM Group Leader, Irvan Jeay. The series of socialization activities included a presentation of material on the use and implementation of environmentally friendly fertilizers, followed by the demonstration of producing fertilizers using household waste, such as rice washing water and fruit or vegetable waste. In addition to making fertilizer, the KKNM team led by Irvan also conducted counseling on the use of plastic bottles as planting media at SMPN 2 Arjasari. This decision was based on the problem of plastic bottle waste around the school. In the counseling activity, the KKNM students conducted training on how to convert plastic bottles into verticulture planting media. This aims as a form of greening efforts in the SMPN 2 Arjasari environment. The training on the utilization of plastic bottles also introduces bamboo as a possible material to be used, so that objects that were originally considered less valuable become functional products. “If organized and arranged properly, the pots made from plastic bottles can look attractive and add to the beauty of the SMPN 2 Arjasari yard,” said Irvan. Counseling and training such as that conducted by the KKNM Unpad team contributes to various positive impacts on the environment, both in the near and long term. In addition, activities like this are also deemed potential in increasing the productivity and life skills of the community and the students themselves. Thus, both of these activities should be continuously implemented to further improve the self-sufficiency and competitiveness of the community. Writer: Maria Imanuella Dewi SekartajiTranslator: Dhia Anaulva Putri

Jatinangor, December 6, 2023 – On Thursday, 23 November 2023, the Community Service Program team (“Program Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat” or PPM team) of PSDKU (Study Programs outside Main Campus) Unpad Pangandaran were back to conduct counseling activities regarding the fulfillment of nutrition for pregnant women and toddlers. This was done in the context of stunting prevention in Desa Cibanten, Cimerak, Pangandaran Regency. The team was led by Linda Kurniawati, M.M., a lecturer in the Business Administration Study Program, along with Dwi Masrina, M.Med.Kom. as vice chairperson. Additionally, it was assisted by a team of students aimed to provide awareness to the community about the importance of fulfilling nutrition in pregnant women and toddlers.  Dwi said that this activity was designed so that toddlers and pregnant women in Desa Cibanten were able to determine and consume the right nutrition in accordance to their needs. This counseling activity featured speakers from Unpad PSDKU’s School of Nursing lecturer, Khoirunnisa, M.Kep., Ners., S.Kep.An., who presented material on child growth and development. It was then continued with discussions aimed at exploring the various potentials of nutrient-rich local products that can be used as a source of nutritional fulfillment for toddlers.  The discussion consisted of information about various natural resources, such as sweet corn, cork fish, moringa leaves, and eel which have high nutritional value. These resources have been utilized by toddlers in the village as supplementary feeding (“Pemberian Makanan Tambaha” or PMT).  “Through this program, the residents in Desa Cibanten are expected to truly realize the importance of fulfilling balanced nutrition and be able to utilize every natural resource that can be used as nutritional intake so that the stunting rate in Desa Cibanten can be reduced and overcome,” Dwi concludes. This community service program also received various support from all the faculties in Unpad, one of which was the Faculty of Cultural Sciences. Writer: Yohanes William IvakdalamTranslator: Jauza Maryam Mumtazah