Kagama.co once wrote about the career of Yahyawan Triyana, an alumnus of Agricultural Engineering from the UGM Faculty of Agricultural Technology (FTP UGM). In the article, Triyana mentioned a simple reason for studying at FTP UGM: he wanted to learn about appropriate technology in the field covered by the Faculty of Agricultural Technology.
It was a simple reason, but ultimately led to a diverse career. After graduating from FTP UGM, he joined the biopharmaceutical company Union Chemical Belgium (UCB) until 2002.
He then moved to Frisian Flag, a multinational company famous for its dairy products. Between 2003 and 2004, he worked for the NGO PATTIRO (Center for Regional Studies and Information), which collaborated with AUSAID.
Opting for early retirement from Frisian Flag, he ventured into entrepreneurship in 2010 under the banner of Megalab Inovasi. He provided solutions and appropriate technologies for waste and industrial waste management with his team of innovators.
Yahyawan had the opportunity to create greenhouses, hydroponics, and agricultural automation machines and formulate fertilizers under the brand AB Mix.
This inspiring story serves as an introduction to FTP UGM, particularly for prospective students who want to learn more about the three undergraduate programs at FTP UGM: the Food and Agricultural Product Technology Program, the Agricultural Industrial Technology Program, and the Agricultural Engineering Program.
Professor Eni Harmayani, the dean, stated that FTP UGM, established on Sept. 19, 1963, aims to produce graduates capable of designing processes that add value to agricultural products into food and non-food products.
These products are based on aspects of chemistry and biochemistry, biotechnology, process engineering, nutrition, waste management, mastering production process techniques and management, handling and processing biomass, and mastering system engineering, technology, and management in agro-industry.
“FTP UGM is the first faculty in Indonesia to study agricultural technology. Graduates have opportunities to work in the food and agricultural products industry (R&D, QA, production), Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Affairs,” she said at FTP UGM, Thursday (Apr. 25).
Moreover, graduates can work in research and development institutions, become entrepreneurs in the food sector, and work in fields related to agricultural engineering in both government and private sectors in research and development.
They can also work in design, construction, operation and maintenance, marketing and management, and as professionals in agro-industry/manufacturing (R&D, Quality Control, Production Planning and Control, Supply Chain, Marketing), banking (as financial analysts), government/private institutions (industry, trade, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, research institutions, education), and entrepreneurship.
Dean Harmayani explained that FTP UGM admits an average of 325 new undergraduate students annually across three programs. The Agricultural Engineering program admits 105 students, Agricultural Industrial Technology 110 students, and Food and Agricultural Product Technology 110 students.
Regarding the Food and Agricultural Product Technology Program, Dean Harmayani said this program aims to produce highly competent human resources in food technology and agricultural products, emphasizing research-based learning on chemical/biochemical, food biotechnology, food engineering, and nutritional aspects.
Graduates are expected to design processes that add value to agricultural products into food and non-food products based on chemical and biochemical aspects, biotechnology, process engineering, nutrition, and waste management.
The Agricultural Engineering Program aims to develop human resources who master the principles of agricultural and biosystem engineering, and the Agricultural Industrial Technology Program aims to produce quality graduates who can optimally integrate managerial, technical, and agro-industrial system processing aspects.
Generally, technology management, engineering, and processing are key elements in running the industry optimally, while agriculture, in its primary aspect, achieves the success of bioindustry activities, which have specific characteristics compared to other sectors.
Dean Harmayani hopes that the students not only achieve academically but also develop attitudes, including being devout to God Almighty, showing religious attitudes, upholding human values in performing tasks based on religion, morals, and ethics, contributing to improving the quality of community life, the nation, and civilization based on Pancasila, playing a role as citizens who are proud and love their homeland, have nationalism and a sense of responsibility to the country and nation, and others.
FTP UGM students are also expected to develop general and specific skills. These include logical, critical, systematic, and innovative thinking in developing or implementing science and technology while considering and applying humanities values relevant to their expertise.
They are also expected to show independent, quality, and measurable performance and be able to study the implications of developing or implementing science and technology that consider and apply humanities values according to their expertise based on scientific rules, procedures, and ethics to produce solutions, ideas, designs, or artistic critiques.
“Specifically, they are expected to apply and incorporate the principles of food and agricultural product science in practice and real conditions in the food and agricultural product industry,” she added.
“They should master the basic principles of sensory evaluation of food products, choose packaging and storage techniques for food/agricultural products to extend the shelf life of food/agricultural products, and apply statistical and computer principles in addressing problems in the food/agricultural product field.”
Muhammad Khairul Amal, who was accepted into the Agricultural Engineering Program, Class of 2021 through the UTBK-SBMPTN pathway, expressed his happiness. He had long desired to study at UGM and was interested in agricultural studies.
“I feel that the agricultural sector in Indonesia has high potential in the future. Moreover, I am also interested in engineering, so I looked for a combination of these two sectors and found Agricultural Engineering at UGM,” he said.
Although he found the early semesters challenging, he managed to transition smoothly from a high school student’s mindset to a university student’s. Studying in the agro cluster at FTP UGM involved many practicals and reports to be made.
The combination of science and technology courses and other assignments required extra effort to adapt. Over time, he became more accustomed.
“It became enjoyable in the end, as I made more friends, which made studying easier, and began to know the lecturers, making the classes more interesting and colorful,” the student concluded.
Author: Agung Nugroho
Photographer: Donnie